A thank you to our supporters

I was delighted to hear that the fundraising dinner which took place at University College Birmingham last Friday raised £20,000. 

This is fantastic news and not only gives Kristian and myself a boost to our preparations but should also ensure that the next candidate has an easier start to his or her campaign.  It means that Team UK can continue to raise the bar in the competition. 

Kristian and I had a great time preparing the dinner with a team of fantastic chefs, it’s usually a challenge to cook with chefs from other kitchens but everyone pulled together and it was a good team effort.  Big thanks to Andy Waters, Marc Billings, Claire Hutchings, Aktar Islam and the award winning UCB Culinary Team for giving up your time to help.

The dinner itself was sponsored by Aubrey Allen, Classic Fine Foods, Loch Fyne, M&J Seafood, Oakleaf European, Ritter Courivaud Ltd., Rougie, Ruinart Champagne, Simpsons restaurant, Wellocks and Jodi Hinds Photography. 

However, there are many more companies who have helped us this far, to whom we are extremely grateful: http://www.bocusedoruk.co.uk/support/supported-by

This week also saw the announcement of the fish theme - turbot and lobster.  Like most chefs I love to cook with turbot, however in terms of ingredients they don’t come cheap! Fortunately, both M&J Seafood and Ritter Courivaud will be helping out with product - for which we are extremely grateful.  

A warm welcome from the Emerald Isle

Earlier this month, myself and Team UK president, Brian Turner, were invited on a study trip to Ireland by the Bocuse d’Or meat sponsors, Bord Bia.

I’ve done a good few study trips but this was particularly special as everyone we met was proud and passionate about what they produced and open to sharing their knowledge and experience with a bunch of chefs they’d never met before.

Our first stop was for lunch at the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna where we tasted an incredible stout brewed by Birgitta and Peter Curtin  in their microbrewery, we were joined by some great local characters who entertained us with their stories and we ate some delicious local food.  The Curtins are as commercial as they are enthusiastic about food and drink and have their own smoke house – Burren Smokehouse – with a small visitor centre as well as the brewery.

From the pub we headed over to Gregans Castle Hotel in Burren, via the stunning cliffs of Moher.  There, we had an amazing meal cooked by the extremely talented head chef, David Hurley.  We all agreed that he’s a rising star and could one day be competing on a global level himself.

The next day we were up bright and early to visit the ABP meat plant and abattoir where we were impressed by the scientific approach taken to rearing and cutting the Irish beef.  The team work very closely with the farmers, advising them on the best feed and lifestyle for the cows.  It’s all about getting the best quality meat possible.  

We then headed to meet the cows themselves, which are all grass fed and very happy. It was good to learn about the meat’s characteristics and flavour profile and it certainly gave me plenty to think about.

Whilst it was a whistle stop tour, I gained so much from our trip and it was fantastic to meet so many passionate people and producers. I’d really like to pass my thanks onto Henry Horkan from Bord Bia for organising the trip.  I hope to see you all again soon.

Parlez-vous Champignons?

My week in France delivered everything that I’d hoped for in that it helped me to open my mind and think differently about the challenge ahead.

I always find France inspiring, it has amazing quality produce, fantastic markets and a genuine passion for pushing culinary boundaries.  I capitalised on my trip by spending time with three very different chefs - first arriving at Daniel et Denise in Lyon to meet Joseph Viola, a chef who has returned to the basics of home cooking after having spent years in two and three Michelin starred kitchens.  

From Lyon, I headed to St Etienne, where I was collected by the esteemed, three Michelin starred chef Régis Marcon. Restaurant Régis et Jacques is a truly special place - not only is it run by one of France’s most talented chefs but it is surrounded by a bounty of superb produce.  The volcanic soil adds intensity of flavour to everything that grows there and the wild mushrooms there are something else.  

The restaurant is quite a contrast to Simpsons, which is just five minutes away from Britain’s second largest city, in that it is in the middle of nowhere.  The village Saint Bonnet le Froid, has a population of about 200 and yet the restaurant manages to do 120 covers every day.  Régis is understated and charming, for him it’s about food not celebrity.  That said, his presence is clear around the town - the family owns a hotel, bakery, bistro, cookery school and of course the three starred restaurant.

People will travel from miles around to eat Régis’ celebrated mushroom dishes and this is where he excels.  I have never seen such a variety of mushrooms as fresh and as abundant as these.  One day myself and seven of his chefs had the task of preparing 80 kilos of cêpes - which where then pickled, bottled and sent down to be sold in the Marcon family store.

A glut of mushrooms is a nice problem for any chef to have and Régis has the talent and imagination to take them to another level. His dishes surprised and inspired me - chocolate and cêpe praline was one that particularly sticks out. Régis’ use of acidity is very clever and his expertise has been honed from years working with such quality, earthy ingredients. 

Régis is not only a born chef, but he’s a natural mentor who keenly feels his responsibility for sharing his passion and knowledge with others.  Each Sunday, he gives a ‘lecture’ to the chefs and whilst I was there the topic was mushrooms.  Régis lovingly described each of the mushrooms, taught us how best to prepare them and explained how they reproduce. It was great to see such a talented chef, share his philosophies and approach with this class of future talent.  

Moving on from Régis, I stayed with another wonderful chef, Christophe Ansanay Ale.  Christophe is more of a personality outside the kitchen but has the focus and talent for running the two Michelin starred L’Auberge de l’île.  His food is considered to be among the best in Lyon so it was a privilege to spend time with him.

Whilst each of the chefs has a very individual style, what they each possess is a talent for getting the best out of their produce.  I’ve returned to Simpsons with my mind buzzing and I’m really looking forward to working on my own ideas. 

Bocuse d'Or UK: A shout out for the team

Bocuse d'Or UK: A shout out for the team: Over the last few weeks I’ve been spending most of my free time in the Bocuse d’Or kitchen, experimenting with different cooking techn...

A shout out for the team

Over the last few weeks I’ve been spending most of my free time in the Bocuse d’Or kitchen, experimenting with different cooking techniques for the Irish beef.  It’s fantastic to have the facilities to take myself away and focus purely on the competition and I can’t thank UCB and all the companies which donated equipment enough for making the kitchen happen.

This week, I’ll be working in a very different kind of kitchen, that of Régis Marcon, joint owner and founder of the three Michelin starred, Auberge et Clos des Cimes.   Régis won the Bocuse d’Or in 1995 and is still involved in the competition.  I have a huge amount of respect for Régis’ cooking and I’m really looking forward to working with his team.  Whilst I’m there I’m hoping to drop into Lyon and familiarise myself with the surroundings to help focus my mind and prepare myself for my greatest challenge yet.

Whilst it might be my greatest challenge, I certainly don’t feel like I’m going it alone as I have a great team behind me.  Andreas is allowing me three months off in order to prepare for the finals, the team at Simpsons are also a great support as are the staff and students at the college.  Kristian is going from strength to strength and is proving his competition through his performance in the Chef of the Year and Graduate Chef of the Year awards and it’s great to have the experience of Nick, Brian and John in the team.

Our next challenge is to raise the necessary funds to help us to make an impact in Lyon and to build a platform to help future competitors to succeed.  We’ll be holding a fundraising event at the UCB on November 23, please put the date in your diary if you’d like to show your support.

The date is set

Well the date is set, Team UK will compete on day two of the Bocuse d’Or (January 30th), after France and before the USA.  However, we can’t let the fact that we are competing right after the home nation or the biggest spenders change our form.

Now is the time to plan ahead and to determine what to include in our meat platter. The garnishes for the fish dish could be the biggest challenge, one of the garnishes has to be distinctively British, whilst the other two have to be created from ingredients bought at a Lyon market, two days before we compete.  January isn’t the best time for fruit and vegetables so it’s going to be restrictive, however, at least we know that all the other competitors will be in the same situation.

Whilst, I’m focusing my mind on what lies ahead, my commis Kristian has been getting into the competitive spirit - reaching the finals of both the Craft Guild of Chef’s Graduate Awards and the National Chef of the Year.  I’ve never doubted Kristian’s talent and passion for cooking but it’s great to have it recognised by such an important chef association.

Like the athletes taking part in the London Olympics, raising our game is essential if we have a chance of reaching the podium on January 30th. Last month, Kristian spent three days working in the three Michelin-starred kitchen of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.  He then moved onto another world class cuisine, that of the Danes, working with the team behind “A taste of Noma”.  

Continuing the sporting note, we were delighted and proud of Bradley Wiggins’ performance at the Tour de France.  It shows that we can compete well on their turf and even beat them at their own game.  I just hope that we can repeat his success in Lyon! 

Time to get started

Team Simpsons - Myself, Kristian, Leo and Andreas at the Gherkin
© Steve Ryan photography

It doesn’t seem two minutes since my last blog when I said that I couldn’t wait to find out the specifications so that we could start preparing for the final.  We now have these and there have been a few surprises this year.

I’m delighted to be working with Irish steer beef fillet, however, we won’t know what the fish will be until the end of November.  We were expecting some changes to the competition as our Sirha contact, Anne-Sophie, had given us the heads up.  However, the fact that the candidates will only have two months (previously candidates had six months) to create and practise the fish plate was a surprise.  Other changes include points for incorporating national influences into the dishes and having to create a garnish using seasonal ingredients sourced from a Lyon market - the competition is in January so I don’t think there’s going to be a wide choice! 

All this was announced at the press launch for both the Bocuse d’Or and the World Pastry Cup at Searcys at the top of London’s Gherkin last Monday.  Many thanks to GL Events, Andre Dang and Valrhrona for organising.  It was great to see some of our sponsors there too, including Ritter Courivaud, Nestle Professional, Villeroy & Boch, Rougie and Classic Fine Foods and Compass Group and to catch up with previous UK candidate Andre Garrett.  

The new rules provide us with a few challenges but I’m excited by the changes.  I’ve been cooking for 25 years and the Bocuse d’Or is probably the greatest test of culinary and creative skills in the world. Now where’s that beef?

Raising our game

We know that we need to raise our game again if we’re going to do well in Lyon so standing still isn’t an option. Unfortunately, we won’t know which fish or meat we’ll be dealing with until the end of June but there’s no time like the present to get thinking!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been seeking inspiration in various forms.  I was lucky enough to be a guest of Nespresso, Bocuse d’Or sponsors, on a chef study trip out to Switzerland.  It was a great opportunity to meet talented and innovative chefs from around Europe, including Eduoard Loubet, the two Michelin starred chef from Bonnieux, Provence who I greatly admire.  It was an eye opener to watch chefs creating savoury dishes using espresso and whilst I didn’t come back with any specific dishes in mind, it was great to see just how far some chefs take their creativity.

With thanks to Jodi Hinds photography

Now I’m back in Edgbaston I’m looking for inspiration closer to home and working on a theme for my dishes.


As I said in my last blog, the Bocuse d’Or is not a level playing field and unfortunately, unlike some other countries which are supported by their governments, the UK has always had to rely on donations.  We received a great response in the run up to Brussels with the majority of our equipment and ingredients being donated by a wide range of businesses.  However, for the next stage we really need to drum up support for coming out to Lyon and also to help us to raise the funds necessary to make our entry the best that it can be.

If you’d like to do your bit in helping Team UK to show the rest of the world what we’re capable of, please send an email to our coach, Nick Vadis (Nick.vadis@compass-group.co.uk) with ‘Bocuse d’Or support’ in the subject line.

We’ll also be planning some fundraising events over the coming months so make sure you follow us on Twitter @BocusedorUK for details.

Back on the road to Lyon

As Brian Turner CBE has often said, ‘Nothing can prepare you for the Bocuse d’Or’ and he’s absolutely right. It is a contest like no other and I certainly hadn’t prepared for how the experience would affect me.

I went into the competition expecting to be overawed by five and a half hours of intense cooking but I actually really enjoyed it. Instead of hours of pressure, what I experienced was five and a half hours of pure, controlled adrenaline. I think that the fact that we now have a replica kitchen to practise in provided the additional comfort and I hope that future Bocuse d’Or candidates will benefit from this fantastic facility. I can’t thank UCB enough for their support with this.

Competing in Brussels and being judged by some of Europe’s best chefs, gave me a real buzz and I can understand why chefs like the current title-holder Rasmus Kofoed have returned time and time again. The heats helped me to mentally unlock my approach; cooking in the Bocuse d’Or is so far removed from cooking in a restaurant that you have to totally free your mind from the day job. Preparing for Brussels was difficult in that I struggled to get my head around what was required in terms of logistics and timings. Now I’ve experienced the heats I have a clearer idea for what we need to do for Lyon.

We also had the additional confidence boost of winning the special meat prize which came as a complete shock. I wasn’t listening out for our names at this point, which I think you can see from the photo.

Fortunately, my wife is very supportive of me taking part in the competition, as it does take over your personal life. She’ll be coming out to Lyon with our three year old daughter, which will be quite an experience I’m sure.

I’m also lucky to have a boss (Andreas Antona) who is 100% behind me taking part and is happy to give me time out of the Simpsons’ kitchen to prepare for the competition.

The Bocuse d’Or is not a level playing field and achieving success requires the support of a wider team. In the run up to Brussels, we had a great response from businesses who wanted to help our cause. I hope that everyone will join us in the next challenge, competing against the rest of the world in Lyon!