The second edition of the London Produce Show and Conference took place at Grosvenor House, on Park Lane, London, last week. It attracted a full house of exhibitors and attendees from around the globe to London for a boutique one-day trade exhibition which was complemented by a series of educational seminars, chef demonstrations, a gala cocktail reception, student programme and a thought leaders breakfast panel.
There was plenty here for foodservice buyers and chefs to explore, new products to identify, new contacts and suppliers to be made – and chef demonstrations to inspire.
The Event
Presented jointly by the UK’s trade association for the fruit, vegetable and flower industries – Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), and Produce Business magazine, the London Produce Show had over 120 exhibiting organisations and filled the exhibition area at the Grosvenor House.
It covered a wide range of produce categories and a wide mix of the countries that provide produce into the UK market. Retail, wholesale and foodservice buyers from not only the UK, but Scandinavia, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Canada, the USA, South Africa, the Middle East and Russia added to the international flavour and spread the opportunity to create new business far beyond the British border.
The deliberately limited number of exhibitors provides visitors with the opportunity to stop and investigate without rushing, in an informal and convivial atmosphere that is conducive to building relationships and doing business.
Jeremy Pang, Chef Ambassador
The London Produce Show and Conference had announced School of Wok’s Jeremy Pang as the Chef Ambassador of the show, and Pang hosted the show’s Media Masterclass, which included the exclusive launch of his highly anticipated book Chinese UnChopped (Quadrille Publishing).
The young and engaging Chef Jeremy Pang is the owner and founder of School of Wok, a cookery school in the heart of Covent Garden specialising in teaching Eastern cuisine. The recent winner of The British Cookery School’s Best Young Rising Star, Pang demonstrated recipes exclusively for the media from his highly anticipated cookery book, Chinese UnChopped followed by a Q&A session.
Jeremy Pang said: “I’m extremely excited to be cutting the ribbon at the London Produce Show this year. The last few years setting up School of Wok have been an incredible journey and I’m honoured to start the Chinese UnChopped book launch at the show sharing my passion for food with some of London’s best producers and high quality ingredients. Without our key suppliers London’s food scene could not be anywhere near as exciting as it is today and I am very happy to be part of such a fun and growing industry.”
Impressive line-up in the Chef Demonstration kitchen
Jeremy Pang completed an impressive line-up of high quality UK chefs in the Chef Demonstration kitchen, on the balcony of the Great Room throughout the day. Hosted throughout by Masterchef of Great Britain Peter Gorton, the schedule of chef demonstrations was justification in itself for a visit, and included:
- Daniel Kennedy – Kent Cookery School – World Cuisine
- Hari Ghotra – Indian Cook & Teacher, Entrepreneur
- Matt Budden – Executive Chef of HighCliff Grill– Modern British Cuisine & Gareth Bowen – Executive Chef Gillray’s at County Hall – An English Steakhouse
- Graham Garrett – Michelin-starred Chef Patron of The West House – Modern British Cuisine
- Paul O’Neill – Roux Scholar & Head Chef at Hattusa at Berwick Lodge Hotel – Modern British Cuisine
- Jeremy Pang – Show Ambassador – Owner/Chef School of Wok
- Jordan Sclare – Executive Chef & Michael Paul – Head Chef of Chotto Matte – Japanese Peruvian Fusion
Bringing the fresh produce industry and chefs closer
“A big part of what we want to achieve with the show is to bring the fresh produce industry and the chef community closer together,” said Tommy Leighton, managing director of the London Produce Show and Conference. “Jeremy is hugely passionate about fresh produce and as one of the undoubted stars of the London culinary scene, he is the perfect fit for our event, which brings the world of fresh produce to one of the iconic cities of the world – London.”
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