As the leading foodservice agency we were delighted to have been invited once again to the prestigious Craft Guild of Chefs Awards at the fabulous London Hilton on Park Lane by our good friends Dewberry Redpoint.

The CGC Awards are one of the highlights of the industry calendar and attract the crème de la crème of the chef world, all vying for one of the coveted industry accolades.

The evening began with a glitzy champagne reception, with meat-free canapés provided by Quorn, including savoury sweetcorn and Quorn fritters, fragrant Thai bites topped with lemongrass aioli & basil and sticky harissa balls with tzatziki & fresh mint – simply delicious!

With the audience comprising of some of the finest chefs in the business, the menu had a lot to live up to – and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Chef Anthony Marshall and his talented team put together an outstanding four-course feast for almost 800 people – each individual dish beautifully presented and worthy of its own award. Our starter was a refreshing three-colour beetroot salad, served with fresh goats curd, cherry gel and pistachio and hazelnut granola, followed by a flavourful lobster ravioli – both every bit as delightful as they sound.

Our main course included a mouth-watering prime cut of the finest Scottish beef, served with morels, asparagus and an Emmental and potato thyme sauce – a dish more than worthy of the esteemed audience.

Although the majority of guests were probably filled to the brim by this point there was absolutely no chance of turning down dessert. We were given the choice of either a vanilla, Cointreau and raspberry pear or chocolate cremeux with passion fruit and freeze-dried dark balsamic foam – I am happy report that I tasted both and they were equally fantastic.

With the food out the way it was time for the lucky winners to be announced…

Apprentice Chef Award 2019
Paige Hill, Royal Garden Hotel

Armed Services Chef Award 2019
Cpl David Davey-Smith, Royal Air Force

Banqueting and Event Chef Award 2019
Gemma Amor, Sodexo, Ascot Racecourse

Chef Lecturer Award 2019
Andrea Ruff, The Claire Clarke Academy

Chef’s Favourite Branded Restaurant 2019
Miller & Carter

Competition Chef Award 2019
Cpl Ian Mark, Royal Air Force

Contract Catering Chef Award 2019
James Larkins, Compass Group

Development Chef Award 2019
Laurence Tottingham, Oliver Kay, part of Bidfresh

Innovation Award 2019
Andrew Clarke, St Leonards Restaurant

New Restaurant of the Year Award 2019
Alex Bond, Alchemilla Restaurant

Pastry Chef Award 2019
Sarah Frankland, Penny Hill Park Hotel

People’s Choice Award 2019
Murray Chapman, First Contact Chefs

Pub Restaurant Chef Award 2019
Dave Wall, The Unruly Pig

Public Sector Chef Award 2019
Ryan Hopper, ESS Defence

Restaurant Chef Award 2019
Pascal Canevet, La Maison Bleue

Young Chef Award 2019
Rick Owens, Le Manoir aux quat’ Saisons

Special Award 2019
Michael Caines

Congratulations to all of the well-deserved winners and of course all of the outstanding finalists – to even be nominated is an amazing achievement in itself.

Overall, it was an unforgettable night of great food, fantastic company and lots of laughs. Thank you once again to Dewberry Redpoint for hosting us for what was such a wonderful evening.

Keep reading! Why not read our blog on 25th Craft Guild of Chefs Awards