A Day In The Life Of…

Juniper & Co’s Head Chef, Ed Forrest-Brown

Today, my day is starting with a trip to see one of our suppliers based in New Covent Garden Market to take a look around their operation and taste some exciting, seasonal products they have coming to market over the next few weeks. This communication between me and our suppliers is key to ensuring we use the best ingredients at the right time of year. Being able to physically see and touch the available ingredients is amazing and really helps to connect us to the final product! They pack me off with a few freebies, which we’ll all try later as a team.

The Morning Rundown: Briefing and Quality Checks

I arrive at the unit at 8.45 to open up shop ahead of our team of wonderful freelance chefs arriving on site at 9.00. Most importantly, the kettle needs to go on. Secondly, the big roller door needs to be opened to let in a cooling breeze (our unit gets incredibly hot during the summer months!). I then record the temperatures of all of our fridges and freezers, which we do twice a day as part of EHO due diligence record. 

Over a cup of coffee, I brief a team of 3 freelance chefs about the upcoming day. Each chef has their own prep list to get through in the day, so that everyone is clear on what they need to achieve. Today, we have 2 of our regular freelance chefs as well as a trial chef who is hoping to join our roster - we also have the luxury of a KP to keep us all moving in the right direction and keep the kitchen clean and tidy. During the briefing, we go through each item on the chef’s list, discuss the end vision, and review any recipes. I try to split prep lists depending on a chef’s strengths, but for a trial shift, I like to give jobs that will demonstrate core skills to provide a good overall image of someone coming in.

Embracing the Unexpected

After the briefing, we pack away the day’s orders, checking for any quality issues and making sure the right stuff has been delivered - today, for example, one of our suppliers, who shall remain nameless, has substituted pistachio paste for tinned broccoli - not the same and most certainly not the same price! I then contact relevant suppliers to report any issues. 

By 9.45, we are all heads down, working our way through prep lists - today, we have a lunchtime corporate tasting and an event in Shoreditch which needs to be loaded out at 3pm, so the majority of our prep needs to be complete by midday. 

Timing is Everything: Streamlining the Prep Process

The corporate lunchtime tasting is one that’s close to my heart because it’s for my sister! They are having a summer party at one of our partner venues around King’s Cross and have come in to try their menu - a series of canapés and picnic food. They are due to arrive at 12.30, so at 12.00 I get my section set up with everything I’ll need to deliver the tasting. I work closely together with the event team and the client at any tasting to ensure we are meeting the original brief and address any feedback the client may have. We always welcome feedback - food is such a personal thing and so we strive to make sure our clients experience food that’s as close to their idea of perfect as possible!

Orchestrating a Flawless Experience

As soon as the tasting has finished, we invite the event team over from the office to have lunch - this is something we aim to do every day, so that everyone has a chance to pause, sit and eat some delicious food. Generally, lunches consist of leftovers from the kitchen - this is one of the many ways we are trying to combat any sort of food waste, but today, we are testing a new dish on our Autumn menu for the team to try and give feedback on. We believe that the whole team should have the opportunity to taste and provide feedback on the food, and also know about the provenance of each dish, so they are as knowledgeable as possible for our clients. 

Team Lunch: A Flavorful Pause for Feedback and Collaboration

Straight after lunch, while the other chefs are finishing off their prep lists, I have a new client brief that I need to write a menu for. It’s a couple who are getting married and they want a menu that reflects their favourite travels and food memories from around the world - such a fun brief to tackle with a huge scope to do something really exciting! I have already touched base with our suppliers to ensure we are including the most exciting and seasonal ingredients in this menu. Polly, Emily and I discuss what I’ve proposed, we tweak it, and we send it out to the client - fingers crossed!

Savouring Memories: Turning Travel Experiences into Wedding Menus

After lunch, while the other chefs are finishing off their prep lists, I have a new client brief that needs a menu. It’s a couple who are getting married and they want a menu that reflects their favourite travels and food memories from around the world - such a fun brief to tackle with a huge scope to do something really exciting! I’ve already touched base with our suppliers to ensure we’re including the most exciting and seasonal ingredients. Polly, Emily and I discuss what I’ve proposed, we tweak it, and we send it out to the client - fingers crossed!

From Prep to Pack Down: Behind the Scenes of a Canapé Service

Next up, we need to get the evening’s event packed up - it’s a small corporate canapé job. All the food goes into big insulated boxes, and we pack all of the equipment we might need. Semir, our trusty courier, arrives bang on time, and we get his van loaded up to head off to the event. On his arrival, we have a team of waiting staff to unload his van and set up the event space and kitchen. We have the pleasure of working in a pre-existing kitchen space tonight, but we are very well-versed in cooking from pretty much anywhere! 

The chefs for tonight are me and one other, so while my sous chef is finishing off any last-minute bits of prep, I get the ordering done for the following day and split down the prep list for each chef. First and foremost, when we’re ordering produce, we are considering quality and picking the best suppliers for each item. We work with some of the best in London, and we get to work with some truly beautiful stuff! We also need to make sure we are ordering the right quantity of food for any particular event to avoid food waste - though there are of course the occasional mistake and panic buying top-ups! If we are picking the best quality, locally sourced and sustainable produce and are careful with the amount we’re ordering, the financial side of ordering should, in theory, look after itself!

The event is underway, and canapés are flowing along with the drinks coming from our bar team! The client is happy, and within a few hours, we are out of food, the bar is dry, and the guests are leaving feeling replete. We pack down our kitchen space and, as per my rule, always leave it cleaner than we found it! Semir is back, this time a few minutes late, but we get him loaded up and send him on his way to unload at the unit. For everyone else, it’s home time!