5 minute read
Column: Valda Goodfellow
HoReCa
True blue hue...
Summer 2021 will be marked by a lot of things, and the colour blue will be one of them, writes Valda Goodfellow…
Isn’t it strange how you suddenly see images everywhere of a style, or a shape or a colour, that simply wasn’t in your consciousness yesterday?
I don’t know if trends are led by the fashion industry, what’s in the news, or a yearning for things out-of-reach, but one thing’s for certain, this summer has been dominated by influences of nature. From organic curves to vibrant greens, yellows and blues, nature’s forces have been everywhere.
Maybe it’s because we were all yearning for holidays by the sea that were denied us for so long, that blue became the colour of summer 2021, but never before in the hospitality sector has blue been a colour that chefs wanted to use a lot of – until now.
Blue was always thought of as a bit of a difficult colour to use with food. Yes, it is an amazing colour to serve seafood on. Lobster, for instance, looks fantastic against a deep ocean blue. But apart from seafood and desserts, no one really chose blue as a colour to mix and match into a service.
A few years ago, we discovered the most amazing blue plates from Montgolfier. We instantly made it a feature of our collection for Fine Dining, the dramatic reactive glaze adding extra drama and depth to the most creative dishes. Back then, it was really the food artists that chose to use the plate and when they did, my goodness, it looked incredible. But in the main, it wasn’t a colour that people made part of their regular service.
The tide of fashion for many years dictated that earthy tones rather than vibrant colours became the palette of choice. This was mainly due to what I call the ‘Noma effect’. Noma
About G & G
Founded by Paul and Valda Goodfellow, G & G Goodfellows is a highly creative design & Distribution Company with an amazing showroom in Little Portland Street. Offering a truly hands-on service, Goodfellows passion is to bring new and exciting, bespoke food presentation concepts to the UK’s culinary scene. As well as offering a wide variety of the world’s best branded tableware, kitchen equipment, clothing and machines, Goodfellows also collaborates closely with UK craft producers for totally unique products. It works with all sizes of restaurant and catering projects, happy to supply anything from an individual plate to a full restaurant concept.
created a cultural storm in our industry with its nature-inspired, hand-crafted tableware, so much so that the trend for stoneware is still so strong. Stoneware manufacturers everywhere should give thanks every day for such an enduring influence on their livelihoods. So, at the start of summer 2021, when we all emerged with cautious excitement into a hopeful new season, the collective mood seemed to gravitate towards more joyous colours. It was as if we all wanted to see things that made us feel happy and maybe more connected to nature. Suddenly blue became a colour that everyone was asking for in our showroom.
Mainly led by casual dining concepts, the use of blue in the service mix has been so big that we have struggled to keep up with demand.
Two great examples of the most popular plates this summer have been Fine 2 Dine’s atmospheric Nova plates; and Bonna’s Ore in blue. Both of these brands offer fantastic style options, bringing new creations to the market that always seem to hit the right note for what’s happening now.
There has also been a strong trend in mixing blue patterned plates into main service, especially with white or natural golden tones. We haven’t seen a full-on nautical theme but everyone wants a touch of ‘ocean blue’ now in their mix.
Take Bonna’s incredibly popular Calif plate, teamed with a Fine 2 Dine Nova bowl and Luca Salmon plate. A statement presentation that looks eclectic but effortlessly stylish.
But it isn’t just casual dining that has dipped into the blue trend this summer. One of our most enduring brands, Montgolfier, proves yet again that that they suit the mood. Their Boreal Blue is the one that epitomises the way to create impact and has become yet again, one of our biggest sellers this summer. While their new Shine Plate in Adeli, proves that blue isn’t just for fish, it is tipped to be a classic.
We have also seen the return of white in Fine Dining, but what we call ‘white with a twist’. Even here, blue has crept into the mix with Hering Berlin’s Blue Silent range provides a great choice for favourite feature plate. It’s concentrated deep blue centre is perfectly framed by the generous rim in matt white that offers discerning chefs a perfect plating canvas.
I am amazed at how our manufacturers have continued to innovate through the challenges of the last two years. We are seeing exciting new developments coming from every one of our producers and some are continuing with the theme of using nature as their inspiration.
Figgjo has just launched its Ela range, think oatmeal, sand, unripe olives and sunsets. Costa Nova’s Alchemille Leaf in forest green will be a massive favourite this autumn because it’s shape and colour are simply stunning.
Fine 2 Dine (which always has its finger on the trend pulse) has introduced the Atlas and Halo ranges which manage to incorporate the blue theme into these tonal collections, using greenish-blue on the Atlas décor and on Halo, the blue is tempered with golden hues which will ensure it can be seamlessly added into existing concepts but really make a statement.
A new season brings its own sense of promise and I really think this autumn, for all its challenges, will be a vintage year.
I, for one, can’t wait for the bounteous harvest that will come our way in terms of new products, but for now, I will quite happily continue to float along, dreaming of the ocean in my own blue heaven.
