Good Food Guide editor Elizabeth Carter reveals chef talent concerns

Elizabeth Carter believes more can be done to encourage more young chefs to train in hospitality.

“I am a little bit worried because I can name a lot of good chefs, but they are all already established,” said Carter.

“There are fewer younger chefs shining through. I think part of it is down to poor training on the job. We do have some good colleges but not enough. It puzzles me.

“It could be down to the high costs of setting up on your own or the long hours that are putting people off entering the industry.

“We need an apprentice scheme through which people can enter the industry — I’m not sure we always need hospitality degrees. We need chefs to work in butchers and spend time on farms to really learn the craft.”

Carter places the same emphasis on learning in a pub or restaurant environment and believes that location does not matter.

“It all comes down to talent,” she said. “Chefs don’t have to be in London to get recognition. The guides will find them and customers will find them. Look at Jamie Oliver — he started off working in his dad’s pub.”

During her work in compiling the pub entries for The Good Food Guide 2013 Carter noticed more bar snacks, simple lunch menus and more complicated dinner menus, more multi-faceted operations, better staff knowledge and service and the rise of the modern day country house in a pub.