Category: News
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Melting Pot: Tapping in to the tapas trend
Big idea for small plates Small plates are BIG news in the eating out market and are seen as a sociable and relaxed way of enjoying food and trying new things. For the caterer, however, creating lots of little dishes can be time-consuming – and constantly reinventing your tapas menu positively headache-inducing! We asked several seasoned chefs and industry professionals…
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Advice from the Experts: Catering for children in hospital
By Stewart McKenzie, chair of the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) Catering for children in hospitals can be challenging. Many factors come into play, such as dietary requirements, portion control and more commonly, fussy eaters. Children are particularly vulnerable to poor nutrition, because of their extra requirements for growth, and undernutrition and over nutrition can have early and serious consequences. Excess energy intake…
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June Food for Thought – Inspirational recipe ideas for summer menus
Winning ways Cory Fowler of Hull University scooped Eurilait’s ‘Best Cheese Starter’ title at Hotelympia this year with this innovative cheesecake using Soignon Fresh Goat Log, with chervil, pickled blackberries and a sourdough cracker with plum and blackberry sauce. Chips ahoy! Celebrate National Fish & Chip Day (June 1) with crispy cod cheeks in homemade batter https://mizkanfoodservice.co.uk/recipes/al-fresco-cod-cheeks-in-crispy-batter/. R-eel-y delicious For an alternative brunch, try balsamic glazed smoked eel with polenta…
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Highchairs at the ready
How to cater for kids, toddlers & babies Today’s tots spend twice as much time eating out in restaurants as those who grew up in the 1970s. Figures from Public Health England show significant changes in the nation’s eating habits, with one quarter eating out once a week, and one in 10 more than once a week. According to NPD Group, there are a whopping 3.18billion…
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Eat the Season: Asparagus
By George McIvor, chairman of The Master Chefs of Great Britain St George’s Day (April 23) heralds the start of asparagus season – it lasts just three months – and ends on Midsummer’s Day (June 21). British asparagus is hailed by leading chefs as the best in the world. While we might all grumble about…
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Amazing Grazing – Making the most of the all-day opportunity
Fixed day-parts and mealtimes are a thing of the past. Busy lifestyles combined with flexible working have resulted in a blurring of the traditional dining segments. Today’s diners want to eat when they’re hungry and when is convenient for them – not when the clock dictates it’s time to do so. So how can caterers…
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City of Glasgow take the Challenge crown
A talented team of catering students from City of Glasgow College is celebrating after winning the coveted Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2018. Following an enthralling final played under the watchful eye of a live exhibition audience at Hotelympia, the trio from City of Glasgow College, along with their chef lecturer Robbie Phillips, fought off…
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Good Morning! Waking up to the breakfast and brunch opportunity
MCA’s Eating Out Market Data Report 2017 revealed breakfast participation saw the greatest year-on-year increase last year with 52.2% of UK adults eating breakfast out of home. With this in mind, more venues than ever are opening up early doors to take advantage of this lucrative trade. The traditional slump in trade between breakfast and…
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Advice from the Experts: Planting the seeds of success
By Sam Platt, Vegetarian Society Cookey School manager With the number of people following a vegetarian diet in the UK seeing a dramatic increase, coupled with the growing trend for flexitarianism, there has never been a better time for caterers to capitalise on their plant-based offering. With National Vegetarian Week taking place this month (May…
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‘Challenging’ times in the Country Range Student Chef Challenge Grand Final 2018
The annual Country Range Student Chef Challenge is a pivotal event in the college catering calendar – with teams from across the UK battling hard to win the coveted title. Now in its 24th year, the competition is run in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs and is judged to professional competition standards. With…