Wiltshire Farm Foods recruits leading Chefs for collaboration

The nation’s leading frozen food delivery service, Wiltshire Farm Foods, has recruited eight leading Chefs across the South West for a brand new summer menu collaboration.

At a time when many restaurants and pubs have had to temporarily close, Wiltshire Farm Foods has identified how to support chefs affected by the pandemic by updating its range with an innovative injection of culinary skill and creativity.

Working alongside Head Chef, Phil Rimmer, chefs include; Jethro Lawrence, Head Chef at Woolley Grange Hotel; Rob Allcock, Chef Patron at The Long Arms, South Wraxall; Richard Knighting, Executive Chef at Corkage, Bath; Elliott Lidstone, Head Chef and Owner at BOX-E, Bristol; Henry Scott, Head Chef at Henry’s, Bath; Peter Vaughan, Executive Chef and Director at Vaughan’s Kitchen, Devizes; Josh Dobson, Sous Chef at Bunch of Grapes, Bradford-on-Avon and Simi Rezai-Ghassemi, cookery teacher and owner of Simi’s Kitchen in Bath.

Phil Rimmer says; “It’s been fantastic to work alongside fellow Chefs bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the kitchen.  In a time of national crisis pulling together and supporting each other is what we do best as a country, so collaborating with a wide range of culinary talent in creating new dishes for our customers has been such a positive project for myself and the entire Wiltshire Farm Foods team.”

Each Chef has worked on a signature dish.  These include; Peter Vaughan’s Slow Cooked Beef with Onions and Dorset Ale; Richard Knighting’s Slow Cooked Lamb with Minted Peas and Beans; Elliott Lidstone’s Creamy Chicken, Pearl Barley and Cauliflower Risotto; Jethro Lawrence’s Gammon in Somerset Cider Sauce and Simi Rezai-Ghaseemi’s Chickpea and Apricot Stew.

Desserts range from the classic Chocolate and Cherry Brownie with Vanilla Cream Sauce to the seasonal Gooseberry Bakewell Tart and indulgent Date Pudding with Coconut and Date Sauce. 

Peter Vaughan says: “My grandparents were Wiltshire Farm Foods customers so I created my dish with them in mind. This project has been a superb culinary challenge – I have a real admiration for Phil Rimmer and the team. They’ve been wonderful to work with.”

Talking about the experience, Josh Dobson says it’s been an eye-opener: “I was so impressed by the passion and dedication of the chefs at Wiltshire Farm Foods and the level of development that goes into every dish. It’s really changed my perception of frozen food.”

COO of Wiltshire Farm Foods, Ian Stone adds: “The South West attracts some of the best Chefs in the country and we were keen to collaborate with those whose businesses had temporarily been affected by the pandemic to bring a fresh and exciting new summer menu for our customers.”  

Find out more about the Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise opportunity here >