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The
proof is in the kitchen
The magic ingredients that make up Charlie Bigham’s success? A serving of small-batch cooking and a generous pinch of passion
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? It is, perhaps, an unfair question to ask a self-confessed food obsessive, whose job involves sampling delicious fare on a daily basis. But Charlie Bigham wastes no time in recalling a 14-course seafood feast overlooking the Black Sea in Istanbul. And a 50p curry cooked in a pot by a Punjabi roadside.
“That’s the lovely thing about food,” says the man whose face Bigham’s fans will recognise from their favourite lasagne. “You can enjoy memorable meals that are grand and sumptuous, or simple and unexpected.”
Both these life affirming experiences proved life changing, too. It was during a nine month trip travelling overland to India by camper van that the then twenty-something Bigham, having quit his management consultant job, decided on his next step.
Food was very much part of my upbringing, sitting around the table and laughing over meals
“We were eating fantastic food everywhere we went, from Syria to Iran. It was all so wonderful and inspiring and got me thinking it would be a good idea to start my own food business. I’m not a chef; I’m a cook. But food was very much part of my upbringing, sitting around the table, laughing over meals.”
Bigham returned to the UK, and after gaining some experience in a deli off London’s Portobello Road (“I needed to get a bit of cheese under the fingernails, so to speak”), he started experimenting with recipes in his own kitchen, cooking in small batches to ensure optimal flavour. It’s an approach that’s endured. “Preparing meals this way is less efficient, but it’s all about food looking and tasting better.”
Before long, he was supplying local delis and independent shops, literally knocking on doors to drum up business. “Someone said we ought to talk to Waitrose as they were quite foodie and liked supporting small businesses. I called the switchboard and they agreed to have a chat.”
Twenty-five years on, a range of around 50 Charlie Bigham’s meals – everything from fish pie to chicken jalfrezi and a decent offering of vegetarian options – is stocked in pretty much every major retailer around the country. The longevity of the brand in a saturated market, says Bigham, is down to the enthusiasm of his team. “We stood out as something different from the very beginning. There was a lot of rubbish being produced at the convenience end – things full of chemicals, the joy left out of preparing them. That’s what we were responding to.
“It’s about how you make food, the attention that goes into it. We have a large kitchen, not a small factory, and take a lot of care, working closely with small suppliers. It’s complicated making nice food, but highly enjoyable.”
Charlie Bigham’s runs out of two kitchens: one in London and a more recent, sustainable setup in Somerset. It’s an early start for the team, who are in before dawn to take delivery of more than 100 fresh ingredients daily. Meals prepared today are on supermarket shelves tomorrow. Bigham divides his time between the sites, sampling new recipes and improving existing ones, and frequently visiting suppliers. “It’s important to get out into the fields and see where our potatoes and parsley grow, to make connections with people. It makes me more thoughtful about the food we make and that makes it better.”
Recently, the company expanded into puddings at the request of its ever-loyal customer base. Charlie Bigham’s receives around 200 consumer emails a week and Bigham and his team reply to every single query – from recipe suggestions to the efforts being made to improve the brand’s sustainability credentials. “Customer feedback is a brilliant source of information. We make changes every day as a result.”
Charlie Bigham’s is the headline sponsor at the Wells Food Festival in Somerset this October. As part of the festivities, the team is hosting a virtual banquet, where top foodies, including Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers, Masterchef winner Ping Coombes, Intercontinental chef-patron Theo Randall and Vivek Singh, executive chef at London’s Cinnamon Club, will share their culinary secrets. The proceeds go to Chefs in Schools, an initiative aimed at improving the quality of school meals and food education. “It’s about kids learning more about food, and enjoying it.”
It would be a
very dull world without food
Bigham’s passion is infectious; the word “joy” comes up several times. He’s like the Marie Kondo of convenience eating: eliminate the bad stuff, hang on to the good.
It’s clearly this obsession with quality that keeps customers coming back for more. “It would be a very dull world indeed without food,” he says. “There’s always something new to enjoy.”
Bigham’s Banquet
To help raise funds for Charlie Bigham’s charity partner, Chefs in Schools, the freshly prepared meals food brand is hosting a virtual banquet via Zoom on October 9, where foodies will have the opportunity to cook with Charlie and a panel of top chefs and cooks, including Wahaca’s Tommi Miers, Vivek Singh, executive chef at Cinnamon Club, Michelin-starred Theo Randall and MasterChef champion Ping Coombes.
Vivek Singh
Executive chef, founder and CEO of the five-restaurant group Cinnamon Collection, including the award-winning Cinnamon Club, Vivek is renowned for combining traditional Indian recipes and flavours with local, seasonal ingredients. He’s also the author of multiple cookbooks and a regular face on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
Having known Charlie for years, he was only too happy to look after the fish course for the banquet. And what a dish – Kerala spiced sea bream wrapped in a banana leaf with a green mango and coconut chutney. “When considering what to cook, I thought about all the people who wanted to get away this past year but couldn’t. This is my way of giving them a trip without them having to buy a plane ticket,” he says. “And, of course, it’s a fantastic opportunity to get kids hooked up with food early on and build funds for a great cause.”
Food, says Vivek, was a “mega” part of his upbringing in Bengal. It was convivial moments, sharing food and laughter with family and friends around one, big table that led him to a life in the kitchen. “Even more than travelling, it was my greed for good food that inspired me. Some of my fondest memories are celebrations sharing food with the people I loved.”
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Ping Coombes
MasterChef’s 2014 champion, Ping applied for the 10th series of the show after being made redundant. She bowled over judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with her clever mix of Malaysian flavours – a nod to her heritage – and European techniques. Following her win, Ping released a cookbook, and now pops up regularly on foodie shows such as Saturday Kitchen and is a consultant chef at pan-Asian restaurant Chi Kitchen, in London.
“I’ve always been passionate about food,” she says, though admits to not knowing how to boil an egg until the age of 21. “Desperation got me into cooking,” she laughs. “I moved here as a student and had to look after myself. But that love of cooking and food is embedded in me. I just needed to get it out.”
She was thrilled when Charlie asked her to cook for the virtual banquet. “It’s great to be among such an esteemed bunch of chefs for a really good cause. I’ve been a fan of Charlie’s for a while. I’ve followed his story and what he does. He’s an inspiration for me.” In charge of the dessert, Ping will introduce an eastern twist to that most English of puds, the Eton Mess, comprising coconut meringue, coconut whipped cream and spiced pineapple. “I love the flavours of Malaysian desserts, but not necessarily the textures. I think this will be a real crowdpleaser.”
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Tommi Miers
Cook, writer, TV and radio presenter, winner of MasterChef and mother of three, Tommi has made cheese and run market stalls in Ireland, cheffed with Skye Gyngell at Petersham Nurseries and, in 2007, after living in Mexico for a year, she co-founded her first restaurant, Wahaca, located in Covent Garden, and then went on to open 17 more. Wahaca has won numerous awards for its food and sustainability credentials and, in 2016, it became the UK’s first carbon neutral restaurant group.
Tommi’s passion lies in food and the environment: she co-founded The Pig Idea in 2015 with Tristram Stuart. This is an award-winning project to tackle food waste. In 2017, Tommi also helped set up Chefs in Schools in 2017 and continues to support it as a trustee. She is also an ambassador for the Soil Association and was awarded an OBE in 2019 for her services to the food industry.
Tommi regularly cooks at different events, and shops at her local food market. She loves to travel, both in the UK and overseas, and her favourite spots include Oaxaca, Lisbon, and anywhere that lends her a hill to climb.
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Theo Randall
Theo Randall’s passion for food was born from regular family holidays across Europe and from a young age he was destined for a culinary future. His career began as a waiter at London’s acclaimed Chez Max and after only a few weeks, Max Magarian noted Theo’s talents and invited him to work in the kitchen where he spent the next four years following an apprenticeship in classic French cuisine.
In 1989, Theo joined the up-and-coming River Café and quickly found his culinary home with the legendary Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray. After a year’s secondment cooking alongside Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, Theo returned to the River Café and brought inspiration from the bountiful Californian produce he had been working with.
Theo then remained at River Café for a further 15 years as head chef and it was under his patronage that the restaurant received its first Michelin star in 1997. He left to launch Theo Randall at the InterContinental, which opened in November 2006. His commitment to delivering rustic produce-driven Italian food from the prestigious address of No 1 Park Lane has earned him loyal followers and rave reviews from critics and food lovers.
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Starter by Tommi Miers
Grilled flat bean bruschetta with ricotta,
salsa macha and watercress
Fish course by Vivek Singh
Spice-crusted sea bream wrapped in banana
leaf, mango coconut chutney, yoghurt rice
Main course by Theo Randall
Prosciutto di Parma wrapped around chicken
breast with sage and braised chestnut
mushrooms & erbette salata
Dessert by Ping Coombes
‘Malaysian Mess’ – a twist on the
classic Eton Mess
MENU
Starter by Tommi Miers:
Grilled flat bean bruschetta with ricotta,
salsa macha and watercress
Fish Course by Vivek Sing:
Spice crusted sea bream wrapped in banana
leaf, mango coconut chutney, yoghurt rice
Main Course by Theo Randal:
Prosciutto di Parma wrapped around chicken breast with sage and braised chestnut
mushrooms & erbette salata
Dessert by Ping Coombes:
‘Malaysian Mess’ a twist on the
classic Eton Mess
Photography: Phil Fisk for Bridge Studio. Stylist: Victoria Twyman