Food Is GREAT with celebrity chef in Bangkok
Ken Hom to promote British food and drink in Thailand.
The British Embassy Bangkok has brought to Thailand the UK’s internationally renowned chef Ken Hom to promote British ingredients and produce under the campaign Food Is GREAT Britain. He was invited to join The Queen’s 90th Birthday Party in Bangkok as a special guest, bringing 2 items of his creations to celebrate the special occasion.
Brian Davidson, British Ambassador to Thailand said:
I am delighted to welcome Ken Hom, the world famous chef and an ambassador of GREAT, the government’s international marketing campaign showcasing the best Britain has to offer.
He supported the campaign at Milan Expo and recorded several promotional clips to show the world that British ingredients and produce are special in their quality and taste.
Ken Hom, who was appointed a ‘GREAT’ Britain campaign ambassador in 2014, works with the St.Regis Hotel Bangkok to showcase the best of British ingredients and produce. Ken Hom’s cooking class lunch and set menu dinner at the St.Regis Bangkok is on today to offer Thai foodies an experience of British ingredients and produce in the modern world of cuisine.
Further information
About Ken Hom
Ken Hom was appointed a ‘GREAT’ Britain campaign ambassador in 2014 and awarded OBE by HM The Queen for services to the culinary arts 2009. This was in recognition of his achievements and the impressive social and historical impact he made on the way the UK has ‘adopted’ Chinese cuisine, which has now become one of the nation’s favourites.
In 2007, he was awarded with an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University for his ‘outstanding success within the international food world’. This also recognised him as one of the world’s most notable chefs with a highly successful career in the media, as an entrepreneur and as a supporter of charity and education.
At that time he was also appointed as Founding Patron of Oxford Gastronomica, the Centre for Food, Drink and Culture at Oxford Brookes University. He donated his entire library of almost 3,000 cookery books for the benefit of the catering students.
About Food Is GREAT
Food nation
The diversity of Britain’s food and drink is staggering.
Each region has its own speciality dish or product encompassing everything from the distinctive peaty malt whiskies of Islay in Scotland’s Hebrides to the rich tangy Stilton of the Midlands. Local traditions stretching back for centuries, together with the peculiarities of climate and place combine to give these products a unique appeal which is in demand the world over.
Food and drink is:
- the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, accounting for 16% of output
- made up of over 6,000 businesses employing around 400,000 people
- worth £21.5 billion to the economy
Total food and drink exports from the UK (including alcoholic drinks) stood at £18.8 billion in 2014.
Food science
The UK is recognised globally as a historic home of agricultural research.
The Edinburgh Science Triangle is one of the leading animal bioscience clusters in the world, internationally famous for the creation of Dolly the sheep.
Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire is the largest agricultural research centre in the UK and one of the oldest in the world. Its many success stories include:
- producing seeds with novel plant oils to help fish farmers achieve better health and environmental benefits
- research on arsenic uptake in rice that could protect millions of people worldwide from being poisoned
- developing a simple companion planting system that has tripled maize yields in Africa
Food forward
Although some of our products are still made to the same centuries old recipes, Britain is a pioneer in food production techniques. It has one of the most technically advanced and forward-looking food industries in the world.
From the farmyard to the factory, Britain’s food producers and manufacturers are working with scientists and researchers to develop healthier yields and create exciting new products.
Each year the UK food and drink industry invests more than £1 billion in research and development and introduces around 16,000 new products.
Food ambassadors
Britain’s chefs are household names the world over.
From Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay to Ken Hom, British and international chefs who have made their name in the UK, are opening restaurants throughout the world, bringing their unique style of cooking to an international audience.
Britain’s produce is also in demand with total food and drink exports (including alcoholic drinks) reaching £18.8 billion n 2014.
The best-performing sectors were:
- dairy with an increase of 8.8% compared to 2013
- fish and seafood with a 6.9% rise
- cereals and bakery with 5.2% rise
Europe remained the UK’s most important trading partner, with three-quarters of its exports going to the EU in 2014.
‘Each year the UK food and drink industry invests more than £1 billion in research and development and introduces around 16,000 new products.’