Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) is set to return to ExCeL, London on 20-22 March 2023 where visitors will have the chance to meet and reconnect with quality suppliers to hotel, restaurant and catering professionals. 

Like previous years, the event has several incredible features to explore including one of the UK’s most prestigious cooking competitions, International Salon Culinaire - a programme of competitions across four different categories; Salon Display, Live Theatre, Skills Theatre and Sugarcraft. 

Previous winners in the International Salon Culinaire competitions have gone on to rank amongst the UK’s most celebrated and awarded chefs, both in the UK and internationally.

We’re pleased to announce that Essential Cuisine are sponsoring the live theatre ‘Pub Chef of the Year’ competition alongside the British Institute of Innkeeping – a competition comprised of 8 adjacent work stations, where a competitor has 45 minutes to create a main course dish for 2 covers using any meat, poultry or fish cut of their choice. A suitable garnish will need to be served with the dish, with the emphasis paid to the dish being suitable to serve in a pub environment. 

Judges will be looking for creativity, ease of service in a busy operation, therefore not over intricate garnishing and a realistic ingredient list giving the ability to sell at a competitive price. Competitors are required to incorporate Essential Cuisine's Signature Veal Stock Reduction and if you wish, a product from their Glace, No1 Gravy, Premier Jus or Street Food Chef range. Simply get in touch for samples. 

Essential Cuisine Business Development Manager, Gary Kilminster commented, “Essential Cuisine are delighted to be the main sponsor of the Pub Chef of Year 2023 competition! We have a long and proud association supporting many pub groups and chefs across the UK, and are very much looking forward to the competition in a few weeks!” 

Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs, Steve Munkley added, “As one of the largest growing sectors of the industry, chefs working in the pubs market are some of the most talented around. At Salon Culinaire we are looking for them to step forward, sign up and cook some of the amazing dishes they serve to our judges from their establishments. We can then award them a coveted medal either gold, silver or bronze and an amazing prize from our partners, Essential Cuisine”. 

Aside from ‘Pub Chef of the Year’, there are a variety of other classes to choose from, created for chefs of all levels, including themed competitions incorporating current food trends, competitions using specialist ingredients and, in some cases, using specially selected products from a host of sponsors to create innovative and inspiring dishes. 

Places are limited so we encourage you to apply ahead of the deadline on Friday 17th February 2023.

All Best in Class winners will win a fantastic VIP study tour to Venice and the Unox HQ in Padova!

So, what are you waiting for? Could you be crowned ‘Pub Chef of the Year 2023’? To find out more about the competition, or to enter, click here.