An inspirational evening at the Bristol24/7 Autumn Feast

“This is the food culture I want to see and the people I want to see take it forward in the future,” said Barny Haughton from Square Food Foundation after 200 people had enjoyed a fantastic meal cooked by a team of young chefs from across Bristol.

The dinner was in fact a meal of two parts, with the first part a street food-style event with chefs at a number of tables preparing and serving small dishes of food, and the second part a sit-down three-course meal on long banquet tables.

The inaugural Bristol24/7 Autumn Feast at the Paintworks Event Space was the culmination of a series of workshops led by a number of Bristol’s top chefs – many of whom were helping their young charges at the event on Thursday evening.

For many of those cooking on the night, it was their first taste of working in the hospitality industry and the hope is that apprenticeships can now be found for the young chefs if they want a career in food and drink.

UWE Bristol’s professor Jane Roscoe, executive director for art, creative industries and education, spoke warmly at the event of the developing social impact partnership between the university and Bristol24/7, and about the importance of opening up opportunities to young people in the city.

Bristol24/7 Managing Director Ben Wright also spoke, as did artist Carol Peace around whose sculptures the evening took place, including one sculpture that was being auctioned off to support Bristol24/7’s social impact agenda.

A documentary of the young chefs programme and autumn feast captured the journey that our young participants took to create the banquet food for the Bristol24/7 autumn feast.

A huge thank you and congratulations to our young chefs: Finn Young, Joshua Long, Immy Birkett, Larrisa Silva, Hannah Rooke, Jane Cowie, Jack Wilton, Daniel Tarling and Evie-Aline Fellowes and to Square Food Foundation for partnering with us on this project.

Thank you to the professional chefs involved with the project: Barny Haughton, Sam Sohn-Rethel, Josh Eggleton, Mark Chapman, Imogen Waite, Seb Brochot, Mike Oldreive, Jo Ingleby, Charlotte Fife, Adrian Kirikmaa and Elliott Lidstone.

Also to the producers and suppliers: The Fish Shop Gloucester Road, Shipton Mill, Felin Ganol, Farrante Gabriele, West Mill Farm, Coleshill Farm, Community Farm, Haresfield Farm, Cabrito, Stream Farm, Court Farm, Fine Food, Box-E, Essential Trading, Budvar and Butcombe. Elements of the meal were also cooked using surplus produce from supermarkets, with the bar staffed by a team from Zazu’s Kitchen Pubs.

Thank you to Carol Peace for allowing us to host the event among her incredible exhibition and making her work available though our Artist of the Month shop to raise money for Bristol24/7’s social impact agenda.

And many thanks to our sponsors: Jongor Hire, Infiniti Bristol, Umberslade, Budvar, Zazu’s Kitchen Pubs and Butcombe.

All photos by Chris Cooper / www.shotaway.com

Read more: Buy work from acclaimed artist Carol Peace and help support Bristol24/7’s social impact agenda