The Egg.
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| Kyle Bean’s What Came First? project via http://www.doobybrain.com |
In the age old
question of which came first, the Chicken or the Egg, I have come to
the personal self proclaimed decision that the Egg came first.
Birds, according to
popular Scientific research and study, evolved from one of Earths'
mightiest and oldest living races – that being the Dinosaurs.
Therefore, as we all
surmise, the Dinosaurs that laid eggs would have been laying their
shelled fetal fortresses over the Millennium during which time
Evolution would have been playing out up until that fateful time that
a Chicken, the first ever Chicken in the natural world, would have
broken out of its porcelain womb and started its own continuation
into what we know today.
January is the
perfect time to begin planning dish ideas, Menus and recipes in the
catering world. Trade is slower meaning that we can source, research,
cost, draft, create, tweak and finalise ideas for the next two
seasonal menus at least, if not three. And during this time the Chefs
have to become something other than just Industrial Catering People.
They suddenly need
to become sages. Seers. Prophets.
I'm not talking with
regards to seasonality of foods. To an extent, that side is
relatively easy with the help of good suppliers who knows their game.
The part I am talking about is a word being utilised more and more
these last ten years or so and is increasing in the general Public's
awareness.
Trend.
Food Trends.
Social Media has
ramped up the public insight into this arena that I work in. Where as
B.I. (Before Internet) the only insight came from a handful of TV
programmes and the odd slim column in the Newspapers or weekend
supplementary magazines. Nowadays however, everything that is
construed as food related is being written up as an article and
appearing on the various Multi-media timelines for everyone to read
at their leisure.
One such 'topic'
that has become an annual staple floodgate of journalism is
uncovering the next big thing in the world of Domestic and
Professional Catering.
People connected to
the food world in different forms from food writers, journalists,
bloggers and vloggers to diners, critics, suppliers, producers and
Chefs have their own predictions on where the adventure in food will
go for the year ahead. This then shapes the market somewhat into the
evolution of edible consumables showing a direction that may or may
not become a staple must have and an accepted new food experience
fully embraced and added to the upcoming cook books of the future.
B.I., only
Restaurants and the like were housing the exotic ingredients that
most diners had never seen, tasted or even heard of before making
dining out a truly new and exciting experience. Maybe in the affluent
Cities with their bustling and vibrant markets and classy independent
Butchers and Green grocers some of these new ingredients would
eventually be sold. However, as always with new products, without
Chefs instructing everyday Food fanatics through the power of printed
cookery books or via appearances on Cooking Programmes most new world
gems were pretty much exclusively for the experienced.
Eventually, with the
rise of new programmes such as Jamie Oliver who introduced the UK to
exotic ingredients such as Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Sundried
Tomatoes, Real proper Olives, Rocket, Block Parmesan to name a few,
Supermarkets started to introduce them to their shelves which were
bought in great number by the Great British Public. Hugh moved to the
Countryside and began showing everyone just how great it was to grow
and rear your own produce, proved that nothing beats fresh and local,
and suddenly the Public wanted proper food more so than convenience,
shifting back to the old ways. Supermarkets responded obligingly by
creating interior market stalls full of fresh produce from local and
international growers as well as new and unusual produce from across
the world.
Food trending, for
me had properly sewed its seeds at this point, be it very young and
quite simple by comparison to now.
A.I. (After
Internet) and Food businesses and their Chefs became something of an
Internet sensation. Access to all levels of food and, more
importantly, all international styles were there for the viewing.
People wanted to know about ingredients they had never heard of,
techniques that were alien, and how to be able to create the same
from home. The new revolution of home cooking boomed and is still
growing strong. Chefs strive to create new exciting dishes and
recipes to showcase their place in the professional world by finding
unheard of ingredients, creating new technical skills and equipment,
stretching the boundaries of flavour combinations, all to become the
best they can be. And this is a damn good thing. This is a huge part
as to why this trade has lifted up so dramatically. There is no place
for being lazy in the industry these days. Everyone has to push
themselves to be worthy of the title of 'Professional Chef'.
Myself and my team
have our own agenda with regards as to the direction we wish to push
our food, to evolve it into what we want it to be. The natural
progression from one menu to the next is so clear in my minds' eye
that I can almost feel it as something that is Tactile. And with our
progression comes research to find where I can source ingredients I
want to use.
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| www.mirror.co.uk |
Checking the
seasonality files and surfing the internet I came across several
written pieces predicting the Food Trends of 2016, and as I read
them, I mentally ticked off quite a high portion of mentioned
ingredients and products that I have on my many scrawled lists and
menu ideas sheets. I actually felt rather cool that I was (even down
here at The Anchor Inn, Seatown in sleepy picturesque Dorset) fairly
bang on trend.
But even though some
of the ingredients and ideas are just becoming something tangible,
the various pieces also go on to state Supermarkets are getting set
to stock some of them in the future already. I am not necessarily
saying that I am looking to be on trend (I enjoy evolving in my own
way and to an acceptable pace for my Dining Guests) and not
suggesting that all Chefs necessarily copy the trend setting Elite,
but the Food Industry evolves with the Innovators, which in turn
produces a ripple effect through out the eating establishments
eventually, maturing the cooking styles and Ingredient demands along
the way and reshaping the whole market. But by the very fact that the
Supermarkets and the food loving public are reacting quicker to the
future of food, quite a lot of Chefs and Establishments will soon be
wondering who is following who in the design of new and innovative
foods.
The great Chicken
and the Egg debate has been going strong for hundreds of years, with
no one really knowing. But, in my view, the answer has always been in
plain sight we just were not around when Evolution began to do its'
thing.
Please feel free to share, comment, argue and input. Look forward to your responses. JP
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