trends & debates stage
*sessions are subject to change as the programme develops for our evolving festival.
The ucff just wouldn’t be the same without celebrating the host areas food and drink heroes.
Hertfordshire boasts a rich food and drink heritage from brewing to producing livestock and fresh produce.
This year is no exception, and we will be featuring local producers, chefs and people making a difference in our industry from in and around Hertfordshire.
Always a firm favourite in the festival line-up - stay tuned to see which gems we manage to uncover.
Local Heroes
We have long known that a healthy diet is key to maintaining good health and the EatWell plate has been with us since the 90’s, but in this session we’ll be diving deeper.
Can you genuinely eat yourself back to health when conventional medicine has given up on you?
Is it just about ‘eating your greens’ or do we need to take a more holistic approach to our food, how its grown, how we prepare it and how (and what) foods affect your mental well being as well as the physical?.
We’ll explore the topic and how we can potentially take the learnings back to our own kitchens for our own customers.
Eat Yourself Well
Being in the food industry you can’t have helped but notice a new logo on the block, the distinctive capital B in a black circle, appearing on everything from bags of coffee, to bars of chocolate, plant based foods, dairy products and restaurant operators menus to name a few.
But what IS a B-Corp?, what does it stand for? Is it for companies and operators that genuinely care about the environment, planet and people welfare or is it just about ticking the ‘green box’?
In this session, we’ll talk to producers, suppliers and operators with B-Corp status about what it means to them, how easy or difficult it is to obtain and (more importantly) retain and does it represent a sound business strategy or just a sign post that they are ’doing the right thing’.
If B-Corp is something you're considering for your business this is a must see session.
To be or Not to B-Corp?
AI is here. Whether we like it or not.
But is it something to be embraced, helping us do our jobs more effectively on a daily basis, whether it be composing seasonal menus, managing stock or profiling our customers to deliver the best possible service?
Or is it something to be feared, or at least be mindful of? Will robots ever replace chefs?
Can a computer re-create a chefs flair and imagination for creativity in a virtual world or take the place and personality of a skilled front of house professional?
In this session we’ll explore the good and the bad of AI and what the future might hold for our industry.
AI – Algorithm & Blues