PubChef Live - Inspiring the Nation's Chefs

Eastern delights

Finding new menu inspiration can be a tough challenge for pub chefs faced with the demands of running a busy kitchen. To help such chefs pick up new menu ideas and find new suppliers - by presenting them with information about the produce on offer in their region - PubChef has launched a series of five educational PubChef Live events.

The first - hosted by the Cock in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire, a freehouse owned by Oliver Thain and Richard Bradley - attracted chefs and pub owners from Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire and Essex.

During the day chefs picked up tips on using regional produce on the menu, sampled regional produce at a tasting session, heard from a pig farmer just why his meat tastes so special, and were given a butchery demo, which showed chefs the versatility of forequarter and belly pork.

Despite Monday-morning motorway mayhem, which included several accidents and the closure of the M11, all attendees reached the Cock for a well-earned cup of coffee at 10am. Licensees and chefs were welcomed by PubChef editor Jo Bruce, who outlined the event's goals of giving pub chefs new ideas for their menus, discovering more about the excellent range of produce available in their region, introducing them to new suppliers and bringing pub chefs together to swap ideas and learn new skills.

Julie West, deputy chief executive of Tastes of Anglia was then invited to the stage to launch PubChef Live with her guide to local sourcing.

Eastern promise

With food firms producing products that range from ice creams to quails eggs, the East's pubs are in a perfect position to capitalise on the growing importance of traceability to customers, according to Julie.

Tastes of Anglia, which has more than 260 producer members, offered key advice on the benefits of bringing foods from field to fork.

Top tips included:

Badge with pride: Chefs should flag-up the use of local ingredients on their menus. "Customers have a growing interest in local produce," said Julie. "The public are interested in where foods come from, so chefs should offer as much information as possible on menus."

Internet links: The Tastes of East Anglia website www.exploreyourcountryside.com offers consumers a guide to eateries in the region that cook with local products. Julie encouraged pubs to register their details and capture trade from clued-up customers.

Get involved: East Anglia's wealth of fantastic foods can help provide chefs with a valuable profit boost. Local foods have enjoyed 6.5% growth among UK consumers in 2004, with 49% of customers looking to buy more locally-sourced products, according to Food From Britain research. Chefs should be primed to take advantage of this said Julie. "We'd love to hear from pubs about the sort of products they want. We'll then source them from suppliers and deliver the goods."

Tasting table

Following Julie's presentation the chefs were encouraged to sample some of the produce available from Tastes of Anglia - including fruit brûlé from Prospero Fine Foods at Holt, Norfolk, home-cured ham from Wicks Manor Pork at Maldon, Essex, trout from Narborough Trout Farm, Narborough, Norfolk, and a version of French favourite snails and garlic from Stamford, Lincolnshire-based Rutland Fine Food.

Things to pork about

Bacon sarnies, roast pork and sausage and mash remain a firm fixture on many pub menus. But, according to Jimmy Butler, owner of Blythburgh Free Range Pork, Tony Goodger, foodservice trade sector manager of the British Pig Executive (BPEX), and meat industry consultant Viv Harvey, pubs could be doing more to make the most of Britain's passion for prime pork.

Tips on free-range pork

After a brief break to allow guests a trip to the tasting table, PubChef Live continued with Blythburgh's Jimmy Butler offering an insight into the importance of sourcing quality pork. Ensuring you serve only fine, free-range meats has many benefits for chefs and customers. Jimmy explained that Blythburgh free range pigs are monitored from birth to slaughter. The animals' diets are carefully controlled, and outdoor rearing - in more spacious conditions than available for commercially-grown breeds - offers many benefits.

"Our pigs have an opportunity for exercise so they develop less quickly and with a greater muscle composition than animals at other farms," Jimmy explained. "That's one of the reasons the meat tastes so succulent." Blythburgh farm's back-to-basics approach to pig farming also provides pub chefs with a potential sales pitch. "The public are growing increasingly concerned about how meat is produced," said Jimmy.

"Our products have a fantastic story to tell and chefs can capitalise on that too." Jimmy left chefs with this thought: "When you're eating bacon and egg always remember the chicken may have made a contribution, but the pig makes a commitment."

Butchery demonstration

The versatility of pork is ensuring its success among caterers according to BPEX's Tony Goodger. Offering chefs an insight into maximising profits from dishes incorporating all parts of the pig was the goal behind BPEX's butchery demonstration, which was hosted by Viv Harvey. Armed with a selection of sharp knives Viv, a trained butcher, began his skilful deconstruction of a fore-end of Blythburgh pork. His top tips for chefs who may be aiming to promote pork sales included:

1 Shoulder cuts: Sorely underused among caterers, pork shoulder offers a versatile, delicious and economic ingredient. "The shoulder is a great cut of meat. It needs a bit of work but it's very cost effective," said Viv.

2 Take care when cutting: Chefs should take note of the complex structure of meat when chopping according to Viv. "Meat comprises more than one muscle it's a mass of complex connections," he said. Cutting with the grain may also cause meat to curl up when cooking, warned Viv.

3 Ribs: Ribs are perfect for Chinese dishes

4 Waste not: Fatty cuts from the fore-end shouldn't be binned but used instead as the base for stocks, crackling or stews.

5 Blade bones: Chefs should ensure their butcher removes blade bones from foreends of pork with delicacy, according to Viv. He explained: "The bone is attached by lots of connective tissue. Removing as much as possible ensures the remaining meat stays tender. If it's done poorly and the meat is tough, then customers will blame the chef rather than the butcher."

6 Stringing and scoring your meat: Not tying your joint too tightly prevents a build up of fluid in the pork, which might impair taste. Scoring the meat involves a series of incisions with a knife to make carving easier. However the chef, rather than the butcher should employ the technique, to control the depth of cuts and prevent the loss of fluid from the joint.

7 Collar of pork: Makes an excellent cut for individual roasts. Could be useful for chefs who want to reduce waste from roasting an entire joint.

8 Belly of pork: A cut packed with succulent flavours, according to Viv. The dish has become a firm favourite with many top gastro pubs and is likely to grow in popularity over the coming years, said Viv. "Belly of pork is my personal favourite and I love it done in a hoi sin sauce," he said.

The finalé

After an absorbing morning of fact-filled tutorials the attendees hit the bar for some quick liquid refreshment. The group then took their seats in the pub's restaurant for a five-course feast, featuring many foods detailed at PubChef Live.

Courses included:

Bottisham smoked eel with carrot and horseradish slaw. The eel were smoked at the Riverfarm smokery at Bottisham in Cambridgeshire.

Cream of rabbit and garlic soup with truffle oil. The rabbit came from Local Flavours at Bottisham, truffle oil from Infusions at Bury St Edmunds.

Confit of belly pork with pork sausage, dry-cured bacon, honey & mustard mash, creamed savoy, cider and thyme