Chefs’ Football success!

Chef Paul Foster and Farm Africa held the eighth Chefs’ Football event on Sunday 10 July, hitting new fundraising and attendee records to ensure football tackles help Farm Africa tackle poverty head on!

The tournament, generously sponsored by Lime Recruit, saw some of the UK’s Michelin-starred restaurants and food suppliers compete alongside prominent businesses from the food and hospitality industries, all to support farmers living in eastern Africa, with an amazing £4,500 raised for Farm Africa.

It was a fantastic turn out with over 100 players taking part in tense matches in the gruelling summer sun. This year’s semi-finalists were Heaneys, 670 Grams, Aubrey Allen and RH Amar.

Heaneys restaurant and RH Amar sailed through to the final, where Heaneys fought hard to win the title. But at the final whistle RH Amar proved too strong a side, beating Heaneys in the final by three goals to two!

“RH Amar loved every minute of this event, friendly teams, great sports and the Farm Africa team are all lovely!” – Tim Brady, Operations Director at RH Amar, Chefs’ Football champions.

After the hustle and bustle of the day, we had a quick catch up with Paul Foster:

This is the eighth year of Chefs’ Football since your visit to Kenya where you witnessed Farm Africa’s work first hand. We really appreciate your continued support for so many years. What stood out most to you about our work?

“When I visited the villages in Kenya, what stood out to me was the work on the ground that Farm Africa does. The levels of support from digging out farms to creating a small economy were way beyond what I expected. Farm Africa delivers continued education and support for some of the most in need people in eastern Africa.”

What was your highlight of Chefs’ Football 2022?

“Witnessing the hospitality industry come together for others after two very challenging years showed how selfless people can be even when they hit hard times themselves.”

How would you describe the competition?

“The chefs’ competitive spirit was as intense as I expected, and stayed on a very respectful level. I would like to give a special mention to Heaneys as they reached the final and were the only team without substitutes, to play 124 minutes in that heat shows true competitive edge and awesome determination.”

Will there be another Chefs’ Football?

“The future is bright for this tournament, so many teams have already said they want to take part next year so I want to bring it back bigger and better.”

A huge thank you to all of the teams who took part this year, along with the prize donors, food donors, our brilliant sponsors, Lime Recruit, and especially to Paul Foster, who works so hard each year to make it all happen.

Champions: RH Amar

Finalists: Heaneys

Semi-finalists: 670 Grams and Aubrey Allen

Competing teams: Adam’s Restaurant, Hickory’s Smokehouse, House of Tides, Lime Recruit, Lovage Restaurant, Salt and The Man Behind The Curtain.

If this has inspired you to fundraise for Farm Africa your way, head to our fundraising page here. Or, if you would like to take part in Chefs’ Football in 2023 please contact [email protected] and we will add you to the invite list.