Hotel & Catering Review - May 2014

Hotel

& Catering

Review

News Fáilte Ireland Launches New Home Holiday Campaign On the Town Celebs, a Healthy Breakfast & a Stylish Birthday Locally Sourced Silver Hill Foods Signs Renewable Energy Deal Feature Dublin’s Newest Craft Beer Bar at the Conrad

May 2014

hotelandcateringreview.ie

Going for Growth

Is Ireland Getting its Fair Share of Global Tourism Revenues?

I r e l a n d ’ s p r e m i e r m ag a z i n e f o r t h e h o s p i ta l i t y & c at e r i n g i n d us t ry

CONTENTS 2

Editor’s View

3

News & Views

16 Key to the Door Openings, Closures, Refurbs and Acquisitions.

20 On the Town Celebs, a Healthy Breakfast & a Stylish Birthday.

22 On the Move New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment

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Cover Story Helping Hoteliers Get a Slice of the Global Tourism Pie

Stephen McNally, Deputy Chief Executive of the Dalata Hotel Group and recently appointed President of the Irish Hotels Federation, talks to Maev Martin about his objectives during his two-year term at the helm.

25 Locally SOurced Silver Hill Foods, one of Ireland’s most successful producers of duck products, recently signed a renewable electricity deal with Irish energy supplier Vayu.

38 SUPPLY LINE

Essential Product Knowledge 30 Legal Have you Considered an Enduring Power of Attorney in Your Business?

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Feature Conrad Hotel Hosts Dublin’s Newest Craft Beer Bar Craft beer and finger food was on the menu on March 11th as The Conrad Hotel launched ‘Alfie Byrne’s by Galway Bay Brewery @ Conrad Dublin’.

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profile Creating The Great Irish Menu

The Inishbofin House Hotel and Marine Spa reopened its doors for the summer in March. Maev Martin talks to its new Head Chef Taidgh McDonald about producing restaurant standard food in a hotel environment.

33 Wine Our regular wine expert Mary O’Callaghan has been an admirer of New Zealand wines for many years but she only recently visited this beautiful country for the first time.

33 Dine Guinness Cured Salmon, Celeriac & Dill Remoulade & Guinness Bread from Justin O’Connor, Head Chef at the Guinness Storehouse.

36 Five Minutes With Jason Banyon

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EDITOR’S VIEW

Editor Maev Martin Email: maeve.martin@ ashvillemediagroup.com Telephone: 01 432 2271

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Now that Irish tourism has witnessed a return to growth in overseas visitor numbers, the industry is turning its attention to the domestic market. Irish hotel prices were a major stumbling block for a lot of holidaymakers in the past but hotels have become more competitive in recent years.

In addition, Irish tourism is now offering a more flexible product that reflects the seismic lifestyle shifts that have occurred, and are continuing to occur, as Ireland and everywhere else embraces the ‘always on’ culture. Mobile technology is ensuring that we can work anywhere and at anytime and this is impacting on the way we take a break these days. The short mid-week or long weekend break has now become a popular staple in many people’s annual holiday plans. So how does the industry persuade people to stay home for the holidays?

Fáilte Ireland recently launched a strategy which it hopes will kick-start the domestic tourism market. The €3m Discover Ireland campaign for 2014 is being rolled out across TV, radio and print advertising and also features a new digital focus, including a Facebook app to bring the holiday ‘wish list’ to life. The TV ads feature footage from both real life holidays, submitted by Discover Ireland’s Facebook fans, as well as footage that was shot on location around Ireland.

While Irish people have continued to holiday at home despite the challenging environment of recent years, Fáilte Ireland’s Discover Ireland campaign has identified three new segments of the market which it believes have the greatest potential for future growth. They are ‘Connected Families’, who put their heart into finding out everything a destination has to offer and like to have a carefully planned itinerary before they leave home, ‘Footloose Socialisers’, who like getting away with their friends on short breaks as much as they can, and ‘Indulgent Romantics’, who consider the hotel to be the most important factor in their choice of destination (see Page 8).

Speaking about the new focus, Fáilte Ireland’s John Concannon said that the organisation will be promoting ‘meaningful messages’ online through an ‘engaging content campaign’ via broad reaching sites and by taking a ‘smart targeting approach’, whether it is on mobile, tablet or desktop.

This year’s campaign has a soundtrack, All Works Out, which is the new hit single by Irish band The Riptide Movement, and this will front the TV and radio advertising. “Discover Ireland has a track record for picking tunes that ultimately become the official sounds of the summer,” says John. “From the Heathers to Ham Sandwich and now the Riptide Movement, working with the best Irish talent to promote Irish breaks has always been at the heart of what we do.”

Here’s hoping that the 2014 campaign track becomes the sound of the summer once again and that this sound, allied with the meaningful messaging, is enough to entice the domestic market to at least consider the many advantages that a home holiday has to offer.

hotel & catering review

“ Irish tourism is now offering a more flexible product that reflects the seismic lifestyle shifts that have occurred, and are continuing to occur, as Ireland and everywhere else embraces the ‘always on’ culture.”

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www.facebook.com /hotelandcateringreview Editor: Maev Martin Editorial & Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Design: Alan McArthur Layout: Alan McArthur Advertising Design: Colm MacDermott COVER IMAGE: ©iStock/Thinkstock.com Stock Photography: Thinkstock.com Production: Nicole Ennis Sales Director: Paul Clemenson Managing Director: Diarmaid Lennon Published by: Ashville Media, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7. Tel: (01) 432 2200 ISSN: 0332-4400 All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2014. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Hotel & Catering Review. The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize.

News & Views

NEWS & VIEWS

Pictured (l-r): Marguerite O’Gorman, Customer Marketing Executive at Unilever Food Solutions, rugby ace Tommy Bowe, Jim Reeves, Customer Director at Unilever Food Solutions, and Mark McCarthy, Business Development Chef at Unilever Food Solutions and head of the Great Carvery of the Year judging panel.

Final Call

for Great Carvery Competition Competition ambassador and rugby ace Tommy Bowe called on pubs and hotels across the island of Ireland to register on April 17th to be in with a chance of being crowned Ireland’s best carvery. The opportunity for pubs or hotels to register for the competition closed on April 27th. This year sees the addition of a new category to find Ireland’s best ‘one-day-only’ carvery. This category will search for the venue that serves the best carvery only one-daya-week and will run alongside the established Great Carvery Public House of the Year and Great Carvery Hotel of the Year categories.

Now in its fifth year, the nationwide Great Carvery of the Year competition is firmly established as the premier carvery competition on Ireland and Northern Ireland’s culinary calendar. The public vote has been open since May 12. Once the public has determined its shortlist of venues, a team of mystery shoppers will travel the length and breadth of the country to whittle this list down to the top three pub and hotel finalists from each province, and the top three ‘one-day-only’ venues in Ireland. The provincial winners and overall winners will be announced at an awards presentation in Dublin in September. The overall winning venues will each receive PR to the value of €2,500 and marketing support valued at €2,000 for each venue. The winners’ prize also includes a specially commissioned wall plaque to remind customers that they are about to sit down and enjoy the best carvery in Ireland.

Holiday Inn Express Set for Dublin in 2016 InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced another step forward in the UK and Ireland with the signing of three more Holiday Inn Express hotels Holiday Inn Express Grimsby, Holiday Inn Express Dublin - City Centre and Holiday Inn Express Middlesbrough - Centre Square.

The Holiday Inn Express brand is leading the company’s growth in this priority market. The first of the three to open its doors (towards the end of 2015) will be the 80room Holiday Inn Express Grimsby, which will operate under a franchise agreement with Brayford Hotels. Holiday Inn Express Dublin – City Centre is the next hotel to open in the spring of 2016. The 198-room conversion property will be located on O’Connell Street and will operate under a franchise agreement with existing IHG owner Findlater House Ltd. Also due to open in 2016 is Holiday Inn Express Middlesbrough – Centre Square. The property will be converted from an existing office building and will emerge as a 138-room Holiday Inn Express and operate under a franchise agreement with Sherland Property OpCo Ltd. “We’re really excited to be bringing the Holiday Inn Express brand to Dublin’s vibrant town centre,” says Sunil Joginpally, Owner of Findlater House Ltd and Holiday Inn Express Dublin – City Centre. “We couldn’t have asked for a better location. We’re looking forward to welcoming our guests and offering them a comfortable stay at great value in Ireland’s capital.”

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News & Views

Wild Atlantic Way Features on Top Travel Blog

Canadian bloggers Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil blogging from Skellig Michael, Co Kerry.

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800,000 people in Canada and elsewhere around the world are set to read all about the Wild Atlantic Way. Award-winning Canadian travel bloggers Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil, whose blog is called The Planet D, arrived in Ireland last month on the inaugural Aer Lingus Toronto to Dublin flight as guests of Tourism Ireland. Married for over 15 years, Dave and Debra travel the world, showcasing their real-time journey and broadcasting their stories and experiences through their writing, photos, video and engaging social media.

Often referred to as ‘Canada’s Adventure Couple’, their blog is considered to be one of the top travel blogs in the world, with an audience of almost 800,000 across their own website and social media platforms. Tourism Ireland’s Manager in Canada, Jayne Shackleford, says that the significant (almost +70%) increase in airline seats between Canada and Ireland this summer presents new opportunities to position the island of Ireland as a yearround destination for Canadian travellers.

The Planet D bloggers are some of the first international media to travel the entire length of the Wild Atlantic Way since it was officially launched earlier this year. As well as writing on their blog, Dave and Debra will be tweeting about their time here and posting regularly to their Facebook page.

hotel & catering review

+ 7 % increase in airline seats booked between

Canada and

Ireland

this summer.

Noel Cunningham, General Manager, Harvey’s Point Hotel with Model and TV Presenter Roz Purcell.

Harvey’s Point Celebrates Silver Jubilee Harvey’s Point Hotel in Donegal is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the launch of a book called 25 Years of Welcomes. Launched at a Silver Jubilee Gala in the hotel on April 11th, the illustrated case-bound book tells the story of how Swiss-born Jody Gysling discovered Harvey’s Point on the shores of Lough Eske in 1983 and built a holiday home there on land he personally reclaimed from a bog.

The idyllic holiday cottage grew into a guest house and later into Harvey’s Point Hotel. Jody was joined in the enterprise by his brother Marc who met and married local girl Deirdre McGlone who had come to work at Harvey’s Point as a receptionist. The hotel grew in scale and stature over the years and is today rated ‘No 1 Hotel in Ireland’ by TripAdvisor. It has also won many awards, including ‘AA Hotel of the Year’, ‘Ireland’s Best Carvery’ and ‘Ireland’s Best Wedding Venue’. The book traces the development of Harvey’s Point, from its opening in 1989, through the addition of a ballroom in 1991, Marc’s creation of a unique cuisine based on local produce, and the birth of the renowned Harvey’s Point Sunday Carvery Lunch, which continues to attract hundreds of diners every week.

Harvey’s Point Summer Cabaret was launched in 2000 and continues to attract full houses for the Wednesday evening Dinner Show which runs from the end of June to the end of October.

25 Years of Welcomes is written by Frank Corr and is designed and printed

by Browne Printers, Letterkenny.

News & Views

Provenance Reigns Supreme at Compass Expo Compass Group Ireland recently welcomed suppliers and clients alike to the Aviva Stadium for the third annual Compass Supplier Exhibition.

A celebration of Irish provenance and food innovation, the Expo showcased 44 of Compass Group’s suppliers and was attended by keynote speaker and Chief

Executive Officer of Bord Bia, Aidan Cotter. The annual Compass Group Expo is a platform for the group’s clients, unit managers and head chefs to meet with suppliers and sample the finest Irish produce available. With a theme of provenance running throughout the event, Compass showcased its extensive

Irish offering across meat, poultry, fish, bread, dairy and fruit and vegetables.

Health, wellbeing and a safe supply chain were another key focus at the event.

In an address to the crowd gathered in the Aviva Stadium, Aidan Cotter referred to the importance of supporting the Irish food and drink industry and the positive impact this has on the economy. Fiacra Nagle, Managing Director of Compass Group Ireland, later commented that in 2013 they brought 27 suppliers to their Expo event and this year they were at almost double that amount. “This is a testament to how popular the Expo has become and our dedication to promoting provenance and innovation in food and support services,” he said. “Compass Group Ireland is committed to working with local Irish suppliers and we were delighted to have many of our finest suppliers with us in the Aviva to showcase the quality of their produce.”

Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive Officer, Bord Bia, and Fiacra Nagle, Managing Director of Compass Group Ireland.

Mount Charles Invests in the Future Fourteen employees of The Mount Charles Group celebrated attaining professionally recognised qualifications at an awards ceremony in St George’s Market Bar & Grill in Belfast on April 17th.

The employees, who come from a wide variety of roles and backgrounds, have been studying for a range of qualifications throughout the last academic year.

The qualifications attained include hospitality and catering, customer service and business and administration. “We encourage our workforce to improve their knowledge, skills and abilities through training and education,” says Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of The Mount Charles Group. “Employees can study both on and off the job which allows them to fit training around their schedules and home life.” In 2012, The Mount Charles Group achieved the prestigious Investors in People accreditation.

Pictured at the event (l-r): Trevor Annon, Chairman of The Mount Charles Group, Leanne Flanagan, Chef at Nazareth Care Home Village, Steven Bainbridge, Human Resources Assistant for The Mount Charles Group and Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of The Mount Charles Group.

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News & Views

Seasoned & Budding Chefs are Tops in Mayo Competition

B

udding chefs and seasoned professionals took top honours at the second annual Flogas Mayo Master Chef Competition on April 7 at the Mayo Abbey Cookery School in Claremorris. The competition is supported by the Chefs of Mayo Club, which set out the competition rules and criteria for each class and organised the professional judging panel.

Barry Ralph of the Bayleaf Restaurant, Turlough, Castlebar, took first place for the second year in a row in the Senior Fish category with his steamed mackerel dish accompanied by a beetroot foam, wild garlic, celeriac, horseradish and seaweed harvested from Currane in Achill. In second place was Mark Gallagher of the Dalton Inn, Claremorris and third place went to Tobias Streitenberger, formerly of Knockranny House in Westport. The Irish Chicken-Junior Chef class was open to junior chefs and cookery students and Dymphna Killeen from Claremorris took first place with her Smoked Aromatic Chicken Supreme. The judges were impressed with the aromatic smoking flavour she achieved and the beautiful taste when served with the oriental sauce. Second place went to Gabrielle Gilroy from Foxford and third to Vincent O’Toole from Ballinrobe.

The Hot or Cold Plated Dessert Class had two joint winners, chef Tobias Streitenberger and student Donna Cassidy from Claremorris. Tobias whipped up a Symphony Of Chocolate with dark chocolate cannelloni, raspberry mousse, white chocolate fondant, strawberry ragout, choc loco shot, and banana foam. Donna’s dish was a Trio of Profiteroles in Baileys cream served with a sugar dome of glazed fruit and edible flowers. Student Dymphna Killeen came third. The Celebration Cake Class was won

by Philomena Noyes from Kilkelly. According to the judges, her cake won for its vibrant colour and attention to detail. Junior chef Kathleen Staunton from Castlebar came second and Julie Gallagher from Claremorris was third.

The Decorated Gateau Class was once again won

by Bicky Bissell, pastry chef at the Hotel Westport, for her chocolate gateau with a caramel and praline cream, chocolate glaze and almond macaroons.

Philomena Moyes came second and Kathleen Staunton from Castlebar took third place.

Donna Cassidy also took first place in the Hygiene Excellence Award, which was open to competitors in the Junior Chicken and judged on their performance in this class. The judging panel from the Chefs of Mayo Club were: Yvonne Higgins of Devour Bakery in Ballinrobe; Aran McMahon of Cafe Rua in Castlebar; Anthony Kelly of Riverside Restaurant in Charlestown; Anthony Holland, The Ice House,

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Dymphna Killeen, Claremorris, a student at Mayo Abbey Cookery School., came first in the Junior Chef class and third in the Plated Dessert Class.

The Mayo Abbey Cookery School

is a charitable non-profit making organisation with a shop open to the public on Fridays selling scones, pastries and organic vegetables which are grown in-house.

Chef Barry Ralph of the Bayleaf Restaurant in Castlebar, winner of the Senior Fish class at Flogas Mayo Masterchef 2014.

Ballina; Kieran Sweeney, Market Kitchen, Ballina; Ron Morrison, Hotel Westport; Gerry Luskin, Ballina Manor Hotel; and Philippe Farineau of Mount Falcon Hotel, Ballina. The Mayo Abbey Cookery School is a charitable non-profit making organisation run by a voluntary management committee, with a shop open to the public on Fridays selling scones, pastries and organic vegetables which are grown in-house.

News & Views

Ireland Secures Hosting of World Medical and Health Games 2015 Fáilte Ireland and Shannon Convention Bureau recently announced that, after a competitive bidding process, the University of Limerick will host the World Medical and Health Games 2015. The weeklong global gathering of sports enthusiasts from the medical professions is expected to generate over €1.1m in revenue for the city.

The World Medical and Health Games, or ‘Medigames’ as it is more commonly known, involves almost 1,200 to 1,500 sports enthusiasts participating in more than 20 sports. “Medigames offers us a fantastic opportunity to showcase the world-class sporting infrastructure we have here at UL’s Conference and Sports Campus,” says Linda Stevens, Director Conferences and Events at the University of Limerick. “It was great to see

Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau working with Fáilte Ireland to win this event for Limerick. I look forward to seeing further collaboration like this in the future.”

Fáilte Ireland’s new Major Events Unit has been established to work with stakeholders to identify and bid for events such as this.

Keith McCormack from Fáilte Ireland said that Limerick’s bid to host the event was a partnership between Failte Ireland, Shannon Convention Bureau and UL, and other key stakeholders from Limerick, including Shannon Airport, and saw off stiff competition from other overseas destinations.

Part of the bid process included site inspections or fact-finding trips for the event operators, to ensure that they got an authentic taste of

Ireland and of how UL’s Sports Campus can accommodate the event. In order to qualify as a potential destination for Medigames, the host city candidate must demonstrate a real interest in international events. In fact, the games were held in Limerick before, in 1995. The motivation shown by the bidding city representatives is taken into consideration as part of the selection criteria.

Other selection factors include tourism and climactic considerations, capacity for diversified accommodations, access (air, road or rail service), sports facilities, the quality of sports clubs coordinators who will be collaborating in the organisation, and financial and logistical participation.

1,200 1,500 TO

sports enthusiasts participate in

The World Medical and Health Games

Making Wishes Come True The Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin recently announced that it is to partner with Make-AWish Ireland, the charity which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Since April 29th, guests of the four-star hotel have been invited to support Make-A-Wish by choosing to add a €1 donation to their bill on check out. All monies raised from the partnership, the first of its kind with the hotel industry for Make-A-Wish, will go towards reducing the charity’s waiting list of wishes to be granted, which currently stands at over 200.

Make-A-Wish Ireland has granted wishes to over 1,500 children all across the country since coming to Ireland in 1992.

Launching the partnership are Wish Child Miriam Dunca, aged four, from Castleknock who is living with congenitive heart disease and whose wish was to go to Disneyland Paris, Aidan Ryan, General Manager, Royal Marine Hotel and Susan O’Dwyer, Chief Executive, Make-A-Wish.

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hotel & catering review29/4/14 7

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News & Views

FÁilte Ireland Launches New Home Holiday Campaign

F

áilte Ireland announced the details of their new Discover Ireland campaign for 2014 this month which will aim to once again persuade Irish holidaymakers to holiday at home. The campaign, called #ThisIsLiving, will include TV, radio and print advertising, as well as a new digital focus, including a Facebook app to bring your holiday ‘wish list’ to life. The new campaign seeks to build on recent growth in holidaying at home. CSO statistics show a welcome return to growth for the domestic market following a number of challenging years.

The number of domestic holidays taken in 2013 rose by two per cent, with revenues climbing seven per cent and the number of bed-nights

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increasing by 10%.

Following extensive research into what Irish people want from their home breaks, Fáilte Ireland’s 2014 campaign will be targeting three newly-identified segments of the Irish market - ‘Connected Families’, ‘Footloose Socialisers’ and ‘Indulgent Romantics’.

Connected Families are defined as those who put their heart into finding out about everything a destination has to offer and like to have a carefully planned itinerary before they leave home.

Their aim is to create shared memories with all of their family. Footloose Socialisers like getting away with their friends on short breaks as much as they can. They are value-conscious, independent travellers who attend cultural

and sporting events or engage in pursuits such as hillwalking during their short breaks.

For Indulgent Romantics, the hotel is the most important factor in their choice of destination. They prioritise finding the perfect, romantic hub for their couples getaway, somewhere they can soak up luxury, reward themselves and be well looked after - and tell everyone on TripAdvisor about it if they’re not. “These three groups make up 52% of the potential domestic market and we believe they are the most likely to take an additional holiday in Ireland this year,” says Fáilte Ireland’s John Concannon. “Our new campaign will be asking everyone to check out a break at home but will in particular be appealing to these groups.”

2%

INCREASE in

domestic holidays taken in 2013

News & Views

Desmond Burke, Tourism Ireland, with ‘Vikings’ Emma Greene (left) and Rebecca Birka (right), at the dress rehearsal in southern Sweden for the Battle of Clontarf Re-enactment.

Community Tourism Initiative Reaches Out to Diaspora The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, recently launched a new community tourism initiative for the diaspora which seeks to build on the legacy of The Gathering 2013. The initiative, a joint partnership between Fáilte Ireland, IPB Insurance and the 34 local authorities (under the auspices of the County and City Managers Association), will provide an annual fund of €1m over the next three years to support up to 700 local community-based events and festivals each year. The Community Tourism Diaspora Initiative is a direct response to one of the clear successes of last year’s The Gathering where 5,000 communities mobilised to harness their diaspora links for the benefit of local and community tourism. The initiative will be administered at county level where local authorities will seek applications for support from local community events. The objectives of the initiative are: to provide support in the form of small-scale funding incentives to community-based tourism events that have the capacity to carry through on the legacy of The Gathering in 2014 and beyond; to create a national network of local events with the capacity to deepen diaspora links and networks that have been developed or re-activated during The Gathering year; to foster the growth of strong county diaspora networks on the basis that diaspora relationships are rooted in ‘people and place’. With an estimate of up to 700 local events capable of being supported and with each of these reckoned to have the capacity to attract up to 50 visitors, the potential maximum impact of the fund could be an additional 35,000 visitors to Ireland each year over the next three years.

Viking Re-Invade for Battle Re-Enactment Hundreds of Vikings descended on St Anne’s Park in Raheny in Dublin last month for the Battle of Clontarf Re-enactment, the largest battle re-enactment ever held in Ireland. A spectacular dress rehearsal for the ‘battle’ took place in southern Sweden at the Fotevikens Museum in Höllviken. Tourism Ireland used the 1,000th anniversary of the famous Battle of Clontarf as a ‘hook’ to shine a spotlight on Ireland in Scandinavia. A busy programme of PR and publicity activity, as well as social media, reminded prospective holidaymakers there about the historical links between their countries and ours and invited them to come and discover Dublin and the many other sites and attractions in Ireland with Viking connections. Tourism Ireland invited a group of influential travel and lifestyle journalists from Norway, Sweden and Denmark to attend the re-enactment. They enjoyed a fun Viking Splash Tour in Dublin and explored some of the other Vikingrelated sites and attractions, including the Clontarf 1014 exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland, the Viking ‘Big Dig’ at Dublinia, Glendalough, and Waterford.

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News & Views

Sodexo Women Work Hosts Charity Breakfast The Sodexo Women Work network hosted a charity breakfast in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and Dress for Success at Michelin-starred restaurant L’Ecrivain in Dublin on March 14th. Managing director Margot Slattery and the Women Work organising team of Deirdre Saunders, Margaret Clapham and Gillian Stafford welcomed over 80 guests to the event. Executive Chef Derek Reilly and members of the culinary team took over the kitchen and, alongside owner Derry Clarke, prepared a hearty breakfast from the Derry Clarke Full Irish Breakfast product range.

Entertaining and informing the audience were speakers Susan Hayes-Culleton, author of the best-selling Savvy Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom, and television presenter, fashion designer and commentator Sonya Lennon, founder of Dress for Success in Ireland. Derry Clarke’s wife Sallyanne acted as master of ceremonies for the auction and raffle where prizes included a stay at the K Club for four people, a detox package from nutrition and wellness consultant Dorcas Barry, a dinner party cooked in your own home, a romantic dinner for two at L’Ecrivain, and a hospitality package for the Royal Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July. In total, over €1,900 was raised for the Irish Cancer Society and the Dress for Success charity benefited from some generous donations of clothing and accessories brought along by the guests.

The Sodexo Women Work network was set up in 2011 by Margot Slattery to help female employees enhance their professional and personal growth.

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hotel & catering review

(l-r): Gillian Stafford, Margaret Clapham, Margot Slattery and Deirdre Saunders.

Food Marketing Terms Consultation Underway The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) announced a public consultation on the use of food marketing terms in Ireland on March 19th. The consultation is based on a draft code of practice aimed at protecting the integrity of certain marketing terms on food and thereby protecting the interests of consumers and the small food industry. All interested parties, including consumers, regulators and the food industry, are urged to visit www.fsai.ie/consultations to communicate their views.

The draft Code of Practice was developed for consultation by a working group consisting of the FSAI, the Food and Drinks Federation of Ireland, the Artisan Forum, and the Consumers’ Association of Ireland. The consultation will run for eight weeks and the closing date for responses is May 14th 2014. All feedback and comments will be considered in advance of the FSAI publishing a final industry Code of Practice later in the year.

Although these rules are not legally binding, the FSAI expects food businesses to adhere to them, having been involved in their development.

The Code of Practice will help to ensure that consumers are not misled and will aid food businesses in compliance with the labelling, advertising and presentation of food as specified in Article 16 of the General Food Law Regulation 178/2002 and expanded on in Article 7 of Regulation EU No. 1169/2011 on food information to consumers, which comes into force on December 30th 2014.

News & Views

La Rousse Foods personnel (l-r): Sales Manager Martin Maguire, National Sales Director Francis McSorley, Area Sales Representative Sinead Frizelle, Compass Group Executive Chef Mark Anderson, Area Sales Representative Una O’Donohue and Meat Category Manager Jonathan Cahill.

Compass Group Does Deal with La Rousse Foods Compass Group Ireland has signed a two-year contract with Irish fine food specialists, La Rousse Foods.

This new contract will see the Dublin-based company supply a range of products, including artisan Irish and French cheeses, breads, handmade chocolates and speciality game, to the Group’s fine dining and hospitality offering within its 250 units.

The contract is valued at €3.4m over the next two years. In the last year Compass Group Ireland has awarded several contracts to local Irish companies, including Corkbased Hodgins Foods who supply all sausages and black pudding to its sites, Johnston Mooney and O’Brien who supply bread, and all fresh fish is sourced from Wexford-based Atlantis Seafoods.

Founded by Mary Massy & Marc Amand in 1992, La Rousse Foods employs 107 people and supplies speciality products to 1,300 customers around Ireland.

Special 5 day membership rate to the Hotel & Catering Community of €750 Special offer for Pay & Play on Mondays & Tuesdays Golf and Lunch for just €39 when booked in advance quoting H&C Offer

Palmerstown Stud Golf Course, designed by golfer Christy OʼConnor Jnr, is truly a golferʼs paradise. This expertly designed course offers impressive bunkering, imaginative water features and challenging fairways over 18 beautifully appointed holes. Our challenging course was host to the Irish Region Championship in 2005 and the Irish Seniors Championship in 2007. Golf at Palmerstown Stud Golf Club is open to visitors all year round.

To book a tee time or for more information regarding group or society bookings contact +353 (0) 45 906 901 or email golf@palmerstownhouse.com

Open Week at Palmerstown Friday May 30th to Sunday June 8th

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News & Views

Visitor Numbers up at Cliffs Despite Storms Despite one of the stormiest periods on record in the West of Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience in Co Clare recorded a six per cent increase in visitor numbers during the first four months of 2014.

The world famous tourist attraction saw overall visitor numbers grow from 167,605 in 2013 to 177,878 between January 1st and April 30th. Visitor figures at the Cliffs were boosted by a 57% increase in visitors during the four-day Easter Bank Holiday Weekend compared to the same period in 2013. “We are delighted that visitor figures are up by 11,000 on the same period in 2013 especially considering we were forced to close the site to the public on numerous occasions earlier this year due to strong winds,” says Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience.

“The continued strong performance of the Irish tourism sector, the increase in services from Shannon Airport, the naming of the Cliffs of Moher as a discovery point along the newly-launched Wild Atlantic Way, the popularity of the 12-kilometre Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk, and the Cliffs of Moher’s close links with Brian Ború during the millennial anniversary of his death have all contributed to this increase. At this point, we are well on target to at least meet the 2013 visitor figure of 960,134, which itself was up 10% on the previous year.” Additional coach parking has recently been provided at the Cliffs of Moher as part of a €550,000 upgrade of the site, which also includes a car park facility and exhibition improvements.

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hotel & catering review

Tourism Promotion Targets French Commuters Millions of French commuters have been seeing ads for Ireland on large billboard posters as they pass through the busy metro stations of Paris, as well as on smaller billboard ads dotted around Paris and other major cities in France. Tourism Ireland has teamed up with one of the main online French travel agents - Go Voyages - for its largest ever joint promotional campaign in France. Almost 700 billboard ads have been prominently displayed in metro stations across the French capital, grabbing the attention of commuters with spectacular images of the Wild Atlantic Way and the Giant’s Causeway and featuring attractive offers for a weekend break. The campaign, which ran until mid-May, has been very successful to date, with Go Voyages already reporting a significant increase in both enquiries and bookings for holidays to Ireland this summer. Other campaign activity includes online advertising, a dedicated Ireland page on the Go Voyages and Opodo websites, as well as email marketing to prospective holidaymakers.

According to Severine Lecart, Tourism Ireland’s E-marketing Executive, France is one of Ireland’s ‘top four’ tourism markets, delivering about 439,000 visitors to the island last year. Tourism Ireland recently unveiled a new strategy to grow visitor numbers from France and Germany. The plan, ‘Germany and France – A Strategy for Growth’, will see the number of French visitors to the island of Ireland grow to 512,000 (+17%) by 2016.

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Helping Hoteliers Get a Slice of

the Global Tourism Pie

W

Stephen McNally, Deputy Chief Executive of the Dalata Hotel Group and recentlyappointed President of the Irish Hotels Federation, talks to Maev Martin about his objectives during his two-year term at the helm.

hen I met Stephen McNally he had just returned from a meeting in Brussels organised by HOTREC, the umbrella organisation that represents 42 national associations in the hospitality sector, including the IHF, across 27 countries in Europe.

“HOTREC members meet twice yearly to update each other on developments in the hotel industry relevant to Europe,” says Stephen. “A major focus for HOTREC is the customer from the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. These countries are our new exciting markets and there will be growth opportunities for Europe over the next 10 years. The HOTREC meeting addressed visa issues and how we can get visitors from the BRIC countries travelling in and out of Europe

more efficiently. The meeting also looked at data protection, including the use of WiFi and credit cards in hotels, and at future growth in world tourism.

Visitor numbers increased by five per cent around the world up to the end of 2013 so that shows that the global recession is lifting. Tourism is a growth industry in Ireland hotels are performing well, especially in the city locations, and we need this business to extend into rural regions across the country. I’m confident that world tourism is going to keep growing so Ireland must receive its share of the global tourism pie. Governments across Europe realise that tourism is crucial to economic growth and are now paying a lot of attention to the industry. Many countries in Europe are perhaps more accessible than Ireland but when visitors come to Ireland they have a great holiday and recent

Fáilte Ireland research shows high levels of satisfaction.”

Key Objectives Recent Fáilte Ireland research has also shown that Ireland’s value for money perception among overseas visitors has increased significantly since the Celtic Tiger years but Stephen points out that competitiveness can’t be a periodic occurrence.

“There is no point in having a temporary situation - we need a vision to 2020 and beyond,” he says. “The VAT rate is crucial to the maintenance of our competitiveness and to the fortunes of the Irish tourism industry in the long-term. Any upward change in the VAT rate would kill business.” Stephen attended the International Travel Fair in Berlin with Tourism Ireland and Minister Varadkar where the feedback from German tour operators about Ireland was uniformly

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hotel & catering review

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positive. “German operators said they loved Ireland and that German tourists will continue to travel to Ireland as long as our competitive VAT rate is maintained and we remain a value for money destination,” he said. “The Wild Atlantic Way is a great idea and it is certainly very popular with many of the German tourism operators that we met.

Landing charges is another issue that is crucial to the continued recovery of the industry. At ITF in Berlin the operators told us that if we maintain low aircraft landing charges, visitors from Germany will continue to increase.”

Increasing Employment Increasing employment in the hotel industry is another priority for Stephen.

“By 2020 we should have close to 10 million visitors a year,” he says. “Since 2011 we have added 23,000 additional jobs into hotels and restaurants. If we get 10 million visitors that will create an additional 74,000 plus jobs in our industry so we need to prepare for that in conjunction with the catering colleges. Increasing employment is vital for Irish tourism right now. We need to train more chefs and waiters and there is general agreement in our industry on this issue. We know that more jobs will be available so we have to prepare our young people. There are great courses available in the Institutes of Technology but we are not getting sufficient numbers through to our industry.

Maybe the academic entry requirement for these courses is too high and is putting people off who would otherwise apply for a career in tourism. But young people need to be aware of the fact that pay entry levels in the industry are now on a par with other industries and that people can be promoted into management and supervisory roles pretty quickly.”

Distressed Hotels While there is increased optimism in the industry, there are still a lot of hotels in financial distress. “We get a lot of calls to the IHF HQ from members looking for help on financial issues,” says Stephen. “The Dalata Hotel Group manages hotels in 16 different counties so we have a pretty good picture of what is happening out there. Many hotels are not making sufficient profits to revamp their product and that is a big

concern. I’m not talking about massive refurbishment but the basic upgrades that any hotel needs to make on a regular basis. When members who are in financial distress contact us we try to adopt a tailored approach for the individual hotel, whether that is helping them to put together a payment plan, an investment plan, or simply putting them in touch with the right people in the financial industry. We can advise on what case a hotel needs to present to a bank to resolve whatever the financial issue is that they are facing – it could be a difficulty in getting funding or in securing a continuation of their overdraft.”

Controlling Costs Payroll is the biggest cost for hoteliers.

“What is concerning and our biggest potential cost is that the JLC will be re-introduced,” he says. There has been no JLC since 2011 but Stephen says that workers are very well protected.

“Minister Bruton has signed an order to reintroduce it and I don’t understand why. Re-introduction of the JLC will inflate the basic rate of pay in hotels outside Dublin and Cork, which is unaffordable and simply unfair. Water is another major cost that we don’t have direct control over. Each local authority levies its own water charges and from 2015 we will all pay our own domestic water charges. The IHF had been led to believe that the introduction of domestic water charges would reduce water charges for business. However, following a recent meeting with Irish Water the federation is now concerned that there will be additional levies. If Irish Water levy a single flat rate across the country that could make us anticompetitive because the cost of such increased charges will have to be passed on to the customer. County councils in many counties are amalgamating which means that water rates will amalgamate so we have to look at the implications of that for members in the relevant areas.”

Stephen says that the implementation of the 2001 Valuation Act is finally helping some hotels in relation to the local authority rates charges. “The Act has been implemented in Fingal, South Dublin and Dublin City districts,” he says. ”Limerick is now in the process of implementing new tariffs and new charges will eventually be rolled out in

every county. Implementation means that, in most cases, local authority rates for hotels come down. Some of our members in Dublin got up to 50% reductions. On average, the reduction achieved was 30% but that means that hoteliers outside Dublin are currently paying at least 30% too much for their local authority rates. We need to get the local authority rates reviewed much more quickly.”

Modern Hotel Management Stephen says that hotel management is about being visible to your customer.

“During the Celtic Tiger years the general manager took more of a backseat and was less visible but now general managers are getting ‘back to the floor’,” he says. “They are making themselves more accessible and they are aligning that proactive customer behaviour with an effective online strategy. In Ireland we look after the customer better than anywhere else in the world so we have to nurture that unique selling point. Our job in the IHF is to ensure that the government understands the critical trading situation in our industry. We have to explain the issues, and the impact of certain measures that the government might implement, in a logical, informative way. We need to help create the conditions that allow our members to come out of this economic collapse.

The IHF has recently experienced an upsurge in membership across its 12 branches nationwide. We have had 25 new member hotels since the beginning of February so that’s a very positive development in our sector and is indicative of the important role the Irish Hotels Federation plays for its hotel and guesthouse membership nationwide.”

Stephen has over 35 years’ experience in the hotel industry. A native of Co Meath, he is a graduate of Rockwell Hotel and Catering School in Tipperary and also completed the Ramada Management & Development Programme in the UK. He worked with Jurys Doyle Hotel Group plc for 17 years and, ultimately, headed operations for the company and the 33 hotels it operated in Ireland, the UK and the US. Stephen became Director and Deputy Chief Executive of Dalata Hotel Group in 2007.

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Key to the Door

key to the

door Openings, Closures, Refurbs and Acquisitions

Cavan Crystal Hotel on Market for €2.5m Savills Hotels and Leisure have been appointed as selling agents for the Cavan Crystal Hotel, Dublin Road, Cavan on behalf of the Receiver, Kieran Wallace of KPMG. The hotel is offered for sale by private treaty with a guide price of a2.5m. Built in 2002, the four-star hotel is located on the main approach to Cavan town and features 85 bedrooms, bars, a restaurant and a leisure centre. Five airconditioned conferencing suites can cater for between 14 and 65 delegates and two function rooms, the Balavaun Suite and the Trinity Suite – can cater for 600 and 450 theatre style or 400 and 250 banquet style. The hotel’s leisure club, which has over 500 members, comprises an 18 metre swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and a fully equipped gym. The hotel also includes a beauty and hair salon. The former Cavan Crystal retail show room, which forms part of the main hotel, and a separate large modern industrial unit located to the rear of the hotel, is included in the sale.

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hotel & catering review

Cavan Crystal Hotel, Dublin Road, Cavan

Riverside Restaurants Two restaurants at North Wall Quay are to be offered for sale at a greatly reduced price through

agents HWBC. The J2 Grill & Sushi building is guided at a350,000 while a price of a400,000 has been raised for a larger vacant unit close by.

Key to the Door

Tralee Central Hotel For Sale The Tralee Central Hotel in Kerry is on the market with a guide price of a1m. Property consultants, Savills and Ger Carmody Auctioneers have been appointed as joint selling agents on behalf of Aiden Murphy, Receiver, Crowe Horwath. The hotel, formerly known as the Abbey Gate, is located on Maine Street in Tralee Town Centre. Constructed in 1994, the Tralee Central Hotel is a Fáilte Ireland-registered threestar hotel with 100 bedrooms. It is laid out over three floors and has the benefit of approximately 40 off-street car parking spaces on either side of Maine Street. Hotel accommodation includes two bars and a restaurant at ground floor level which was recently redecorated. There are two meeting rooms (one at first floor) and a main function room capable of accommodating 260 people.

The property closed for business in early 2014 but the agents say it requires minimal investment to reopen.

Fota Island Gets Overhaul Go-Ahead The new owners of Cork’s Fota Island resort have been told they can proceed with an overhaul of the resort which had first been granted approval by local authorities ten years ago. Then owners Cityking International had received permission for a hotel, holiday homes, a nine hole golf course and various other development works, and current owners Xiu Lan Properties Ltd applied to Cork local authorities to extend the duration of that planning permission.

The owners also plan to add extensions to the hotel’s restaurant and the clubhouse.

Kilternan Hotel & Country Club for Sale Agent Colliers is selling the Kilternan Hotel & Country Club complex in south Dublin - with its extensive sports facilities and 300 acres - for a5m to a10m.

The agent is also willing to

The Tralee Central Hotel, Kerry.

take offers for the complex on a smaller site of 40 acres. The hotel was opened in 1972 by brothers John and Willie Oppermann and their brother in law Joe Wall as an upmarket country club. After the Oppermann business ran out of funds Pat Quinn, founder of the Quinnsworth supermarket chain, bought it from a receiver in 1973 for £500,000. However, he was unable to make a success of the business and emigrated to Canada. Since then it has changed hands a number of times. In 2006, after selling his controlling interest in Dublin’s Thomas Read pub chain, the late publican Hugh O’Regan took on the challenge of redeveloping Kilternan with the support of more than 1171m of Irish Nationwide loans. Nama

appointed David Hughes of EY as receiver to the complex when the property market and banking sector crashed in 2008 and Irish Nationwide refused to lend any more money to Hugh O’Regan for the redevelopment of the complex. Although substantial work has been done on the hotel it has been estimated that it could take a further �4m to finish the 128-bedroom facility, which extends to 16,500 square metres and accommodates a spa, banqueting hall, lounge and service facilities. Built around indoor tennis courts, the sports complex extends to 6,957 square metres over three levels and includes a full size swimming pool, children’s pool, steam room, sauna, treatment rooms and a golf pro shop.

US Billionaire Checks Out Mount Juliet Billionaire US businessman John Malone is believed to have expressed an interest in acquiring the Mount Juliet Hotel and Country Club resort in Co Kilkenny, which is being sold by the Mahony family. The property has been on the market for about three months with an expected sale price of about a15m. Mr Malone is reported to be the largest landowner in the US and has been involved in acquiring a number of assets in Ireland in the past couple of years. These include Humewood Castle in Co Wicklow and two hotels in Dublin – the Hilton Hotel in Charlemont Place and the Trinity Capital on Pearse Street. The hotels were acquired in partnership with Lalco Hotel Group, an Irish hotel operator led by John Lally. Set on 600 hectares, the property includes a 32-bedroom hotel and a golf course, which has previously hosted the European Tour’s Irish Open and the American Express World Golf Championship.

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Feature

Conrad Hotel Hosts Dublin’s

Newest Craft

Beer Bar Craft beer and finger food was on the menu on March 11th as The Conrad Hotel launched ‘Alfie Byrne’s by Galway Bay Brewery @ Conrad Dublin’. Since then the bar has won the Best Newcomer category in the Good Eating Guide to Ireland 2014 Awards.

Maev Martin reports.

A

lfie Byrne’s is a new addition to the food and beverage offering at the The Conrad Hotel in Dublin and the latest addition to the Galway Bay Brewery family. The recently refurbished Irish-American themed bar has 23 craft beers on draught, all made in the US and Ireland, and produced on a small scale to ensure authenticity, along with more than 30 US and Irish whiskeys. All of Galway Bay Brewery’s beers are available in Alfie Byrne’s.

The bar is a move away from the more formal setting of the five-star Conrad Hotel, with a menu of Irish and American craft beers with weird and wonderful names such as ‘Buried at Sea’ and ‘Of Foam and Fury’.

The Leinster Rugby team were among the guests enjoying the

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hotel & catering review

laid back atmosphere while some competitive games of ping pong and pool were played by other invitees. Isaac Boss and Shane Jennings of Leinster Rugby described the bar as “a great place to hang out with the guys - great beer, great food and ping pong - it’s perfect”.

So what was the thinking behind the transformation of Alfie Byrnes into a craft beer bar? “We wanted to reposition Alfie Byrnes and create a strong concept that would become a destination in its own right,” says Martin Mangan, General Manager of The Conrad Hotel.

“The reality is that people don’t flock to hotel bars as they tend to be either too stuffy and formal or bland and unexciting.

Very few get it right. The idea to partner with Galway Bay Brewery came about after an informal meeting with the

company and it moved very quickly from there. It was a natural fit and we are delighted with the results so far. The guys behind Galway Bay Brewery are real innovators and entrepreneurs who challenged us to push the boundaries and take off our hotel hats. It’s amazing to see the diversity in our customers but they all share the same love for great craft beer.

Our fan base is growing all the time and it is all word of mouth and social media, mostly Twitter, where the bar already has 800 followers.”

Alfie Byrne’s currently has a dedicated team of 10 staff, led

by Bar Manager Artur Baranov, but as business grows they hope to increase this number.

All staff have been employed to work exclusively in Alfie Byrne’s. The bar is operating as both a standalone bar with

Feature

its own entrance and as a hotel bar. “This is not a challenge for us and was very much part of the design, look and feel,” says Martin. “We want to create a clear distinction between what we do in Alfies and what we do in the rest of the hotel. All of our food and beverage outlets are independently successful and part of our strategy going forward is to create food and beverage concepts that will attract customers both internally and externally. Our guests love Alfie Byrnes as it has the look and feel of a high street pub and it is designed to be casual. It’s quirky and fun, sure where else would you find a ping pong table in a five-star hotel?”

When Alfie Byrne’s opened in March it had 18 taps and now has 23, including a cask ale and its very own Vernon Tap, named after the Vernon Bar on

Alfie Byrne’s by Galway Bay Brewery @ Conrad Dublin.

Pictured at the launch of Alfie Byrnes by Galway Bay Brewery were Dominic Ryan, Aaron Dundon and Quinn Roux.

Emma Breen, Shane Jennings and Kate Duffy.

Talbot Street, which was owned

by Alfie Byrne. “It is a seasonal brew produced only for Alfie Byrnes by Galway Bay Brewery,” says Martin. “We rotate a lot of our beers and we respond to requests from customers for specific beers. The Vernon tap produces a 7.4% American amber ale. The bar also offers five other Galway Bay Brewery beers, including their awardwinning ‘Of Foam and Fury’ (Beoir Beer of the Year 2014), a double IPA (India Pale Ale) with an 8.5% ABV, and ‘Buried at Sea’, a milk chocolate stout, to name but two. Alfie’s not only has an amazing craft beer selection but also features one of the best selections of Irish whiskey and American bourbon, as well as an open kitchen that is open daily from 12 noon until 9pm serving favourites such as our Shrimp Po Boy and our Pulled Pork Sandwich.”

The Galway Bay Brewery operation has nine pubs, including Alfie Byrne’s, their first venture with a hotel in Ireland. “This is the first hotel in the UK and Ireland to have a bar that only sells craft beer,” says Niall Walsh, Joint Managing Director of Galway Bay Brewery. “We need to prove ourselves in the hotel market but we would love to open more bars with the Hilton Group.

However, there are a lot of people in the craft beer space so getting our brewery upgraded is our main focus.” They are planning to upgrade the capacity at their brewery in Galway in June and that will be its third upgrade. “Initially, we will go from being able to produce 6,000 litres a week to about 14,000 litres a week and that upgrade will allow us to expand our draught range,” he says.

“We are brewing six beers on draught in all of our bars so with the brewery upgrade we hope to brew 10 on draught, but we will also have the square footage to expand our capacity even further than that. We want to be in a position to promote the different styles of beer and do our version of them in our bars rather than offer someone else’s version. That in turn allows us to reinvest in our brewery and expand our facilities.”

Galway Bay Brewery is planning to open two more bars in Dublin this year and to export their range of five bottled beers to the north of Ireland. One of those bottled beers, ‘Of Foam and Fury’, was launched in November 2013 and is available in most independent off licences.

Other beers in the range are Full Sail, a pale IPA; Bay Ale, a red ale; and Stormy Port, an Irish porter.

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On the Town

On The

Town

Celebs Celebrate Healthy Breakfast Menu Café Novo at The Westbury Hotel has teamed up with personal training centre, BodyByrne, to launch a new healthy breakfast menu. A number of BodyByrne clients, including Kathryn Thomas, Liam Cunningham, Brian Kennedy and Síle Seoige joined Cathal Dunne and BodyByrne owners, Paul Byrne and Siobhan Byrne as they officially launched the nutritious healthfocused dishes from the new Novo Light Breakfast menu at The Westbury Hotel.

The new breakfast menu combines Café Novo’s culinary expertise with BodyByrne’s fitness and nutrition knowledge to deliver a selection of appetising, wholesome options that maximise the benefits of an early work-out. The Novo light breakfast has something to suit all taste buds and appetites. Those on a high protein diet relish the poached eggs delicately wrapped in wafer thin ham and served in a ramekin with cheese (280kcals).

Those with a sweet tooth can indulge in the oat protein pancakes (335kcals). These healthy treats are topped with berries and sweet agave nectar and cooked in coconut oil, the latest superfood proven to raise the body’s metabolism and act as an antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial agent. The oat flour used in the pancakes is not only gluten-free but also has a low glycaemic index and therefore releases energy slowly, preventing dips of energy that can be found from other high

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hotel & catering review

Síle Seoige, Liam Cunningham, Brian Kennedy, Cathal Dunne, Kathryn Thomas, Siobhan Byrne and Paul Byrne

Pancakes and carrot orange ginger smoothie.

glycaemic carbs like white flour and some breakfast cereals.

Those looking for a breakfast with a twist can try the breakfast burrito (275kcals), packed with fluffy egg whites, carrots, onion and tomato, and wrapped in a warm grilled tortilla with tangy salsa on

the side. The breakfast burrito is low in fat and has a mix of protein and slow release carbs to maximise muscle repair and recovery. The egg white omelette with vegetable salad (230kcals), packed with protein and vegetables, is the low fat option. The Carrot,

“Our breakfast menu still offers the classic favourites such as eggs benedict and, with our neighbour BodyByrne, we have complimented this with mouth-watering healthy options such as our egg white omelette and breakfast burrito which are the perfect start to a healthy day.”

On the Town

Cork Foodies Out in Force for FishBar Cork’s foodies were out in force last month as the FishBar celebrated its first birthday in style. The bar is the latest addition to Electric, the riverside venue in Cork’s city centre. Guests were treated to some of the most popular dishes from the past year, including Scallop & Cod Burgers, Thai Monkfish and Fresh Oysters.

“The FishBar at Electric is extremely popular and we pride ourselves on being innovative and on providing the highest quality fish dishes to our customers,” says Electric owner, Ernest Cantillion. “We are lucky in Cork that we have access to such a plentiful supply of locally sourced fresh seafood so we like to make the most of it.

To celebrate our first birthday we wanted to treat our guests to some of our favourite and most popular dishes over the past year and judging by the empty plates it went down well.”

Located on the South Mall in Cork city centre, Electric is favoured by both tourists and locals alike. The Mediterranean-inspired FishBar is open each week from Wednesday to Saturday.

Egg white omelette with vegetables.

Head Chef Ray Clayton at the first birthday celebrations.

Wrapped eggs with baked ham.

Orange and Ginger juice is low fat and gluten free and is primarily vegetable-based to ensure that is has all the benefits without too many extra calories from fruit. The Novo light breakfast also includes a variety of Arabica bean coffees.

BodyByrne provides one-onone personal training to clients at any time of the day and develops nutrition plans and a schedule to suit the individual.

Owners of BodyByrne, Paul and Siobhan Byrne have worked with celebrities, Olympians and athletes from all over the world, including David Gilick, double European Indoor Champion; Scott Evans, double Olympian; Rosanna Davison, model and former Miss World; Keith

Duffy, singer and actor; and RTE’s The Voice judge, Bressie.

“Over the last few years we’ve seen a rise in the number of customers looking for a healthy wholesome option when they eat out,” says Cathal Dunne, Executive Chef at Cafe Novo.

“Breakfast is often overlooked by the food industry as an indulgence, when in reality breakfast kick-starts your metabolism for the day. Our breakfast menu still offers the classic favourites such as eggs benedict and, with our neighbour BodyByrne, we have complemented this with mouthwatering healthy options such as our egg white omelette and breakfast burrito which are the perfect start to a healthy day.”

Phillip Ryan from Voodoo and Catherine and Michael Ryan from Isaacs Restaurant.

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On The Move

New Head Chef at Tankardstown House New Financial Officer for O’Callaghan Group Former Fitzpatrick GM Joins Gibson

Nicky Logue Convention Centre Gets Hospitality Manager

Una O’Dowd Fitzers Catering has appointed Una O’Dowd as the Hospitality General Manager at the Convention Centre Dublin. An Honours degree graduate from the Shannon College of Hotel & Business Management, Una has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, both in operational and strategic roles. Una has worked in Dubai, Shanghai, Korea, the US and Australia, as well as in various properties in Ireland, including Carton House, the Gibson Hotel and, most recently, as General Manager in the fivestar Castlemartyr Resort in Cork. Fitzers Catering have been the catering partner with Convention Centre Dublin since it opened in 2010.

Nicky Logue has been appointed General Manager of the Gibson Hotel in Dublin. He joins from the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney where he had been General Manager for 10 years and a Director since 2006.

Prior to joining the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in 2003, Nicky was General Manager at the Selsdon Park Hotel and Golf Course in London, a position he took up in 1999. From 1995 until 1999 he was General Manager at Cheltenham Park Hotel in Cheltenham. Nicky is also the current President of the Irish Hospitality Institute (2013-2015). The Gibson Hotel and Dublin GAA Football team recently renewed their partnership arrangement which involves the Dublin team doing all of their pre-match preparation for their home games in the Gibson. This covers rest and relaxation, food and nutritional advice before each game in Croke Park.

Eoin Likely

Eoin Likely, FCA, has rejoined the O’Callaghan Hotel Group as Chief Financial Officer. He previously held the position of CFO of the Group in 2005/2006 before relocating to Cork to become Head of Operations & Finance at Alchemy Properties, a subsidiary of Reox Holdings plc. In 2009 Eoin became Chief Financial Officer of Reox Holdings plc.

He brings significant financial and commercial experience to the O’Callaghan Hotel Group. Prior to first joining O’Callaghan Hotels in 2005 Eoin had been Group Financial Controller at United Drug plc and had held various positions at KPMG, including Associate Director. Eoin is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The O’Callaghan Hotel Group has four hotels in Dublin Alexander, Davenport, Stephen’s Green and Mont Clare - as well as the Eliott Hotel in Gibraltar and the Annapolis in Maryland in the US.

on the

move New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment

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hotel & catering review

Rob Krawczyk

Rob Krawczyk has recently joined the Tankardstown Team as Head Chef. Drawing on the resources of the Tankardstown Estate, guests can expect to dine from menus with strong earthy tones while the eastern seaboard provides seafood straight from the shores.

The main source of inspiration was his father, Frank, who has been producing charcuterie for the past 20 years in West Cork. Frank taught Rob the skills of curing and smoking meats, making salamis and dry aged coppa hams, while instilling a passion for fine food in its raw and natural state. Rob has enjoyed time working for notable chefs such as Michelin Star Chef Richard Corrigan in London, Alice Waters of Chez Pennise in San Francisco and Martijn Kajuiter of the Michelin starred Cliff House Hotel. Rob also headed up the award-winning Chop House (Michelin Bib) and Kevin Dundon’s Dunbrody House. Rob’s carefully created menus change regularly reflecting the changing produce of the season, which is all sourced locally and is organic, where possible. The vegetables come from the walled kitchen garden at Tankardstown and Rob enjoys engaging with the local forager seeking wild herbs, sea vegetables, and flowers from nearby forests and shores. He also spends a lot of time working closely with small artisan producers in order to obtain the best quality possible.

Rob’s philosophy is to present ingredients as close as possible to their natural state, providing an honest encounter between producer, chef and guest.

Michael Flaxman

Dunboyne Castle Appoints Spa Manager

Annette Downing

Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa has appointed Annette Downing as Spa Manager of the hotel’s Seoid Spa. Originally from Bantry in West Cork and with over 10 years’ experience in the beauty industry, Annette studied in Cork’s College of Commerce, gaining ITEC diplomas in a number of areas of study on the Beauty, Holistic and Physical Therapies syllabus.

She then went on to FÁS in Dundalk where she successfully completing further beauty therapy studies. Following her graduation, Annette worked initially as a Junior Therapist at the five-star Park Hotel in Kenmare before moving to Australia for two years where she worked as Senior Therapist at the prestigious urban spa at The Lyall Hotel in Melbourne, also a five-star property. When Annette moved back to Ireland in early 2009, she initially came back to The Park Hotel as a Senior Therapist for eight months and then moved to the boutique spa at Bellinter House where she worked for two years.

With another two and a half years as Head Therapist in The Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Annette’s experience includes full treatment and therapy training using E’spa, Voya, Comfort Zone, Elemis, Aveda, Ytsara and Sundari facial and body ranges, as well as hot stone massage, cancer care treatments, mother-tobe massage, herbal poultice massage, and Fuschia & Jane Iredale make-up training.

Staycity Makes Three Senior Appointments

Michael Flaxman Keith Freeman Anthony Carragher

European serviced apartment operator Staycity has appointed a Non-Executive Board Director and two Senior Executives.

Former Accor Chief Operating Officer and member of Accor’s global executive committee, Michael Flaxman, has been appointed to the board as a Non-Executive Director. Michael spent 27 years with Accor working across its hotel portfolio, which includes brands such as Sofitel, Adagio, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis. He left Accor in 2011 and has since been working as a consultant to the hotel industry.

Keith Freeman becomes Staycity’s Chief Operating Officer.

Previously Operations Manager with Whitbread’s budget brand Premier Inn, Keith was closely involved in the successful launch of the brand in Ireland. The appointment of Michael Flaxman and Keith Freeman follows that of Anthony Carragher as Staycity’s Chief Commercial & Development Officer. Anthony has served on the board of Staycity since 2007, having previously been Partner/Chief Financial and Investment Officer for Irelandia, the investment vehicle of the Ryan family, founders of Ryanair, in which capacity Anthony served on several high-growth airline boards.

Staycity, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary, has over 1,000 apartments across eight European cities with plans to expand to 5,000 over the next five years.

our numbers ADD UP! 150,000

Candidates Registered

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2000

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Years in Operation

11

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7

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6

Years NRF Award Winners

= 1 Name

Noel Recruitment For Your Business needs please contact our Business Manager today:

Jerry O’Sullivan Tel: 01-404 7161 Mob: 086 100 1444 Email: jerry.osullivan@noel.ie 5FNQ t 1FSN t .BOBHFE 4FSWJDFT 1BZSPMM #VSFBV t 5SBJOJOH

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“The most comfortable chairs in Dublin” (Pichet Restaurant) 154 Castleblaney Road, Keady, Armagh, BT60 3HT www.treanorcontractfurniture.com

Locally Sourced

Artisan Supplier Signs

€1m Green Energy Deal Silver Hill Foods, one of Ireland’s most successful producers of duck products, recently signed a renewable electricity deal with Irish energy supplier Vayu.

Valued at a1m over two years, the agreement will see independent supplier of electricity and natural gas,Vayu supply Silver Hill Foods with 100% green electricity to meet its year-round energy requirements. Based in Emyvale, Co Monaghan, Silver Hill Foods processes over 3.5 million ducks each year and is a major supplier of quality artisan duck products to Ireland’s hospitality sector, including hundreds of hotels and restaurants throughout the country. All aspects of duck production are owned and controlled by Silver Hill Foods, from breeding, egg production, hatching and selection, to processing and cooking. It also operates a feather plant

for production of duck down products, including duvets and pillows.

The ability to source 100% green energy for its growing operations was a critical consideration for Silver Hill Foods, which applies the concept of Best Available Techniques (BAT) across all its operations to achieve cleaner production, minimise waste, conserve natural resources and increase energy efficiency. Vayu is the only energy company in Ireland to supply all its customers with electricity 100% attributed to renewable sources. This means that the carbon footprint of Vayu’s customers is zero in terms of the electricity they consume.

Pictured are Stuart Steele, Managing Director of Silver Hill Foods and Barry Murphy, energy specialist at Vayu.

The deal provides Silver Hill Foods with direct access to wholesale electricity prices for its three sites in Co Monaghan, allowing the company to achieve significant savings compared with traditional fixed rate tariffs in the market. As part of a fully managed agreement, Vayu will provide Silver Hill Foods with the procurement tools and advice to purchase energy at the best price available in the market.

“As a food producing business we are very focused on reducing our impact on the environment across all aspects of our business,” says Stuart Steele, Managing Director of Silver Hill Foods.

“This is particularly important for us as we continue to expand.

Our partnership with Vayu will help us reduce our environmental footprint even further by providing us with green electricity with a 100% renewable rating.

Not only does the deal provide us with direct access to sustainable electricity at wholesale market prices, but we are partnering with a company that has demonstrated a deep understanding and expertise of Ireland’s energy market.”

Founded over 50 years ago, Silver Hill Foods is a fully integrated, family-owned duck company. The company’s success lies in the unique Silver Hill Hybrid duck, which has been continually developed over the years to produce a duck that is full of flavour, succulent, tender and consistent in its quality. This breed is exclusive to Silver Hill Foods.

Vayu has been in operation since 2003 and now supplies 22% of Ireland’s largest natural gas business users. Vayu’s customers include companies such as IKEA, Tesco, Bulmers, FMC, Eircom, Britvic and Aer Lingus. Vayu launched its electricity supply business in 2007.

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25

Profile

Creating The

Great Irish Menu

The Inishbofin House Hotel and Marine Spa, which was last year voted one of the top five places to visit in Ireland, reopened its doors for the summer in March. Maev Martin talks to its new Head Chef Taidgh McDonald about producing restaurant standard food in a hotel environment.

T

aidgh was appointed Head Chef at the Inishbofin House Hotel in February 2014 and celebrated chef Raymond McArdle also came onboard as their Head Chef Consultant. Raymond represented the North of Ireland in BBC2’s Great British Menu 2013/14. Raymond is now running his own restaurants in Belfast, Warren Point and Tyrone, including Restaurant 23, currently recognised in all international food guides. The duo have ambitious plans for the west of Ireland hostelry. “We want the hotel to become an ultimate destination for foodies,” says Taidgh. “We are using local ingredients, including crab from the island and local rhubarb and

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hotel & catering review

vegetables from Laceys’ Farm on the island. Fish is caught locally by local fishermen – we go around to the pier and pick it up from them. Our food philosophy is to produce simple food made fresh and made daily.

That is the focus. In addition, the menu has been completely overhauled since last year - we are now all about using creative food combinations. And we are attempting to produce everything in-house, including bread that is baked every day.

Although I’m still only 28 years of age, I’m bringing my extensive restaurant experience to bear on the creation of the menu.

I’m using unusual ingredients that the more traditional hotels mightn’t use and that is a direct result of my knowledge and

Taidgh McDonald with Raymond McArdle, Head Chef Consultant at Inishbofin House Hotel & Marine Spa.

past experience in the restaurant sector. I’m trying to introduce more of a restaurant vibe into the hotel dining room.”

Taidgh’s career in the hotel business began when he was packpacking around Australia.

“I started cheffing at that time and I then went to London to work for Richard Corrigan in his two restaurants in Mayfair in London,” he says.

“I then returned to Dublin and worked for Kevin Thornton at Thornton’s restaurant on St Stephen’s Green for two and a half years. I gained further great experience by working with Temple Gardener, who was the head chef at Dillinger’s in Ranelagh. I then tried setting up my own food operation, which didn’t work out, before joining the team here at Inishbofin.”

So what does Raymond’s role involve and how will he work with Taidgh on developing the hotel’s menu? “I speak weekly with Raymond to discuss menu ideas and creative ideas,” says Taidgh. “In addition, he visits

Profile

the island once a month and we have a development day where we look at potential new dishes. Having someone with Raymond’s knowledge and experience is a great resource for the hotel. Hiring someone to operate in a head chef consultant position wouldn’t be common practice for hotels. However, the Inishbofin House Hotel decided to hire Raymond to work in that capacity because Niall Coffey, our General Manager, had worked with Raymond a few years ago in the Nuremore Hotel and they had worked extremely well together. Raymond worked as Head Chef in the Nuremore Hotel from 2001 to 2011 and during that period Raymond and Niall were the driving force behind the restaurant in the Nuremore Hotel, which is now highly successful, achieving 3AA rosettes, an accolade currently held by only one hotel in Ulster.

Niall brought Raymond on board here and Raymond brought me on board. Raymond has helped Niall with recruitment here at

the hotel and he still does that but his main role is to help us with menu development.”

Has the fact that Raymond represented the North of Ireland in BBC2’s Great British Menu 2013/14 helped boost the profile of the hotel as a food destination?

“Yes, it has definitely boosted our profile,” says Taidgh. “It gives customers and potential customers further re-assurance regarding the standards that we operate to and reinforces the message that we are endeavouring to use food that is produced locally as much as possible.”

Apart from Taidgh, the kitchen team at the Inishbofin hotel comprises three other chefs and a kitchen assistant.

Head Chef Taidgh and Great British Menu star Raymond devised a Wild Tasting Menu to launch the hotel’s reopening for summer. Dishes on the new Wild Atlantic Way menu include: Inishbofin lobster Caesar salad (lobster caught off the Clifden Coast); butter poached Inishbofin lobster and blood orange vignette

and salsify; Inishbofin lamb with wild roast garlic purée, wild garlic salsa verde, and roast garlic mash potatoes; and Laceys’ Farm rhubarb fool with stem ginger sponge and sherry vinegar gastrique.

The Inishbofin House Hotel, which is owned by Brendan Day and Johnny Mullins, opened its doors eight years ago. According to Taidgh, the hotel will host up to 14 weddings this year, all of which will be two or three-day events. The Inishbofin House Hotel is the ideal island getaway for families looking to rediscover nature, couples looking for a romantic break away from it all, or for those who just want to relax somewhere quiet in comfort and luxury. The hotel offers guests friendly service, delicious locally sourced produce in the restaurant, traditional Irish music sessions in the harbour view bar, and a selection of luxurious bedrooms with spectacular sea views.

Inishbofin House Hotel also has a marine spa with many relaxing treatments to choose from.

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27

SUPPLY LINE

SUPPLY LINE Essential product knowledge

Roman

Lumin8 range The Lumin8 range of shower enclosures is now available from shower manufacturer Roman. The Lumin8 One Door Quadrant features unobtrusive sliding doors and a quick release door system for easy access cleaning.

The One Door Quadrant also comes in an off set shape for a large showering area. The Lumin8 Pivot Door allows for minimal use of space, with a hinge point which prevents it from protruding too much into the bathroom, allowing close positioning of bathroom fixtures and fittings. The door can be installed on an alcove or with a side panel for the corner situation.

For further details, visit www.roman-showers.com.

Keelings

Water Bottle Promotion Keelings recently announced their new consumer water bottle promotion. All consumers have to do to receive their free Keelings water bottle is drop into their local participating Dunnes, Tesco or SuperValu and purchase two punnets of Keelings strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or mixed berries. The promotion started in selected stores on April 28th. “It’s getting warmer so it’s important to keep hydrated and carry your water bottle to prevent fatigue and dehydration,” says Keelings Nutritionist Aveen Bannon.

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hotel & catering review

Burco

Commercial Mobile Handwasher New from Burco is a commercial mobile handwasher which provides caterers with a flexible hygienic solution in a move which sees the company add some diversification to their range. Features include a footoperated infra red system, 85 cycles from just one fill, stainless steel body and wheels for easy transportation.

For more information, visit www.dimpco.ie/brands/burco.

SUPPLY LINE Hoshizaki

Eco-Friendly Refrigeration Hozhizaki’s new range of ECO standard, hydrocarbonrefrigerated fridges and freezers are designed to function reliably in conditions of up to 43ºC. Rapid temperature recovery is aided by an efficient air circulation system.

Cabinets can accommodate up to nine shelves (single) and 18 (double), while strong support brackets allow for customers’ own gastronorm pans/trays. Each unit comes with two removable shelves, though customers’ own pans can also be used. Cabinets and counters have smooth stainless steel surfaces for easy cleaning and shelves and brackets can be removed easily without the need for tools for cleaning. All units also feature castors.

Further details are available from www.hoshizaki.com.

Cream Supplies

Soda Plus The new stainless steel Soda Plus from Cream Supplies is a cost-effective way of carbonating soft drinks and it also works with alcoholic drinks. With a two pint (1.2 litre) capacity, it is also effective on thicker liquids and fruit juices which could contain seeds.

The Soda Plus comes with a measuring tube/filling funnel, a plastic charger holder, a gas head for charging, and a screw lid for drink storage. The container is dishwasher safe. It is priced at £24.49 (inc VAT) and £20.41 (ex VAT) and uses CO2 cartridges, which are available from Cream Supplies.

For further details, check out creamsupplies.co.uk

Costa Express

Marlow Vending Machine Coffee company Costa Express has recently launched Marlow, a vending machine which replicates the experience of Costa Coffee shops in self-service format. An elegant machine, the Marlow was designed by Italian design house Pininfarina, which has previously designed yachts, air planes and cars, including Ferrari. The Marlow uses audio to reproduce the shop experience, including grinders at work and coffee shop ‘hustle and bustle’.

It also features an interactive HD touch screen created by a number of specialists, including gaming experts Atomhawk, who previously worked on Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

For more information on the Marlow, or partnering with Costa, visit www.costa.co.uk / business/marlow.

hotel & catering review

29

Legal

Have you Considered an

Enduring Power of Attorney in Your Business?

A Deed creating an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA for short) is a document that you can sign now when you are mentally well enough to fully understand its effect, says Solicitor Seamus Whelan.

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T

he Deed gives a person or group of people that you trust (your attorney(s)) the power to manage some or all of your affairs and assets if you become unable to do so yourself in the future as a result of you suffering from any form of mental illness.

Why Should I Create an Enduring Power of Attorney?

If you are concerned about the problems that a lack of mental capacity on your part in the future might cause your family and/or business partners in trying to access your finances and assets to utilise same for your benefit, you should strongly consider creating an enduring power of attorney. The attorney can have the power not only to deal with your personal affairs and assets, by perhaps selling your property, accessing your personal funds etc, but also your business affairs. Therefore, it might also make the sale of your business or your share of your business, whether as

a sole trader, a partnership or shareholder in a company, on your behalf a much more straightforward and therefore cost-efficient exercise.

What is the Difference Between an EPA and a Will?

An EPA and a will are totally different from each other. The biggest difference between an EPA and a will is that the EPA will be effective to give somebody the power to manage your affairs and assets for your benefit from the time you are unable to do so until you either recover, or

until your death. Your will, on the other hand, will be effective from the date of your death for the benefit of your beneficiaries to give them such part of your estate as the will provides.

Who Benefits from the EPA? To reiterate the point made in the last paragraph, the principal person who benefits from the EPA should be you in that you are giving somebody the powers that they need to ensure that you are properly cared for and that, as far as is possible, they will have the power to access

“An EPA and a will are totally different from each other. The biggest difference between an EPA and a will is that the EPA will be effective to give somebody the power to manage your affairs and assets for your benefit from the time you are unable to do so until you either recover, or until your death.�

Legal

your money and assets to pay for your care. Of course, indirectly, your family and loved ones will benefit from the ease and speed that your care is dealt with.

What Happens if There is no EPA in Place and I Suffer from Mental Incapacity?

The procedure that is in place to deal with this situation is called Wardship. If there is no EPA and you lose the capacity to enter into transactions such as selling your property or taking money out of your bank account, a person or group of people close to you (called a ‘Committee’) may apply to the High Court to make you a ‘Ward of Court’.

This is not as extreme as it sounds to many people. It is a perfectly effective procedure that will ensure that your resources are used for your benefit and will be closely scrutinised by the Office of the Wards of Court, which is an office of the High Court. However, all actions must be sanctioned by the High Court, which requires High Court Orders to be made and it is therefore a more costly and slower procedure. On the other hand, with an EPA, once lack of capacity has been certified by a medical Doctor and the attorney goes through a strict but relatively straightforward procedure to register the EPA, the attorney does not have to look for anybody else’s permission to take steps such as selling your house or accessing your bank account, as long as the power is given to them in the EPA document.

I have decided to do an EPA. Who should I appoint to be my attorney/attorneys?

The question of appointment of attorney is certainly a critical one. It is a position of great trust. You need to be certain that the person or people that you appoint will not abuse that trust by misappropriating your funds or taking steps to benefit

themselves rather than you. You can appoint a single attorney or joint attorneys and you can appoint alternative attorneys to act if the first appointed attorneys are unable or unwilling to act. If you anticipate that commercial or business decisions may need to be made, this might also influence your choice of attorney.

Conclusion In conclusion, we would urge everybody who has assets to consider putting an EPA in place now. Every EPA is different and it will make whatever provisions you want to make. We regularly

meet people whose doctor has suggested an EPA because of, perhaps, the early onset of alzheimers or some other similar illness. All too often, the person can have already reached the stage where they cannot grasp the somewhat difficult concept of an EPA and it is therefore not possible to proceed with it.

Technically, it is never too early to execute an EPA deed and it can, of course, be redone if changes are needed, perhaps as a result of the death or unavailability of an attorney, subject of course to you being mentally well enough at that time to do a new EPA.

If you wish to discuss EPAs, Wardship or indeed any other legal matter please contact the author, Seamus Whelan, Solicitor, at Carvill Rickard & Co, Solicitors, Watermill House, 1 Main Street, Raheny, Dublin 5.Tel: (01) 8312163; Email: swhelan@ carvillrickard.ie; Web: www.carvillrickard.ie

hotel & catering review

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Wine

Some New Zealand

Wine Gems

Our regular wine expert Mary O’Callaghan has been an admirer of New Zealand wines for many years but she only recently visited this beautiful country for the first time.

T

he long journey was very worthwhile.This stunningly beautiful and diverse country should appear on everyone’s ‘bucket list’. However, time constraints limited vineyard visits to a precious few favourites. When we arrived in Christchurch we drove north through the scenic Lewis Pass to Nelson. Nelson’s sheltered topography provides protection from strong winds while its proximity to the Tasman Sea ensures a mild temperate climate. It is New Zealand’s sunniest and driest region which, in turn, develops exceptional purity of fruit flavours in its wines. Nelson’s 25 wineries are all family-owned and of these Seifried is the oldest family-run winery in the South Island. The winery was recently the first to gain Sustainable Wine Growing recognition in New Zealand.

Hermann and Agnes Seifried planted their first commercial vineyard in 1973. Hermann, who is Austrian, studied viticulture in Germany before going to work with KWV in South Africa. Agnes, whose grandparents were McCarthys

from Cork, and two of their three children are involved in the wine business. Chris leads the wine-making team while Anna looks after marketing matters.

Blessed with three different soil types in eight different vineyard locations, Seifried excels in matching their many varietals to the various soils. Sixty per cent of planting is Sauvignon Blanc while Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are also planted. A little Malbec and Syrah are now being grown.

I hugely enjoyed a tasting of their premium wines in the company of Agnes, Chris and Anna. All the wines tasted were impressive examples of the aromatic fruit purity that is characteristic of the Nelson region and reflects the Seifried philosophy. The following were some memorable favourites: Aotea Sauvignon Blanc 2013 From a single vineyard next door to the family home, this wine displays a classic clean stylish concentration of crisp minerality and purity of tropical fruits.

Nelson Pinot Noir -

“Blessed with three different soil types in eight different vineyard locations, Seifried excels in matching their many varietals to the various soils. 60% of planting is Sauvignon Blanc while Chardonnay, Riesling,Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are also planted.”

Brightwater Vineyard 2012 Six different Dijon clones are used to produce this perfumed, complex and harmoniously multilayered pinot. It has ripe tannins and savoury nuances that are complemented by a warm mellow kiss of spice, due to being aged in oak for 10 to 12 months. It is one of my favourite New Zealand Pinot Noirs ‘Sweet Agnes’ Riesling A multi-award winner at international competitions, including the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2012, this very special wine is made from hand picked very ripe grapes that are shrivelled and raisined. The grapes are planted on an extremely stony patch of the Brightwater vineyard where water and nutrient levels are low. This restricts the plants vigour and crop yield to very low levels, which increases the concentration of weight and flavour in the wine. Its rich aromas of apricot and candied peel are expressed on a smooth rich palate that has an excellent balance of natural acidity and sorbet like citrus zestiness. It’s a perfect way to end a summer meal. Of course, no trip to New Zealand would be complete without a visit to the famed Marlborough region but a report on the wines from there must wait for another day.

All of the wines mentioned in this article are available in Ireland from Classic Drinks.

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33

Dine

SERVES

6

People

Guinness Cured Salmon, Celeriac & Dill Remoulade & Guinness Bread Hotel & Catering Review’s Dish of the Month comes from Justin O’Connor, Head Chef at the Guinness Storehouse.

For the Salmon • 1kg of Fresh Irish Salmon Skinned • 100ml Guinness Extra Stout • 100g of Sea Salt • 50g of Castor Sugar • Juice & Zest of 2 Lemons • Juice & Zest of 1 Lime • 1tbsp of Crushed Toasted Coriander Seeds • Bunch of Fresh Dill Roughly Chopped • Bunch of Fresh Coriander Chopped

Method For the salmon, place the Guinness, salt, sugar, lemon and lime juice with the zest and coriander seeds into a robot coupe and blitz for a few seconds to bring the ingredients together.

Now place the salmon into a suitable container.

Pour the mixture over the salmon and add the chopped dill and coriander. Turn the salmon a couple of times to ensure it is well coated.

Cover with grease proof paper and leave in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours. Turn the salmon every six to eight hours.

For the Guinness bread, mix butter with all dry ingredients until the butter gets the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the milk, black treacle and the Guinness and mix really well. Place in a lined baking tray and bake for 40 to 45

top Tip: 34

Celeriac & Dill Remoulade • ½ a head of Celeriac Grated • 3-4tbsp of Mayonnaise • 1tbsp of Horseradish Cream • 1tsp of Chopped Dill • ½tsp of Grain Mustard • Capers for Dressing

Guinness Bread (Ingredients for One Loaf) • 600g Wholemeal Flour • 150g Plain Flour • 75g Oatmeal • 2.5tsp of Bread Soda • 1tsp of Salt • 2.5tbsp of Brown Sugar • 40g Butter • 480ml Milk • 200ml Black Treacle • ½ Pint of Guinness

minutes at 170°C. When cooked, turn the bread out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

For the celeriac remoulade, place the grated celeriac into a bowl and add all the ingredients and mix to form the remoulade. Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve Take the salmon which has been curing for at least 24 hours out of the brine and lightly rinse with cold water and pat dry with some paper towels. Carve the salmon into thin slices and place on a plate. Place a spoonful of celeriac remoulade with some slices of Guinness bread on the plate with the salmon. Garnish with capers and some seasonal salad leaves and a wedge of lemon.

Wine Choice There is a sweetness to the salmon and because it is a rich fish, wine partners are not easy to find. My own preference would be for a Riesling as it has both the weight and body, but it should probably be a wine from Northern Italy. This region has a local grape called Schiava alongside the Riesling.

Cantina Valle Isarco, Alto Adige, Kerner, is a fresh, fullbodied and intensely flavoured white wine, dry and fruity, reminiscent of a dry Muscat.

Any leftover salmon can be used to make a salmon tartare. Mix the cured diced salmon with a little dijon mustard, chopped shallot, capers, flat parsley and lemon juice to taste. Add a little olive oil and serve on warm crusty toast.

hotel & catering review

FARM FRESH

Oisin, Lettuce Grower

Grower Profile Keelings grow the following variants of lettuce from the farms in Castlebellingham, Co Louth; Round, Romaine, Little Gem, Chinese Leaf (Iceberg is available in June). Oisin is one of our growers at Keelings and has been growing produce for over 18 years. It is a really busy time in Keelings farm in County Louth as they are in full Irish season of picking lettuce.

Facts on Lettuce

by Aveen Bannon

When we think lettuce, we often think salad as most salads are predominantly made from these lovely green crispy leaves.

Lettuce is a vegetable that has been eaten for centuries and the varieties of lettuce are forever increasing!

What makes lettuce the perfect accompaniment to both warm and cold dishes is its crispy texture. This thirst quenching texture is due to its high water content.

Not all lettuce leaves taste the same! For example: • Romaine lettuce has green, chlorophyll-rich leaves that are both crispy in texture and have a deep but strong taste.

• Iceberg is a type of crisp lettuce which has a milder flavour making it a suitable filler for salads!

• Little Gem are firmer, have a distinctive flavour and cope well with heat. Great for using as a wrap or serving cooked meats in!

• Lettuce is low in calories with just 11kcal per portion.

• Lettuce is also a source of nutrients including Vitamin C, Vitamin A, folate (aka folic acid), potassium and fibre!

• Lettuce has a high water content making it a hydrating food! Plus, more and more people are adding tasty vegetables leaves to their juices to add both taste and nutrients!

ple, p A , ce u t et L h is Ir h it w d la a S C hicken 6 • Ready in 10 mins 4s ve er S Grapes & Parmesan Ingredients

.

uce washed • 1 crisp head of KEEL INGS IR ISH lett • 75g Par mesan, freshl y grated • Fresh parsley cho pped

• 2t bs freshl y squeezed lemon juice • 1 level tsp caster sugar • 75ml low fat mayonnaise • 3 fresh apples, peeled cored and sliced

• 1 punnet fresh seedless green grapes, halved • 2 skinless chicken breasts, grilled (or use left over roast chicken).

Method

1. Make a litt le dressing for the fruit by of the low fat mayonnaise in a large b 1ts and ar sug ter cas e, juic on lem the mixing to the dressing and coat wel l. pes gra and le app ed slic the d Ad l. bow ser ving bite-size chunks and add it 2. Meanwhile slice the cold chicken in to Add the remainder to of the to the bowl wit h the fruit and dressing. mayonnaise and mix wel l. toss the salad. Sprinkle 3. Finally add your crisp lett uce leaves and parsley to ser ve. over wit h freshl y grated Par mesan and 4. Serve wit h crusty bread.

When only the freshest will do...

To order please contact: Dublin: +353 (0)1 895 5301 • Cork: +353 (0)21 496 8088 Wexford +353 (0)53 914 7447 • Belfast +44 28 9032 4236 • www.keelings.com

Five minutes with

What are your plans for Uisce’s new menu?

I wanted to look at more local products and to introduce more home cooking, classical cooking, but I like to put my own twist on things. I started the new menu back in September and what I’m doing now is coming up with new dishes for the summer. I’m bringing in potted crab and different mackerel, a bouillabaisse, and some other new fish dishes. There is also an Eton mess ‘our way’ - a deconstructed Eton mess. Instead of mixing it all I did a strawberry crème anglaise, a strawberry coulis, and a strawberry jam, and three different flavours of strawberry champagne, balsamic and regular.

I think guests are going to really enjoy it.

Jason Banyon

Hotel & Catering Review spoke to the Hilton Dublin’s new Executive Chef Jason Banyon about his plans for Uisce restaurant and changing people’s perceptions of hotel food.

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hotel & catering review

What is a typical day like in the hotel?

The first thing I do when I come in every day is check my email and I check all the ordering.

From then onwards I’m around the team cooking the new dishes, preparing the recipes, doing training, demonstrating the proper practices, and showing people what I expect from them.

I’m very hands on when it comes to being in the kitchen. I like to lead by example.

How are you changing Hilton Dublin’s food offering?

We have done a lot in a small space of time - bringing in the new Stil Bar menu, looking at introducing more local products

and more local dishes. The hotel has a big barbecue trade in the summer so we decided to introduce a new concept for barbecuing. I wanted to bring something different to the barbecue menu so I did a destination menu - a European, a Caribbean, a Far East, Middle East and American menu.

What is your aim in this new role with Hilton Dublin?

Hilton is a great hotel brand with an excellent reputation and this hotel is in a wonderful location.

When I first came to the role I said to the General Manager Paul Flavin ‘I’m going to be here for a long time and I want to get the hotel recognised for its food. I want the guests to come to Uisce and look at it as a restaurant - not as a hotel restaurant’. I’ve travelled around the world, worked in different places and learnt a lot of techniques but one of the challenges that I come across is people who are sometimes scared to try different things. So enticing people to discover something new is always a challenge but it is a challenge that I enjoy.

How do you think hotel restaurants are perceived generally?

I don’t think they have a great name so I knew that would be a challenge when I came to work in Ireland but it is something I wanted to do. I’m very happy to try to change people’s perceptions of hotel food.

Brakes is an all Ireland foodservice business with depots in Dublin, Lisburn, Strabane & Galway.

Brakes foodservice offers a next day delivery service across Ireland on a fleet of multi temperature vehicles.

Having a field sales team including many trained chefs, we are ideally structured to help businesses who serve food to thrive.

The introduction of additional categories now allows us to provide the complete ‘one stop shop’ solution.

Our product range includes: - Ambient - Frozen - Chilled - Non-Food - Fresh meat, poultry & fish - Fresh bread & milk - Produce For more information contact us on 0818 720 720 Proud sponsors of the Irish Hotel Federation Conference.