Essential Cuisine sponsors this year's Hotel and Catering Show

Top chefs taking part in the event include Brian Turner CBE, Mitch Tonks, Cyrus Todiwala OBE and Giles Thompson. Nigel Crane, managing director of Essential Cuisine and Dorchester-trained chef, said they were proud to back such an illustrious event with the freshest of talent at the helm. "This will be only our second year exhibiting, although we have supported independent wholesalers who have exhibited in the past," he said. "As a result of attending the show, our business is growing quickly in the region, particularly, but not exclusively, through hotels, restaurants and strong food pubs. Good food outlets, after all, need good stock. "As a business that is all about the chef and his or her passion, we love the inclusion of the Wessex Salon Culinaire within the show, with chefs competing at the heart of the venue, and recognise that the show itself is an invaluable platform for the best of the region's producers, wholesalers, caterers and chefs. As chefs, we want to talk to other chefs about the local food used in their businesses on their patch. "Backing the dinner, which incorporates the Wessex Salon Culinaire awards presentation, enables us to demonstrate our commitment to growing our business in the coming year, taste critically acclaimed food and celebrate the best in the hospitality, tourism and leisure industry. We are delighted to be part of the experience and look forward to Steve, Clyde and Lionel's creations on the night." The annual Hotel and Catering Show dinner, in association with the Wessex Salon Culinaire and Craft Guild of Chefs, is a leading event in the hospitality social calendar and hosts the award ceremony for the Wessex Salon Culinaire featuring a charity auction in aid of Hospitality Action.