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Good afternoon | 2nd September 2010

Head Chef

Meet the Head Chef

Stefan Kolsch:
Head Chef and New Product Development Manager

"I began my career at Donald Russell four years ago and was immediately amazed at the level of commitment that went into producing every single product. My previous experience is in Michelin starred restaurants and I count myself very fortunate to have found a company that will allow me to continue developing my passion for producing only the best."

What I have been up to recently...

"Well I sure have been busy over the last few weeks, I went along with a few members of the team to meet our white fish supplier J Charles. There we were treated to a great demonstration by some very skilled fishmongers. More information from our visit can be found on our blog. "

"I have also been working on a few photo shoots, where we were creating images for our autumn/winter catalogue. It always surprised me how long it takes to capture the perfect image and I am looking forward to seeing the first copy of the catalogue."

"It's not all hard work, we have also been doing a lot of product tasting in our development kitchen.Our new colleague Claire has been helping myself and our product development co-ordinator Liz Webb. Watch the blog as we will be introducing Claire shortly!"

Product Development - How do we define quality?

Stefan Kolsch and Liz Webb test products in the on-site kitchen

We never compromise on quality, but how do we ensure our products are up to scratch?

We know quality is a degree of excellence and that no less will do

Our 'secret weapon' when it comes to guaranteeing our quality remains constant is taste tests

We cook our products in the development kitchen on a daily basis - taste tests are conducted regularly and at random.

What is the latest product to pass the taste test?

Stefan Kolsch and Liz Webb test products in the on-site kitchen

Pork Shoulder Mini Roast with Crackling

Further to requests from our customers we realised there was a need for a smaller roast from this succulent, freedom food cut. Our new size (500g per roast) is prefect for two to share and if you do manage to leave some, it is delicious cold with salad or baked potatoes the next day. The meat stays wonderful and moist during cooking and the crackling crisps up beautifully, giving you a memorable roast however you chose to enjoy it.

Fruit Bakes

These are a great edition to our dessert range and we have replicated them on a traditional frangipane pudding. We are proud to say that we use apricot kernels to give the almond flavour so these puddings are completely nut free. The desserts have a fruit content of up to 46%, are made from all natural ingredients and can be cooked from frozen in 12-15 minutes.

Steak Burgers

Further to the challenge our Managing Director Hans Baumann set us we have improved out Steak Burgers and we are confident they are now the ultimate burger out there. We have worked on the grind of the burgers ensuring they are now not unlike eating a great steak. We make our Steak Burgers in house and have full control over the quality and we are proud so say they are made with 100% grass-fed, naturally reared beef...and nothing else!

Just remember these simple rules for the best results - Bring them to room temperature, cook, rest and season to your liking!

Help & Advice
Staff Training
Specialist Advice

Help & Advice

I'm always glad to hear of your own favourite recipes, or suggestions for new gourmet foods. Please send me an email with your recipes, suggestions, comments and queries to headchef@donaldrussell.co.uk.

I also have my own catagory on the Donald Russell blog which I update regularly with hints, tips, news and product development news visit: www.donaldrussell.com/weblog.

We have a range of recipes suitable for virtually any cooking technique which can be found on recipes page of the website.

Oh, and have you seen our online videos yet? They feature videos with myself and Head Butcher Mark Farquhar and their a great way to get bitesized information about the production and cooking of our products. Click HERE to view online videos

Staff Training

Stefan Kolsch and Liz Webb test products in the on-site kitchen At Donald Russell we pride ourselves on the passion of our staff, from the butchers to the people who pack your order, from the directors to the people who answer the phones. To help nurture that passion for great food, our staff have the option to attend my in-house cook school in the Development Kitchen.

This gives the staff regular opportunities to gain hands-on experience of cooking our products and. It also gives them a chance to ask me questions about them - this is the bit that I enjoy as it shows how interested they are.

They also have regular demonstrations by our skilled butchers, and the chance to taste our products, so each and every person knows about our products from where they come from to how to cook them. This knowledge allows them to give you the best service possible, and if we can't answer your question first time around, we'll find someone who can and get back to you.

Specialist Advice

Donald Russell has its own group of food specialists on hand to advise you on all your food-related queries. The 'Gourmet Team', all have first-hand experience of preparing and cooking a wide range of our products, and are happy to help you with any questions you might have, no matter how large or small. Many of our Gourmet Team have a background in cooking or catering, and they all have a great passion for food. Their knowledge and experience will help you to cook your Donald Russell foods to perfection, which will enhance the whole eating experience for you and your guests. You can contact the Gourmet Team by email at headchef@donaldrussell.co.uk, or by calling 01467 629666.