Bighams – delicious handmade meals for two

ROB

I’m originally from Yorkshire but I started my career in Lancashire at a Country House Hotel.  After completing my apprenticeship and working in some top London hotels, I spent time in Wales’ Pale Hall and then moved to Sydney to work as Sous Chef at Eliza’s Restaurant under Derek Evans.

After a sabbatical (highlights included travelling to India, South East Asia, and cycling across New Zealand), I moved back to London and worked at the Park Lane Hotel in Mayfair as Sous Chef. My next move was Hong Kong, where I spent seven years as an Executive Chef for a successful restaurant group and took advantage of visits to Adelaide and Melbourne food festivals, as well as leading restaurants across Europe, with chefs from the Hong Kong Chefs’ Association.

When I returned to England, I set up a Pan-Asian restaurant concept in Bristol and Birmingham before moving to Ragdale Hall in Leicestershire. Before joining Bigham’s, I helped develop dishes for Marks & Spencer and spent some time working with Sophie Conran (contributing a number of recipes to her cookbook).

I really enjoy working for Bigham’s. I help to create some of the most innovative ready meals in the market and it’s very refreshing to be part of a company whose philosophy is to be and remain the very best.

DAN

Hi. I’m Dan and I’ve been a chef since I was eighteen. After my first job in Cornwall, I moved to Hong Kong and spent seven fantastic years there working with some great British and Australian chefs. It was a brilliant and inspirational experience as Hong Kong is such a melting pot of cultures with food to match. When I returned to the UK, I became Head Chef at Home, a pioneering basement restaurant and bar in East London. I then moved to a British restaurant in foodie destination Exmouth Market, where I created modern British menus using fresh and seasonal British ingredients.

Great British food became a real passion of mine and in 2007, I opened my own restaurant, a modern British bistro in Camden which was named Best Local Restaurant in the 2008 London restaurant awards, and was very well received by the press and restaurant guides.

I really enjoy working at Bigham’s. The best thing about my job is the spirit of the whole team – we work tirelessly together to get our food to the best possible standard.

James

It might sound like a bit of a cliché but I wanted to become a chef after helping my mum make cakes when I was little. How I used to love licking the cake bowl! After training at Brighton Catering College I spent several years working under some great chefs including Gary Rhodes, Nico Ladenis and John Burton Race and was able to learn all aspects of modern French/British cuisine. During this time I was sous chef to Simon Hopkinson at Bibendum, Richard Neat at Pied a Terre and Alain Ducasse at his first English restaurant Montes.

I then made the big step to head chef. My first position was working alongside Richard Neat again, who at this time was the executive chef at a restaurant called Fables. I then moved on to Bistro Soho and then Che on St James Street. After 4 or 5 years of working as head chef I decided it was time to have a go at running my own restaurant, which had always been my dream.

That dream was realized in April 2000 when I opened Cotto Restaurant in Olympia, west London. The restaurant was very well received by all the major food critics and guides and after only six months Cotto was nominated as Best British Restaurant at the Evening Standard Restaurant Awards. After 5 years of trading I sold Cotto to be able to spend more time with my family. Since then I’ve been working as a consultant Chef working with some of the best up-and-coming fast casual dining concepts around, including Byron, Chilango, The Draft House and Melito.

This is my third spell at Bigham’s over the past 6 years and I am always impressed with the food that is produced here. It’s always great to be involved with the front line of food development. Whether its in Michelin started restaurants, fast casual dining or premium readymade food, the same rules apply: great ingredients treated with love and care.

Abi

I’m Abigail and I’m one of the development chefs here at Charlie Bigham’s. I started off my education aiming to work on the technical side of a food company, so I completed a degree in Food Science at Nottingham University. I soon released that an office job was not where I belonged. What I really wanted to do was cook! That’s when I took a year’s training course at Leith’s School of Food and Wine before joining Bigham’s a year ago.

My job is very much hands on (I’m pleased to say!) and I spend a lot of my time helping to transfer the recipes we create in our development kitchen into the production kitchens for you all to enjoy at home.

I’m originally from Lincolnshire where I grew up on a farm, so I’m very much a country girl at heart! This has given me plenty of enthusiasm for fresh vegetables such as peas and Jerusalem artichokes, which my dad grows on the farm. Sometimes I bring samples back for my lucky Bigham’s buddies to enjoy!