We’ve taken The Staff Canteen Live 2015 to The Hospitality Show at NEC Birmingham and we’ve brought some of the finest Michelin-starred chefs in the industry with us including Daniel Clifford fro Midsummer House, which holds two stars in the Michelin Guide UK.
Hare was on the menu again today as we kicked off day two of The Staff Canteen Live at The Hospitality Show with Paul Foster from The Dining Room, Mallory Court. And not only did he cook a fantastic dish but he went on to beat Daniel Clifford in The Staff Canteen Live, omelette challenge!
Paul’s dish of roast Yorkshire hare loin and hare tartare, lavoche bread and cured egg yolk really sparked the audiences interest and ‘that is what it’s all about’ he said. “Everyone was excited about what I was doing and they asked some great questions,” added Paul. “The bigger the audience the better for me!
“I wanted to cook a hare dish as it’s something different and hopefully it will encourage the students who were watching to think outside the box.”
Next on stage was Daniel Clifford, his quail dish and his reputation drew the biggest crowd so far. Daniel who is chef patron of Midsummer House, and has held two Michelin stars for the last ten years, said: “Today has been great. I’m quite shy so I do find being on stage quite daunting but hopefully everyone enjoyed it – just inspiring one person makes it worth it for me.
“I wanted to cook the quail dish because it encompasses everything about Midsummer House and it shows there is zero waste which is something we’re proud of.”
Richard Bainbridge
He added: “It was a fantastic experience and something every chef should get involved in.”
Bainbridge not only created a stunning vegetable dish using Jerusalem artichoke but he also gave us an exclusive by announcing he will be leaving Morston Hall to pursue his own venture. He will be opening his own restaurant in Norfolk and he said: “I want a place where people can come, relax and enjoy my food.”
He added: “There was a great atmosphere today. I love being in front of an audience, it means they can see who I am and understand my food philosophy. It’s easy to get caught up in your own little world when you are stuck in the kitchen all the time and shows like this force you out.
“I was honoured to be on the same stage as Daniel and Paul, and I wanted to celebrate all things Norfolk, which is why I chose to do the lamb dish.” Finishing today’s show with lobster and braised brisket of lamb, was David Colcombe, chef director of Opus Restaurant.
He said: “It’s always great fun being on stage. Birmingham is such a vibrant city for food and I’m proud so many people have come to visit today from outside the city. Without people’s interest in food we wouldn’t have a job!”
David Colcombe
He added: “I chose to showcase brisket today as it’s an unusual cut of meat, it takes a long time to cook and I think the cooking process is really interesting.”
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