Development Chef Award: Sponsored by ELIOR

Winner: Brian Eastment, Major International

This year Brian Eastment celebrates being a chef for a staggering 50 years. Eastment, who has been development chef for sauce, stock and marinade manufacturer Major International for the last 12 years, started his chef career at the age of 15 with a five year apprenticeship at a college in Cambridge, followed by five years on a luxury cruiser and in hotels before joining a cook and chill unit in Eiderdale in Cambridgeshire as product manager.

But being creative and loving his recipe development work has brought him the most rewards and heaps of praise from his peers. For the past two years, he has been working closely with the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, having persuaded the Trust and its cooks to ditch powdered soup and make it fresh from local produce and Major’s stock bases within budget. All the dishes now on the menu have a 100 portion base weight recipe allowing strict control on ingredients ensuring all dishes are consistent, appealing and nutritionally balanced.

He has also tirelessly helped a host of people including Craft Guild members, and university and college lecturers.

Nominees:
Alan Coxon
Coxon’s Kitchen
Brian Eastment
Major International
Phil Rimmer
Apetito

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