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Keywords Catering industry, Food industry, Employees, Career development, United Kingdom
Abstract The development of the UK restaurant industry is briefly outlined, and then the study seeks to examine the skills and characteristics needed to progress as a chef Rather than describe the factors that drive workers from the trade, they are explored as problems which must be accepted and overcome, and virtues which must be acquired if anyone aspires to become a great chef Sources include the comments of top chefs, food writers and others within the industry, as well as lengthy discussions with, and observations of, those working within the sector.
Introduction
The rationing of food produce in the UK during and after the Second World War created a generation with limited culinary experience. Few could afford to visit restaurants, so that the reputation of British food declined. Cookery books, such as David's (1950) A Book of Mediterranean Food, suggested expensive or unobtainable ingredients which limited their appeal. Women's magazines offered recipes for cheap meals. In the 1960s, television featured cooks such as Fanny Craddock, who appealed to middle class rather than mass audiences. In the 1970s, real chefs featured regularly on daytime magazine programmes. By the 1980s and 1990s, the kitchen time declined, and the shows relied more on the personality of the chef to provide entertainment. Many were filmed in locations appropriate to the food being cooked. Some even gained top 20 status in the viewing figures (Mintel, 2000).
Thus, television helped popularise the pleasures of food. At the same time, the increasing number of ethnic restaurants in the UK introduced most of the nation to the tastes of many countries. This coincided with an era when more Britons were travelling and eating abroad. The British palate was becoming more adventurous. Attitudes to food had changed rapidly. Chefs began to mix the styles, producing eclectic dishes of much appeal. Thus, British cooking began to gain a world-wide reputation. "Back in 1977, the words 'British' and 'cuisine' struck fear into anyone with a stomach. In 2002, foreigners flock here for the food. Consider this: in 1977, there were 20 restaurants in England with one Michelin star. Now there are 78 (Wales had none, it now boasts five). British restaurants now lead...