John Torode calls for national chef apprenticeships

MasterChef judge John Torode feels that a formalised UK-wide apprenticeship scheme for chefs is essential to “making people proud to go into the industry”.

 

The celebrity chef told The Caterer he believes this is something that should have happened 30 years ago, citing his home country of Australia as already providing schemes like Certificate III or IV commercial cookery courses, which encompass work placements.

 

“In Australia it’s formalised – people move up through the system. That’s what should happen here and it hasn’t, which is a shame,” he said.

 

Torode said being a chef in the UK should be as valued a career choice as a lawyer or an architect, though he was unsure of who would be able to solve the issue, joking: “If I knew that, I’d probably be piloting a Learjet by now!”

 

Nevertheless, he was positive about the current state of the industry and said he loved that people were "eating out and enjoying it".

 

The chef singled out Ashley Palmer-Watts, Oisín Rogers and Charlie Carroll’s the Devonshire pub in London’s Soho as being part of an “amazing revolution” of returning to “good old classics and great food”.

 

Torode ruled out a return to the restaurant scene himself, having previously run London venues Smiths Of Smithfield and the Luxe, as he was "too busy".

 

He added: “As much as I love the industry, sometimes I like the night off!”

 

Torode was speaking at the ‘Taste of Australia’ event on 20 June at Butcher’s Hall in Farringdon, London, organised by meat supplier JBS Global to celebrate one year since the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.

 

There, he showcased dishes using Australian beef and lamb from JBS product ranges including Great Southern, Great Southern Pinnacle, Little Joe, Red Gum Creek, Queenslander Beef and Aberdeen Black.

 

Torode said: “Working with the fabulous high quality Australian beef and lamb that JBS produces and is now importing to the UK market made this an exciting project as I love people to share, learn and enjoy foods of quality from around the world.

 

“It’s something I am passionate about – creating dishes that enhance and complement these fab Australian meat cuts, with their global origins. It’s such a pleasure that so many more people can taste it for themselves.”