Restaurants 'face chefs shortage'

Daily grind of a hot stove and long hours are a chef's reality

Britain is facing a shortage of highly skilled chefs, despite its growing reputation for culinary excellence, according to industry leaders.

Some are calling for fast-track immigration for expert, foreign-trained chefs and improved British catering colleges to help tackle the problem.

Others argue that better work conditions and higher wages are needed.

Hospitality industry body People 1st said catering colleges were doing their best to meet changing customer demands.

Peter Harden, co-editor of Harden's restaurant guides, said the reasons behind the shortage were two-fold.

You are spending your entire life in a hot, stainless steel box - all the glamour is on the other side of the kitchen door Peter Harden Restaurant guide editor

"The industry has spoken of the shortages mostly in relation to ethnic chefs, but also in relation to the quality of British catering colleges," he said.

He said many top restaurateurs felt catering colleges aimed to satisfy the mid-market diner, rather than the increasingly popular fine-dining establishments that have transformed Britain into a dining hot spot.

"I do think it's fair to say that there is a still a bit of catching up to be done," he said of current teaching in Britain.

Ethnic cuisines

Mr Harden said the life of the television chef was a far cry from the daily grind in a professional kitchen and most trainee chefs learnt that lesson early on.

"It does seem so sexy on TV, but it's a lie isn't it?" he said.

"You are spending your entire life in a hot, stainless steel box - all the glamour is on the other side of the kitchen door."

Research by People 1st, the hospitality industry body that matches skills with needs, points to a 6% rise in demand for chefs, but a 10% drop in training places at catering colleges over the last five years.

I think the shortage has been created by the industry... by cheap labour and cost-cutting methods Fay Olinsky Catering firm owner

But Edward Davies, of People 1st, rejected industry criticism that catering colleges were not up to standard, saying the flourishing restaurant industry had made it difficult for schools to keep pace with the many specialist ethnic cuisines.

Mr Davies pointed to the knife skills required for sushi chefs as one area where the industry was playing catch-up with increasing demand.

However, he said colleges were largely meeting the needs of an industry that employs 257,000 chefs and cooks in the UK and were changing with the times as quickly as possible.

Chef Fay Olinsky, who owns a private catering firm in Buckinghamshire, said there was not a shortage of skilled chefs - rather a shortage of chefs who were willing to work unreasonable hours for little pay.

"I get 10 CVs a week from highly skilled, professional chefs looking for work and advice on making a change," she said.

"I think the shortage has been created by the industry... by cheap labour and cost-cutting methods."