SOUS VIDE TOOLS @ THE HOLIDAY INN, TELFORD | The Tool Shed

SOUS VIDE TOOLS @ THE HOLIDAY INN, TELFORD

My head chef and I had done a bit of basic research on sous vide cooking and were attracted by the benefits of quality and consistency that it seemed to offer. Being able to hold products without any reduction in their quality was another eye-catching advantage, especially when it came to banqueting.

We decided to go and check out some suppliers of sous vide equipment at the Hospitality Show and it was there that we met Chris, Alex and the Sous Vide Tools team. Of all the people we spoke to on the day they were the most knowledgeable and this, along with the fact that they were the only ones actually cooking and tasting on their stand, was what convinced us that they were the right partner for us. They made the process sound very simple and didn’t try to overcomplicate it like some of the others. The fact that Chris had used sous vide at a very high level also gave us confidence.

The next step was to visit Sous Vide Tools’ purpose built demo kitchen and this really sealed the deal. As well as demonstrating what could be achieved with sous vide cooking we were really impressed by the way that they didn’t try to oversell to us. It wasn’t about selling us thousands of pounds worth of equipment, it was about selling us the right piece of equipment for what we wanted to do. In fact, Chris’s initial suggestion was that we just buy a circulator to use with our existing pans and build up from there. As it happens we did buy a circulator, along with a couple of small water baths for holding during service!

Following Chris’s advice we started off slowly, initially just cooking pork belly, but soon extended this to other cuts of meat. We now cook items such as our flat iron steak, and brisket, sous vide, with the latter finished off in our smoker. And, because the end product is so good, we are able to use cheaper, less well known cuts of meat on the menu and they still taste fantastic. But don’t just think of meat when it comes to cooking sous vide, fruit and vegetables can also benefit – we now cook water melon sous vide, which really intensifies the flavours, and then chill it down afterwards.

There are practical advantages too. For example, we cook a lot of poached eggs but now, instead of cooking them to order, we put them all in the water bath at 5am in the morning and hold them right the way through service which is so much easier.

Chris, Alex and the Sous Vide Tools team really took the time to understand our business and what we wanted to do and I think that this, along with the undoubted benefits of sous vide cooking, is what has helped us to make a success of it.

Post by Chris Holland

Our Chef Director Chris Holland worked as Head Chef at the prestigious Alderley Edge hotel before joining us. He has a passion for using the best produce and never compromises on quality. Author of our best selling book Sous Vide The Art of Precision Cooking, Chris is a expert on the sous vide technique.During the later part of my school days at Wardle High School Rochdale I always wanted to be a chef . I knew from the very start that my path to work was never going to be academic it was always going to be something practical and hands on.

As a young boy growing up I was inspired to cook with my Grandma who was and still is an inspiration to me . I have memories of helping make the cakes that she always had made for visitors and family alike . She made the most amazing cakes and I loved nothing more than eating the sweet raw cake batter straight from the bowl . We used to fight over who got to lick the bowl/spoon after the cakes were made. My grandma’s philosophy for cooking even on a shoe string budget was always to use fresh and seasonal ingredients either home grown or bought from the market.

School was somewhat of a drag for me as I was itching to learn to become a chef.

I started at Hopwood Hall college as a chef and instantly fell in love with it .To me it was the only real time I excelled in something and this inspired me to really get my head down and put in the hard work. College was the first time I really excelled in something and gave me the opportunity to laugh at the teachers who said I would never make something of my life!!!!

During the three years at college I also took on a part time position in a local hotel working the bar and restaurant first and then the kitchen. These were great days and gave me the opportunity to see how the industry ticks. I learnt a lot from those days both good and bad !! But I have to say I was itching to work only in the kitchen but it was a good insight into the catering world .

After completing college I moved away from Rochdale for a full time roll at one of Cheshire’s most talked about Hotel restaurants The Stanneylands Hotel. This was the school of hard knocks for me as I quickly realised that although excelling at college meant nothing in “The Real World”.

I loved every minute of the 18 hour days 6 days a week on minimum wage . Although difficult I feel that without this grounding I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today. After 18 months of hard graft I left Stanneylands and went with the Head chef to open a fine dining restaurant at Mere Golf and Country Club. The opportunity to work alongside Matthew Barrett was too good to turn down. I learnt so much from the ex-Ritz chef and working in a much slower paced role helped me develop a much better understanding of how to organise and run a kitchen. We were a very small team and teamwork was and still is the only way to go for me.

After 2 years at Mere I got the opportunity to go into The Alderley Edge Hotel as Junior Souschef. The Early days at the Edge were all about learning new styles of cuising which is invaluable in any role as a chef. I got the opportunity to grow and learn all aspects of every section which was inspiring . I was offered the opportunity at the age of 29 (2004) to take the role of head chef. For me this was when I really started to develop my own style of food.

After 9 years at the top winning Cheshire restaurant of the year , Chef of the Year and appearing on GBM amongst many highlights including cooking for many celebrities and famous people I decided to move on into development with Sousvidetools.

The main inspiration for this was to train and educate people . I always had a great passion for education but could never really see myself at a college . The job is super rewarding and I am proud to say we have become the leading light in sous-vide education in the UK . This is something I am very proud of . Food is my biggest passion and this is what keeps me interested the most . I love to travel and try out other countries cuisines. I am constantly inspired by ingredients and the pursuit of getting the best out of them without destroying their natural flavour .It is super important to me to continue to try and be at the forefront of the food scene this is what inspire me and the team to keep driving forward .

Technology is now widely used in the industry and I am super proud to say we have been a big part of spreading that message.

I am very lucky to be in the position I am and the drive to constantly improve our training and links to the next generation of young budding hospitality chefs.

TI feel that my experience over the last 25 years really enables me to get close and educate the “next generation” of chefs .

The industry which I love is really struggling to bring through new recruits and if I can help that process I will be immensely proud.

The food seen in the Uk has improved dramatically over the last ten years and I feel this will continue with the correct education. What happens next only fate will tell us...

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