Meet Our Team
With over 250 years of combined experience in working kitchens, no one understands the challenges that chefs face better than our brigade. Made up of 12 passionate chefs, each one has their own unique experience of being a chef in the heat! Hover over each of our chefs to discover a little something about each one and feel free to get in touch, no query is too big or small for our experienced brigade!
National Account Managers
Our National Account Managers look after large national customers such as contract caterers, pub groups and national wholesalers.
Business Development Managers
Our Business Development Managers take care of our wholesaler partners and individual customers across the country.
What advice would you give to a young chef just starting out in the industry?
Work in kitchens where they’re still cooking. Learn the basics, learn how to work with fresh ingredients and taste absolutely everything!
Work in kitchens where they’re still cooking. Learn the basics, learn how to work with fresh ingredients and taste absolutely everything!
Howard Beasley
National Sales Manager
What ingredient could you not live without and why?
Great Parmesan cheese. It’s umami rich flavour adds balance and punch to so many recipes. The fact you can walk into most corner shops in the UK and pick up a wedge of Reggiano Parmigiano is a measure of how far food culture in the UK has moved on and developed over the years.
Great Parmesan cheese. It’s umami rich flavour adds balance and punch to so many recipes. The fact you can walk into most corner shops in the UK and pick up a wedge of Reggiano Parmigiano is a measure of how far food culture in the UK has moved on and developed over the years.
Andy Beattie
Regional Sales Manager (North England & Scotland)
If your cooking style was a music genre, what would it be?
Punk, - Loud, messy and a bit mad but it comes together in the end.
Punk, - Loud, messy and a bit mad but it comes together in the end.
Rees Smith
Regional Sales Manager (Central & Wales)
What’s the most unusual ingredient you’ve ever worked with?
Reindeer. Popular in Sweden but took me a while to not think of Rudolph
Reindeer. Popular in Sweden but took me a while to not think of Rudolph
Roger Rahaman
Regional Sales Manager (South)
If your cooking style was a music genre, what would it be?
(Front of) House 90’s Classics
(Front of) House 90’s Classics
Mark Wickens
Business Development Manager (South East)
Business Development Chefs
Our Business Development Chefs combine culinary expertise with commercial insight to support customers, develop recipes, lead demonstrations, and drive brand growth through innovative, chef-led solutions.
‘What ingredient could you not live without and why?’
The ingredient I am never without is freshly ground black pepper. It is packed with phytochemicals, vitamin K, iron and manganese. I season every savoury dish I make with plentiful grinds of ground black pepper.
The ingredient I am never without is freshly ground black pepper. It is packed with phytochemicals, vitamin K, iron and manganese. I season every savoury dish I make with plentiful grinds of ground black pepper.
Jonathan Harvey-Barnes
Senior Business Development Chef
If your cooking style was a music genre, what would it be?
Classic Rock!
Classic Rock!
Robin Dudley
Business Development Chef
Customer Care Executives
Our Customer Care Executives provide friendly, efficient support by handling enquiries, resolving issues, and building strong relationships to ensure customers receive an exceptional service experience.
No1 Savoury Gravy is our go to product when it comes to sauces, it has great flavour and colour and finishes our sauces off perfectly. It’s also suitable for vegans and is completely gluten free which really helps when writing recipes for the pubs.
Andrew Scott, Head Of Food at Wadworths
We use the Vegan stock range in most of our stocks and sauces in our Halal and non-Halal kitchens. For our Halal customer’s the range adds deep authentic meat flavours to their dishes without meat based products being used. We use the range in the traditional way, but we also use it in marination’s and rubs for different meat dishes. Using it on daily basis you would find it hard to distinguish the vegan range from the regular Stock mix range.
Jim Chatwin UK Executive Chef at Newrest
When Essential Cuisine came to market, they filled a niche very well.
I’ve been using Essential Cuisine for over 8 years. In a really busy restaurant sometimes you haven’t got the time to make an excellent stock or jus. Their stocks and jus are extremely ‘essential’ for our operation.
I’ve been using Essential Cuisine for over 8 years. In a really busy restaurant sometimes you haven’t got the time to make an excellent stock or jus. Their stocks and jus are extremely ‘essential’ for our operation.
Matt Davies, Group Exec Chef - The Lewis Partnership
It’s a real partnership, not a salesperson, but chef to chef.
We work in partnership with the development team at Essential and as a result we have developed quality bespoke products. Essential take time to attend our chef training sessions, to give demonstrations, and explain different applications for their products.
We work in partnership with the development team at Essential and as a result we have developed quality bespoke products. Essential take time to attend our chef training sessions, to give demonstrations, and explain different applications for their products.
Guy Marchetti - Divisional Executive Chef
Ideal when catering for a range of special diets.
The Essential Cuisine range is simply exceptional. The products have been extremely well received by myself and the Cornwall Care team; they have a clean, clear flavour and are ideal when catering for a range of special diets.
The Essential Cuisine range is simply exceptional. The products have been extremely well received by myself and the Cornwall Care team; they have a clean, clear flavour and are ideal when catering for a range of special diets.
Leri Allen, Group Catering Manager Cornwall Care
Better cost control alongside the obvious health benefits.
We switched to Essential Cuisine because their products had a much lower salt content than the previous brand we were using. The consistency of their stock is brilliant, because it’s a powder you know you’re getting better cost control.
We switched to Essential Cuisine because their products had a much lower salt content than the previous brand we were using. The consistency of their stock is brilliant, because it’s a powder you know you’re getting better cost control.
Gareth Waters, Head of Restaurant & Catering St Andrew’s Healthcare
We have such good support from Essential Cuisine.
We’ve been using Essential Cuisine since 2012. If we are ever worried about any of their products, we just make a phone call and they talk us through exactly what is in the product.
We’ve been using Essential Cuisine since 2012. If we are ever worried about any of their products, we just make a phone call and they talk us through exactly what is in the product.
Sue Brady, Sue Brady Catering - School Caterer Provider, Wiltshire
I can really tell the difference in quality from stocks I have worked with in the past.
The focus Essential Cuisine has put on removing allergens from its stocks has been a huge help - this gives us real peace of mind in the kitchen.
The focus Essential Cuisine has put on removing allergens from its stocks has been a huge help - this gives us real peace of mind in the kitchen.
Mark Coombs - Felsted School, Essex
Having recently tried your Asian range of stocks they are very authentic stocks close to the real thing, great for Ramens and Noodle pots. I visited Japan last year and especially enjoyed the flavours which your range has replicated, but the Asian range has so many uses rather than just Ramen broths as marinades and glazes. These fit perfectly for the current BBQ trend in the foodie scene.
Jim Wealands, Group Food Development Director, CH&Co Group
We’ve been using Essential Cuisine now for 8 years, and when they came on the market, I thought they filled a niche very well. Their basic stocks and jus are extremely “essential”. The No1 gravies are absolutely perfect if you run a good gastro pub as, like the rest of Essential Cuisine’s products, they are near perfect. They have a rich depth of flavour and a very good viscosity and shine, as close to kitchen-made as you can get.
Matt Davies, BCF Chairman
