The Staff Canteen Live 2024: Networking lunch at Grace & Savour

We held our latest networking lunch on Monday, October 21, at Michelin-starred Grace & Savour in Solihull.

The restaurant’s head chef David Taylor hosted the event at Hampton Manor.

THE GUESTS

Today at Grace & Savour, we welcomed 15 chefs for the lunch.

Tony Cridland, chef owner, Land Restaurant
Stewart Mackie, head chef, Gaskell Arms
Ediz Engin, head chef, The Wilderness
Paddy Hukins, sous chef, Cuubo
Jon Howe, chef owner, Lumiere
Daniel Pinch, chef owner, Pellizco
Chris Higham, head chef, Darleys
Kray Treadwell, chef owner, 670 Grams
Cory White, head chef, The Chubby Castor
Martin Burge, culinary director, Farncombe Estate
Jack Owens, head chef, New Hall Hotel
Dan Brookes, head chef, Hammer and Pincers
Aktar Islam, chef owner, Opheem
Adam Bateman, executive chef, Pan Pacific
Edward Marsh, head chef, Buckland Manor

Jon Howe, chef owner of Lumiere, who hosted a networking lunch last month, said: “It’s great to come out and meet different people from different restaurants you wouldn’t necessarily bump into day-to-day.

“It was really good to talk on varying topics and issues you think are a problem, but everyone else is having the same issues and thought processes. We talked about VAT, tourism, local councils, stuff that’s not necessarily just food and drink based.

“It’s nice to have a face to every company that you’re working with. It’s not the hard sell you get with someone cold calling you at the restaurant.

“You get to meet the person and understand the ethos of the business and everything they’re doing.”

Paddy Hubrick, sous chef at Cuubo in Birmingham, concurred: “Face-to-face is everything. When you look someone in the eye, that’s when it stays with you more, so it’s purpose is fulfilled ultimately.”

It was Paddy’s first time visiting a Staff Canteen networking lunch.

“You don’t really know what to expect when you first come in,” he admitted.

“But the nerves were instantly gone and it was nice to break the ice and meet these people, networking.”

Chefs Jon and Paddy both opted for the Cornish scallops dish as their favourite of the day.

“I loved the acidity coming through it, with the aroma of the fish roe,” said Paddy.

“It was complex, but it was simple.”

THE SPONSORS

A special thanks to our seven sponsors today – Chef Works, Williams Refrigeration, Bonemasters, Control Induction, Winterhalter, Udale and Liberty Wines.

Speaking at today’s event, Haydon Hendry, area sales manager for Williams Refrigeration, said: “It’s been a great opportunity to speak to chefs that we generally wouldn’t be able to get face-to-face with, in an environment where they’re relaxed and we’re relaxed.

“It’s not the hard sell, so they’re really interested in what we’re talking about, while we’re enjoying some amazing food.”

Discussing the food on offer and his pick of the courses, Haydon added: “Probably the duck. It’s not my go-to meat, but it was beautiful.

“Every course was lovely and I don’t do seafood either, but both of them were amazing.”

THE MENU

A tart of Chapel Organics beetroot with lacto-fermented beetroot honey and biodynamic yoghurt from Loch Arthur Creamery

Jerusalem artichokes from Packington estate with organic Granny Smith apple and thyme from the garden

Raventos i Blanc, Blanc de Blancs, Penedes, Spain 2022

-----------------------------------------------------------

Organic field mushroom with toasted buckwheat and Welsh black truffle

-----------------------------------------------------------

Seeded sourdough bread made by Adam, our in-house baker, served with butter infused with the same grain the bread is made with

-----------------------------------------------------------

Cornish scallops hand dived by Frazer with sweetcorn from our garden, chilli peppers from Toby and dried scallop roe

Roussanne, ‘Pierre Blanche’, Domaine Lionnet, Rhone Valley, France, 2021

-----------------------------------------------------------

Cornish line caught wild seabass with a sauce of the smoked bones, kohlrabi and preserved gooseberry and fig of last year

‘Wild Sauvignon’, Greywacke, Archive Release, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2015

-----------------------------------------------------------

Creedy Carver duck from Udale with duck faggot, pickled beach rose, lacto-fermented berries of the summer and a sauce made with Bonemasters stock

Kadarka, ‘1880’, Oszkar Maurer, Subotica, Serbia, 2022

-----------------------------------------------------------

A parfait of honey from Maggie in Knowle, with biodynamic redcurrants from Toby at Four Acres Farm and crème fraiche sorbet

Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, Cullen Wines, Margaret River, Australia, 2023

Choux pastry made from Wild Farmed flour, filled with Roughway farm apricots, preserved from the summer