Tom Kerridge’s head chefs to take centre stage at IFE

15-Dec-2014 - Last updated on 15-Dec-2014 at 11:40 GMT

Beardshaw: Set to take the stage at IFE

The head chefs at both of Tom Kerridge’s pubs are to take part in a cooking demonstration at the UK’s largest food and drink event next spring.

Aaron Mulliss and Nick Beardshaw will appear alongside an elite band of culinary experts at the Skillery, part of the International Food & Drink Event (IFE) at London’s ExCeL from 22 to 25 March.

Organised by the Craft Guild of Chefs, the Skillery will aim to enlighten IFE visitors with ways to improve cooking skills, as well as hone menu creations, increase profit margins and reduce waste.

Mulliss is head chef at Kerridge’s two Michelin-starred Hand & Flowers, in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

Formerly sous chef at the Hand & Flowers, Beardshaw recently took on the role of head chef at Kerridge’s new venture the Coach, which opened in Marlow on 1 December.

Champion chef

Tipped to be one of the highlights of the industry show, the Skillery will also feature live demonstrations from Russell Bateman, National Chef of the Year 2014.

Bateman is head chef at Collette’s restaurant at the Grove, in Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, which has three AA Rosettes. Chairman of the Guild Christopher Basten will be preparing a selection of his own ‘golden dishes’ to mark the association’s 50th anniversary.

Martin Bates, chief executive of the Guild, said the opportunity to see so many award-winning chefs from right across the sectors showcase their skills shouldn’t be missed.

“The Skillery is always a key attraction at IFE and, this year, we have so many big names to dazzle and inspire visitors, whether they are chefs themselves, run a foodservice operation that wants to set itself apart, or are in charge of product procurement,” he said.

Other Skillery chefs include:

Adam Handling – British Chef of the Year 2014 and currently head chef at Adam Handling at Caxton in London’s St James’s Park.
Steven Edwards – Head chef at South Lodge Hotel, in Horsham, West Sussex, and winner of MasterChef: The Professionals 2013.
Ben Bartlett – A celebrity TV chef who runs his own food and drink company that advises food manufacturers. Bartlett is the author of The BBQ Manual.
Adam Smith – Head chef at the Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa in Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire. Smith won the Roux Scholarship in 2012.
Simon Jenkins – Executive pastry chef at Marcus Wareing Restaurants. Jenkins was a semi-finalist in the Master of Culinary Arts in 2009.
Alyn Williams – National Chef of the Year 2012 and chef patron of Michelin-starred and three AA Rosette restaurant Alyn Williams at the Westbury in Mayfair, London.
Ben Tish – Chef director, Salt Yard Group. Tish used to front the Crinan Hotel in Lochgilphead, Argyll – which was once awarded Best Gastropub in Scotland by the Independent.

According to organisers, IFE brings together more buyers and suppliers of food and drink products than any other UK show – with 28,135 retailers, foodservice buyers, wholesalers, distributors, importers, exporters and manufacturers from 83 countries in attendance last year.

This year, IFE is running concurrently with Pro2Pac, which focuses on food packaging, and Waste-Works, a new event that will aim to help all sections of the food industry to reduce food waste.

Visit www.ife.co.uk for more information.