We recently invited Chefs from across our education catering units to take part in our very first Independent Schools Chefs’ Forum. Representatives from Robert Gordon’s College, Kelvinside Academy, ESMS – Stewart Melville College, ESMS – The Mary Erskine School, St Columba’s Senior and Junior School and Cliftonhall School joined staff from Kilgraston at this Forum led by David Hunt, Chef Director and Willie Pike, Executive Development Chef. A great opportunity for all Chef’s to discuss, experiment/investigate food concepts especially tailored for Schools.
Owner David Pease explained: ‘As an independent catering business, we acknowledge there are many challenges facing chefs when it comes to feeding children from the ages of 3 to 18. We understand there will always need to be some firm favourites on the menu such as macaroni, steak pie and fish on a Friday but we are also mindful of the fact that we’re catering for some very discerning customers – customers who really know their food and as such, are trying different things all the time. We are competing with some of big high street food outlets and we can’t shy away from that fact.
It’s our responsibility to keep up to date with the latest food trends from everything from street and raw food to the incredible rise of veganism. Recent figures indicate we have over 3.5 million vegans living in the UK – that’s 7% of the British population.
We also have a duty to not just serve delicious food but probably most importantly, healthy food. With one in 25 children aged 10 or 11 now reported as severely obese, this is quite a statistic to digest and we want to offer the healthiest meals possible. The kids have busy schedules and they require proper fuel to get the best out of every day’.
David continued: ‘Having celebrated Inspire’s 10th birthday recently, it seemed fitting to host the first forum in Kilgraston – our oldest schools contract. We work across a range of very different education sites and the plan is to host the forum at a different location each time going forward’.
The agenda for the evening covered a lot of product and dish tasting, looking at the best ways to incorporate the most popular flavours in to the menu plus an opportunity to exchange best practice and discuss new, innovative ideas.
Chef Director, David Hunt and Executive Development Chef, Willie Pike led the majority of the forum. Both of which have a formidable CV and experience in the catering world. Food has always been at the heart of everything Inspire Catering does. Offering the best quality produce, recruiting the most talented and dedicated staff and of course continually innovating, reflecting upon and delivering the best possible catering service.