In association with

In the build up to The Staff Canteen Live 2017 - supported by Westlands, at the International Food and Drink Event (IFE) 2017, we are taking a closer look at the chefs who will be joining us on stage.

We dig a little deeper to find out what they are hiding under those chef whites - next up is Russell Bateman, National Chef of the Year 2015 and head chef at Colette’s at The Grove which has three rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide.

Growing up in West London around his grandparents’ freshly baked bread, brewed ale and crisp garden vegetables was enough to spark Russell Bateman’s interest in cooking.

Russell began working part time for Stephen Scuffell at Mediterranean restaurant Tutto! whilst completing his course at catering college, before soon heading to Harrods in Knightsbridge.

Since then Russell has worked under many notable chefs including Marcus Wareing, Marc Veyrat, Gordon Ramsay and Daniel Clifford, to name a few. All of whom, he says, have helped him better his understanding of food, cooking and shape his own unique style.

By 2015, Russell was named National Chef of the Year by The Craft Guild of Chefs. He is now head chef at the esteemed three AA rosettes restaurant Colette’s at The Grove, Hertfordshire.

What item of food do you hate cooking?

I can’t think of an item that I’d actually buy that I don’t like to cook. There are plenty that I wouldn’t buy though, one that I hate to see the most is dredged scallops. Everything about them is wrong. I just wouldn’t entertain them.

What food, if any, are you allergic to?

No allergies, thank God. Although I did have a coeliac scare. I went one month without gluten, as the doctor told me I had too. I hated every minute of it.

>>> Read more in The Behind The Chef series here

What’s your favourite ingredient to work with?

I love