We love it when we get a guest chef at our London Innovation Centre and last week we welcomed one we’ve followed the career of for many years...
Former NCOTY winner and judge, Frederick Forster reveals his thoughts on the hot topics in hospitality
Posted by Lockhart Catering
on 23 November 2018
Frederick Forster, who won the title of The National Chef of the Year in 2011, joined us for a morning of cooking & conversation.
Visit our Craft Guild Endorsed Induction Range
He's currently working as head chef at D&D's Plateau where he draws inspiration from classic French cuisine, with a few surprising twists. It was an inspirational day to learn from Frederick with some delicious dishes on offer for tasting too.
To prepare his ingredients Frederick used the Prepara knives and chopping boards. Prepara offers a comprehensive range of great quality products for food preparation and storage. All the cooking was done using the Craft Guild of Chefs' endorsed induction ranges. For chefs like Frederick, food presentation is an important element and the crockery the dishes are presented on is a key part of the dining experience. Frederick used the new Artisan stoneware collections to make sure his dishes had the wow-factor when he served each course and carefully selected which item would be best for each dish.
Craft Guild Endorsed Induction Ranges In Action:
Watch Frederick in action on Instagram
The first dish of the day was roasted monkfish, glazed cauliflower, mustard seed sauce, sea vegetables and samphire. It was plated up on the Shore range from Artisan which was inspired by the dramatic coastline of Cornwall and miles of sandy beaches. Shore has a satin finished warm cream base colour with a dense mineral reactive speckle. Each piece is unique and the natural variations in the finish ensure it does not look or feel mass produced. Main course was loin of venison, parsnip puree, purple kale, pear, red wine jus beautifully presented on the Kernow plates. These are granite speckled and satin finished, with a reactive grey glaze to give a hand-crafted feel. Grey has become the colour of choice to present stunning looking dishes. Frederick's delicious dessert was apricot-glazed savarin, summer fruits and Chantilly cream which looked stunning served on Elm Coupe Plates. This collection combines Scandinavian inspired shape with colour and texture. Elm interiors are a rich sage green with a reactive speckle creating variations in every piece. When you add in the warm grey matt exterior and innovative stacking shapes, you have the perfect modern look.
Take a look at these three stunning dishes
Whilst he was at the Innovation Centre we caught up with Frederick to get his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points in the chef world.
What piece of advice would you give to young chefs coming into the industry and considering competitions?
Chef competitions are always great for testing yourself against others. You get to learn a lot about yourself and what's going on in the industry. The advice I would give to young chefs is to give a competition a go as you don't know far it could take you. If you are lucky enough to win, it can open lots of doors for you. I've been lucky enough to have some doors opened for me due to competitions. It's a good way for you to test yourself in a different environment as opposed to just being in your kitchen all the time. You can progress your career on a different scale.
As a previous winner of NCOTY, what were your thoughts on judging this year's competition won by chef Kuba Winkowski?
For me judging is something I am always proud to do, especially being a past winner. It's great to see that competitions have come a long way over the last five or six years. To see Kuba, who has been a finalist before, persevering and then coming out on top is fantastic. When judging, it's always good to see what the new generation are doing with different skills and other ways of presenting food. It's also a learning experience for myself as I sometimes see things maybe I haven't thought of that I could take to my own kitchen. It's always a humbling experience to go back and judge NCOTY and I feel proud of that.
How do you think sustainability will change the face of our industry in coming years?
I think it's already started and it's going to become an even bigger factor going forward. We are going to be forced to use what we have in our British Isles and not get things from other countries. It's a great way to be and it will test us as chefs to use our imagination a bit more and encourage us to support the people who are providing us with these fisheries, meat and vegetables. It will benefit our restaurants and hotels; however, a cost factor will need to be considered for the years going forward.
Watch the first part of the interview with Frederick on our Facebook page
2019 Trends?
It's that time of year where everyone is focusing on trends for 2019 and there is much debate around the subject. We wanted to know what Frederick thought as we approach the end of the year and look ahead to the next.
The skills shortage is on the tip of everyone's tongues; what can businesses do to improve awareness and interest in hospitality?
Hospitality is a great industry, I personally believe, but yes, we have a real shortage of chefs. Businesses must do a lot in terms of the staff that they have and focus on training and we need to look at the working conditions and the working hours. It's not the same as it used to be where you are expected to work 12 to 14-hour days. Generations are different, and they expect different things. We have to find a way to accommodate them, not all their needs, as it's a bit of give and take. However, we can look at things such as stress levels, training and conditions. I try to spend time in colleges doing talks and demonstrations to try and encourage the next generation. Chefs who have been in the industry for a while have a bigger role to play in terms of trying to support staff to come into the industry.
With the rise of ‘Instagrammable' menus, dining trends are becoming increasingly popular; how much focus do you put on your table top settings?
I follow Instagram, but I wouldn't say I am crazy on social media, but I think for the new generation coming through now that's what it's all about. All my chefs have got their phones in the kitchens and they are tagging and taking photographs of their dishes. It's just the way that it is now, and we have to be aware of that. Ultimately, some people are attracted by Instagram and before they go to a restaurant they will look at an account and see what they do. We do have to pay attention to how our table top looks. You have to move with the trend, but I don't want us to lose focus on the classics and basics of what we do. It's about having a balance.
Today you've presented your food on our Artisan stoneware collections. What do you think of the rising trend in Artisanal stoneware?
I really like it. There has been a movement in that over the last few years with quite a few restaurants advocating it. It makes the food look a lot more natural, especially when a lot of places are now doing farm to table cooking. This stoneware really lends itself to that type of cooking and there's a lot of variety to it. With the rise of Instagram and taking food photos and the amount of emphasis on presentation, this type of crockery really makes your food look alive.
See Frederick share his thoughts on trends for 2019 in the second part of the interview here:
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