Leading London caterer, H+J marked the opening of the newly refurbished Prince Philip House on Wednesday 8th February with ‘Stove Wars’, a chefs’ cook-off, and an innovative installation featuring hanging puddings.
H+J provides catering and manages the event sales at Prince Philip House, the home of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Around 170 guests were welcomed to the opening event, called Reimagine Prince Philip House, held to showcase the significant refurbishment at the prestigious central London venue. The evening kicked off with H+J’s first ever ‘Stove Wars’ chefs’ competition where guests were able to vote for their favourite dishes on social media.
H+J company chefs, Gary McKechnie, Rob Milligan and Dave Massey each took charge of a food station, wowing guests with their culinary skills.
The three competing food stalls were Under the Sea, Chefs against Toast and The Pudding Lab , which provided some interesting taste experiences for guests and tough competition among the chefs.
Guests were also treated to canapés and bowl food from the new menu being launched at Prince Philip House.
A centrepiece for the evening was H+J’s first ever pudding installation which impressed guests with its eye-catching design and included delicious sweet treats such as homemade marshmallows and champagne truffles.
Following some intense competition and guest-voting via social media polls, H+J’s Stove Wars competition was won by H+J Company Chef Rob Milligan for his imaginative Under The Sea creation who commented: “I’m absolutely ecstatic to have won this competition among my very talented colleagues who also cooked up some awe-inspiring food. It was a great way to celebrate the refurbishment of Prince Philip House and showcase the venue’s fabulous food.” Rob won a magnum of Bordeaux red wine.
Following the food element of the Reimagine Prince Philip House showcase, guests were given tours of the newly developed Taylor Centre Suite meeting rooms along with the brand new, state-of-the-art kitchen installed at the venue.
Nathan Jones, Co-Founder and Director of Harbour & Jones which owns H+J, comments: “As we manage the complete catering, front of house and sales operation for Prince Philip House, we were delighted to support the showcase of its newly refurbished venue. As an iconic engineering establishment, Prince Philip House is the perfect venue that allows H+ J to create some innovative catering ideas and some inspiring dishes for both event attendees and members alike.”
Rebecca Hawkes, Sales & Marketing Manager of Prince Philip House comments: “Reimagine Prince Philip House was a fantastic event to showcase our major refurbishment project and was lifted by the Stove Wars competition by H+J chefs. Proceeds from events go towards funding the aims of the Royal Academy of Engineering, which contribute to engineering excellence throughout the UK.”