CLH Digital - Issue #159

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH Digital

This weekend we have , cer tainly for my age group, a “ once in a generation historic occasion”

And hospitality is set (rightfully so) to be the big winner Estimates var y considerably, and will probably come somewhere in between Never theless, over Coronation Weekend there is a projected boost to sales in the hospitality sector of between £1 2bn and £2 6bn, which is astounding

As I have often repor ted, the impor tance of the sector to the economy is always taken for granted

Employing over 3 million people contributing £130 billion the economy, the sector is treated rather indifferently by successive governments who treated as a cash cow and not a sector to be nur tured and appreciated

As our lead stor y indicates the Coronation Weekend is a mar vellous oppor tunity to put some cheer back into the UK, with pubs and bars alone expecting to see a 55% increase in sales compared to a typical weekend Restaurants and hotels are also set to benefit, with an expected 40% and 30% increase in sales, respectively

But it's not just about the economic impact The hospitality industr y has an important role to play in raising the nation's spirits and creating a sense of goodwill Pubs and bars have long been seen as places where people can come together and celebrate , and the Coronation Weekend will be no exception Restaurants and hotels also provide a space for people to come together and enjoy good food, good company, and good times

The sector is a vital par t of the countr y ' s social and economic fabric , and its importance cannot be overstated As we look forward to King Charles' coronation, let's take a moment to appreciate the impor tant role that pubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels play in our lives!

And we want to know just how you are celebrating! What are you planning? We want to share it with the nation, in a “Coronation Supplement” in our May 12 edition So please send us photos, menus, costume pictures, and we will put them on our website , social media and in a celebrator y feature!

Email me at edit@catererlicensee .com so we can share!

Reputation, reputation or reputation! Businesses stand or fall on reputation And in this day and age we are all, individually and as a business in the cour t of public opinion

I am making no comment regarding individual decisions to display items behind the bar, nowadays, and it is only my “tenpenneth” - it is impor tant, nay vital, to read the room

When a reputation is gone it’s gone , and livelihoods ruined, so we are hoping to draft in some reputational exper ts to give some tips advice guidance and best practice and how to avoid the cour t of public opinion and if you do find yourself in said cour t how to get out of it with your reputation intact, so please do watch out for the coming issue

One more thing! Once again I would ask the favour - we want more Twitter followers!

So please do follow us on Twitter and encourage as many people you know in the trade to subscribe to our digital issue Fur ther details can be seen at www.catererlicensee .com

The Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News Group is published by RBC Publishing Ltd, Suite 4, Roddis House , Old Christchurch Rd,

however, no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage Views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of

ever y care is taken when compiling this publication to ensure accuracy, the publisher will assume no responsibility for any effects, errors or omissions therefrom

reproduction

forbidden unless written permission is obtained All material is assumed copyright free unless otherwise advised

EDITOR

Peter Adams

Hospitality to Be 'Big Winner' Over Bumper Coronation Weekend

HOSPITALITY VENUES SET FOR BIGGEST CORONATION SPEND

Overall, according to industr y research, the hospitality industr y is set to see a boost of anything between £1 21bn and £2 6bn over King Charles’ Coronation weekend as consumers enjoy their extra time off in pubs bars and restaurants according to new research

The “King Charles III Coronation Repor t”produced by VoucherCodes co uk, reveals that £0 64bn is forecast to be spent on drink alone over the Coronation bank holiday weekend, with a fur ther £0 57bn to be spent on food as consumers enjoy restaurants and takeaways

The news comes as the British economy is forecast to see a total boost of £8 01bn over the Coronation weekend), with consumers spending £3 22bn more than a typical May bank holiday (£4 80bn)

Most of the hospitality spend will come from consumers visiting hospitality venues in-person as 10 3 million people plan to visit a pub bar restaurant cafe or other venue over the bank holiday weekend spending £0 97bn Breaking this down fur ther restaurants are expected to see the biggest boost in sales with 4 1m consumers planning on dining out Bars and pubs (3 3m), cafés (2 4m), clubs (1 3m), and other venues (2 2m) will also see a rise in visitor numbers as a result of the Coronation weekend

A fur ther £0 24bn is set to be spent on takeaways, as 7 2m people order in as they spend their time off relaxing at home

PREDICTED UK HOSPITALITY VISITOR NUMBERS

ACROSS THE KING CHARLES III CORONATION BANK

HOLIDAY WEEKEND (6TH – 8TH MAY)

making the journey to London to watch the event in-person (3 4m), the other 53% of consumers will be opting out of Coronation celebrations

These consumers will instead be spending their weekend relaxing and enjoying their local restaurants, pubs and bars – in welcome news for the hospitality industr y

Maureen McDonagh, Managing Director and SVP International at VoucherCodes co uk, comments: “Whilst our research shows that sentiment towards the royals is mixed, the bonus bank holiday for King Charles’ Coronation will undoubtedly lead to a welcome surge in consumer spending for the hospitality sector

“Although not ever yone will be celebrating the event directly, many consumers will take advantage of the extra time off work to head to their local restaurants, pubs and bars and enjoy socialising with friends and family

““However, it’s impor tant for the hospitality sector to keep in mind that many consumers are still adapting to the pressures of the current economic climate , and value for money is front of mind

“Hospitality venues hoping to capitalise on the Coronation weekend should provide their customers with real value by offering deals, discounts and loyalty promotions to help reel in customers and put themselves above the competition on what is set to be an extremely busy and lucrative weekend for the industr y ”

HOSPITALITY “AT THE HEART OF EVENTS”

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The King’s Coronation will be a historic moment for the countr y, bringing communities together in celebration and there’s no doubt that hospitality will be at the hear t of events across the countr y which we hope will deliver a £350m boost to the sector

“I’m delighted that the decision has been taken once again to extend licensing hours, as was the case with the Platinum Jubilee , to allow consumers to make the most of their local venues and suppor t businesses in real need of their custom

“This will also be of benefit to the influx of international visitors we expect this weekend, which follows almost a year of tourism levels increasing and taking us back up to pre-Covid levels

AVERAGE HOSPITALITY SPEND £88 51 PER HEAD

Fur thermore , research from SevenRooms repor ts that the Coronation will generate an even bigger spend in the wider hospitality sector, with they say and additional £2 6 billion spent in the sector through consumer spending in restaurants, pubs and bars across the UK, with an average spend of £88 51 per head

SevenRooms predicts that 29 million people are due to flock to hospitality venues over the three-day bank holiday weekend Demand for restaurants, pubs and bars is even set to over take that seen for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which saw 19 million Brits heading out and spending an average of £79 per head over the weekend, generating an estimated £1 5 billion in total

Not only this but establishments who have developed themed menus and activities for the Coronation are expected to draw in an additional £1 05 billion (£35 83 per head) for the industr y, highlighting the growing demand for experience-led dining

TOP SPENDERS BY CITY:

UK City Average Spend Per Per son expected Over Coronation Weekend

Edinburgh £120

Manc hester £112

London £105

Br istol £99

Leeds £84

Danilo Mangano, Managing Director, International at SevenRooms, comments: “As the data shows, it is clear that people are keen to celebrate the Coronation by taking full advantage of the additional bank holiday in May this year While we ’ re seeing a general trend towards consumers focusing on the quality of their hospitality experiences amid the cost of living crisis, the Coronation is giving them an excuse to enjoy themselves

Whilst 47% of UK consumers will be celebrating the Coronation by watching the event on TV (15 8m) attending a street par ty (15 7m) or

“These celebrations come at a crucial time for hospitality and the £350 million boost we hope to see this Coronation weekend will be a huge lift to businesses dealing with record highs in energ y food and drink costs ”

They re also willing to spend more on unique and out-of-the-box experiences which are being offered by many venues across the UK to celebrate this momentous occasion This reflects a wider trend towards experience-led dining and the desire for that something special With many venues going the extra mile for the Coronation, restaurants that know their customers best and tailor menus for special events will continue to reap the benefits of guests’ appetite for outstanding hospitality experiences in the future ”

How The Hospitality Sector Can Utilise the UK Immigration System to Fill Job Vacancies as the Holiday Season Looms

By Jacqueline Moore , immigration consultant with full-ser vice law firm, Thorntons (www.thorntons-law.co.uk/)

As the sun finally begins to shine and the UK holiday season gets under way, one of the biggest challenges for many hospitality businesses continues to be getting the operational staff needed to run the business at the busiest time of the year

As of 1 Januar y 2021, the only citizens with an automatic right to live and work in the UK are British and Irish citizens

Ever yone else needs a visa

Some visa holders hold their own immigration permission for example they could be here on a par tner visa or an ancestr y visa Some have blanket permission to work, meaning they can work for any employer in any role , while others have restricted work rights For those who do not hold their own immigration permission, however, sponsorship can offer an impor tant means of employment

RECRUITING THROUGH SPONSORSHIP

A sponsor licence is a licence issued by the Home Office , which enables employers to recruit international staff The employer applies for a sponsor licence and once the licence is in place they can issue a Cer tificate known as a Cer tificate of Sponsorship (CoS) The prospective employee then applies for a Skilled Worker Visa using the CoS

A sponsor licence involves an investment in both time and money although not perhaps as much as some might think The cost of applying for a sponsor licence , which lasts for four years, is £536 for a small business and £1,476 for medium or large businesses The employer must also comply with a number of sponsor duties in exchange for holding a sponsor licence

SPONSOR LICENCE ADVANTAGES

Businesses that hold sponsor licences repor t a number of benefits Key among these is ver y high retention rates; although sponsored workers can change employers, the fact that a visa application is required acts as a disincentive

Secondly, sponsored employees are permitted to do over time for their sponsored employer, providing that the over time is paid at the same rate or higher than the rate stated on their CoS Employers repor t that sponsored workers are in general ver y willing to do over time and provide emergency/sickness cover for colleagues when needed

Thirdly many employers repor t that having sponsored international staff brings fresh ideas into the business and promotes their organisation’s wider diversity strateg y

Lastly, a number of larger hospitality businesses have found sponsorship invaluable for recruiting chefs and spa managers which have both been hard-to-fill roles following the end of free movement

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Despite the benefits, uptake of sponsorship in the hospitality sector has been slower than in other sectors as many roles do not meet the skills threshold for sponsorship To be eligible , a role must be assessed as requiring a skill level set at Level 3 or above on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Currently this includes chefs (all levels), bar managers, catering managers, floor managers (restaurant) and health and fitness managers Waiters (including head waiters), bar staff and beauty therapists are excluded, although there is a chance that sommeliers could be re-categorised to make them eligible

Another impor tant point to flag is processing timescales The Home Office is currently receiving applications for sponsor licences at the rate of 500 new applications per week with a standard processing time of eight weeks There is a priority ser vice , but only 30 new businesses a day are lucky enough to obtain this The priority ser vice operates on a first-come first-ser ved basis, and slots open at 9 am, with only those applications arriving bang on the hour having any chance of success

Once the licence is granted, there are fur ther processing times and costs to consider in connection with the prospective employee’s Skilled Worker application Employers must pay £199 to issue the Cer tificate and there is also an Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) The ISC is an employer levy and costs var y depending on the size of the business A small sponsor pays £364 per year of the visa, a medium or large sponsor pays £1000 per year There are then visa fees and fees to use the National Health Ser vice These fees can be subsidised by the employer or paid for by the employee and practice varies widely across businesses and sectors Skilled Worker visas take , on average , anywhere between 3-8 weeks to be processed

GET A LICENCE AND ADVERTISE ROLES AS SPONSOR-ABLE

Another route wor th considering is to adver tise the roles as being sponsor-able Clearly this only applies where the business has decided that they are prepared to pay the costs of sponsorship Clients frequently tell us that obtaining a sponsor licence and being listed on the register of licensed sponsors can result in approaches from potential new hires Some businesses decide to go one step fur ther and will adver tise as par t of their recruitment process that they hold a licence and can sponsor the prospective employee Businesses also find that many sponsored workers become a source of recruitment, bringing in family and friends from their home countr y who are looking to live and work in the UK Many businesses choose to incentivise this by operating staff commission schemes

For the hospitality sector, the end of free movement has been ver y impactful on business operations No immigration system will ever be as good as free movement but sponsorship can provide alternative options, and many businesses find that the advantages outweigh the costs and red tape involved

Proper Pubs and Carling Donates £60,000 to Initiatives in Need Across the UK

Proper Pubs, the community wet-led division of Admiral Taverns, has par tnered with Carling, the number one lager brand in GB and ActionFunder to launch a community fund with £60,000 available to donate to a host of charity schemes across the UK The campaign highlighted the impor tance of fostering strong connections with the community by focusing on groups that run physical activities or provide mental health suppor t to the nearby area

Five Proper Pubs were selected to take par t and a voting system was created for locals to have their say on the most deser ving charities The chosen initiatives range from local spor t clubs to learning centres that all suppor t their neighbourhoods and encourage the community to come together

Thanks to the community fund, one pub – The Brown Cow in Manchester – was able to donate almost £28,000 across three local groups including Healthy Me Healthy Communities, Angels of Hope for Women, and the Ryder Brow Community Allotment Society

Lee Willett, Brand Director at Carling, said: “Pubs are already vital community hubs, which makes them the perfect focal point for this initiative aimed at bringing people together to suppor t local causes It will help our customers to engage with their communities and get involved in projects that will make a real difference , and we re looking forward to seeing the positive impact the fund has across the UK

It builds on Carling’s ongoing suppor t for communities all over the UK through its Made Local Fund,

investing in regional projects across the UK The brand has suppor ted local projects up and down the countr y, including ever ything from grassroots spor ts and accessible g yms to ar ts centres and community hubs

Proper Pubs has approximately 170 community pubs across England, Scotland, and Wales, and has always been a strong suppor ter of mental health initiatives, demonstrated through its par tnership with national mental health charity, Chasing the Stigma

Mark Brooke , Director of Proper Pubs, commented: “At Admiral we have always championed community pubs because we recognise the vital role they play in bringing people together We are thrilled to have par tnered with Carling to launch this community fund, allowing us to give back and empower the neighbourhoods we ser ve On behalf of Admiral Taverns and Proper Pubs, I’d like to thank Carling and our passionate operators for all their hard work in helping us to achieve this ”

Proper Pubs has approximately 170 community pubs across England, Scotland, and Wales, and has always been a strong suppor ter of mental health initiatives demonstrated through its par tnership with national mental health charity Chasing the Stigma To date , it has raised an impressive £35,000 for the charity and is preparing to under take a 35-mile walk this summer with a fundraising target of £50,000

In addition, Proper Pubs is constantly suppor ting its local communities through an annual schedule of events, including installing life-saving defibrillators Easter Egg and Christmas selection box donations as well as live music events

Upcoming Coronation is a Historic Moment to Share!

The coronation of a new king is a significant event that provides a unique oppor tunity for pubs to generate revenue while bringing the community together This momentous event is an oppor tunity for pubs and hospitality businesses to reach out to the public with their own events, creating a sense of community and shared heritage By organising special events and activities to celebrate the occasion businesses can attract a large audience and create an unforgettable experience

New research from SevenRooms repor ts that the Coronation will create an additional £2 6 billion for the hospitality industr y through consumer spending in restaurants, pubs and bars across the UK, with an average spend of £88 51 per head SevenRooms predicts that 29 million people are due to flock to hospitality venues over the three-day bank holiday weekend Demand for restaurants, pubs and bars is even set to over take that seen for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which saw 19 million Brits heading out and spending an average of £79 per head over the weekend, generating an estimated £1 5 billion in total

Not only this, but establishments who have developed themed menus and activities for the Coronation are expected to draw in an additional £1 05 billion (£35 83 per head) for the industr y highlighting the growing demand for experience-led dining

One of the most popular ways to celebrate the coronation of a new king is by hosting a themed par ty Pubs can decorate their venues with patriotic colours and offer a range of activities including trivia games dress-up competitions and live music performances Food and drink specials can also be offered, featuring classic British dishes and speciality cocktails Pubs can charge a cover fee or sell tickets to the event to generate revenue

Beer festivals are always popular, and pubs can capitalize on the coronation celebration by hosting a themed beer festival The festival can feature a range of traditional British beers, including ales, lagers, and stouts Again, hospitality businesses will have the oppor tunity to offer themed food options, such as fish and chips, bangers and mash, and other classic British dishes

Hospitality businesses can also use the coronation celebration as an oppor tunity to give back to the community by organizing a charity event Pubs can par tner with local charities or non-profit organizations and donate a por tion of the event's profits to the cause Charity events can include activities such as raffles, auctions, and live music performances Attendees can also donate directly to the charity, generating additional revenue for the pub For our issue for Wednesday May 10 we are hoping to include a “supplement” surrounding the King's coronation and how the care sector celebrated

Quiz nights are popular events in pubs, and pubs can incorporate the coronation celebration into a royal-themed quiz night The quiz can feature questions about the monarchy, British histor y, and current events related to the royal family

Danilo Mangano, Managing Director, International at SevenRooms, comments:

“As the data shows, it is clear that people are keen to celebrate the Coronation by taking full advantage of the additional bank holiday in May this year While we ’ re seeing a general trend towards consumers focusing on the quality of their hospitality experiences amid the cost of living crisis the Coronation is giving them an excuse to enjoy themselves

They’re also willing to spend more on unique and out-of-the-box experiences which are being offered by many venues across the UK to celebrate this momentous occasion This reflects a wider trend towards experience-led dining and the desire for that something special With many venues going the extra mile for the Coronation, restaurants that know their customers best and tailor menus for special events will continue to reap the benefits of guests’ appetite for outstanding hospitality experiences in the future ”

With careful planning and promotion, businesses can make the most of this historic occasion and make a lasting impression on their customers!

WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR EVENTS!

We here at CLH News are looking to do a round-up on how the hospitality industr y and individual businesses have celebrated the momentous occasion

Please send us photos and details of your events to edit@catererlicensee .com for a special commemorative feature later this month!

Navigating Customer Expectations: How to Optimise Brand Reputation and Drive Growth

Since the pandemic , the hospitality industr y has had to contend with closures, staff shor tages, job losses, and the cost-of-living crisis while evolving with rapid digital transformation and changing customer expectations

At Reputation we par tnered with CGA an insight and research consultancy to sur vey 2 300 consumers across Britain, France and Germany, and understand sentiment towards the industr y Here , we look at some key findings and share insight on how hospitality operators can better manage their online brand reputation, understand feedback and drive business growth

BUDGET-CONSCIOUS INDULGENCE

The sur vey found consumers remain eager to visit restaurants, pubs and bars and continue to turn to digital channels to help decide where to go But with the cost-ofliving crisis impacting spending and frequency, consumer expectations are rising, with almost one in four wanting greater value for their pennies compared to a year ago

This makes ever y step in the customer journey a make-or-break moment for operators And as digital channels continue to grow in significance , there is no tool more crucial for developing a successful business than obtaining customer feedback at ever y single touch point

COVERING THE ESSENTIALS

When researching venues, the study shows that consumers consider practical information – such as menus, opening hours and prices – to be the most vital factor in influencing their decision-making As such, businesses must ensure this information is easily accessible and presented clearly on their websites, social media, Google , and other platform presences In fact, some research shows that Google’s knowledge por tal gets almost 10x more traffic than a businesses corporate website*

Shouting about deals and discounts is impor tant too, as nearly a quar ter of Brits are on the hunt for offers when planning a visit – a trend we expect to see more of as the cost-of-living crisis mounts – with a third more likely to leave a review after a good deal or discount

Getting these fundamentals wrong can lead to prospective guests turning away negative reviews and harm to the brand Fur ther suppor ting this are the third of Brits who expressed frustration at being unable to find the basic details they want from a venue ’ s online presence – highlighting the impor tance of providing up-to-date , consistent information across all digital channels

THE WORD AROUND TOWN

The sur vey also points to the impor tance of review and rating platforms, with TripAdvisor remaining Britain s most popular platform for pre-visit reviews, and Google the preferred choice for ratings

With review platforms a major battleground for brand reputation and consumers increasingly relying on them to make dining decisions, it's crucial for businesses to actively monitor good and bad feedback across all platforms and respond promptly and professionally

By Tracey Pankhur st, Senior CX Strategist, Reputation (www.reputation.com)

TURNING LEMONS INTO LEMONADE

Never theless, analysis indicates that more than one in five Google reviews is left without any kind of interaction This is where many operators are missing an oppor tunity Acknowledging a positive review is a good way to build repeat customers, but it’s the interaction a business has with negative reviews that can really turn things around Engaging with negative feedback shows customers that an establishment values their experience It also presents a chance to repair the damage , as almost half of Brits say they would return to a venue if their negative feedback was addressed appropriately

Similarly, with consumer expectations on the rise , businesses can use the feedback to identify and address areas for improvement in the guest experience This can include ever ything from the quality of the food and ser vice to venue hygiene giving businesses the insight to continuously improve guest satisfaction and drive repeat customers

All this information can be a lot to juggle , let alone harness Par ticularly in today's environment where it s imperative for pubs, bars, and restaurants to offer multiple communication channels, – including social media platforms, messaging applications and text messaging – as customers expect convenience and accessibility in their interactions

Here , collating voice of the customer (VoC) data into a single platform provides businesses with a one-stop shop for understanding how guests feel about them in real time By adopting a comprehensive digital touchpoint management system, operators can make feedback work harder for their business, enhancing customer engagement and overall operational efficiency

The cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on consumers ’ discretionar y spending Our research shows Brits love of pubs, bars and restaurants is undiminished, but operators will have to stay laser-focused on consumer habits and priorities to get guests through the door This means understanding the consumer, their digital journey and acting fast on feedback

The full study is available here and contains insight into the three big stages of digital customer engagement with a brand – before , during and after their visits – as well as recommendations and top tips

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING DIGITAL BRAND REPUTATION

1 Encourage reviews to increase volume and improve visibil ty on key platforms

2 Make reviews quic k, easy, and rewarding to boost response rates

3 Be responsive to all reviews , especially negat ve ones , w thin hour s

4 Analyse social media to under stand and improve brand reputation

5 Act on feedbac k to improve operations , par ticularly around hygiene , food, and ser vice

6 Involve staff to gather feedbac k and improve operations while motivating and retaining ta ent

7 Optimise for social media by deliver ing "Instagrammable" food and decor that guests can share

8 Emphasise value by making guests feel they are getting a good return for their money

9 Nail the basics on websites by making essential practicalities eas ly accessible

10 Chec k the tec h regularly to solve glitc hes before they irr itate user s

*Sourced by Reputat on

London’s Top Food Critics Fight It Out for Charity

After a brief hiatus Too Many Critics returns bigger and better than ever to raise funds for Action Against Hunger

The Cinnamon Club will host the sixteenth Too Many Critics charity event, which was established by charity ambassador Bill Knott and late suppor ter Charles Campion, on Sunday 4 June , in aid of Action Against Hunger – the world’s leading charity stopping life-threatening hunger in its tracks Since its inaugural dinner in 2001, Too Many Critics has raised over £100,000 to date

This year ’ s Too Many Critics event is a unique oppor tunity for guests to enjoy a memorable dining experience while suppor ting Action Against Hunger’s life-saving work The event will see some of the UK’s best-regarded food critics become chefs for the night, preparing an Indian-inspired fourcourse menu that will be open to critique by the chefs

The critics taking par t include Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday), Giles Coren (The Times) Grace Dent (The Guardian) David Ellis (Evening Standard), Adam Hyman (The Good Food Guide), and Food Writer and Author, Rose Prince The chefs judging the critics dishes include Michelinstarred Nieves Barragán (Sabor) and Great British Menu winner Pip Lacey (hicce)

Guests can expect dishes like Slow braised leg of spring lamb finished in the tandoor, ser ved with nutmeg and peppercorn sauce; and Tandoori morels filled with paneer and royal cumin, saffron rogan josh sauce While guests enjoy a welcome cocktail, ‘The Big Bread Fight’ will see the critics get creative by personalising Tandoori breads with a variety of toppings to see who is crowned the overall naan champion

Alongside the meal, there will be a silent and live auction with a spectacular array of prizes, including a champagne dinner for four at Michelin-starred Gymkhana a four course dinner for two at Michelin- starred Trinity and a lobster and champagne lunch on the beach with an overnight stay at The Suffolk This year ’ s

event hopes to raise

£100 000

The money raised will help Action Against Hunger continue their vital work to end world hunger With projects spanning mental health, climate change adaptation and improved access to clean water, Action Against Hunger works to predict, prevent and treat life-threatening hunger in over 50 countries

While the critics will be taking care of the cooking, they will be overseen by Vivek Singh and the existing kitchen brigade at the award-winning restaurant The Cinnamon Club, known for its contemporar y Indian fine-dining fare

Commenting on the event, Bill Knott, Co Founder of Too Many Critics says, “Together with the late , great Charles Campion, I staged the first Too Many Critics back in 2001 and it was terrific fun The next year, we took over The Cinnamon Club, and I’m delighted to be back there again this year, 21 years later with my old friend Vivek Singh who has generously forgotten what we did to his kitchen last time But it’s all in aid of a terrific cause I’ve been ver y proud to work with Action Against Hunger for 25 years now: having visited many of their projects around the world, I know the funds we raise on 4 June will go to the people who need it most ”

Jean-Michel Grand, Executive Director at Action Against Hunger UK, said: “With 222 million people facing crisis levels of malnutrition and hunger, we know that Action Against Hunger’s work is far from over Extreme pover ty, wars, climate change , and increased levels of inequalities are compounding the issues that we have been addressing for over 40 years This is why it’s invaluable to get the suppor t from as many people as possible , and Britain’s favourite culinar y stars and their critics are no exception ”

Tickets are on sale now via the website: https://www eventbrite co uk/e/too-many-critics-tickets-611148620977

Hospitality Drives City Centre’s Growth

Pubs restaurants and bars in Britain’s biggest cities achieved solid year-on-year growth in the first quar ter of 2023, according to the new ‘Top Cities’ repor t from CGA by NIQ and Wireless Social

The repor t shows sales in each of Britain’s 10 biggest cities were higher than the first quar ter of 2022, while device check-ins continue to build back towards pre-COVID levels However, the year-on-year comparisons benefit from weak trading in early 2022, when concerns about the omicron variant of COVID19 kept some consumers away from city venues Growth has also been impacted by high inflation, which means that trading for many operators remains well behind last year ’ s levels in real terms

The ‘Top Cities’ repor t combines sales data from CGA by NIQ with check-in data from Wireless Social to produce a ‘vibrancy’ ranking of the 10 cities in the first quar ter It is led by Edinburgh, where sales and log-ins have surged back since the end of COVID restrictions London, which was hit hard by COVID lockdowns, soars to second on the list after welcoming back many office workers and visitors over the first quar ter

Elsewhere on the ‘Top Cities’ rankings, third-placed Sheffield is the best performing city in the nor th of England, while Glasgow in four th adds to a strong quar ter for Scotland At the other end of the table are Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool, where the cost of living crisis and rail strikes have put the brakes on the post-COVID recover y in footfall See below for the full list of cities

CGA client director Chris Jeffrey said: “This research shows that consumers remain ver y keen to visit city centre pubs, bars and restaurants despite the squeeze on their discretionar y spending While high inflation continues to make trading conditions difficult, hospitality is a resilient and dynamic sector that is helping to breathe life back into cities’ economies after the turmoil of the pandemic It deser ves targeted and sustained suppor t from government to sustain hard-working businesses through the costs crisis ”

Julian Ross founder and CEO of Wireless Social said: “Hospitality is an incredibly resilient industr y Despite facing up to many significant challenges over the last three years, the sector is continuing to fight back Footfall and sales remain strong in major hubs all over the UK, especially across competitive socialising and more experience-led concepts that have emerged and blossomed since the pandemic

Consumers are looking to get as much for their money as possible , and that is what these operators are capitalising on

“However the market is still fraught with economic obstacles that are continuing to pose a serious threat to the sur vival of many businesses Soaring energ y bills grossly inflated supply chain costs an ongoing labour crisis, and a business rates system that is simply not fit for purpose , are just some of these issues, and it’s absolutely vital that the sector continues to receive as much suppor t as it can get Without the requisite suppor t, the road ahead is set to be extremely rocky for our sector ”

BRITAIN’S 10 BIGGEST CITIES, RANKED BY VIBRANCY: Q1 OF 2023

1 Edinburgh

2 London

3 Sheffield

4 Glasgow

5 Bristol

6 Leicester

7 Manchester

8 Liverpool

9 Birmingham

10 Leeds

The quar terly ‘Top Cities: Vibrancy Ranking’ repor ts are based on a powerful combination of sales data from CGA’s Managed Volume Pool of more than 8,000 pubs, bars and restaurants, and Wireless Social’s guest data gathered from more than one million logins It provides the most accurate assessment yet of the vibrancy of Britain’s key city markets for eating and drinking out

Making the Most of Your Business's Opportunities This Coronation Weekend

With an extra bank holiday booked this year to celebrate King Charles’ Coronation hospitality businesses will be wanting to make the most of the busy weekend and boost their sales for the year Weather permitting, the coronation weekend looks set to be busier than a usual bank holiday as the government has given hospitality venues permission to stay open until 1am Early projections predict that the coronation will boost the UK economy by £1 billion through hospitality ser vices, with pubs restaurants bars clubs shops and hotels at the frontline of sales For most of the UK this coronation will be the only one in living memor y

Even people who won’t celebrate the monarchy will still be making the most of the extra bank holiday, especially thanks to the extra allowance in licensing hours between Friday, May 5th and Sunday, May 7th

The extra trading hours have been backed by UKHospitality, who’ve said that they are “fully behind” the government’s coronation plans, especially as the festive season was not as lucrative as many businesses will have hoped Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said of the extended trading hours: "Not only will it benefit customers, but it also means businesses will be able to trade for longer, increase footfall and generate additional sales ”

However, with a staffing shor tage in the hospitality industr y, there will be many businesses which will find it difficult to maximise revenues and take advantage of this huge oppor tunity

IS IT POSSIBLE TO FIND TALENTED AND RELIABLE LAST-MINUTE STAFF?

The Coronation weekend is set to be the busiest bank holiday of the year As all food and beverage businesses know, at such a busy time of the year it’s impor tant to find relief work well ahead of schedule

So how can you reinforce your team with competent workers all while wasting as little time as possible?

By Florent Malbranche , CEO, Brigad (www brigad co)

Should you turn to temping agencies hire on a shor t-term contract or call in casual staff to temporarily beef up your teams? Maybe you should consider a freelancer Freelance jobs are , by nature , ever-evolving, and freelancers have to give the best of themselves in order to ensure longevity in their business venture This extra drive is incredibly impor tant in industries where a general lack of motivation invariably leads to lower-quality ser vice and deliver y

Of course , the aim is not to completely replace your existing salaried staff with freelancers Quite the opposite Freelancers offer the possibility to suppor t and reinforce existing teams Ever y organisation needs a permanent team that knows the place like the back of its hand, par ticularly in the ser vice industr y A restaurant’s regular customers enjoy seeing the same friendly waiter, who greets them with a smile , knows how they take their coffee , and makes them feel like they re not just another customer Team stability is essential in running any type of establishment

Since 2016, hospitality talent platform and app Brigad has helped thousands of hospitality businesses to find the best self-employed hospitality staff for this blended approach Time is precious, but it only takes around 3 minutes to post a mission on the Brigad app, and 80% of missions posted are accepted in less than 2 hours Be prepared for the coronation weekend, and secure suppor t if you need it

CORONATION CELEBRATIONS

As with the Queen’s diamond jubilee , the government has released a toolkit and recipe book to help with this year s Coronation celebrations, including homemade bunting, recipe cards, kids' activities and even Spotify playlists which includes the likes of The Beatles, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and Boney M’s “Daddy Cool”

The government has released a royal recipe kit to celebrate Charles coronation - which does not include coronation chicken Bake Offer winner Nadiya Hussain offers a star ter - a coronation aubergine - fried till tender, and drizzled with a simple coronation sauce Chef Ken Hom, the leading authority on Chinese cuisine”, provides the main cause with a coronation roast rack of lamb with an Asian-style marinade Chef Adam Handling provides desser t with a strawberr y and ginger trifle - another twist on a British classic

There will be sure to be plenty more dishes being invented over the weekend to celebrate the day, and rewards fit for a King will surely come to creative hospitality businesses

Hospitality Rising Helps Boost Appeal to Work in Hospitality by 14%

More than 1-in-3 UK adults now consider hospitality an appealing industr y in which to work up from 1-in-5 just a year ago

New research from Hospitality Rising, in par tnership with research consultancy KAM shows that 35% of UK adults say they would consider a career in hospitality, demonstrating a positive shift in the way the industr y is perceived

Progress has been driven by activity across the industr y, from operators, trade bodies and suppliers plus the positive impact of the Hospitality Rising initiative and its #RiseFastWorkYoung campaign

The results of the research also highlight that, of those who currently don’t work in the industr y, the consideration to work in hospitality has increased from 52% to a staggering 81% When benchmarked against other industries, such as education, retail and construction, hospitality has experienced the biggest increase in consideration to work over a 12-month period

The success of the inaugural ‘Rise Fast, Work Young,’ campaign, which

recently hit 105,000 job applications, is such that nearly half (46%) of the target 18 to 30-year-old demographic had seen and remembered the campaign and 76% of this group said the campaign would encourage them to work in hospitality

Encouragingly, the results were similarly high for slightly older job seekers with 75% of 31- to 40-year-olds saying the ads would encourage them to work in hospitality too

Mark McCulloch, founder of Hospitality Rising and campaign director, said:

“It is incredible to see this transformation in the way hospitality careers are perceived in less than six months of launching our first campaign It’s much needed positive news for the industr y

“We are so proud of what the Hospitality Rising team have achieved, proving the power of what we can achieve as an industr y when we truly come together to tackle impor tant issues This is why we will continue to champion the hospitality industr y far and wide

Cask Beers Are Reigning For Greene King

As well as the release of its coronation seasonal ale , Greene King Brewer y will also be releasing a fur ther three cask beers for May and June , which include a collaboration with Big Hug Brewing, a returning favourite and an ale inspired by hop picking

CORONATION ALE

Available now until the 14th of May, the Coronation Ale is a refreshing 4% hoppy ser ve , with drinkers able to enjoy notes of citrus and tropical fruit from four fragrant hops

The light fruity style of the Coronation Ale means it’s the perfect pairing for a wide range of fish dishes Ever ything from pub classics such as the classic fish & chips, right up to seasonal dishes like seared salmon or creamy fish pie

PAVE THE WAY

The 4 6% pale ale is a new collaboration version of the beer with Big Hug Brewing, that suppor ts the charity Only

A Pavement Away The charity aims to connect employers in the hospitality industr y and charities working with people facing homelessness prison leavers and veterans to help place them into

long term, stable employment Big Hug Brewing will be giving 50% profit from the beer to the charity Pave The Way has flavours of caramel coming from the malt, that combine with watermelon, peach and stone fruit to create a refreshing cask beer and will be available through May and June

HOPPING SPECIAL

The second cask beer available for the whole of May and June is Hopping Special, also a new cask creation by Greene King The 4 2% amber ale has been brewed with five different malts to create the rich body and biscuity sweetness and late hopped with Galaxy and Citra for extra fruity flavour

The name for the hoppy ale was inspired by the train ser vice put on for the hop picking families in the 19th-20th centur y Before the invention of the farming technolog y now available , hop picking was hugely labour intensive and when har vest time came around farmers needed extra hands The help usually came in the form of families from London, who would see it as a holiday as they exchanged the city for the green countr yside

ST EDMUNDS

As we look beyond the coronation, also making an appearance through

Without new talent coming into the industr y we will continue to struggle The needle on total vacancies will take time to move , so we are calling on all operators big and small to invest in the campaign for year two, star ting in September

This really is a fight to attract the talent the industr y deser ves but also to drive applications now We’ve come so far in six months with 300 investors imagine what we could do with 1,000 Let’s not take a step back but keep up momentum and build on this fantastic star t ” Hospitality Rising is backed by some of the biggest names in the UK, including Whitbread, Pret, Welcome Break, Hilton, Soho House , Prezzo, Revolution Bars Group, Parkdean Resor ts, Buzzworks, Claridge’s, JW Lees and The Pig On the supplier-side , Coca-Cola Europacific Par tners, hospitality tech supplier Zonal, and guest WI-FI Wireless Social based marketing solution, are platinum sponsors

Celebrity chefs including Nathan Outlaw Tom Kerridge Thomasina Myers OBE, Angela Har tnett OBE and Raymond Blanc OBE, have also generously given their time and suppor t to the initiative

June , is the retuning golden ale , St Edmunds The 4 2% fresh beer uses Cascade hops to deliver the pink grapefruit notes Returning with a slightly updated look and feel, this is sure to be a welcome return for guests

Jack Palmer, Head Brewer at Greene King said:

“We cer tainly have lots of styles and flavours available for May and June Collaborating with Big Hug Brewing has been an honour and great to raise fur ther awareness of such an impor tant cause Greene King has worked with Only A Pavement Away for a number of years now through our social mobility scheme , Releasing Potential, and it’s great to be able to suppor t the charity in a different way

“Our Hopping Special and St Edmunds celebrate the brilliant par ts of beer histor y and our heritage Our cask beers are brimming with stories, from the ingredients that make then, to the flavours they create and the inspiration of their names I encourage customers to get them on their bars while they are around as they are sure to draw attention ”

The exclusive cask ale is par t of the wider Fresh Cask Releases calendar a por tfolio of 18 limited-edition cask beers available at specific times throughout the year ahead which have been created by the talented brewing team at Greene King Greene King suppor ts customers with knowledge packs for each seasonal beer, including tasting notes and access to online training suppor t

To order from the Cask Fresh Releases Calendar contact your Greene King sales representative or phone 0345 600 1799

Hospitality Loses 4,600 Venues in 12 Months, But Closures Slow in Early 2023

Britain has suffered a net decline of 4,593 licensed premises in the last year to March 2023, the newHospitality Market Monitor from CGA by NIQ and AlixPar tners shows but the resilience of managed groups means the rate of closures has slowed in the last quarter

The drop is equivalent to 4 3% of the licensed sector since March 2022, and an average of 12 6closures a day However, net closures slowed to 756 venues in the first three months of this year a quar ter-on-quar ter drop of 0 7%, and equivalent to 8 4 closures a day

Independent businesses have borne the brunt of closures with a 5 9% drop in numbers over the last 12 months, while managed groups achieved growth of 1 5% and in the same period, including 0 3%in the first three months of 2023 In the three years since the star t of the COVID-19 pandemic , the independent sector has shrunk by 14 1% more than four times the contraction of 3 3% in the managed sector It reflects both the vulnerability of small, mostly family-run businesses in the face of COVID and the cost of living crisis, and the resilience of better resourced pub, bar, restaurant and hotel groups

THE REPORT SETS OUT MORE KEY TRENDS IN HOSPITALITY OPENINGS AND CLOSURES, INCLUDING:

– A much steeper drop in restaurants (down 7 8% since March 2022) than food pubs (down2 2%) and high street pubs (down 2 5%)

– A 30 6% contraction in the nightclub sector since March 2020

– A slowdown of spor ts and social club closures with numbers down 4 8% year-on-year but just 0 3% quar ter-on-quar ter

Karl Chessell CGA by NIQ’s director – hospitality operators and food EMEA said: “Each of the 4 593 closures over the last 12 months represents a sad loss of jobs and the permanent withdrawal of a community asset It is at least encouraging that losses have slowed in the first few months of the year a welcome indicator that demand for hospitality remains strong However, the recent cut in government suppor t on energ y bills, alongside a hike in minimum wage rates and the ongoing tax burden, now leaves thousands more fragile venues at risk of closure

Hospitality has shown how, with the right backing, it can generate jobs and fire the economy but sustained help is needed to tide the sector through the current crisis ”

Graeme Smith, AlixPar tners’ managing director, said: “While the number of pubs, restaurants and other licensed venues continues to contract in UK hospitality, there is some positivity in this latest analysis of the market, given that the overall cadence or rate of decline has slowed significantly

“Underpinning this is the fact that the rate of closures in all major cities is reducing as COVID-19 concerns subside and workers and tourists steadily return to urban centres – even to a degree , on Mondays This stabilising picture extends to London – the largest leisure market, which was most affected by COVID-19– and it’s clear that many of Britain’s city centres are returning to something comparable to their pre-covid vibrancy

“Tellingly, this latest study underlines the growing divide between larger and smaller operators, reflecting the varied ability to withstand the continued headwinds the sector faces The closure rate of independent businesses – the lifeblood and entrepreneurial driving force of the sector – continues to

vastly outstrip the better-funded corporates and the branded operators It highlights the need for government suppor t to be extended especially on energ y costs if small (often family-owned) businesses are to sur vive

“On a 12-month view the number of closures is still ver y significant A statistic homing into view is that by the end of the year, the total number of licensed venues is likely to fall below 100,000 for the first time in many decades It reflects approximately 13,000 closures since March 2020, and the many thousands of pubs that have shut in the decades prior

“This is a trend that speaks to the relative shift from high-frequency drinking occasions, which have in par t made way for the growth in (less frequent, higher spend) dining-led visits, and the rise , in recent times, of (less frequent, higher spend) competitive socialising occasions ”

RECONDITIONED & SECOND USER CATERING EQUIPMENT

Closed-Loop Recycling: How to Implement in Business

With many businesses rushing to consider their environmental impact, closed-loop cling should be a process high up on the agenda

This is defined as the process by which a product is used, recycled, and then made into a new product if it can’t be reused in the first instance The process results in no waste going for energ y recover y or landfill

This is crucial in light of tighter government legislation such as the plastic packaging tax introduced last April and the impending single-use plastic ban in October 2023

With this in mind we share our tips on how you can bring your organisation’s processes full circle

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES?

Embracing closed-loop methods offer significant benefits, including:

• Decreased air pollution by producing little to no greenhouse gas emissions in the creation of new plastics from oil extraction

• Reduced landfill space and landfill taxes for bus nesses

• Minimised r isk of harm to wildlife

• Oppor tunities to market your sustainable solutions to enhance customer sat sfact on among those who prefer to buy sustainably

We provide some examples of success stories from different sectors:

RETAIL

Packaging can also be a chief concern for retailers 40% of UK online shoppers, for instance , feel they are sent deliveries with packaging that is too big for what they ordered One of the best ways to limit extraneous packaging is to employ a closed-loop solution This could include recycling old or broken materials or reusing packaging which would ordinarily be disposed as single use

MANUFACTURING

By Nathan Gray, Head of Sustainability at Reconomy (www.reconomy.com)

Cl d loop recycling is a par ticularly effective system in manufacturing Par tnering with a management ser vice can give better guidance on waste segregation at project pots to achieve zero waste

Problematic and difficult-to-process waste streams may include silicon PVC banners and fibre-based and laminated packaging However with the right guidance even these difficult plastic waste materials can be recycled back into other products

HOSPITALITY

Food waste is par ticularly problematic as it can contaminate many other forms of waste which significantly reduces recycling oppor tunities When food waste ends up in a landfill, it decomposes without oxygen which releases methane The preferred solution is preventing food waste in the first instance , however, anaerobic digestion is the preferred solution for food waste This effectively transforms food waste into green electricity as well as producing an effective fer tiliser to help row fresh fruit and vegetables in line with circular principles

Trade Bodies Call for Urgent Government Intervention on Unfair Energy Costs and Contracts

Since the beginning of the energ y crisis, members of the trade organisations have faced a raft of businesscritical challenges, with 50% being forced into contracts between July and December 2022, in an uncompetitive market when energ y prices were at their highest

Hospitality trade bodies the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) UKHospitality (UKH) and the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) have written to Amanda Solloway MP, the Minister for Energ y Consumers and Affordability, calling for urgent Government suppor t for hospitality businesses on the brink of collapse

Ofgem, the industr y regulator has investigated evidence from hundreds of pubs and hospitality businesses, showing the unfair nature and length of contracts, sky high standing charges and management fees, and aggressive sales tactics by some energ y suppliers, but the action taken so far has been too little , and for many will be far too late

A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE TRADE BODIES STATED:

“Following any meaningful Government suppor t tailing off at the end of March, operators now face bills between three and four times higher than in 2021 locked into contracts that are destroying their otherwise viable and vibrant businesses

“We have been engaging with Government Ministers and officials, as well as Ofgem, for over a year now, sharing the often-immoral behaviour of energ y suppliers, whose actions have plunged pubs and hospitality businesses into debt and uncer tainty Domestic customers have been protected to some extent, but small businesses suppor ting families and communities have been left exposed to untenable costs and contracts, threatening livelihoods the length and breadth of the UK

“Ofgem’s limited powers leave it unable to inter vene in contracts between these suppliers and hospitality businesses We are calling urgently on Government to step in and take action to save essential community hubs and thousands of jobs from being lost forever View the letter here

Pub at Centre of “Offensive Doll” Row Has Now Closed

A pub at the centre of a row has closed for business after its collection of golly dolls was seized by police on April 4

Five Essex Police officers removed what were deemed to be offensive dolls from The White Har t Inn in Grays The pub was subsequently vandalised and removed from the Campaign for Real Ale’s (C AMRA) Good Beer Guide

Landlady Benice Ryley told Thurrock Nub News that Carlsberg and Heineken had told the pub to stop selling their products, and Innser ve had refused to attend the premises

“It hur ts I’ve had 17 years of my life here , if people didn’t like it they didn’t have to come through my door,” she told the publication

I feel gutted Totally and utterly gutted This is my life now that they’ve ruined because we ’ ve got a stigma with our name now and the pub ” she said

Mrs Ryley said the collection of about 30 dolls were donated by her late aunt and from customers and had been in the pub for nearly 10 years

C AMRA national chairman Nik Antona said in a statement: “Following the announcement that the White Har t in Greys, Essex, has closed, C AMRA now hopes this heritage venue is preser ved as a pub and will provide a warm welcome to all We believe pubs are for ever yone –there is never a place for discrimination

“Previous Pub of the Year awards were removed due to displays

which went against the Campaign s agreed national policies and values

The White Har t has also been removed from the current Good Beer Guide

“C AMRA has an agreed policy that none of its 220 branches across the UK should grant awards to a pub which displays or promotes discriminator y items or materials, either in the venue or on social media accounts ”

He added that C AMRA would remove awards from any pubs, clubs, cider producers or breweries which operated “at odds with our values ”

An Essex Police spokesperson said: “At this stage our investigation is still ongoing ”

Solid Easter Brings 7% Drinks Sales Growth

Easter holidays and decent weather helped managed On Premise venues achieve a 7% year-on-year increase in drinks sales over the three weeks to last Saturday (22 April)

CGA by NIQ’s Drinks Recover y Tracker has shown an 18% increase in the first week of April, followed by drops of 3% and 7% in the next two weeks Comparisons are skewed by the way Easter dates fell in the calendar in 2022 and 2023, but the threeweek comparison provides the most accurate picture of trading over the period

The 7% growth shows consumers remain eager to drink out in the On Premise However, with inflation as measured by the Consumers Prices Index continuing to top 10%, year-on-year sales remained slightly down in real terms over Easter

In the latest week, sales on Sunday and Monday suffered from comparisons to the key Easter dates in 2022, but they recovered to track 6% ahead on Wednesday Thursday and Friday (19 to 21

April) before dipping 1% on Saturday (22 April) amid wetter weather

Wine sales were up by 3% last week continuing a welcome revival of the categor y which had a difficult 2022 as the On Premise emerged from COVID-19 Beer sales were flat while cider and soft drinks were down 10% and 13% respectively The spirits categor y continues to suffer from tough 2022 comparisons, with sales running 22% behind

“Considering all the pressure on consumers ’ disposable income , the solid performance over the Easter period is encouraging, and shows that they are prioritising the On Premise over other discretionar y spend” says Jonathan Jones, CGA’s managing director, UK and Ireland “With the next five weeks containing three bank holidays we can expect fur ther positive performance , especially if the weekends are accompanied by warmer weather ”

Hoteliers Give a Helping Hand to Bristol Autism Charity

Hoteliers in Bristol have given a huge helping hand to a charity which suppor ts thousands of people in the city who are affected by autism

At its recent AGM, the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA) presented a cheque for more than £3,500 to the Bristol Autism Suppor t (B AS) organisation

Most of the money was raised through a raffle at the recent BHA ‘Night of the Stars’ event, a glittering gala which recognises the city’s hospitality heroes

Imran Ali, the BHA’s Head of Charity, said: “Our decision to par tner with Bristol Autism Suppor t was driven by a unanimous desire to encourage change and suppor t for our local communities

“We were delighted with the amount raised at the 2023 Night of the Stars event in March and we know it will make a positive difference to many, many, families throughout the city

“We aim to provide fur ther help for the B AS through a range of other, smaller, fund-raising events throughout 2023

Louise Mills, Operations Manager for Bristol Autism Suppor t, said: “We had the honour of attending the

Night of the Stars gala as the charity par tner of Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA)

“It was inspiring to see so many individuals and teams from hotels across the city being celebrated and receiving awards for outstanding contributions in their work

“The amount raised over the course of the evening will make an enormous difference to the suppor t B AS can give to parents and carers of autistic children in Bristol and the surrounding areas “We are so grateful for the oppor tunity to work with the Bristol Hoteliers Association in par ticular Raphael and Imran whose encouragement during the Night of the Stars helped us raise such a huge amount for Bristol Autism Suppor t

B AS began as a small pub group in 2012 but has grown into a respected charity with more than 3,000 local families in its network

It is a peer-to-peer suppor t charity for parents and carers of autistic children, either diagnosed or undiagnosed, in Bristol

Its goal is to improve outcomes for autistic children by providing their parents/carers with information and timely suppor t while connecting them with other parents and carers, to share experiences, knowledge and provide mutual suppor t with like-minded people

Coronation Fortnight Delivers a £205m Tourism Boost to London

London will receive a tourism boost wor th over £205million during Coronation for tnight, helped by the arrival of 30,595 more overseas visitors than last year research by Key Data reveals today

The historic event has sparked a surge in bookings with international visitor numbers up 75 1% compared with the same period last year

Overall arrivals in London, including from across the UK, are 47 4% higher year on year This compares with just a 9% rise in the number of people taking trips in England as a whole

Analysis from Key Data, which tracks trends in the shor t term rental market, shows London can expect an extra 30,595 overseas visitors during the Coronation for tnight, totalling 71,378 foreign tourists That alone has provided the capital with an additional revenue windfall wor th an estimated £20m, including spending money and the cost of hotels and shor t-term rental accommodation

All international visitors to London will spend an estimated £67,614,561 during the first half of May1 while all 192,406 tourists in the capital will shell out an estimated £205,137,727 over the same period, providing a massive lift to the hospitality and tourism industries

Nightly rates are up approximately 16% year on year to £186 while there has been a 29 4% improvement in occupancy While the supply of hotel rooms will have remained relatively static the number of shor t term

rentals available over the Coronation for tnight has climbed 6 5% on last year to 81,818

Revenue per available room (RevPAR) a key measure of revenue strength across the hospitality industr y is up a staggering 50 1% annually Shor t term rental operators in the capital are enjoying a 59 9% increase in revenue overall

Sally Henr y VP of Business Development at Key Data said:

”London will be full to bursting as royal fans from all over the world head to the capital to experience the atmosphere generated by this historic moment for themselves

“London is always a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists, driving huge numbers of visitors all year round The jump we re seeing over Coronation for tnight is testament to the pulling power of the histor y and pageantr y Britain is so famous for The crowning of a king has become the crowning glor y in London’s economic stor y this year and it’s the entire tourist industr y ’ s chance to shine on the world stage

“Shor t-term rental hosts are really feeling the benefit because they’re the cornerstone of London’s tourism economy Occupancy, average daily rates and RevPAR are all up, but so are the number of proper ties on offer This speaks to how the shor t-term rental industr y has this incredibly impor tant flexibility built in, which the traditional hotel industr y just cannot offer ”

Businesses Support Deaf Awareness Week

It is Deaf Awareness Week (1-7 May 2023) and RNID, the charity suppor ting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus are calling on ever yone to be deaf aware!

People who are deaf or have hearing loss have individual communication needs and you should ask how best you can communicate with them

RNID is encouraging people to use E A R to help them remember simple tips they can use to make communication easier :

ENVIRONMENT – reduce background noise or move to a quieter area And make sure the room is well lit if the person relies on lipreading

ATTENTION – use simple gestures such as pointing, waving or a light

tap on the shoulder to get someone ’ s attention Face the person you ’ re speaking to so they can lipread, and speak to them, not their interpreter or anyone else with them

REPEAT AND REPHRASE – if someone doesn’t understand you, tr y repeating what you said or rephrasing it in a different way If this doesn’t work, you could write it down, or speak to a friend or relative if they ask you to

Following E A R can make the difference between your friend, family or colleague being par t of the conversation or left struggling on the side-lines

For suppor t or information, please visit rnid org uk

S U R V I V I N G An Open Letter to Readers of CLH News

By David Hunter, The Bowden Group (www.bowdengroup.co.uk)

Ok we all know that we have been through some ver y difficult times over the last few years

If you are still here VERY WELL DONE but don t get to complacent, ‘’ cos it ain’t over yet’’

I am often asked how can we sur vive ?

There are always things that we can do to reduce the overhead costs in any business:

Working with a Hotel client in the Nor th West of England, we were recently asked to use our weekly eMailed repor t on the business’s Profitability to get the staff ’ s suppor t for reducing usage of gas and electricity

Common sense you might have thought

What happened though really did amaze me

It wasn t just that the units of power used weekly reduced by 20% it was that we COULD save that huge amount just by asking staff to par ticipate

Yes, it IS a bit sad that we COULD reduce power usage so much, but the fact that we did do that shows the power of just talking to the Team, and getting their suppor t

It is clear that the staff feel they have a vested interest in helping the hotel get through an approaching massive increase in Power costs per unit, and that THEY WANT TO HELP

Sounds familiar?

This is the four th Recession that I have worked though in my role , and by now I am ready for the fallout of a Recession but it never ceases to surprise me HOW ever ything changes during and after such a period and it never changes in the same way

I often say that in Hospitality, Profit is largely driven by:

• Sales Overall, and Depar tmental

Bedroom Sales and the Costs of c leaning those rooms

• Food GP%

• Dr inks GP%

• Labour Costs

I promised I wouldn’t write a book for you to print (thinking of the printing costs), so let’s just dip into these one at a time highlighting the bigger issues or the quick wins as there are things we C AN do to help the situation, and we will focus on those

SALES … OVERALL, AND DEPARTMENTAL

We need to up our game on Marketing not just increasing the number of people that come to use our facilities, but increasing the Spend per Head of all of those that do use our the businesses

If we attract some new customers, and get existing customers to spend more per visit we stand an even better chance

There are so many special offers and new packages that we can dream up, to increase customer visits

BEDROOM SALES AND THE COSTS OF CLEANING THOSE ROOMS

Yes, we have been tr ying to get more people to book Direct There are a number of ways we can do that but asking guests to book direct in future cer tainly works

As good as the online OTA agencies ARE the more people we can get booking direct with us, the better, as it reduces that extra Commission cost

So look at your website how easy IS IT to book direct with you?

We have also been looking hard at the in-room complimentar y stuff like hairnets for the shower, how many towels soaps gels etc we put out

Many of the Budget operators now will not clean a room unless that is specifically requested However, I am not a great fan of that as its not what we traditionally expect from an hotel

We have been introducing automatic on/off light sensors in bedroom corridors

And some Budget operators have been centrally (at Reception) over-riding the settings that the customer sets on the bedroom heaters turning them off automatically between the late-night ‘’sleeping’’ hours

FOOD GP%

I have a few big tips here:

1 Cost out your menu items in great deta l, and formally, and on a suitable spreadsheet

2 Do those costings ever y single month not twice a year as used to be acceptable

3 Make ver y sure that are ac hieving the r ight level of GP% on ever y single dish There is no suc h thing as an Industr y Standard GP% it all depends on the type of establishment what it is where it is and how it operates

4 Reduce the menu size if you can and use the same ingredients in a number of different dishes reducing the number that you need to buy in

5 Negotiate and renegotiate and seek at least two other supplier s to compare with to get the best purc hase pr ces for what foodstuffs that you need to buy in The tough ones might well be: Fruit & Veg / Fish / Meat / Cheese / Oils

6 Get advice on what your Food GP% SHOULD BE

DRINKS GP%

My best tips here are:

1 Take the time to establish what GP% you need not just overall but per categor y of dr nk (as defined by a licensed stoc ktaker)

2 Make sure that you pr ice accordingly to be able to ac hieve your target GP% overall

3 Get help on the Wines side there is a whole separate pr icing strategy for GP%s on Wines on different types of w ne and on the different g ass sizes Call me f in doubt

4 Tr y to reduce the Wine List a bit if you can that helps with cashflow

5 Get advice on what your Food GP% SHOULD BE

LABOUR COSTS

Here there is no choice you MUST ACT and NOW Labour costs just keep going up never down and the Minimum Wage doesn’t really help us in Hospitality

My top tips are:

1 Do what is known as a Manpower Planning Study

This identifies exactly how many staff member s you need in any one place at any one time in 15 minute intervals throughout the day ever y day and ever y day being different

2 Then do your rota str ictly (as str ictly as possible that is) on the number s that you ACTUALLY NEED

3 You may need to c hange the way you employ people you may well need more Par t Time and Casua employees so that you don’t end up w th too many staff on duty at any one time

4 Get as muc h flexibility nto the manpower system as you can whic h can mean you emp oying MORE people but on LESS hour s eac h

5 Train your staff well, incentivise them too, but most impor tantly, respect them and communicate with them

The ATTITUDE of any member of staff shown towards a customer is paramount, and that often determines whether a Customer returns a second time and more

The above will help but no one should think of it as being easy it isn’t !!!

SURVIVING is what we hope happens when you do all that you possibly can

You also need to be ‘’Relentlessly Optimistic’’ at the same time

Panic , worr y and being miserable are all things that rub off on others ver y ver y quickly

If you think that I can help you at all …

Give me a call on 07831 407984 or 01628 487613

I will be happy to help If you quote ‘’I saw you in CLH’’ the first on-line Video Call session with me will be totally Free Of Charge

P&G Professional: Reduce Energy Without Compromising Results

Coronation Weekend Kicks Off CAMRA's Summer of Pub

The Campaign for Real Ale encourages people to head down to their local and suppor t the trade for the Coronation bank holiday and the star t of their annual Summer of Pub campaign

Pubs and breweries across the UK will be organising events over the summer months whether it be an open mic night ale trail pub quiz or tap takeover, as par t of C AMRA’s Summer of Pub

The past few years have presented an enormous challenge for the pub and brewing industr y, as venues have faced skyrocketing energ y and business costs

The Summer of Pub campaign aims to suppor t and promote pub and clubgoing throughout the summer and there’s plenty to celebrate

The star t of the campaign coincides with the Coronation weekend and the extended licensing hours for venues in England and Wales, making it the perfect time to enjoy a pint of cask ale or real cider C AMRA is calling on all consumers to take advantage of the bank holiday to suppor t their locals

Licensees can join the celebrations too, helping spread the word with a wide range of bespoke marketing materials available from the campaign’s website free of charge C AMRA is encouraging its network of over 150 000 members to get their local pubs involved in the campaign, and host events of their own

These can be submitted to C AMRA’s Events platform, allowing beer and cider lovers to seek out pubs, clubs and taprooms that are running Summer of Pub events nearby

Commenting, C AMRA’s Campaigns Director, Nick Boley said: “I think we ’ re all looking forward to summer after a tough winter that has seen the pub trade , brewers, and consumers hit hard by parallel cost-of-living and cost-ofbusiness crises This Coronation bank holiday is the perfect time to star t Summer of Pub celebrations with a visit to the pub, to enjoy the community spirit that only a pint of real ale or cider down the local can bring “Summer of Pub has much more to come , including the return of Pub Pride from our friends at Ask for Clive , celebration of the Women's Football World Cup, Better Transpor t Week run by par tner organisation Campaign for Better Transpor t, and of course the publication of C AMRA’s latest Good Beer Guide – which last year had a foreword contributed by King Charles III as the Prince of Wales

“I encourage ever yone to head to their local this weekend and star t their Summer of Pub!”

Yhangry Hosts First Annual The Foodie Heroes Awards To Highlight the Stories Behind The Food

Yhangr y, the UK's fastest-growing private chef marketplace , as seen on BBC’s Dragons Den and backed by Silicon Valley accelerator YCombinator, yhangr y, held its first annual Yhangr y Foodie Heroes Awards on 26th April 2023 at Refettorio Felix at St Cuthber t's Centre

With categorise across Media, Chefs and Supply Par tners, yhangr y welcomed 90 esteemed guests including a range of content creators, local businesses and chefs With 700+ chefs from across the UK, Yhangr y is uniquely positioned to suppor t local businesses and entrepreneurs while elevating their stories

As the world begins to recover from the pandemic , it is more important than ever to celebrate the thousands of impacted individuals and businesses that have gone above and beyond to create memorable customer experiences A shor t- list of nominees will be selected by a public vote , with the winners finalised by a panel of esteemed judges including Nikita Pathakji, winner of MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 and Syabira Yusoff, winner of Great British Bake Off 2022 who were in attendance on the evening

The winner of the award were as follows:

If you own a restaurant or a kitchen with a deep fr yer, then you might be surprised at how much you spend ever y year on cooking oil Have you ever calculated this direct cost? If you haven’t, then you should, because Canadian Company, Eco Friendly Chef Corp is helping thousands of professional kitchen operators to dramatically cut their oil costs in half

A new innovative product called OiLChef is revolutionizing the food industr y The award-winning OiLChef device is one of the most sophisticated technologies available in the world for deep fr yers today It is not a filter or a chemical, but rather a device which is simply installed in your deep fr yer in less than 10 seconds!

Putting the OiLChef in your fr yer will give you a competitive edge and attract more consumer dollars Your fried food items will absorb less oil and therefore will contain fewer calories Good for the consumer, good for the bottom line

Reduce carbon footprint: It will minimize your environmental impact through a reduction in energy and oil consumption

Faster ser vice: Food cooks quic ker

Reduce food waste: Food is cr ispier and holds its shape and texture for longer

Great for food deliver y

Zero flavour transfer : It prevents flavour transfer between different foods being cooked in the same oil

Kitchen smoke and fr ying odour s: It reduces the smoke and odour s of fr ying in your kitc hen/restaurant Creating a more pleasant working and dining exper ience and min mizes the workload on your air filter ing systems and maintenance

Health & safety: It reduces the smoke point of your o l and thereby lower s the r isk of a deep fr yer fire Also, staff interaction with c hanging the fr yer oil is cut down by at least ha f, reducing r isk of accidental burns and oil spillage

Reduce operating costs: It gives you the oppor tunity to cut down or move away from cost y monthly additives required to improve oil qua ity Fewer people hour s are required eac h month for fr yer c hanges For

Who Has Made the Semi-Finals of the Graduate Awards 2023?

After receiving an impressive number of entries into the Graduate Awards 2023, the Craft Guild of Chefs has whittled the entr y list down to just 36 These ambitious chefs will now be heading to either Watford or Sheffield to take par t in the semi-final stage of the award

The Graduate Award is a practical and theor y exam which is aimed at chefs aged under 25 who are looking to test their skills, put themselves in the spotlight and connect with like-minded peers It was founded in 2002 by Steve Munkley

Vice-President of the Craft Guild of Chefs who wanted to give chefs an award to work towards once in the workplace Over the last 21 years, it has developed and grown to help meet the demands of modern kitchens As well as the Kitchen/Larder exam, it now includes a Pastr y award which is spear-headed by Will Torrent, senior development and innovation chef at Waitrose & Par tners

The semi-finals will take place on Tuesday 20th June at West

Her tfordshire College in Watford and on Thursday 22nd June at Sheffield College Those who make the grade will then go through to the final at University of West London on Friday 1st September All those who make the final will be invited on the Guild’s annual mentoring trip which this year sees chefs being taken on a culinar y tour of Suffolk in July

Taking par t in the Watford heat will be: -

Darragh Ryan, 36 On The Quay Restaurant with Rooms

Har vey Barker, The Botanical Rooms at The Newt in Somer set

Elliot Wakefield Savoy Gr ill

Sam Reynolds , The Fat Duc k

Liam Ba mer, Luc knam Park Hotel

Luke Mor ton, The Tudor Pass , Great Foster s Hotel

Alessio Sne der, Soho House , 76 Dean Street

Zac h Colburn House of Commons

Nathan Cooper, Goldman Sac hs , BaxterStorey

Matthew Mark Crane , Royal Air Force Club

Jac k Baldwin, The Angel Inn at Topc iffe

Perran Clark, New Coast Kitc hen

Allocated a place in the Sheffield heat are: -

Brandon William Stokoe , Jesmond Dene House

Angus Paul Levell, The Caddy Mann Restaurant

Mic hael Jones , Fletc her s Grantley Hall

Megan Beale , Dumbleton Ha l

Daniel James Cox, Mor ston Hall Hotel

Connor Gray Talbot Hotel in Malton

Jamaar Semper, Luc knam Park Hotel

Chloe Williamson, Prestwold Hall

Ivan Barzev, Rooker y Hall Hotel & Spa

Jac k Newbold, No 23 Uppingham Restaurant

Georg a Hac kett City of Liverpool College

Jason Cargill, The Rooker y Restaurant & Bar

The pastr y semi-finalists who will sit the exam in Watford include: -

Paige Hill, Pentonbr idge Inn

Owen Morgan Rober ts , Rabbit

Blessing Olus le , Pillar s Restaurant

Stephanie Grace Belc her, Coast in Saunder sfoot

Char otte Vicar s , One A dwyc h Hotel

Hoi Yan Tam, Sofitel London St James

Mar i a Kuzaite , Ardtara Countr y House

Luke Watkins Auberge du Lac

Jac k Kirby, Lygon Arms Hotel

Mac kenzie Pope Luc knam Park Hote

Yip Man Ying, Shangr i-La

Tara Pasotti Pennyhil Park Hotel

Steve Munkley, Vice-President of the Craft Guild of Chefs said: As the founder, it has been inspiring to see so much interest in the Graduate Awards this year so thank you to ever yone who entered To help the chefs going through to the next stage , we are sharing videos that will help them to practise and be as prepared as possible for the semi-finals as we realise for some of them this will be their first taste of a culinar y test like this I recommend they all work with their senior chefs, take advice and use this oppor tunity to its full potential as it’s known to open many doors that will help their future careers ”

The Craft Guild of Chefs Graduate Awards wouldn’t be possible without sponsorship from The London Meat Co Oranka Savoy Educational Trust, Reynolds, Meiko UK, Essential Cuisine , City and Guilds, Rober t Welch, Continental Chef Supplies (CCS), James Knight of Mayfair, Worshipful Company of Cooks, CCE London Ltd, University of West London, Lakeland Dairies, Grande Cuisine , The Caterer, Maldon Salt, NOWAH Wild Farmed Villeroy & Boch and Daregal Gourmet

TSA Gains the Support for Cross-Party Meeting in Westminster

TSA met with Derek Thomas the MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (St Ives) in Westminster this week to discuss the ongoing issues facing the commercial laundr y industr y Association member Luke Edwards from Mounts Bay Laundr y in Penzance helped to set up and also attended the meeting, as Mr Thomas is his local MP Having pitched the case for the industr y, the TSA is delighted that Derek Thomas has agreed to sponsor and to help organise a cross-par ty meeting in Westminster with an invitation to be sent to TSA's members' local MPs

"We are hugely grateful to Derek for his help and for being such a strong advocate for our industr y, " says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA Derek had previously visited Mounts Bay Laundr y and so had a good understanding of the scale of the industr y and its challenges The Westminster meeting covered a lot of ground including energ y suppor t labour shor tages and more generally, what the industr y can do to ensure that it is visible to the Government going forward Also, demonstrating the industr y ' s role it plays in suppor ting the UK economy and how it can help the Government achieve its sustainability targets

Stevens emphasises the work of the TSA's members and the new Lobbying Steering Group in helping raise the industr y ' s profile "The work has resulted in many MPs visiting laundries and recognising the importance of our industr y

The rise in the industr y ' s profile is evident in the questions being raised in Parliament - just last month

SNP member Mar tyn Day and Conser vative Anne Marie Morris raised the issue of the need to suppor t commercial laundries under the Energ y and Trade Intensive Industries scheme Even Grant Shapps the Secretar y of State for Energ y Security and Net Zero, mentioned the issue in his recent letter, saying, "I recognise the ongoing challenges for the commercial laundr y sector due to significant increases in global energ y prices and other cost of living pressures "

The aim of the upcoming cross-par ty meeting will be to provide an over view of the commercial laundr y industr y It will underline the value it brings to the UK Economy and the reliance of both hospitality and healthcare on the industr y In addition, it will look to develop a strateg y to allow the industr y to engage fully in the newly formed Energ y Efficiency Taskforce

"At last after all the lobbying by TSA and its members the Government is star ting to listen to commercial laundries " says Stevens "The suppor t from Derek and other MPs is critical if we are to drive the messages home But this is just the beginning, we can't let up There is much work to do "

The TSA is the trade association for the textile care ser vices industr y The TSA represents commercial laundr y and textile rental businesses Membership ranges from family-run operations through to large , multinational companies Visit www tsa-uk org for more information

Alliance Online Reviews the Latest Buffet Trends and Products

As temperatures star t to rise and winter becomes a distant memor y, the UK hospitality and tourism sectors begin to look to the beginning of the late spring and summer seasons With one of the largest up and coming trends of 2023 being buffet style dining Alliance Online talk through the newest products to help you take advantage of this theme

DAPPER DISPLAYS

Buffets areas are a staple of most hotels, especially ones which offer breakfast and lunch options With refined options for crocker y cutler y and glassware it seems only right to match them with an equally premium food display area

So, if you ’ re looking to add a touch of sophistication to your display offering we firstly recommend items from Craster’s new range of Fare Display Trolleys The system is fully modular meaning it can be tailored to your par ticular taste and layout along with various shelves pots and rails allowing you to build exactly what you

need

If you are already happy with your buffet area but want some new ways of displaying the food itself, then Craster have you covered on that front too by way of their Tilt Buffet range The selection comprises of multi-level stainless-steel riser frames and matching presentation plinths and bowls The plinths can be made of either walnut white marble or grey marble whilst the bowls come in brass, grey ceramic and white ceramic giving your displays a stylish and contemporar y aesthetic

VINTAGE IS VOGUE

The next buffet trend hitting the industr y is vintage ser veware and pieces which evoke feelings of retro and rustic vibes One great range which perfectly encapsulated this antique aesthetic is GenWare s Vintage Steel collection

The selection of products include classic black with golden handle mini

ser ving fr ying pans, saucepans, and oval dishes along with copper ser ving cups and ramekins and finished with accenting industrial steel pieces too

MELAMINE IS GOING MAINSTREAM

Finally we come to our last trend which is the inclusion and rise in popularity in melamine buffet solutions The durability and versality makes it perfect for catering ser veware but the finish ensures that the material doesn’t look plastic A prime example of a sleek and modern use of melamine is the Hoxton range from Dalebrook with its matte finish and wide variety of dishes and platters making it perfect for any hotel or restaurant buffet area

For more information on any of the ranges included or other options available for buffet solutions contact Alliance Online on 01270 252333 or email us on

co uk

UK’s Best Restaurants, Pubs & Bars Revealed at the Casual Dining Awards 2023

Hawksmoor, Loungers, Mission Mars, The Ivy Collection and Dishoom have been named as the UK s best pub, bar, and restaurant operators at the long-awaited return of the Casual Dining Awards, which took place last week (on 27 April) at the London Marriott Hotel, in Grosvenor Square

Mowgli, Pizza Pilgrims, wagamama, Caravan, Nando’s, Cosy Club, and Hickor y ’ s Smokehouse were among the other leading brands who took home prestigious awards – covering ever ything from best family dining experience , and menu innovation to best brand marketing and design

Multiple award winners included Mission Mars / Alber t’s Schloss Hawksmoor and Bacchanalia

Mission Mars had an evening to remember with Roy Ellis and Neil Macleod winning the coveted Trailblazer of the Year Award and then winning four more awards on the night for its popular Alber t's Schloss brand and for Mission Mars as Casual Dining Group of the Year

Mission Mars co-founder Roy Ellis commented The Casual Dining Awards are an energetic and enthusiastic celebration of some wonderful businesses in our industr y Hospitality is a tough industr y facing unprecedented challenges - it's good to occasionally focus on the positives and celebrate suc-

cess We have more than 1,000 colleagues working hard to deliver for our guests The awards we received on the night are a tribute to their commitment, enthusiasm, and dedication ”

Stephen Herring at Diversified Communications UK (organiser of the awards and Casual Dining show) says: “The return of the Casual Dining Awards was the best yet It’s been a great opportunity for this vibrant, passionate , and creative industr y to get together and celebrate their successes It’s exciting to see so much innovation, ambition, and dedication this resilient sector has to offer Thank you to all the sponsors and judges and congratulations to all the winners!”

The Special Award which goes to someone who isn’t an operator but has made an incredible contribution to the sector, went to Mark McCulloch for his work as the founder of Hospitality Rising Previous winners of the award include Peter Mar tin from Peach 20/20 and Kate Nicholls OBE, Chief Executive , UKHospitality Hospitality Rising seeks to solve the hospitality recruitment crisis and change the perception of hospitality as a career In the first six months it’s seen over 100,000 applications

For fur ther information, including the full list of winners, finalists, and judges, please visit www cdawards co uk/winners-2

Mitchells & Butlers to Commemorate 125 Years of Serving

Mitchells & Butlers, one of the UK s biggest pub & restaurant operators, has unveiled a season of celebration created to commemorate 125 years of ser ving guests A range of activities have been planned to reflect the achievements of the business since its formation in 1898, coupled with outlining commitments for continued innovation, growth and sustainability within the hospitality sector

The heritage of the Mitchells & Butlers business of today can be traced back to 1898 when two Midlands family brewers joined forces and has grown to today’s business which operates 1,700 pubs and restaurants across the UK Whilst ownership of the business may have changed along the way, the core proposition at the hear t of the business created by Henr y Mitchell & William Butler 125 years ago has always been to ser ve guests with pride

As par t of the anniversar y celebrations, Mitchells & Butlers will be engaging with employees, past and present, for a season of celebration with a host of activities planned across the year, including a city-wide treasure hunt hosted by historian Dr Carl Chinn in the group ’ s hear tland, Birmingham, as well as a special par ty in June

Guests will also be able to join in the celebrations as three of Mitchells & Butlers’ most-loved brands mark their anniversaries too Pub brand Nicholson’s who joined the Mitchells & Butlers brand family in 1958 will also be turning 150 this year marking the occasion with a limited-edition gin fizz spritz; while Har vester and

Browns celebrate their 40th and 50th bir thdays respectively

Commenting on the milestone , Mitchells & Butlers Chief Executive Offer (CEO)

PHIL URBAN SAID:

“After a tough few years we really wanted to take a moment to celebrate and thank our colleagues, guests and communities, both past and present, for enabling Mitchells & Butlers to play our par t in ser ving up a great hospitality industr y experience As well as recognising achievements from the past, being committed to our future is an impor tant par t of this anniversar y activity; ensuring sustainability is a key focus of our mission, both to help the health of our hospitality sector but also society from an environmental and social perspective

Our 125th anniversar y celebration coincides with recent recognition for Mitchells & Butlers by The Publican who awarded us as being “Most Sustainable Pub Company” our future has to be sustainable for people , practices and planet to ensure we can keep ser ving with pride for another 125 years

Thatchers Digs Deep for Pub Gardens

Thatchers, the leading family cider maker in the UK, is continuing its suppor t for pubs this spring and summer with the launch of a new competition that offers the chance to win one of three top prizes of a £10,000 garden makeover

Each winner will be offered a bespoke makeover of their outside space , ensuring the design meets the needs of the winning pub and its customers

There will also be 10 runners-up prizes of a garden parasol kit comprising a sought-after Thatchers jumbrella and five eye-catching premium parasols

All the winners and runners-up will receive a Thatchers sampling event for their outlet

As British consumers continue to show their love for premium ciders, 1 in ever y 7 ciders sold in the UK on–trade is from family run cider maker Thatchers, with brands including Thatchers Gold, Thatchers Haze and its new Fusion flavours Blood Orange Cloudy Lemon and Dark Berr y

To enter the competition pubs simply need to purchase three 50-litre Thatchers draught kegs from par ticipating wholesalers before the closing date of 30th April

2023 For the list of par ticipating wholesalers and the full terms and conditions visit www thatcherscider co uk/pub-garden-makeover

Pubs can enter the competition as many times as they like during the promotion period

James Palmer Head of On Trade at Thatchers says “A pub’s outside space whether a garden or cour tyard, however large or small, has an increasingly growing appeal to customers The addition of plants and shrubs creates an attractive and welcoming environment, with items such as garden furniture , umbrellas and planters adding interest throughout the year

“The winning pubs will each receive exper t advice from our makeover team who’ll work closely with them to implement the new design in time for the summer season to create the perfect pub garden for the perfect pint of Thatchers ”

The cider maker s continued investment into pub suppor t follows its Pledge campaign during the Covid restrictions, which saw over 6,000 pubs receive a free keg of cider

Billion Pound Bonanza for Hospitality in May

The combination of the King’s Coronation, Eurovision and three bank holidays means hospitality is set for a bumper month, according to UKHospitality

The long histor y of bank holidays providing a boost to footfall and sales, in addition to the first Coronation in 70 years and Eurovision being held in the UK, has contributed to the analysis by UKHospitality that hospitality is in store for an estimated boost of £1 billion

The King’s Coronation bank holiday weekend alone is set to deliver an individual boost of £350 million to the sector

The bumper month would come at a crucial time for a sector that is contending with a significant increase in energ y costs, record food and drink inflation, continued staffing shor tages and a fresh set of rail strikes

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said:

“May has the potential to be a historic month for the hospitality sector, which is set for one of its busiest times in recent memor y

“We know the British public turn out in their droves for big events and we expect the Coronation and Eurovision to be no different

“Whether it’s the traditional street par ty to celebrate the King or a watch par ty in Liverpool for Eurovision, hospitality will be at the centre of both events and we anticipate this will translate to a huge uplift in sales for the sector

“Bank holidays alone are always popular for eating and drinking out and staycations and combining this with two historic occasions is incredibly exciting for hospitality, at a time when the suppor t of the public is absolutely essential to its sur vival

The Springboard Charity Takes on the World and is Inviting the Hospitality Industry to Join its Virtual Challenge

The Springboard Charity is calling for walkers, runners, cyclists and swimmers to join its biggest challenge yet – a race around the globe , virtually visiting the seven wonders of the world

Suppor ted by headline sponsors CH&Co and Nestlé, the charity s 3rd vir tual race will take place throughout July 2023 raising vital funds to futureproof the talent pipeline for hospitality

To complete the full challenge and visit all seven wonders, racers will have to achieve approximately 31,000 miles For a team of 20 it’s a stretching challenge but each year ’ s racers have pushed themselves to the limit so Springboard has increased the challenge to see just how far tenacious teams can get, and how much can be raised for charity along the way

The vir tual races have raised more than £150,000 over the past two years This makes a huge difference to Springboard’s trainees allowing the charity to reach more young unemployed and underprivileged people giving them the skills and confidence to secure great jobs in hospitality

Previous vir tual racer, Bidfood’s Catherine Hinchcliff, said:

“I was a bit hesitant to par ticipate but was so pleased to have joined up It was such fun and really motivated me to get back on my exercise bike and really go for it!

“The team spirit and competitiveness between our teams pushed me to do way more exercise than I d done in years, and I really surprised myself Lovely to be raising money for such a great cause too ”

The race will use My Vir tual Mission to track the miles and move each team along in the race

Teams are a maximum of 20 people and each team member must pledge to each raise £150 for The Springboard Charity, making it a rewarding and achievable challenge Ever yone who takes par t in the vir tual race receives a goodie back and branded vest There are also spot prizes to win along the way

Registration is £15 per person and team leaders and par ticipants can register at: www springboard uk net/events/vir tual-race-to-qatar-and-back/

Toast in the New King with the Best of British Cocktails

Get ready to toast the New King in true British style with the Best British Cocktails From classic gin and tonics to a boozy vesper mar tini, British cocktails have always been the favourite choice for celebrator y toasts Whether you ' re hosting a street par ty or enjoying a drink at home these cocktails are sure to impress So let's raise a glass and explore the Best British Cocktails that will add a touch of elegance and tradition to your toast to the New King!

1. The Gunner Cocktail

W th an unparalleled natural and refreshing taste , The Gunner coc ktail is the perfect option for those who want to tr y something a refreshingly different option made from Ginger Just simp y add ginger ale to a ta l glass pac ked with ice , follow it up with some lime cordial and ass Angostura bitter s Top up with ginger beer stir and Garnish with a spr ig of mint For those looking to mix it up with a quic k fix, Gunner Coc ktail’s The Sinner adds a shot and a half of aged dark rum to c lassic coc ktail recipe , making it the perfect "sundowner" after a long day of street par ties

2. Vesper Mar tini

It would be treasonous to exc ude the King s favour ite coc ktail from our list Named after the seduct ve double agent Vesper Lynd, t s possibly the world’s most famous dr ink order in histor y In a coc ktail shaker, combine gin, vodka, and Li let Blanc or dr y vermouth, and pour over a cooled coc ktail glass If you are struggling to ser ve up this movie c lassic Whitebox’s Freezer Mar tini has a license to c hill

3 Pimms Cup

No summer garden par ty is complete without a Pimms Cup This fruity and flavour some coc ktail recipe is a garden par ty favour ite The beauty of this quintessentia ly Br itish coc ktail is that you can make it up with whatever c hopped fruit and herbs you want, but traditionally it s mixed with lemonade , strawberr ies , orange , and cucumber Use the c lassic Pimm s No1 as your base , or make your own using dr ied bitter orange peel, Burgh Island Gin, and a cup sweet vermouth

4. Glimet

This c lassic gin-based dr ink is the perfect blend of sweet and sour and is sure to satisfy your thir st on coronation day To make it simply mix gin lime juice , and simple syrup in a shaker with ice , then strain into a c hilled glass and garnish with a lime wedge You could even add a roya touc h to the coc ktail by using a crown-shaped garnish, or by ser ving it in elegant glassware f t for a king

5. Bramble

A year-round favour ite w th gin lover s all over the countr y, this c lassic coc ktail features gin, lemon juice , simple syrup, and b ac kberr y iqueur, and is fin shed with a beautiful blac kberr y garnish In a coc ktail shaker, combine 2 oz of gin, 1 oz of fresh lemon juice , and 1/2 oz of simple syrup Shake well and strain over the crushed ice Next dr izzle 1/2 oz of b ac kberr y l queur over the top of the dr ink, allowing it to sink to the bottom For a royal touc h, why not tr y shaking things up by using some of Br itain’s best independent gins suc h as Poetic L cense Nor thern Dr y Gin

Black Sheep Brewery Enters Administration

A Nor th Yorkshire brewer y has appoint administrators after failing to attract new investment The Black Sheep Brewer y, which employs 50 people , said in April it was under taking a review to look at funding options, including a potential sale or merger

The company said it had been “hit ver y hard” by the pandemic and rising costs The board said the decision to appoint Teneo Financial Advisor y Ltd would protect the interests of its creditors

Charlene Lyons, chief executive and executive chair of Black Sheep Brewer y, said the company had done its “utmost to deliver new investment” but it had not been possible

We are progressing with our discussions around a sale of the business, she said

Ms Lyons said the firm hoped to achieve continuity for the brewer y and its staff

“We have taken the decision to protect the business and its creditors, during this period, by filing a notice of intention to appoint administrators

A spokesperson for Black Sheep Brewer y shared an update on social media, and said: “Thanks for all the suppor tive messages since our announcement, but we ve not gone anywhere! We ve just had 22 tonnes of

malt delivered and are busily making more beer and can supply ever yone as normal So if you’d like to help us, get out to your local and sup some Black Sheep!”

C AMRA’s Real Ale Cider and Perr y Campaigns Director Gillian Hough said: “The fact that one of the UK’s most recognisable independent family brewers has put out a notice to appoint administrators shows just how serious the cost-of-business crisis is for brewers and cider makers Despite some suppor t being available , C AMRA believes that Government simply hasn’t done enough to ensure that brewers are not forced to close by events beyond their control

“Black Sheep is still actively brewing and producing beer, while their Board are working hard to secure a sale of the business which will protect jobs and ensure they can continue to trade

“Imminent hikes in fixed costs like business rates and alcohol duty mean brewers and cider makers across the UK will be facing the same ‘perfect storm’ as the Yorkshire brewer y Black Sheep ales appear regularly at C AMRA events and their cask range is a much-loved sight at bars across the nation’s pubs so we hope a solution can be found which secures Black Sheep’s future ”

Eurovision: Unite Calls for Fair Pay and Treatment of Liverpool Hospitality Workers

During Eurovision week (8 May to 13 May) in Liverpool, Unite , the UK’s leading union, will launch a drive to win fair treatment and pay for the city’s hospitality workers with a number of events

Next week, Liverpool will see a huge influx of visitors as it hosts the Eurovision Song Contest, bringing in millions of extra revenue for the city’s hospitality industr y While Eurovision is a cause for celebration in Liverpool, low paid workers in bars, restaurants and hotels will face a huge increase in workloads

Unite general secretar y Sharon Graham said:

“Liverpool’s hospitality employers will be taking full advantage of the boom in custom during Eurovision Meanwhile , the low pay and insecure work hospitality staff suffer will continue , with no share in the rewards reaped by the contest, despite them bearing the brunt of the extra work

“That’s why during Eurovision and after it, Unite will be helping Liverpool’s hospitality workers to organise collectively Unite is intent on giving them the tools and suppor t they need to force employers into addressing

their concerns and paying a proper living wage ”

UnionVision is being launched during Eurovision week as par t of Unite’s drive for Liverpool hospitality workers to be paid at least the Real Living Wage of £10 90 per hour Unite is also working to ensure hospitality workers in the city to be on secure contracts, to receive 100 per cent of their tips and be free from sexual harassment and abuse

Unite hospitality organiser Caitlin Lee said:

“Unite is concerned that employers will use Eurovision as an opportunity to grab the extra millions the competition will bring in but pass nothing on to their workers but more pressure and worse working conditions

“It does not have to be this way – Eurovision is a chance for employers to raise their game and show the world they are leading the way in treating workers fairly Unite calls on them to grant the union access to workplaces to ensure this happens ”

Kitchen Porter of the Year Celebrates its First Decade with Biggest Prizes Ever

Once again it’s time to nominate the heroes hidden in your kitchen 2023 sees Kitchen Por ter of the Year reach its tenth anniversar y The competition, which is organised by Winterhalter UK and The Caterer, aims to celebrate the amazing work kitchen por ters do in professional kitchens across the UK

Kitchen por ters play an essential role in keeping kitchens organised and running smoothly Not only is the work itself vital, but as can be seen in how many of the industr y ’ s top names star ted out as KPs, it’s the ideal foundation to a great career in foodser vice

Since its launch in 2013, hundreds of businesses and organisations across the UK have nominated their star KPs, recognising the exceptional yet so often unrecognised and unrewarded work they do

“The past few years have been pretty tough for a lot for the industr y, ” says Stephen Kinkead, managing director of Winterhalter UK “Like ever ybody, KPs have had to work harder than ever to adapt to these tr ying

times, so it’s never been more impor tant to highlight their brilliant work ”

This year ’ s prizes are the biggest to date The grand winner will not only bag a brand new Winterhalter wor th £10,000 for their workplace , they’ll also get £1000 of vouchers for themselves as well as an exclusive celebration event in London for their friends and family Two runners up will each get vouchers wor th £250, and because ever y KP deser ves recognition ever y nominee will receive an exclusive KP of the Year apron “I’ve been a KP, it’s a job that requires dedication and skill,” says Stephen “Down the years we ’ ve seen countless examples of KPs going above and beyond in all sectors of the industr y, from fast, casual to fine dining, from hospitals, schools and prisons and football grounds to oil rigs and we hope that our tenth year sees yet more great companies and organisations nominating their kitchen por ters for this award

To enter, simply fill in the form here Closing date for entries is 29th July 2023, and the winners will be judged by a panel of some of the biggest names in the foodser vice industr y

We

CLH News are looking to do a round-up on how the hospitality industr y and individual businesses have celebrated the momentous occasion.

Please send us photos and details of your events to edit@catererlicensee .com for a special commemorative feature later this month!

Charities Just a Drop and Street Soccer Foundation Partner to Launch The Travel United Cup 2023

Travel industr y charity Just a Drop has announced a par tnership with the Street Soccer Foundation to launch a new travel-exclusive football tournament

The Travel United Cup which will be held on Friday 7th July 2023 will bring together 16 teams to compete at the iconic St George’s Park, the home of English Football and the ground used for the national England team to train across the year

It will give attendees the exclusive oppor tunity to experience playing on the prestigious David Beckham Pitch and exploring the Club England Pavilion, an oppor tunity that is usually closed off to the public Alongside the tournament itself, attendees will be invited to take par t in a ‘skills zone ’ to practice their penalties and learn new tricks

The tournament is the brainchild of Andy Mabbutt who said, “I got involved in the Street Soccer Foundation over a year ago and it has absolutely blown me away how much of a positive game changing impact the foundation makes upon many young people’s lives To do this in par tnership with another wonderful, amazing charity Just A Drop whom I have had the privilege and pleasure in suppor ting on many occasions, is a hugely rewarding combination I love my football and more impor tantly I simply adore the travel industr y and the people in it, and to bring both together to create an event that will make a difference to less for tunate young people is a no brainer and incredibly exciting ”

And Founder of Just a Drop, Fiona Jeffer y OBE said, “The travel industr y has a reputation of competing to

be the ver y best – this is a chance to compete for and take home a different accolade – an industr y cup that proves once and for all which travel company is the best at football All whilst transforming lives both in the UK and across the world

The Travel United Cup is also a once in a lifetime oppor tunity to play at the home of English football whilst suppor ting two organisations dedicated to making positive change

Having star ted at WTM in 1998, international water charity, Just a Drop, works directly with communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America to enable access to sustainable , safe water solutions, sanitation facilities and knowledge of safe hygiene practices

Since conception, the travel industr y has helped Just a Drop to suppor t 1 9 million people across 32 countries with community-owned safe water and sanitation projects, transforming lives

To enter the tournament, companies or individuals need to put together a team of 7-10 people and sign up through Just a Drop’s website here Entr y is £2 000 per team and we also have several sponsorship oppor tunities available from £1 000 up to £6 000 for the headline sponsor For any questions about registering or sponsorship please email Ruth Mileham at ruth mileham@justadrop org

So do you think you could’ve done a better job than Harr y Kane in that quar ter-final? Dust off your football boots and grab some teammates to prove once and for all, you are the best in the travel industr y!

Scotch Whisky is Made To Be Measured in New Responsible Drinking Campaign

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has launched a new campaign as par t of its ongoing effor ts to promote responsible consumption and tackle harmful drinking

Made to be Measured aims to raise awareness of the alcohol content of drinks and the recommended weekly guidelines (units) As Scotland’s national drink, carefully crafted and only released after many years of maturation in warehouses across the countr y, Scotch Whisky is there to be savoured and enjoyed responsibly The campaign aimed at adults in Scotland will run across a range of digital and consumer platforms all using creative adver tising to help convey and clarify the units within Scotch Whisky and other alcoholic drinks

One single 25ml measure of whisky (at 40% abv) comes in at one unit, with guidelines from Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer recommending consumers do not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week Four teen units of alcohol equate to approximately 14 single measures (25ml) of spirits, one and a half bottles of wine or five pints of lager at average strength

Research from the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland found that awareness of the recommended guidance for weekly alcohol consumption remains low

Mark Kent, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said: “Scotch Whisky is an iconic product with

a diverse consumer base enjoyed in many forms including as a dram, or in a cocktail However you enjoy your whisky, it is a product that is meant to be sipped and savoured Distillers take great pride in the heritage , experience and care that goes into blending and maturing Scotch Whisky and like us, want to see consumers enjoy these incredible liquids in a responsible manner It’s about quality over quantity ”

“The Scotch Whisky industr y takes the responsible consumption of its products extremely seriously With many people in Scotland still unclear on what the unit guidelines are and how this equates to the volume of alcohol they drink, Made to be Measured aims to drive awareness of this guidance and encourage people to track what they drink, so they can feel informed whilst they enjoy it ”

Billy Walker, Managing Director of the GlenAllachie Distiller y in Speyside , and chair of the SWA’s Members’ Forum, said:

“This campaign is another impor tant milestone in the Scotch Whisky industr y ’ s continued work to ensure its products are enjoyed responsibly throughout Scotland The whiskies we produce have been skilfully crafted over many years, and we are proud of our products and their place on the world stage We look forward to par ticipating in this campaign to raise awareness and understanding of alcohol units and recommended drinking guidelines among Scottish consumers ”

“Masters of Travel” Board to Seek Solutions in the New Era of Corporate Travel

Hospitality group Accor will bring together 10 leading businesses from across Europe to host its 2023 “Masters of Travel” advisor y board meeting on 9 and 10 May 2023

The advisor y board was established in 2021 to create a vision for business travel and corporate meetings post-pandemic The panel will connect European business leaders responsible for corporate travel from across 10 industries and senior executives from Accor to explore corporate priorities in the new era of business travel

Delegates will attend from leading firms across multiple sectors, including the technolog y industr y, legal, energ y, engineering, FMCG, Pharmaceuticals and professional ser vices Executives from the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Poland will come together in Belgium at the Le Louise Hotel Brussels, par t of the MGaller y collection

The Carbon Footprint of the event has been calculated using Accor’s Carbon Calculator and the carbon offset via cer tified carbon credits Carbon credits are an investment in emission reductions to drive the transition to a low-carbon economy

Topics for discussion at the event will include environmental social and governance (ESG) as an ongoing key focus for corporate travel organisers and the hospitality industr y The group will also look at the smar test ways for corporates to manage payments; issues around the increasing propensity for business travellers to blend work and leisure trips; and how hospitality companies can better suppor t business travellers through loyalty programmes

Sophie Hulgard, Chief Sales Officer, Accor and Co-Host of Masters of Travel commented: “The world of corporate travel is still changing quickly and both clients and hospitality businesses need to learn how to adapt to the new demands and priorities of organisations and business travellers The Masters of Travel event has been invaluable in shaping our thinking around business travel and it is crucial that we continue this dialogue in order to fully understand what businesses are thinking and work collaboratively to create solutions that meet their objectives

The board will share its findings, insights and actions as par t of a series of three repor ts Accor will develop in the coming months, focusing respectively on leisure travel; business travel; and MICE

CIDER- A BRITISH “LOVE AFFAIR” THAT JUST KEEPS GROWING!

Cider has been a beloved drink in the UK for centuries, with a rich histor y and a strong cultural association with summer and outdoor drinking In this ar ticle , we explore the British love affair with cider, including its popularity in pubs, bars, and beer gardens, the histor y of the drink, the demographic age groups that consume it and cider sales data for the past ten years We will also provide tips and advice on how pub bar owners can increase sales

Cider has a long and storied histor y in the UK with the first recorded mention of the drink dating back to the 13th centur y It was traditionally produced on small farms and orchards, and each region had its own unique cider-making methods and varieties of apple

In recent years cider has experienced a resurgence in popularity, with a growing number of craft cider producers and a renewed interest in traditional cidermaking methods

DEMOGRAPHIC AGE GROUPS

Cider has long been associated with young people and summer drinking, with the drink being popular among students and festival-goers However, recent data suggests that cider is increasingly popular among older age groups as well

According to a study by Kantar Worldpanel the number of people over the age of 45 who drink cider has increased by 50% in the past decade This suggests that cider is no longer just a drink for young people , but is now enjoyed by a wide range of age groups

Cider is a popular drink in pubs, bars, and beer gardens across the UK, par ticularly during the summer months Many pubs and bars now offer a range of ciders, from traditional farmhouse varieties to craft ciders and flavoured ciders

According to data from CGA, cider sales in the ontrade sector (pubs bars and restaurants) have increased by 1 6% in the past year This suggests that cider remains a popular choice for drinkers, despite competition from other drinks such as craft beer and gin

WHAT ARE THE LATEST TREND DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE CIDER CATEGORY?

Charlie Fr yday Categor y Director UK On-Trade for HEINEKEN UK says: “Over 870,000 pints of cider are bought in the UK ever y day (CGA Strateg y, MAT 16/07/2022) Draught ser ves dominate here , with mainstream apple brands such as Strongbow Original and Inch’s Apple Cider, remain best-sellers across most outlet types as mainstream apple cider remains the fastest selling cider categor y (CGA Strateg y: GB MAT Value Share 2YA vs TY (03 12 22)

However, premium cider is on an upward trajector y, providing a lucrative oppor tunity for pubs Value sales of premium draught apple and flavoured ciders have grown by 7% and 195% respectively in the last five years (CGA Strateg y MAT TY vs 4YA 16/07/22) To maximise cider sales, operators should look to suppor t mainstream draught offerings with a selection of premium apple as well as exotic flavoured ciders on draught This does not mean bottled cider should be overlooked, as packaged brings in over £5,800 to the average outlet ever y year (CGA November 2022) ”

years with data from the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) showing that cider production increased by 5 5% in 2019

UK is now the world's largest producer and onsumer of cider, with sales of the drink reaching £3 5 billion in 2019 This represents a significant increase from ten years ago, when cider sales were just over £2 billion Craft cider has been a major driver of the crease in cider sales, with many consumers king out ar tisanal and traditional varieties of the drink According to data from Nielsen, sales of craft cider increased by 10 4% in the past year, however, mainstream ciders continue to grow with an uplift of 2 1% for mainstream cider brands

YOUR CIDER RANGE THIS SUMMER

When considering your cider selection, star t with the apple – ensure you have a well-loved premium brand on the bar such as Thatchers Gold

The key to success is quality – offering consumers a brand synonymous with con sistent quality and ensuring a perfect ser v ever y pint will maximise rate of sale and keep your cider drinkers coming back for more Thatchers Gold has the highest rate of sale of any draught apple cider

The right range with the right profile will help maximise revenue from ever y visit too as you ’ re able to set a higher price point for premium and premium plus ciders across both apple and flavoured styles

Apple cider remains king, accounting for 3 out of ever y 4 draught cider ser ves, with premium brands showing the strongest growth so you see how vital it is to make the best choice with one or two taps on the bar

If you have strong consumer demand for apple cider in your outlet, consider a second apple tap in a different style – Thatchers Haze complements Thatchers Gold with a sweeter flavour profile

James Palmer, Head of OnTrade , Thatchers Cider said Cider is an impor tant categor y in any pub, at all times of year – if you only have one tap of cider make sure it’s a brand people want to see

We ll be suppor ting our brands with high profile marketing campaigns this spring and summer

We work with our customers to get their range right for their drinkers Depending on if they’re a high tempo outlet or countr y pub it’s impor tant to offer a choice of cider styles, one or two taps, Gold and Haze , with our alcohol-free Zero in the fridge And Fusion

for fruit cider customers

We do see drinkers come into cider from other categories over the summer months especially as they explore fruitier options!

With that in mind, we ’ re expecting Thatchers Blood Orange to boom this summer as it is the leading trending flavour across the UK

WESTON'S CIDER REPORT

According to Westons’ eighth annual Cider Repor t:

• On-trade cider sales were wor th £1 863 4M (+61 5%) in 2022, as the premium and crafted sub-categor ies continue to outpace mainstream cider s

• Draught cider sales hold steady, at 76 2% of the market Apple continues to make up the major ity of the draught categor y (75 4%) and anecdotally it is recogthat draught cider s are seen to offer better value or money dur ing times of auster ity so we can expect this performance to be maintained, if not exceeded, in 2023

• Bag in Box continues to reinvigorate draught ranges , as the cask ale categor y remains in dec line and allows outlets to showcase an interesting and fully stoc ked bar

CIDER DRINKING TRENDS FOR 2023

Trends that will continue growth throughout 2023 and into next year include:

• Premiumisation picks up pace – this long termtrend is continuing and accelerating, as consumers are increasingly interested in the authenticity, craft and connoisseurship of cider This sub-categor y is showing the most growth and value potential growing from 12% of the categor y in the on-trade in 2021, to 14 4% of total volume sales at the end of 2022

• Quality cues – During periods of economic uncer tainty, consumers in the ontrade will be looking for a quality drink that matches the occasion and so cider ranges must deliver this message – especially when compared with other categories

Lead with apple – Apple cider remains the most popular cider type , driving the categor y in value and volume Flavoured ciders have stabilised at around a third of the categor y, with dark berr y taking a significant share of this

• Low & No – this sub-categor y is steadily growing and, in the on-trade , is wor th £26 9M, having doubled over the past three years While no and low alcohol cider is behind the total overall

categor y, more consumers are becoming interested in alternative offerings

POPULARITY IN PUBS, BARS, AND BEER GARDENS

Cider is best drunk in pubs, bars, and beer gardens, par ticularly during the summer months when customers are looking for refreshing fruity drinks to enjoy outside

According to industr y data cider accounts for around 20% of total alcohol sales in pubs making it the second most popular drink after beer In 2020, pub and bar sales of cider totaled £1 5 billion, up from £1 2 billion in 2011

MAKING THE MOST OF THE SUMMER MONTHS

As the summer months approach, pubs in the UK will be looking for ways to increase their sales of cider, a popular drink among customers during the warmer weather Here are some tips for pub operators to increase their cider sales:

MARKETING: Promoting the pub s cider selection through social media and adver tising is an effective way to draw customers in Posting pictures of chilled glasses of cider and adver tising promotions such as happy hours and discounts can create a buzz and increase interest in the pub's cider selection

FESTIVALS: Hosting cider festivals can also be a great way to generate interest in the pub's cider offerings These events can be adver tised through social media and posters in the pub Hosting tastings and having knowledgeable staff on hand to answer questions about the different types of cider available can help customers learn more about the product

and find new favourites

PROMOTIONS: Offering promotions such as 2for-1 deals or discounted pitchers of cider can encourage customers to tr y different types of cider and increase sales Running themed nights such as Cider and Cheese Night or Cider and BBQ Night can also be a fun way to showcase the pub's cider selection and encourage customers to tr y new flavours

FOOD PAIRING: Pairing cider with food can also be a way to increase sales Offering a food menu that pairs well with different types of cider can create a unique experience for customers and encourage them to tr y different types of cider For example , a sweet cider may pair well with spicy wings, while a dr y cider may be best paired with a cheese board In addition to these tips, it's impor tant for pub operators to ensure that their cider selection is varied and includes popular brands as well as local and craft options Providing tasting notes and descriptions can also help customers choose the cider that is right for them

Overall, with the right marketing, events, promotions, and food pairing, pub operators can increase their sales of cider during the summer months and beyond

Glebe Farm: The Purest British Oats

Pure , locally grown, gluten-free: Nobody does oats better

Oats are a natural superfood They are packed full of the vitamins, minerals and soluble fibre that helps suppor t a healthy gut and they are also naturally gluten free

Unfor tunately, many of the oatbased products on supermarket shelves today are milled and manufactured at facilities that also process grains like wheat, barley or r ye This leads to contamination of the oats meaning they lose their purity and become unsuitable for the 1 in 100 of those who are coeliac or the estimated 10% of UK consumers now following a gluten-free diet

It was this gap in the market that saw sister and brother team Rebecca and Philip Rayner dedicate themselves to producing truly gluten free oats An independent Cambridge farm and dedicated glutenfree site since 2010, Glebe Farm is the only farm in the UK growing and milling gluten free oats

Glebe Farm’s wonderfully pure British oats are ready to be used by manufacturers and bakers, and are also used in their gluten free oat drink, PureOaty The

Chef's Buyer's Guide

PureOaty range has been designed as the perfect pairing for barista quality coffee , but is also great with cereal or in a smoothie The range includes: PureOaty Barista

PureOaty Creamy & Enriched, and PureOaty Organic Barista

Packed with all the delicious flavour, creamy texture , and delightful frothiness that characterises the best oat drinks, unlike many others on the market, PureOaty never uses concentrate or syrup The only ingredients you’ll ever see on the car tons are oats, water, sunflower oil, and salt

And it’s not just oat drinks, the same oats can be found in Glebe Farm’s own brand of gluten free porridge oats and granolas

100% sown, grown, milled and packed in the UK, the second-generation farmers at Glebe Farm know where ever y single oat that goes into their products comes from That means ever y oat leaving the site is guaranteed to be of the best quality and 100% gluten-free Even better, being British grown and produced means they have the lowest food miles on the market, making them the top choice for sustainable oat products For more information, please visit www glebefarmfoods co uk

PEPPADEW® - the UK’s No 1 pepper brandi - launches new PEPPADEW® Bites exclusively for foodser vice

With 9/10 consumers looking to indulge when eating outii and 87% of consumers saying they’d order the new bitesiii, PEPPADEW® s latest innovation is set to take menus by storm Made in the UK these delicious new bites balance the sweet, tang y flavour of their signature whole Piquanté Pepper, with a smooth soft cheese filling, coated in a crisp, pankostyle crumb 100% vegetarian they meet the demand for tasty flexitarian options, as consumers continue to move away from meativ Extremely versatile , they’re perfect for star ters, sides, tapas,

There is a better way to feed our future Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat pioneered plant-based meat that is crafted to look cook and taste like its animal counterpar t while being better for people and the planet Today, we ' re growing the plant-based movement globally

WE'RE ON A MISSION

Through small, ever yday choices -like shifting to plant-based meat- ever yone has the ability to make a meaningful impact on some of the most pressing issues our world faces today: human health climate change , constraints on our natural resources and animal welfare With products in retail and foodser vice

outlets, we re making plant-based meat more accessible to the ever yday consumer BETTER FOR YOU

OUR PROCESS: Through a simple process of heating, cooling, pressure and mixing, we ' re recreating the meaty taste and texture you love about animal meat

OUR INGREDIENTS: Our quality, plant-based ingredients -like peas and brown r ice- contain no GMOs , antibiotics , hormones or c holesterol They're also pac ked with nutr ients , providing you with a great source of protein and other impor tant benefits you get from animal meat

Beyond Meat products enable you to Eat What You Love™ no sacrifice required

For example compared to 80/20 ground beef , our iconic Beyond Burger contains 35% less total and saturated fat fewer calories and a comparable micronutrient profile BETTER FOR OUR PLANET

Plant-based meat is far more sustainable to produce than animal-based meat Compared to a 1⁄4lb U S beef burger, producing an original Beyond Burger uses*:

99% LESS WATER

93% LESS LAND

46% LESS ENERGY

TASTING IS BELIEVING

Visit www.beyondmeat.com for fur ther information

*As of June 2021

Chef's Buyer's Guide

Bacchus Wines PLDC Announce UK-Exclusive Deal with Champagne House Paul Lebrun

Bacchus Wines PLDC Ltd an independent wine merchant offers wines to restaurants caterers, bars, pubs and wine enthusiasts The UK-based wine wholesaler sells top-quality, award-winning wines at prices that hospitality businesses can appreciate They have excellent relationships with family-run winemakers in France and the team personally select their wines to ensure top quality at great prices In addition, they handle the impor t of wine into the UK, solving all freight and trade agreement issues

Bacchus Wines are pleased to announce its UK-exclusive par tnership with champagne house Paul Lebrun Founded in 1902, the Maison draws its inspiration from multi-generational winemaking know-how Their Champagnes are top in their class and have beaten the biggest brands on the market in taste tests

Bacchus Wines Co-Founder Trond Rornes told us, "We are ver y excited to bring the fantastic Champagnes by Paul Lebrun to the UK market The Champagne house has been exper tly making Champagne for generations, and we love the unique character and the rich taste of Chardonnay their Champagnes offer We know our customers will love this Champagne as much as we do "

Over the decades, the Vignier-Lebrun family have adopted a progressive outlook to understand bet-

Ariela’s Gelato

Gelato is more than just icecream – it’s a pure taste of Italy

A truly ar tisan treat, Ariela’s Gelato is the perfect way to indulge in an authentic desser t that is as delicious as it is decadent

Made with only the finest ingredients, our Gelato is never loaded with ar tificial additives and preser vatives Instead, we make sure that you are receiving the healthiest, most natural Gelato in keeping with Italian tradition And unlike mass-produced ice-cream, ar tisan Gelato is carefully crafted from the hear t

When you forget tradition you lose taste; and without the ar tisan, you lose the ar t But with Ariela’s Gelato, you experience – and can taste

a true labour of love

Ariela’s Gelato was born out of a desire to recreate a world that was taken for granted back in Italy For founder and owner Ariela Cesana, after moving to London, it was impossible to get a true taste of home: “I was so frustrated when I couldn’t find a Gelato in London

like the one I grew up with – so I decided to just make it myself! And since 2006, Ariela has been on a journey to bring the luxurious taste of Italy to the UK

Made in small batches using only the purest, highest-quality ingredients our Gelato uses the same traditional processes that can only be found in an authentic Italian Gelateria for a truly ar tisan, lovingly crafted, authentic Italian Gelato

What really sets Ariela s Gelato apar t is the ar tistr y and exper tise that can only come from true experience and passion The base of our Gelato is pasteurised, poured into batch freezers, churned, then extracted and decorated by hand one by one , flavour by flavour

Care goes into ever ything we do to make sure you and our customers receive the truest Gelato experience , and when it comes to creating our range , we ’ ve been passionate about pursuing perfection Each flavour is a carefully crafted blend of natural ingredients that have been painstakingly tried and tested to ensure you get flavour, not flavourings

For fur ther information see the adver t on this page

ter and look after the unique terroir to grow exceptional Chardonnay grapes for their cuvees The grape variety is grown on their chalky soils south of Épernay and on the soils rich in rolled pebbles in Sézanne , which are rare in the Champagne vineyards These exceptional terroirs must be protected and respected to produce their outstanding Champagne , which is necessar y to achieve their Grand cru classification

Private Chef Tim Whittam told us, "I ser ved the Extra Brut champagne at my supper club The Champagne solicited much praise from the diners!"

Small yet perfectly curated, the Bacchus Wines PLDC collection is handpicked and personally selected by the founders They choose quality wines with provenance and integrity, with the utmost impor tance on the ar t of winemaking rather than mass production In addition, they offer prices and ser vice hospitality businesses can appreciate For more information, please visit https://bacchuspldc com/

The Next Generation of Fries Have Arrived… and They Are REALLY Crunchy!

Lamb Weston has launched its latest potato innovation; REALLY Crunchy Fries!

Created to satisfy growing demand for unique sensor y dining experiences and sustainably-minded quality ingredients, and designed for the next era of dining out, these ground-breaking coated fries promise an unbeatable long-lasting crunch sensation that no other fr y can rival, appealing to diners that want the ver y best food experiences

When choosing to eat out, 1 in 2 diners in the UK want food experiences they can’t get anywhere else^ and right now 75% of diners crave indulgent foods that offer sensor y pleasure as a means to boost their mental wellbeing and make them feel happier and UK operators want addedvalue products that offer a ‘ wow factor’ moment for their guests whether in-restaurant takeaway or home deliver y

Lamb Weston’s UK Marketing Manager, Pete Evans, says; “Expectations on foodser vice operators have never been higher Guests want to be wowed like never before and ever y element of a dish needs to deliver a great quality sensor y experience that goes beyond just taste! Our industr yleading innovations in frozen fries over the past 25 years have created a legacy for world-famous potato solutions in

quality, taste and heat-holding capabilities, but now the time is right to elevate the fr y experience to a new standard in indulgent, sensor y potato enjoyment!”

Sensor y research by acclaimed audiologist Natan Bauman, MD, revealed that the sensation of crunchy food stimulates feelings of enjoyment and excitement in our brains † This makes crunchier foods more pleasurable to eat, so REALLY Crunchy Fries means really satisfied diners!

Pete Evans adds; “We set out with clear vision to create the crunchiest fr y we ’ ve ever made and with REALLY Crunchy Fries we have cracked it! This is a really new and really exciting product that is uniquely different in appearance and mouthfeel, offering an unbeatable fr y experience for diners and an unbeatable product solution for forward-thinking foodser vice operators

Ready to experience REALLY Crunchy Fries for yourself?

Visit https://pages lambweston eu/en/really-crunchy-fries to request a sample now

Discover the Power of Chefs’ Most Trusted Bouillon* Chef's Buyer's Guide

Chef Tom Kerridge has joined forces with Knorr Professional Bouillons to launch a new online training hub for chefs ‘The Base’ contains exclusive recipes video tutorials and training tools that will help other professional chefs to improve their skills in the kitchen

As the new Creative Director for Knorr Professional Bouillons, two Michelinstarred Chef Tom has also developed a range of classic recipes with modern seasonal twists, each using products from the range in a different way The dishes showcase the versatility of Knorr Professional Bouillons, from delivering depth of flavour at the base through to a seasoning boost, meat rub or salt replacement

Plant-Based Egg Alternatives from OGGS®

With plant-based diets a growing trend, it’s more impor tant than ever to ensure that menus are as inclusive as possible This Veganuar y, over 600,000 people signed up to go vegan for a month Eggs were the second most missed product over this time (14% of par ticipants), with options when eating out being the major barrier to sticking to the pledge (26% of par ticipants)

Enter OGGS®, creators of OGGS® Aquafaba and Scrambled OGGS® Scrambled OGGS® is an egg alternative for breakfast and brunch menus made from chickpea protein Simply shake , pour and cook in minutes for a breakfast scramble to take centre stage on vegetarian or vegan brunch You can also create omelettes, quiches and so much more with Scrambled OGGS® Producing 60% less CO2e than eggs, it s not just kinder to animals, but the environment too

OGGS® Aquafaba is an egg white alternative made from chickpeas, an innovative solution to removing egg whites

from cocktails With six months shelf life and a neutral flavour profile OGGS® Aquafaba functions exactly the same as egg whites in cocktails, while removing an allergen from your menu With 72% less CO2e than eggs, you can create the same delicious drinks without the egg using OGGS® Aquafaba for a more inclusive and environmentally friendly cocktail menu Will at 31k in Nottingham said: “Ever y other drink we sell is a cocktail, and 1 in 4 for those calls for a foam That s 100 cocktails a night which would call for 100 eggs Thanks to OGGS® , we ’ ve saved 100 discarded yolks and 100 broken eggs shells each shift - and the hassle of rinsing spilled egg whites! OGGS® is hassle-free in use , taste-free in cocktails, and guilt-free as it helps us lower our environmental footprint

For more information contact trade@loveoggs com

Tom said: "Using bouillons in kitchens isn’t about cutting corners It’s about bringing the best out of the ingredients in a dish, adding an extra dimension to your food and making this food accessible and achievable for chefs of all levels ”

Knorr Professional’s Bouillons are available in Powder Paste and Jelly formats offering chefs versatility and flexibility in usage and application, plus consistent depth of flavour ever y time

GET TOM’S RECIPES AT UFS COM/BITB

See the adver t on the facing page for details

*Aggregated UK wholesaler value sales 52 w/e 27th Januar y 2023

Riso Gallo - Sensationally Sustainable!

Riso Gallo is the first international rice brand to have produced its rice from sustainable agriculture , making their premium best-selling risotto completely sustainable from field to fork!

Established in 1856, Riso Gallo is the oldest Risotto rice producer in Italy and has been delivering its premium rice to consumers around the world for over six generations

Known to many as Italy’s first choice , Riso Gallo is one of the longest sur viving rice companies in Italy and is still growing A family run business, it is now in it’s 6th generation

The company has uniquely created its own Circular Economy within it’s rice production, collaborating with innovative star tups to give new life to the byproducts of the rice mill which produces the delicious range of rices of the Riso Gallo Brand Rice House is an Italian initiative in which the secondar y materials in rice cultivation are used to build

ethical houses

Rice by-products are even used by Mogu in a range of designer furniture production

The Albini Group to develop a process of ‘Off the Grain’ dye for fabric When the Nero (black) rice is processed for the food industr y the by product of the deep grape coloured water is used as a natural dye

All Riso Gallo plastic vacuum packaging is now suitable for recycling, following the launch of a new eco-sustainable , low environmental impact plastic Riso Gallo are the first company to adopt this sustainable packaging

The Gallo Risotto Traditional Arborio Carnaroli and the Carnaroli Rustico are now in packs using FSC cer tified cardboard outer to protect the grains Riso Gallo is committed to reducing and monitoring greenhouse emissions and uses energ y from renewable cer tified resources www.risogallo.co.uk

Cleaning and Hygiene

Choosing Washroom Equipment & Minimising Costs

wear and corrosion it s also hygienic and easy to clean

Behind-the-mirror systems are an especially durable option With all the working elements set behind a mirror, dispensers aren’t subject to accidental knocks and scratches and they stay well-protected against tampering and vandalism

Providing customers with attractive and properly equipped washrooms is essential for an organisation’s image and, of course , for legal compliance Often however, the costs of maintaining those facilities can far exceed the costs of installing them

Typically, the biggest expenses are associated with consumables: the ongoing costs of the soaps, paper towels and toilet tissue used in washroom dispensers and equally, the time and labour costs associated with checking and replenishing them

Consequently it is often helpful to choose larger-capacity dispensers They will reduce the need for regular inter vention and impor tantly help to ensure that guests don’t find them empty when they need them

In high-use environments, damage and breakdowns can be costly too, so it makes sense to choose well-constructed dispensers made of robust materials Stainless steel is an excellent choice; it resists accidental damage ,

Such systems may cost more initially, but they should greatly outlast less sturdy alternatives and by requiring less maintenance and fewer repairs and replacements they should incur substantially lower costs overall Good washroom equipment can also make an important contribution to the customer experience Guests will be quick to notice poorly equipped or badly maintained facilities; the condition of the washroom can say a lot about a business Specifying more reliable washroom equipment will make an impor tant difference , but stainless-steel products offer another attractive feature: they can be produced in a variety of styles and finishes –brushed, painted and lacquered – to match existing corporate branding

Finally, many businesses are keen to promote sustainability and here , stainless steel dispensers afford another benefit Made from 60% recycled content they can be fully recycled at the end of their long working lives Moreover, Dudley Industries’ products are made in a factor y using 100% renewable energ y, so their carbon impacts are fur ther reduced For added peace of mind they are also suppor ted by up to 10 years ’ warranty For fur ther information see the adver t on this page

edencleen from Cleenol

edencleen from Cleenol reaffirms our commitment to our credentials for environmental guardianship, and represents an evolution of what has been an integral par t of our DNA

The range covers the essential needs to cover 80% of daily cleaning and include: a washroom cleaner and toilet gel cleaner and urinal deodoriser an all-purpose surface sanitiser, a degreaser and a washing up liquid, a no rinse floor degreaser a window cleaner and a laundr y detergent and fabric softener

Combining carefully formulated products with appropriate packaging, using recycled material or recy-

clable componentr y the range s mostly colourless liquid and low fragrance usage are designed to convey a transparency and straightforwardness of our approach which will be a hallmark of all edencleen products and associated ser vices

Careful use of enzymatic formulations and more traditional chemistr y brings a por tfolio of products that s finely attuned to delivering effective cleaning which when used as instructed helps maintain a neutral environmental impact

See the adver t on this page for fur ther information

Cleaning and Hygiene

Legionella Risk Assessments

Legionnaires disease can cause serious illness and even death, it was named after the 1st major recorded outbreak at a conference/gathering in the United States

The bacteria are present in all water and become an issue when the right conditions for them to proliferate exist These are; an ideal temperature and some stagnation the perfect temperature is mid to high 30 degrees

C

Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L8 recommends that an initial Legionella risk assessment is carried out and then a suitable water management scheme is put in place and followed This will include monitoring of outlets and water tanks and may include regular water sampling and disinfections The Legionella risk assessment needs to be carried out to BS8580 by a competent i e trained person

The bacteria is ingested by human beings in the form of an aerosol and then infects the lungs, the symptoms are similar to flu and also Covid 19 The mild illness is called Pontiac fever and will generally be flu-like and may dissi-

pate without treatment The more serious illness can involve hospitalisation including ICU and even death

Public Health England confirms there were 503 cases of Legionnaires' Disease in 2019 for England and Wales – an average of almost 10 cases a week (Latest available data)

The most common sources are from showers or other equipment, such as cooling towers, that produce an aerosol Stagnation is also a major factor in increasing the risk, to mitigate this any low use/seldom used outlets should be run off weekly Temperature monitoring is also advisable , both of these actions MUST be recorded

In summation: A current Legionella risk assessment and appropriate water hygiene management and monitoring scheme will prevent the bacteria proliferation within the systems and therefore significantly reduce the risk to Staff and public health Steve Dillon (Advanced WMSoC Legionella Risk Assessor) Managing Director Stokefield Water Treatment Ltd

See the adver t on this page for details

Tork Offers Both Hygienic and Sustainable Skincare Solutions

Tork, a leader in professional hygiene solutions have launched two new innovative soaps to cater to specific demands and improve sustainable performance in the hospitality market The two new high-quality refills come in foam and liquid formats, are dermatologically proven and cer tified with the EU Ecolabel

Alongside the increasing demand for effective hygiene solutions, the demand from customers for truly sustainable products is on the rise1 Besides helping to secure the new hygiene standard through outstanding handwashing solutions, Tork is developing products that support a circular society and our soaps are generally designed to reduce environmental impacts such as water consumption or waste

The new Tork Clarity Hand Washing Foam Soap helps promote a healthy and hygienic workplace: 99% of the ingredients are from natural origin2 and designed with sustainability in mind 7 of 9 ingredients are sourced from vegetable origin, the full formula is readily biodegradable3 and therefore an environmentally con-

scious choice

The hands of chefs and kitchen staff are subject to heavy wear and tear, especially in the dining and catering industr y The new Tork OdourControl Hand Washing Liquid Soap is special designed for professional chefs so they can focus on preparing and ser ving safe food The soap helps prevent the transfer of food residues via the hands while also helping to remove food odours such as fish and garlic It

Both come in factor y-sealed one litre bottles with single use pumps that provide a hygienic clean hand wash and help reduce risk of cross-contamination The bottles collapse as the contents are used, helping to reduce the waste volumes by 70%4

The demand for skin-friendly and sustainable hand hygiene products is increasing and Tork offers the perfect product combination to ensure the new standard of hygiene

Please visit: www tork co uk

10% DISCOUNT if you place an order quoting Caterer Licensee & Hotelier

All other water hygiene management carried out including:

• Disinfections, domestic and process water sampling

• Softener installation and maintenance

• ACOP L8 monitoring

Robert’s Dorset

Shop owners Not only are Rober t’s products delicious, they’re also attractively designed and stackable Our range will look splendid in your store

Our products:

Products and Services

The Perfect Snack

We offer keto vegetarian vegan sugar-free gluten-free and allergen-free crackling, nuts and fudge

Proper Pork Crackling. Keto-fr iendly and al ergenfree with no MSG , no ar tificial flavour s and no enhancer s

Yummy Peanuts and Delicious Cashews Our AA-grade

• Trade pr icing

• And we can deliver big order s

All our packaging is fully recyclable or reusable and we have a 99 9% waste free production process

We are proud to be 100% cer tified by RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil*) and buy only from a segregated supply chain

If you are looking to rebrand and sell, stock, or gift our amazing, delicious snacks we’d love to hear from you

Contact Rober t to discuss your needs and ideas, or request our online catalogue:

rober t@rober tsdorset.com 01202 875280

www rober

Aqilla Helps Independent Hotel Reach a Level of Financial Control to Rival Global Groups

When Sage 200 Extra Online was withdrawn, it was the perfect oppor tunity for Rober t McCluskey, Financial Controller at The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells, to implement new accounting software that would offer advanced financial analysis reduce the time spent on manual tasks, and gain a competitive advantage for this independent hotel He chose Aqilla’s cloud-based accounting software to help achieve these strategic goals

Explaining his reasons for choosing Aqilla, Rober t said, Having come from larger hotel groups, I m used to working with the level of financial analysis you get from bigger applications QuickBooks was never going to do it, and the bigger packages are out of my range , but

Aqilla is in that middle space where you can get lots of functionality from quite a light product and a low cost of ownership

THE CHALLENGE

The 70-room independent hotel has several revenue streams, including a Spa and Leisure Club, restaurants, conference ser vices and events Different business applications are in place to suppor t each depar tment; the hotel management system covers bookings and housekeeping, and a spa and leisure club system manages therapy bookings and memberships There is also a food and beverage till system, which stores information to help manage stock and predict purchasing needs in line with historic trends

There are around 2,000 metrics that can potentially be har vested and analysed daily for improved financial control The data from each system is currently impor ted into Excel However, it wasn’t possible to upload Excel data into Sage This meant that the financial analysis could only span the volume of data the accounts team could manually input each day – on average , just 30 lines Par ticularly impor tant following the impact on the business caused by the pandemic improved financial analysis would help the hotel control costs increase efficiencies and make more accurate predictions

THE SOLUTION

Sage’s limitations meant that Rober t could only tap into a small percentage of the total data available to him limiting his range of performance measures and the quality of the insights from such a small data pool Aqilla’s Excel Add-In means that Rober t can combine 100 per cent of his data in Excel before impor ting it to Aqilla He explained I was only able to manually input about 30 lines a day Now I have almost 100 automatically uploaded that I use to check costs and performance

He continued, “With Aqilla, I push a button, and it takes seconds to populate the data The sheer volume it can handle is incredible and it gives me the kind of detailed insights you d expect from a much larger system It saves me an insane amount of time maybe as much as two hours a day that I can spend improving efficiency ”

Rober t also uses Sharperlight, a self-ser vice BI tool integrated with Aqilla that draws information out for repor ting purposes He explained how it saves time tr ying to find the source of discrepancies, “I’d often get to the end of the month and wonder why my spreadsheet is different to the accounts Drawing repor ts from Aqilla via Sharperlight means my repor ting is always in sync ”

Quantifying some of the advantages the finance team have experienced since switching to Aqilla, Rober t added, The daily banking process used to take two and a half hours with Sage With Aqilla, it takes less than an hour The bank reconciliation process at month end that used to take three or four days now takes me less than half a day ” Streamlined, accurate accounting and access to cross-company data can help hospitality businesses recover from the challenges of Covid and get through today s turbulent economic times Summing up, Rober t says, Our accounting needs are basic; bank rec , general ledger and purchase ledger Mainly, I want to get large volumes of data in and out of the system fast The level of analysis we can get from Aqilla and our ability to combine data from various sources gives us a real advantage I’ve got big system analytics from a fast and light mid-range system It doesn’t matter if it’s 10 or 100 lines, I push a button on the toolbar, and the data is in ” For fur ther information email or info@aqilla.com visit www.aqilla.com

Products and Services

The Hielo® Wine Cooler“Style as Well as Substance”

is that it is really aesthetically pleasing, modern with that wonderful hint of elegance and “panache”, and, clean, and hygienic , without any “drips”, no water marks on your table from condensation running down the side Highly recommended indeed!

And for anyone interested the menu for the night was:

Panfr ied scal op with Chor izo and a lemon butter

Paella - Home-made of cour se!

Orange Caramel Creams: Flan de Naranja

For fur ther details on the The Hielo® Wine Cooler visit www icecooldesign com or see the adver t on the back cover of this issue

Blue Star Foods

Blue Star Foods have been catching processing and selling crab meat for almost thir ty years, offering a quality product and long shelf-life throughout this length of time!

Sustainability - All the crabs we catch is wild caught and fully sustainable , only adult male crabs are kept for processing

Packaging- Our patented recycled pouch packaging

Old Jamaica, The UK’s Number One Ginger Beer Brand

Old Jamaica the UK s number one ginger beer brand, has the perfect range of soft drinks to appeal to all those who like to mix it up All of our drinks pair perfectly with gin, vodka, rum and whisky; in fact almost any spirit you can think of, there’s an Old Jamaica product that can pair perfectly with it!

From Old Jamaica Ginger Beer – with Regular Light and Extra Fier y to choose from – through to our recent launch of our Ginger Ale as well as a Rhubarb & Ginger Ale we are the OG s of ginger beer and the only brand that uses authentic Jamaican root ginger across our range

In addition to ginger beers, Old Jamaica has a range of Sodas too Our Tropical Soda joined the family in 2021, with Grape Soda, Cream Soda and Pineapple Soda continuing to delight consumer tastebuds across the country! All of the products in the Old Jamaica por tfolio deliv-

er a bold and unique flavour meeting the increasing needs of UK consumers, as one in four consumers already mix Old Jamaica with alcohol

Terri Cooper, senior commercial manager at Old Jamaica, said: “We’re excited to see Old Jamaica continue to be the UK’s no 1 ginger beer brand and consistently tap into consumers ' growing demand for quality versatile flavoursome mixers that pair perfectly with a variety of spirits and are suitable for all occasions

A wide-ranging communications strateg y will suppor t the brand throughout 2022 and aims to broaden Old Jamaica’s brand appeal, increase awareness, and position the brand as the authentic alternative to the ‘ norm ’ within the soft drinks categor y Visit www oldjamaicagingerbeer com or www refresco com or see the adver t on page 12

Exclusive Elegance and Quality by Design

Benefiting from Fracino's extensive research and development programme world class engineering skills and state of the ar t production technolog y the new Romano-R is a genuine fusion of style and luxurious quality

enable us to give our customers a long shelf-life of 18 months from production

Quality- We guarantee our crab meat will taste and look as it would the day it was caught due to our unique pasteurisation system and rigorous quality control practices

Strike the Gold Foods Ltd were appointed the UK distributor twelve years ago who both the food ser vice & retail sectors with the range of crab meats

See advert page 13 or visit www bluestarfoods com or www strikethegoldfoods co uk for further information or telephone 0800 987 5431

Available in 2 or 3 group versions, it boasts all the power, technical qualities and reliability synonymous with Fracino products, in a stunning design to create the ultimate coffee bar furniture The Romano elegantly combines classic cur ves and retro styling with contemporar y materials and close attention to detail ensuring a truly outstanding finish Featuring latest technolog y integration the full width touch pad features digital trace icons for the drink selection and a wide range of control features within the programme - including controlled on/off times for maximum energ y efficiency coffee extraction displayed in volume and time for each espresso shot for precise drink quality, multi-lingual display selection and digital programme set-up for easy user adjustment capability

Our powerful combination of stylish design and creative technolog y enables discerning clients to choose a bespoke finish for their Fracino espresso machine Our exper tise caters for individuality –whether it be to enhance a theme or interior design promote a brand - or simply to challenge convention

We offer the option to select a bespoke mirror finish in a range of lustrous colours, which draw out the beauty of the highly polished stainless steel, whilst an extensive range of dramatic solid colours – in a satin or matt finish – are available to complement and enhance the interior designer s creativity and provide the finishing touch befitting the individuality of the exclusive luxur y restaurant and coffee bar

Transforming the purely functional into an enviable work of ar t; that’s Romano!

sales@fracino com www fracino com

See the adver t on page 7

We’ve supplied our wonderful hampers and baskets to discerning customers to fill with their own speciality food and wine for many years Whether you use traditional wicker hampers with lids or packing trays made from bamboo all are woven from natural materials which are sustainable reusable , biodegradable and recyclable The versatility of quality baskets has kept them in use for centuries, so aside from being incredibly eco-friendly, they are excellent value for money

And now to compliment your hamper why not add one of our new beautiful hand-tied eco-friendly satin bows?

These clever bows are made by recycling used plastic bottles into yarn, which is then woven into a soft sheen satin ribbon It looks fabulous and feels just as satin ribbon should The ribbon is made in England and the bow is hand-tied here too!

The design is a 2-loop 2-tail bow, which means it's never upside down! The bow is created using a 70mm wide ribbon and is securely attached to the 50mm wide long strap On the back of each bow is a tab of double-sided tape to secure to your basket The ribbon strap is 135cm so it will fit ever y hamper and basket we supply and once secured in place , just cut off the excess

The recycled yarns we use are cer tified by GRS The GRS is the Global Recycled Standard Oeko Tex, the global industr y standard for textiles has also cer tified the product In a nutshell the manufacture and use of recycled yarns promote sustainability and reduce environmental impact through the reduction in waste

Contact us on 01502 501681 or email salesdesk@candigifts co uk

Alternatively, visit our website www candigifts co uk or see the adver t on page 2

Hygiene is critical when providing food and drinks in reusable glass bottles plastic cups pints flutes bowls plates cutler y and containers

WASHING PLASTICS, STORING

PLASTICS

The critical difference between plastic and traditional crocker y is hygiene Crocker y is dense and retains heat, plastic does not, so it is much harder to dr y Stored plastic cups, pints and food containers must be dr y to prevent hygiene issues Any residual moisture will eventually lead to mould growth

The key is achieving 0% residual moisture when cups bowls food containers etc leave the dishwasher

WASHING SMALL TO MEDIUM VOLUMES:

Existing dishwashers can be conver ted to wash plastic cups and containers for immediate reuse

A weighted grid for light cups converts Meiko’s single basket M-iClean H and double basket MiClean HXL hood-type dishwashers into cup washing machines, with a maximum capacity of up to 1,500 cups/h (M-iClean HXL)

Adveco Gas To Electric Decarbonisation Jamu Wild Water

Hotels and restaurants intending to replace existing gas-fired domestic hot water (DHW) systems with more sustainable electric technologies as par t of a decarbonisation strateg y should invest in data gathering first recommends hot water specialist Adveco Live Metering is a simple to install, non-invasive onsite ser vice provided by Adveco that generates consistent six minute data 24 hours per

replacement system from Adveco will receive a 50% refund on the cost of implementing the initial Live Metering ser vice

Talk to Adveco about booking Live Metering at your proper ty

https://adveco co/products/live-metering/ or see the adver t on page 5

Jamu Wild Water is on a mission to rewild hydration from the inside-out The Devon based natural soft drink brand takes inspiration from natures larder and aims to reinvigorate menus and grocer y shelves with healthy sparkling drink options

Their sparkling water range features three delicious flavours –Lemon, Blood Orange , and Raspberr y Each flavour comes bursting with British-grown botanicals and prebiotic fibre to actively suppor t gut-health

Tahi Grant-Sturgis, Co-ounder of Jamu Wild Water says: “where Jamu differs from other gut-loving beverages such as kombucha and kefir, is that it isn’t fermented, as a result we find a wider following among young

The option of a dr ying table

people and consumers that find fermented drinks more challenging

The subtle sweetness and flavour profile that the new range offers, suggests it will work just as conveniently as a low calorie mixer, offering a refreshing and clean alternative to complement botanical and crafted spirits Jamu Wild Water prides itself in its zero policy, that is - zero sugar, ar tificial additives, preser vatives and plastics The company is committed to making healthy and sustainable products that give back to nature through their 10% of profits pledge , which suppor ts rewilding projects and ser ves to enrich the lives of young people through nature-led experiences Balancing flavour, wellness benefits, and it s strong nature-led mission, Jamu is set to bring a premium offering to the ever-increasing healthy and eco-conscious consumer

Products and Services

Luquel - Revolutionising the World of Water

In the UK we are lucky that the water boards ensure that the water supply into our businesses is healthy to drink To do that they often have to add chlorine to kill bacterial growth in the pipes Whilst it does protect us, it can also impact both the taste of our water, and the taste of the food we cook in the water

The taste impact is so huge that many businesses are now purchasing hot taps and dispensers to remove the chlorine taste That’s a great step forward, but caterers and restaurants can go fur ther

There are other water dispensers on the market, such as the LUQEL water dispenser Rather than just using an active carbon filter, this system uses a reverse osmosis filter as well, which removes impurities at a more micro level The filtration system removes the chlorine through its sediment and carbon filter but then it also removes smaller bacteria viruses heavy metals medical residues hormones and micro and nano-plastics through its RO filter As we are seeing on many B2B platforms plastics in water is a trending issue that is not going away It s not just about the issues of the plastic on our environment, but also about the issue of the micro par ticles in our bodies

Unlike other RO filtration systems the LUQEL system then micro-doses natural mineral salts back into the water creating 30 mineralised waters The water temperature range can be changed from 4 to 95 o C and the carbonation can also be amended between still, low, medium and high carbonation Offering a business high quality, great tasting water that they can be sure is cleaned to the highest quality A mineralised water system that can deliver 30 different tastes without the need for purchasing storing and recycling of bottles or cans

A healthy mineralised water for both our bodies and our businesses www.luqel-water.com sales.uk@luqel-water.com

Celebrate Summer in Style with LittlePod

Summer is almost upon us and here at LittlePod we ’ re looking forward to celebrating picnic season in style!

Proud winners of the 2023 King’s Award for Enterprise (Sustainable Development), we ’ re on a mission to spread the word about REAL vanilla and its impor tance to the planet, whilst livening up hampers across the land

Be it a picnic in the park lunch on the lawn or a back garden barbecue LittlePod products will make your al fresco creations – both sweet and savour y – shine like the summer sun

LittlePod s responsibly-sourced products are great for the kitchen and the planet

alike and in choosing to keep it REAL, you ’ re making a difference to the farming communities in the Equatorial regions and, much fur ther afield, to the wider world

Did you know that the precious vanilla orchid replenishes the soil in which it grows? In choosing to purchase REAL vanilla, you can help to preser ve biodiversity in the rainforest regions protecting the fragile ecosystems that are so impor tant to us all

LittlePod makes it simple to make a difference so please join our Campaign for Real Vanilla and create something special this summer! Look us up online at www.littlepod.co.uk and follow @little pod on Instagram

DL Mechanical is a Nottingham-based business specialising in plumbing and pipe fitting engineering ser vices The company works with a broad por tfolio of clients in the commercial and educational sectors designing, engineering and installing new pipework for water, steam & condense , oil and gas, soil and vent, rainwater among a range of other ser vices

An FE college in Nottinghamshire called on DL Mechanical’s exper tise to advise on a change of use project that would improve the facilities for mechanics apprentices Changing a classroom to a workshop required the installation of a wash down area A site sur vey confirmed that no drains were in the immediate vicinity of the required area, so an alternative solution was found

With advice from local plumbers’ merchant, Willbond, a Saniflo Sanispeed+ grey water lifting station was specified to discharge the water from the new washdown area With its robust 400-watt motor and low activation level of 95mm, the unit was connected to a Zip water heater and the washdown areas to discharge hot and cold waste water

through small bore pipework up 3m to an adjoining pipe This ran by gravity to a soil and vent pipe some 60m away

Terr y Fisher, Mechanical Contracts Manager at DL Mechanical, oversaw the project; The Sanispeed+ pretty much enabled the project to go ahead Bar drilling a bore hole – which would have been prohibitively expensive – a pumped solution was the only way forward The Saniflo unit is a simple plug and play solution, so proved easy to install and it has been working efficiently and effectively from day one ”

The Sanispeed+ is ideal for pumping waste water from appliances and sinks in light commercial applications and with four inlets it connects to a range of appliances It has a working temperature of 35°C but can handle temperatures up to 75°C for shor t periods It has a quiet motor and can be installed below counters or in cupboards out of sight if required

Reader Enquiries - Tel: 020 8842 0033 / www saniflo co uk

Flavour Blaster - Add Theatre to Every Serve

A DEVICE adding the wow factor to cocktails has taken the international market by storm after being inspired by the childhood experience of blowing bubbles

Flavour Blaster Pro which creates aroma filled bubbles on the top of drinks, is now used by professionals in Michelin Star Restaurants and Five Star Hotels around the world As well as leading mixologist and Flavour Blaster ambassador Simone Caporale owner of Sips 3rd best cocktail bar in world

The professional aroma gun is sold to more than 40,000 customers in 150 countries, thanks to its use of innovative technolog y

Its success is the result of a collaboration between hospitality entrepreneur Colin Myers and manufacturing guru, Rober t Flunder who came up with the initial concept to add some theatricality to the drinks experience And the resulting creation was

With

Aromatic Bubble Garnish

down to Colins fascination with the concept of edible bubbles which would use authentic aromas rather than synthetic flavours

Australian-born Colin, who previously worked in the bar and leisure industr y in the UK, spent four years helping to develop the product which he describes as “ an inner child gadget

The company uses a leading company in New York to prepare its aromas, which are distilled from actual fruits, herbs and spices rather than being ar tificially produced

“The ultimate in theatrical mixolog y ”

For fur ther information visit www flavourblaster com

Girbau UK Launches Under Counter Washers and Dryers

Known for its robust commercial and industrial laundr y equipment, Girbau UK has launched its first professional grade Under Counter washers and dr yers that fit underneath standard 900mm height counters Both machines combine energ y efficiency, ease of use and compact size with high quality, durable construction making them ideal for hospitality applications

The new Under Counter washer’s stainless steel Active Drum™ has hourglass lifters that guide loads to gentler central areas for better load balance and reduced wear on delicate items It is available with a choice of 6kg or 8kg capacity with either a pump or gravity drain All

models have a 180-degree opening door for easy loading and unloading

Quiet long-life operation is assured by the washer’s sturdy Quattro™ construction with durable shock absorbers that allow vir tually vibration-free high-speed spinning The washer features cast iron stabilisers for higher spin speeds, better water extraction and increased spin efficiency It has an easy-to-use LCD user interface and 28 flexible programs including disinfection, mop, microfibre , allerg y settings and three customisable programs It also comes with in-built ser vice diagnostics and a delayed star t function

The Under Counter dr yer can also be stacked on top of the washer to save space The 6kg capacity model is available in both condenser and vented versions and the 8kg model is vented The Sensi Dr y system automatically determines the right dr ying time , saving energ y and assuring fabric care Its auto programs save energ y as the running time is automatically adjusted according to load size and the required dr yness

Butterfly dr ying ™ tumbling in a figure of eight movement, non-stop in one direction stops clothes from bundling and ensures long life durability of the motor and belt The lint filter has an automatic indicator to remind users to clean it for energ y efficiency and safety

The dr yer ’ s memor y function remembers the last program used including any chosen settings so if nothing needs to change you can simply press star t for the next load

The new under counter washer and dr yer are available to order from Girbau UK

Hospitality Technology

Replace Your Allergy Matrix, Reduce Risk and Make Your Customers Happier, All In a Simple App

Our simple but affective app provides the chef the ability to keep a live updated menu with allerg y information held within it Customers simply login to the app and view the menu filtered to only show those dishes that are safe for them to eat

This app significantly reduces the risk of incorrect communication between customers & staff, especially when mistakes can be so easily made , and these mistakes can cost lives

Up to “20% of the population experience some reactions to foods” (The British Dietetic Association) so it’s no longer a minority issue , eating out should always be enjoyable ii should also always be safe

HOW IT WORKS FOR THE CUSTOMER

You can either find the restaurant’s menu by their unique allerg y menu code on their menu or website or you can find restaurants in your location on a map

logo can also be uploaded to ensure the menu follows the restaurants brand

KEY BENEFITS TO RESTAURANTS

• Meet regulations for allergy information in one simple step

• Ensure your menu allergens are always accurate and up to date

• Improve your customer exper ience for allergy sufferer s , vegans and veggies

No need to re-pr nt menus if you c hange ingredients

• Handy email reminder s to c hec k your menu

• Stop front of house staff making mistakes

• Keep your customer s safe from harm

How it will make a difference

Many of us now limit the types of food we eat, for some it’s simply because it will kill them, for others, it’s for health or moral reasons However, it’s become a complex task to eat out these days, ensuring the food you have ordered is what you can eat Some restaurants provide different menus but simply don’t cater for the complexity such as they may provide a gluten free menu but not a gluten free & dair y free menu combined Some restaurants provide complex matrixes, but nothing which is user friendly or easy to understand and the majority provide nothing at all, and rely on front of house staff communicating correctly the information, which is ver y prone to mistakes

It’s then ver y simply to filter the menu by the list of standard allergens or click the vegan or vegetarian option The menu then displays showing only the items that you can eat, making a simple and easy to understand menu

HOW IT WORKS FOR THE RESTAURANT

There is an easy account area, where the menu and dish information can be maintained via computer or mobile phone The allergies are assigned to each dish and it can be updated whenever it’s needed An email is also sent out once a month to ensure the allerg y information is checked and the menu confirmed that it is still up to date The company

Castra Solutions - Wired and Wireless Solutions

At Castra Solutions we understand the impor tance of reliable and high-speed WiFi for businesses of all sizes

Our WiFi solutions are designed to provide seamless connectivity and exceptional performance , ensuring that your employees and customers can stay connected at all times

In the hospitality industr y, having a reliable and highspeed WiFi network is essential to meet the needs of guests who expect seamless connectivity during their stay With the rise of mobile devices and the growing importance of online reviews, hoteliers cannot afford to overlook the impor tance of providing a top-notch WiFi experience

One of the biggest challenges in hotel WiFi is providing coverage throughout the entire proper ty from

It’s so hard to ensure accurate communication between customer and the person preparing the food and Allerg y Menu helps to reduce this risk When failures happen in the communication, it cause have serious side effects for the customer and can even kill them Taking steps to reduce this risk is essential to all food establishments

For fur ther information visit www allerg ymenu uk

guest rooms to public areas This requires careful planning and optimization of the network, including access point placement signal strength and interference management By working with Castra Solutions hotels can ensure that their WiFi network is designed to meet the unique needs of their proper ty and guests

In addition to providing reliable WiFi hotels can also use their network to enhance the guest experience and generate revenue For example , hotels can offer premium WiFi ser vices for guests who require faster speeds or more bandwidth or provide access to streaming ser vices and other enter tainment options

In conclusion, providing a reliable and high-speed WiFi network is essential for hotels looking to meet the needs of their guests and stay competitive in today's digital world By working with a Castra Solutions and taking steps to optimize and secure their network, hotels can provide a seamless and enjoyable WiFi experience that enhances the guest experience

Call us today on 0300 124 5005 or visit www castrasolutions co uk

Hospitality Technology

MCR Systems

Epos Now

3R (EPOS) Solutions

3R is a leading provider of Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) solutions, offering both integrated counter top and wireless payment solutions, as well as Mobile Top-Up ser vices With competitive rates and durable , secure hardware , 3R’s signature EPOS software , CES Touch, is a game-changer for businesses seeking to optimize their day-to-day operations and streamline their financial repor ting

Another essential feature of CES Touch is its full Stock control functionality, which enables businesses to manage their inventor y effectively This feature ensures that businesses can maintain optimal stock levels, avoid overstocking or understocking, and keep track of their stock movements accurately

In addition to these features, CES Touch offers intensive operator management and in-depth financial repor ting,

which is vital for businesses seeking to manage their staff and financial performance effectively With full cloud business analytics, CES Touch also provides businesses with real-time insights into their sales, inventor y, and customer behaviour, enabling them to make data-driven decisions to optimize their operations

CES Touch also links directly to a wide range of Symbol Groups including Londis Booker Premier Budgens Shop Local, Best-one , and NISA, allowing businesses to take advantage of automated promotions and price changes

This feature is par ticularly useful for businesses looking to offer competitive pricing and promotions while maintaining profitability

At the hear t of 3R’s offering is their commitment to excellent customer ser vice providing 24/7 suppor t 365 days a year Whether you re a small business owner or a large retailer 3R s EPOS solutions and CES Touch software are sure to provide you with the tools you need to succeed

See the adver t below for details

Outdoor Spaces

Utilising Outside Spaces to Benefit the Bottom Line

By Simon Atha, Director, Boyer (par t of Leader s Romans Group) - www boyerplanning co uk

The mainstream media presents a gloomy picture of consumers ’ spending power drawing conclusions about the ‘inevitable’ impact on hospitality industr y

But while some bars and restaurants have already suffered as a result of the cost of living crisis those that are strong innovative and resourceful can sur vive And as the weather warms and the evenings lengthen, there’s ever y reason to shake off the winter gloom

One of the ways in which this can be achieved is using existing outside spaces to create the facilities that ever yone looks forward to as the summer approaches Inviting alfresco hospitality, whether in the traditional café culture style or something more alternative presents numerous oppor tunities for diversification

And even when the summer disappoints, shelters, heaters and cosy blankets can still make the experience safe and enjoyable

It goes without saying that maximising your outdoor space means maximising your profits But it can also help attract passing trade , and options such as awnings can provide cost-effective adver tising for your events and suppliers

So its wor th considering what can and can’t be achieved within planning law In the most simple terms there are three categories of consent: no planning permission required; temporar y uses and structures that fall under the categor y of ‘permitted development and those which require full planning consent through the standard planning application process

Without planning consent, hospitality owners and managers may introduce a variety of temporar y and moveable structures to help diversify and extend their offer - such as moveable play equipment, tables and chairs, large parasols and patio heaters

Since Covid, permission has existed for ‘temporar y ’ structures (essential-

ly, anything which can be moved if required), for a limited period of 28 days per year This may sound restrictive but 28 days is ever y Saturday for half a year, or ever y Saturday and Sunday in June , July and August This use would cover the use of a marquee , pagoda or jumbrella

Then there’s Class BB which allows for 120 days’ use of temporar y structures, following prior approval by the local planning authority This allows for any of those features listed above to be used outside on a daily basis over the summer

The prior approvals process is not complicated or time-consuming In ver y simple terms, the legislation requires that the structures do not exceed 3 metres in height or occupy more than 50% of the footprint of the building, or 50 square metres

Change of use planning consent which falls under Permitted Development Rights frequently covers other changes that might be necessar y to host al fresco dining For example , louvred roof systems offer a new and unique way to expand and improve outdoor areas: with motorised blades that can rotate up to 135°, they can open up to allow a directed yet natural airflow, while also providing shade by responding to the sun ’ s position They can also be shut if needed, providing a water tight seal to prevent the tables and chairs becoming wet

Permanent awnings, outdoor rooms and pods fall under this

"Can We Sit Outside Please?"

Over 79% of UK diners have attested that they would spend more time and money in a restaurant if they incorporated outdoor dining

Integrating outdoor dining into your establishment is a no brainer decision especially when you consider the al fresco movement across the UK and return on investment oppor tunities For example , when discussing predictions for the rise in al fresco dining in 2022 Janice H Dobson Business Development Director at Archatrak said: “Restaurant owners can look at it mathematically, they know the value of ever

categor y Similarly, these provide a great oppor tunity for diversification and all year-round protection from sun wind and rain You might also want to consider louvered bioclimactic pods Similar to louvred roof systems, these are retractable fabric roofs with aluminium blades which twist when operated to be opened, and let light and air in and out or closed to form a ceiling In some cases extensions, conser vatories and the creation of rooftop terraces can be achieved through permitted development rights but it is impor tant to seek advice on this as whether permitted development rights or full planning permission is required will impact on timing

To ser ve the extra footfall additional parking might be provided on adjoining land Under the principles of ‘temporar y ’ use , this is allowed for up to 28 days without planning consent; for more than 28 days, change of use consent it required

For bars which don’t provide food but may want to extend their offer or even host a food festival, there’s the oppor tunity for street food vans This doesn t require planning consent specifically, though licensing for food safety may be required

The industr y calculates that even a ver y simple outdoor space can increase revenue by up to 30% - in most circumstances as ver y little cost

Make First Impressions Count with Major Plants

’ re looking at £2400 or £9,600 a month! Multiply that by 12 and your revenue would increase by £115k per annum Assuming 50% gross margin the investment of 1 parasol could provide a profit contribution of £57 6k per annum, which is a welcome statistic in these economically tr ying times

What’s more , our zero deposit leasing options allow for payments to be spread over 2-5 years

So taking a 4mt X 4mt parasol with a moveable base , impor t, deliver y and fitting, the monthly payment over 36 months would be

Keeping Food Hot? We Have All The Answers

First of all, you will want one of our world beating Kanga boxes and a Carbon Heater You can then keep food hot indefinitely and fully comply with HACCP regulations

Sounds too good to be true? Well we only supply premium German manufactured products from stock at incredibly low prices The insulated box manufactured from top quality expanded polypropylene is a dense closed cell insulation material but incredibly light to handle when empty for example the GN insulted box with a 117 mm internal depth only weighs just over a kilo and yet holds a massive 21 lts capacity Now combine the Kanga box with a Carbon Heater and the magic begins, hot food all the time!

Our range of Carbon heaters offers two voltage

Cinders ‘Classic’ Barbecue

The Cinders ‘Classic’ barbecue has exceeded customers’ expectations for decades, due to its unique , patented design It easily cooks 1000 burgers in one session but being a true workhorse is not its only selling point Robust, reliable and low-maintenance are just three adjectives to describe a barbecue whose repair costs are typically non-existent over long periods, generating a healthy ROI for many years

The Cinders Classic comes as a six-foot long double grill (TG160), or a half-sized

options 12 volts for car operation using the cigarette lighter socket or 230 volt mains voltage for internal or external mains use

The big advantage of the Carbon Heaters they are absolutely fool proof just inser t them in the bottom of the box turn on and forget, there are no consumer controls the temperature is pre-set at the factor y at 75 deg C The Carbon Heater is ver y light at only 700 grammes and does not take up much room only being 10mm thick Dishes can be place on the Carbon Heater straight out of the oven up to 120deg C Finally quick and easy to clean just wipe over with a damp cloth

Contact Catering Equipment Limited on Tel: 0121 773 2228 or visit www clickonstore net or www kangaboxuk com

Outdoor Spaces

Café Culture - Pavement Profit

We are an independent suppli-

Maximise Your Outdoor Space with Patio Heaters

At Space-Ray, we can help you maximise the potential of your outdoor space and extend its use beyond sunset and the inevitable drop in temperature

Specialising in heating solutions for external areas, Space-Ray’s range of gas fired and electric heaters offer you the option to choose the product best suited to your applications:-

The Coldblocker gas fired radiant heater, is ideal for covered outdoor spaces and is rain proof to IP44 Fitted with a tinted glass front, which not only offers flame protection, it also gives the heater a stylish sleek appearance when not in operation

The Linea electric radiant heater offer IP55 level of protection along with remote control and glass front, it is ideal for the smaller space where gas is not avail-

able , or a viable option

Our SURA Plus and AQUA ranges of electric heaters use high quality Dr Fischer shor twave radiant lamps also offer an IP55 rating making them durable and weather resistant The Sura plus range is remote controllable

The Eclipse range of zero glow electric radiant heaters are perfect for those intimate areas where no additional light is required Ceramic heating elements are utilised which provide a gentle level of heat from the sleek and stylish fully black heater Suitable for covered outside areas and offer protection levels of IPX4

Check out our outdoor heating website for fur ther informationwww.outdoorheating.spaceray.co.uk

Outdoor Spaces

Outdoor Spaces

With the long range forecast (MET office) saying summer 2023 will be hotter than 2022 due to El Nino effect, get your outdoor spaces ready for bumper trade

What can you do to maximise footfall, dwell time and profit? At Woodberr y, we help our hospitality clients maximise their outdoor spaces for customer enjoyment and profitability

INCREASE FOOTFALL

Is your garden or outdoor area visible from the outside of your venue? If yes, that’s great for business, but make it even more stand-out with brightly coloured parasols or plants to

Country Benches - High Quality Benches

SPECIAL OFFER Buy 11 get 1 FREE!

Countr y Benches is run by a vastly experienced and time ser ved tradesman who has been ser ving in the trade for over 25 years The business was star ted 15 years ago and we have provided our ser vices independently ever since In this time he has developed the business into being family run, amassed a loyal customer base and welcomes new customers on a regular basis

Countr y Benches creates high quality benches, picnic benches and garden furniture We only work with the best quality of wood to bring you the highest standards of benches and garden furniture Countr y Benches can create benches to exact specifications as well as offering a large variety of standard design garden furniture Call Countr y Benches to see what we

can do for you

Although based in Bedfordshire we cover the whole of the United Kingdom on trade offers Countr y Benches is also pleased to be able to offer you a deliver y ser vice for smaller orders with a deliver y cost In addition to this, Countr y Benches can offer you these prices much cheaper than our competitors Our ser vices are great value for money and are of the absolute best quality

All our products are built to order and delivered within seven days and we also operate a "payment on deliver y " basis So contact us today so that we can build your order to your exact specifications

For details call 07446 101657 or email countr ybenchesltd@aol com

CONCEPT bars

CONCEPT bars have enjoyed a surge in businessrecently supplying bespoke stainless steel bar counters to their valued customer Parkdean Resor ts Their expansion and commitment to improving their hospitality offer ; not only to satisfy the rising expectations of domestic customers and popularity of staycations; has ensured they remain the UK’s largest holiday park operator - with 66 parks in stunning coastal and countr yside locations up and down the countr y

CONCEPT bars have over 30 years ’ experience in bespoke stainless-steel bar design, manufacture and installation and have remained at the forefront of the UK hospitality industr y venues throughout this time They were delighted to work on the exciting new venues across the Parkdean estates Each has its own par ticular style , and it was CONCEPT’s mission to provide the ideal bar setup to maximise speed of ser vice , customer satisfaction and efficiency - and ultimately enhanced sales for the operator

The refurbished bars offer exciting new cocktail menus (allowing staff to show-off their skills!), a range of national and regional draught beers and lagers, draught soft drinks, fruit slushies, plus a full coffee offer The stainless

Design & Refit

steel counters allow for speed of ser vice , optimised design easy cleaning and the upmost hygiene

Regarding this successful collaboration, CONCEPT bars managing director Neil Coombes said: “At CONCEPT bars, we pride ourselves not only on the quality of our product and our ser vice , but also on our ability to listen to our clients We realise their vision - always offering the best advice and our in-house , experienced manufacture and installation teams always ensure a quality offer”

“We have worked on many previous specialist bar projects and this brief was to provide a first-class operational stainless-steel working bar within fantastic new and imaginative schemes, moving customer expectations to new levels”

Neil added It was a privilege to work with such a skilled team again to deliver projects to such fine detail and assist in providing more fabulous venues for Parkdean Resor ts

To discuss your bar - whether it be a new design or upgrading your existing equipment please contact CONCEPT bars on 01484 852666 or email us at info@conceptbars com

Additional Ranges as ILF Continue to Expand www.ilfchairs.com email terr y.kirk@ilfchairs.com

With the ever-growing success of the ILF Chairs website , 2023 has seen an increase in their stock chairs to 8 ranges available in different Faux and Velvet upholster y and selection of frame colours plus an 8 colour stock range of Egger laminated 25mm table tops in a selection of sizes A full range of table bases in metal and stainless steel are also kept in stock In addition a new range called Boutique , elegant seating with frames in Ash, Walnut and Beech and offering a full selection of stain finishes and fabrics

Their new online website offers both indoor and outdoor seating and table solutions

Divided into Contemporar y seating, Boutique , Barstools, Lounge Seating, Period Seating, Outdoor seating and tables plus Indoor Dining & Coffee height tables, offering a great selection of products to view at

your leisure Also included now is an extensive range of stock seating, barstools, table bases and table tops Most made to order indoor seating and indoor wooden table bases and tops can be finished to any customer specification Outdoor items offer a variety of colours within the same product style

Also included is a link to priced chairs and table bases plus a selection of priced made to order seating in a selection of Faux Leather upholster y colours and wood frame colours These products can also be supplied to customer specification, just ask for details

Enquiries can be sent to them directly from the website and they will reply within 24 hours They hope you will enjoy the experience of viewing their easy to navigate website and they look forward to helping clients get the best products for their hospitality site

50 CLH Digital Issue 159

Design & Refit including tables, chairs, stools and lounge furniture suitable for pubs, restaurants, cafes etc Customers are encouraged to visit our large showroom to view an extensive range of furniture ideally suited for the leisure market Here you can relax and let Capricorn help and advise you with your requirements Please call office to arrange appointment For more information or a Capricorn Contract Furnishings catalogue and price list contact Brian Pengelly on 01395 233 320 or visit www.ccf-ltd.uk

Trevillion were delighted to work once again with Exclusive Collection delivering a “fresh new look” for their Michelin starred restaurant at The Manor House Bybrook at The Manor has held a Michelin star since 2017 and the hotel were keen to achieve a crisp contemporar y environment to compliment the culinar y style of Executive Chef Rober t Potter Taking inspiration from the exceptional surroundings produce grown in the hotels kitchen garden and the river from which the restaurant takes its name , Trevillion have delivered a scheme that evokes a true sense of calm within a building full of heritage

A new wine room star ts the journey having a rich décor intentionally contrasting the light environment of the restaurant Eurocave wine fridges sitting on a

light oak floor, surrounded by “bottle green ” textured wallcovering presents the perfect sense of “Theatre”

The bespoke designed carpet influenced by the flowing Bybrook that runs through the hotels grounds, provides a soft aesthetic for the main restaurant and continues to “flow” across the room and into the adjacent Brook Room Natural oak tables with dark timber & aged bronze pedestals are surrounded by chairs with a simple silhouette

All are upholstered in a textured faux hide , combined with a tactile boucle velvet & perfectly finished with a tiny light oak “foot”

Bespoke planters offer a subtle screening between diners & large scale glass wall lanterns, mirrors and two overlarge chandeliers provide elements of “sparkle” & layers of ambient light

An existing collection of three fret cut leaves together with two new commissioned pieces of Ar t dress the now papered walls adorned with a pattern chosen for its “nod” to the formality of a traditional “knot garden” and the surrounding landscape

The adjacent Brook Room has been furnished with subtle differences to emphasise its own character yet remains an integral par t of the main dining room Plain textured cur tains are trimmed with the embroidered pattern that furnishes the bay in the restaurant and wall lights featuring an indulgent rocklike cr ystal have been chosen to balance the aesthetic of the featured stonework all providing the perfect place to dine ! For fur ther information visit www.trevillion.co.uk

Closing Down Sale - 25% Discount on All Stock Items Established in 1972, Trevillion interiors has worked within the design industr y to become a leading international design practice within their field Supplying architectual interior design solutions for both new build and refurbishment projects B M Trevillion Interiors Ltd, The Old Library, Old Cross, Hertford, SG14 1RB For enquiries, please contact 020 8367 9494, email admin@trevillion.co.uk or visit www.trevillion.co.uk

Top Engraver Supports Hospitality Sector with Etched & Printed Table Numbers & QR Discs

One of the UK’s most professional and technically advanced engraving and etching supplier, Brunel Engraving, is providing a rapid response to the growing demand for etched table numbers and QR code discs in the pub and catering industr y

The company has made a substantial investment in additional state of the ar t equipment and related software in order to produce a wide range of individually engraved and printed table numbers and discs

The numbers and discs enable customers to link to apps or menus eliminating the requirement for hard copies of menus and making it quicker and more convenient for customers to order “Our investment in additional equipment and software

If you want to build trust and relationships with your customers, CardsSafe can help The system wirelessly and securely holds customers' bank cards while they run a tab As a result staff can spend more time with customers upsell and build valuable relationships

Customers will also feel more relaxed knowing that their cards are safe

The CardsSafe system is specifically designed to securely retain customer credit, debit and ID cards while the cardholder runs a tab As a result, the technolog y not only protects against credit card fraud but also eliminates walk-outs and allows for checking the validity of bank cards

The CardsSafe system has now revolutionised how hospitality businesses manage their customers' payment obligations Their wireless technolog y

has ensured that our customers in the hospitality sector can benefit from high quality products with excellent swift ser vice at a fair price Our ISO9001 accreditation means that ever y job, no matter how large or small goes through the workshops with this expectation level, and the continuous amount of 5 stars we receive on Trust pilot, highlights this commitment” said Tom Pycock Sales Director of Brunel Engraving

In addition to rotar y engraving, Brunel offers laser engraving, chemical etching, anodic print, dye sublimation print, flatbed UV print and wide format UV print

T: 01275 871 720

E: info@brunelengraving.co.uk

W: www brunelengraving co uk

Design & Refit

Make the Most of Your Space with Bar Stools

Long synonymous with the Great British Pub, bar stools are a great way to maximise your space and provide flexibility with your seating in any hospitality setting

Tall bar stools such as Trent Furniture s Tall Brass Rail Stool encapsulate timeless pub style in a choice of walnut or traditional dark oak, with the option to add upholstered seats in a wide choice of fabrics With at-bar eating and drinking an increasingly popular trend in restaurants and bars, the Tall Shaker Stool, available in hard or button top is the perfect contemporar y alternative

Healey and Lord

Healey and Lord Limited specialise in the supply of high quality sanitar yware to commercial and hospitality projects around the world

Our commercial product ranges are available to suit both modern and classically styled schemes We have a full range of toilets, wash basins, urinals, taps and accessories in a variety of finishes All products are available from stock and are made in the UK or western Europe

We have an extensive range of no-touch washroom products including toilets, taps, accessories and urinal controls that are available in a range of finishes to complement any scheme

Standard-sized bar stools such as Trent’s Small Wooden Stool are a perennially popular choice for pubs Available with hard, piped or button tops, these versatile and durable stools will be the hardest working furniture in your venue

Easy to move around, bar stools also add visual interest to your space when paired with chairs and sofas

With 20% off many of Trent Furniture’s bar stools, now is a great time to boost your seating capacity with new bar stools To find out more about our extensive range , please call us on 0116 2989 927 or fill in our contact form

We regularly work with design and hospitality professionals to specify good value , durable washroom schemes for high profile venues

We also offer a range of high-quality design focused disabled toilet and washroom equipment to suit all projects

We have an extensive range of less able products designed to complement modern and traditional schemes perfectly

Recent projects we have supplied include The Shard, The Tower of London, Windsor Castle Lords Cricket Ground, The Queens Club, Battersea Power Station, The Globe , The Connaught Hotel, Whites in London, The Garrick Club and the Hurlingham Club

Please contact us on +44

(0)1603 488709 or at sales@healeyandlord co uk or visit our website at www healeyandlord co uk for more details

Classic & contemporary designer sanitaryware & accessories

Made in the UK and Western Europe

Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out

Why LP Group Mixers Are A Top Choice for Artisan Bakers

LP Group mixers are trusted across the globe to deliver highquality, assured dough production

The Italian machiner y supplier has harnessed decades of engineering and manufacturing experience to create industr y-leading models that produce excellent dough results for bakers Its latest lines of fixed bowl solutions are ideal for ar tisan use , such as at small restaurants and bakeries, with an array of different sizes suited to dough handling production from 40kg to 250kg

“LP Group produces fantastic mixers for consistent, high-quality ar tisan baking using specialist doughs,” says Steve Merritt, managing director of EPP exclusive distributor of LP Group mixers in the UK and Ireland “We’re pleased to offer its comprehensive range of high quality, robust mixers, which are perfect for small bakers and Italian pizzerias The ability to produce at a smaller scale (whilst maintaining consistency) affords additional flexibility Bakers can even make batches of just half a dozen loaves or a handful of pizza bases –ideal for smaller requirements, or to use as

experience in the refrigeration industr y and have each spent many of those years installing gaskets and hardware for a range of styles, brands and sizes of fridges

Fridge Seals Direct proud to be UK's no1 supplier of replacement fridge and freezer seals We fabricate for a wide variety of commercial fridge & freezers The management team at Fridge Seals Direct have over 30 years of

From restaurant kitchens to food warehouseswe have experience in dealing with fridge & freezers of all sizes and scales To learn more about fridge seals, be sure to explore our range of extensive guides on how to replace a refrigerator door seals Otherwise , find your specific guides in how to identify, meas-

experimenting and testing, all with less wastage

All LP Group fixed bowl spiral mixers feature a tough steel construction and reinforced motors, built for many years of use Its intuitive models have been designed for low maintenance and easy dough extraction and they can be extensively customised to suit individual requirements The mixers are capable of handling many types of dough, but are especially suited to ar tisan dough mixtures with hydration greater than 55% with European flour

Its Star Mixer line – designed for 40kg or 60kg dough capacity – features an easy-to-use control panel with double scale electro-mechanical timer (which can be upgraded to an optional electronic control panel with bypass selector) and models can even be colour customised – ideal for reinforcing company branding, from kitchen to table Meanwhile , the VIS line is designed for dough capacities from 60kg to 250kg

LP Group mixers are available in the UK and Ireland from baker y equipment specialist EPP For more information, visit www eppltd co uk

ure , install or maintain your fridge or freezer door seal

Our reputation in the industr y along with our commitment to providing a high-quality gasket without having to buy from the factor y allows us to have competitive pricing and fast turnaround time Tr y us out, order your door gaskets from us and discover a better way to do business We are here to help you www.fridgesealsdirect.co.uk

Fryers and Oil

Operators should consider when purchasing a fr yer and their oil, the oil capacity against production rate , burner efficiency and recover y rate , as well as a true cool zone in gas fr yers to help prolong the oil life Blue Seal V ray Gas Fr yers are our premium fr yer and burner system, which come at a higher price compared to some competitors’ gas models However the fuel efficiency, cost saving, performance and stainless steel high build quality far out way the additional initial cost to the operator

Blue Seal produce high performance thermostatic controlled gas & electric fr yers Our Evolution range gas fr yers GT60, GT46 & GT45 have a premium feature benefit of all using our patented “V’Ray” burner system This system uses infra-red technolog y radiating the heat into the tank, only heating the area of oil the baskets are sitting in This promotes incredibly fast recover y rates, high efficiency for limited fuel consumption provides a true cool zone in conjunction with the specially shaped tank The true cool zone prevents crumb and food debris that

Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out

By David Chesshire , National Accounts Manager, Blue Seal (www blue-seal co uk)

drops below the batter plates from continuous cooking and carbonising which in turn helps prevent the degrading of oil quality This all achieves considerable cost saving for the operator with fuel and oil, as well as time efficiency, producing the finished products

Blue Seal also offer an additional Filtration units that give a fantastic solution to improving oil life have great mobility and space saving features as well as powerful pumps & full stainless steel construction Moisture , fatty acids and food residue contaminate cooking oil, spoiling fried food taste and causing the oil to smoke Blue Seal Filtamax removes impurities, quickly and effectively, maintaining consistent high cooking quality and considerable extension of oil life The Carbon Pads remove sub-micron par ticles down to 0 5 microns – this is 100 times smaller than a grain of sand Daily filtering of fr yer oil using carbon filters can massively increase the life span of the oil creating large cost savings and create more consistent finish and taste to the food product

Caterquip Ventilation – For All Your Commercial Catering Ventilation Needs

ser vice to help you build your ideal kitchen Projects under taken have included Olympic Villages, Basildon Hospital, The Mitre Hotel at Hampton Cour t, The Truck Stop at Anglesey, The Lodge at Old Hunstanton, Colleges, Schools Hotels Restaurants and Public Houses They ensure their systems are compliant with the current guidelines whilst maintaining an

• Be ready for your inspections

• Damaged fridge seals are unhygienic

• Make your fridge more energy efficient with a good seal on your fridge

• We provide custom seals for cold rooms, discontinued models, and units with no identification information

• Next-day delivery service

• Discounted prices on large orders

Evolution Fryers and Filter Units

The Premium Fryer and Bur ner System

The ultimate solution for any catering establishment, perfect for pubs, hotels, restaurants, cafes and much more

www.blue-seal.co.uk

Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out

The New DrainMinor C (Combi Oven Pump)

There are significant advantages offered by the New DrainMajor C (Combi Oven Pump) manufactured by Pump

Technolog y Ltd

The pump features a tank with its clear side window was the large , triangular, low-level float attached to the pump by a rigid arm, external to the pump casing Because of the design of this float system the unit can cope with an exceptional quantity of grease fat and food par ticles before the reliable star t/stop operation of the pump is affected

The build quality of the submersible wastewater pump was also a discussion point, with the mechanical shaft seal arrangement between pump impeller and motor winding generally agreed as an advantage over a common lip seal/diaphragm arrangement especially considering the hot wastewater temperatures and potential grease which these units have to handle

It can be connected to multiple ovens or oven and sink combinations Also, multiple inlet connections can be cut onsite directly into the rigid Polyethylene tank without the need to manifold inlets outside of the tank and then feed into it via a single inlet This means that the installation footprint is just the size of the compact tank and potential leaks from knocked manifold piping and joints are eliminated

It looks like the New DrainMinor C is a real winner!

Kitchen Extract Hygiene – A Burning Issue

One of the biggest challenges in keeping a commercial kitchen spotlessly clean is the regular cleaning of the canopy, fan and extract ductwork This must be tackled, not only for the sake of hygiene , but also for fire prevention and compliance

Airborne fat, oil and grease is a natural by-product of even the healthiest diet Carried in the steam that rises from cooking, grease and oil par ticles are drawn into the kitchen extract system to be vented away to the outside As the exhaust stream cools, grease is deposited on the metal surfaces of the hood, canopy, filters, canopy plenum, fan and ductwork

Should a kitchen fire reach the extract ductwork or a flash fire occur in the extract system, then the accumulated grease deposits can act as fuel, helping to spread the fire The ductwork itself can also help to spread the fire , acting as a chimney through which smoke and

flames can travel, spreading the danger to the other par ts of the building

To counter this potential fire risk operators of commercial kitchens are required to comply with a new standard for the fire safety management of grease accumulation in kitchen extract systems, TR19® Grease

Compliance is also essential to ensure that you don t compromise your buildings insurance If a fire should break out and the ductwork can be shown not to have been cleaned in accordance with TR19® Grease many insurers will now refuse to pay out on a claim

Ensuring legal compliance , a reduced risk of fire and greater hygiene in your kitchen are items which should always be on ever y maintenance menu www swiftclean co uk

Why Use a Specialist Hospitality Consultant?

We

Our