Scottish catering and hospitality news in Scotland

The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa has completed a £200,000 refurbishment of the Edinburgh Suite, making it the capital's largest hotel ballroom. The venue has an all-new design, which, according to General Manager Peter Murphy, 'creates a warm and contemporary interior with classical overtones.

'Enhanced technology and lighting has been installed throughout, allowing more flexible settings for various types of events, creating different atmospheres for intimate dinners or full-day conferences and meetings,' says Peter. 'The area is also WiFi connected and two full-size screens are recessed into the ceiling for presentations.'

The colour scheme is influenced by the warm hues of the Edinburgh landscape and surrounding countryside, using muted natural earth tones with accents of green. Wall niches have been integrated to add intimate touches to the interior of the suite and display unique, contemporary art.

The ballroom, which has no view-blocking pillars, can accommodate 500 theatre-style, 1,000 for a reception, 500 for a banqueting dinner, and 350 classroom-style. The hotel's events team can tailor the room for conferences, dinners, gala events, exhibitions and, with drive-in facilities, even car launches.
The foyer to the Edinburgh Suite, which is ideal for drinks receptions and as a breakout area, has also benefited from the refurbishment. The lighting and furniture in this area has been enhanced and now reflects the same contemporary style as the main suite.

Visit the Starwood hotels website for more information.

According to the Forum of Private Business (FPB), Britain's private businesses are about to be burdened with even more red tape and additional cost as the Government prepares to impose responsibility for fire safety in commercial premises on to private businesses.

Until now, experienced fire authority officers have always advised employers on the necessary fire precautions, and have issued Fire Certificates accordingly. However, under this new law, employers will be held responsible and Fire Certificates will be phased out.

Firms would be expected to wade through up to 11 different fire safety manuals drawn up by the Government, each 100 pages thick, and follow the safety guidelines to the exact letter of the law. Alternatively, companies would incur the expense of employing fire safety consultants to ensure compliance.

'This is a classic example of the Government shifting public sector costs on to the private sector,' said Rex Garratt, national spokesman for the FPB.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is introducing the Fire Safety Regulatory Reform Order which comes into effect next April. It means that Fire Safety Certificates will no longer be issued by Fire Brigades.

Businesses will be expected to decide which manual applies to their business activity, and then download the information from the Government's website. Firms will face penalties if subsequent inspections by fire officers subsequently discover any of the guidelines have not been fully implemented.

The new regulations will apply to all 52 fire brigade authorities throughout England and Wales initially, with Scotland expected to follow suit later.

The ten finalists competing for the title of The Gordon Ramsay Scholar 2005 have been announced.
The successful young chefs are:

Nicholas Ghinn of Ynyshir Hall, Wales
Mark Hardiman, Charlton House, Wiltshire
Paul Kavanagh, The Montague Arms Hotel, Hampshire
Neil MacKenzie, Lindsay House, London
Jamie Raftery, Gidleigh Park, Devon
Darren Smith, Warehouse Brasserie, Merseyside
Peter Snelgar, Rampsbeck Country House Hotel, Cumbria
Alex Thain, Etain, Glasgow
Andreas Wingent, Lucknam Park Hotel, Wiltshire
Ka Fu Choy who is this year's Gordon Ramsay College Scholar.

The ten secured their finalist places after a grueling semi-final held at the Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studie. The stage involved the planning, preparation, cooking and presentation of several dishes within a three- hour time limit.

'The standard was exceptionally high, with semi-finalists displaying a superb level of professionalism and knowledge,' said Steven Doherty, Chairman of Judges.
'Judging was tough but I'm confident that the ten chosen will be worthy finalists in September'.

The final of The Gordon Ramsay Scholar Award 2005 will be staged on Monday 19 September 2005 at The Restaurant Show, Olympia, London.

Complimentary tickets to the exhibition are available on the Restaurant Show website

The creators of the award-winning Oloroso restaurant in Edinburgh have introduced Roti, their latest city centre venture.

Situated off Rose Street, Roti is set to continue a commitment to natural, simple cooking methods which maximise the taste. Diners may choose from a diverse range of spicy treats accompanied by well-priced and beers and wines to complement the range of tastes on the menu.

The new venue will be headed by two award-winning chefs, Anand Sehgal and Kapil Kaushik. Having worked in some of the finest restaurants all over the world, Anand brings with him a fine understanding of Indian cuisine, while Kapil was International Indian Chef of the Year 2004.

'The opening of our new city centre restaurant is a landmark in our business growth strategy,' says Tony Singh, Director of Olorosso and Roti. 'We've been planning the concept for quite sometime now and we have taken the basic ingredients of Oloroso in order to provide the best food and service to our customers. With Roti we hope to enlighten and educate them on the joys of natural Indian cuisine'.

Visit The Roti website for more details.

Hospitable Climates, the free-of-charge energy efficiency advisory programme managed by the HCIMA on behalf of the Carbon Trust, has received a massive approval rating in its latest Customer Satisfaction Survey.

An overwhelming 97.7% of respondents to the 2005 Hospitable Climates Customer Satisfaction Survey said that they would recommend the Hospitable Climates programme to other organisations and businesses. This result marks a 5.5% increase over the figure published in the previous 2002 Hospitable Climates Customer Satisfaction Survey when the programme was still in its infancy.

The results of the survey give a strong indication that energy efficiency is becoming a major agenda item at boardroom level in the UK hospitality industry.

'We are delighted with these results,' said HCIMA Director of Special Projects, Rosemary Morrison. 'That doesn't mean, however, that there is any room for complacency and we continuously seek to improve the free-of-charge service offered to our members. There is no question that the recent dramatic rises in energy prices, coupled with the need to offset the Climates Change Levy, are drawing more and more hospitality industry operations of all sizes, representing all sectors, into the scheme.

'Hospitable Climates is not only delivering cumulative cost savings of well in excess of £13m per year to nearly 5,000 businesses, it is also well on track to meet targets for annual reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, helping the Government fulfil its Kyoto commitment and lend weight to its stance in the wake of the recent G8 Summit. A total of 53,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide is currently being saved annually by the Hospitable Climates programme, while 131,000 tonnes has been saved since the programme's launch in 2000.'

HIT Scotland is inviting business people and industry players to attend its Fire & Ice lunch on Monday 7 November at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh.

The menu will be created and cooked by three top chefs: Andrew Fairlie of Fairlies at Gleneagles, Philip Garrod, Executive Chef at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, and Roy Brett, Head Chef for Rick Stein.

Whether you are looking to treat yourself, your clients or your employees, the HIT Edinburgh's Fire & Ice lunch will provide the perfect occasion to do so.

For further details, ticket enquiries or sponsorship opportunities, call 0141 331 0424. Early-Bird* Tickets are available until Friday 9 September for £60 each or £550 for a table of ten.

*After this date prices are £65 each or £600 for a table of ten. The lunch, from 12 noon until 4pm, will be followed by an after party.

'Web Marketing for Restaurants' is the first in a series of Small Business Seminars launched by the HCIMA to provide advice and guidance on the essential elements required in setting-up and running a small hospitality enterprise.

The 'Web Marketing for Restaurants' seminar will be held on Tuesday, 27 September 2005, at the Bankside EC2 Restaurant, London.

Speakers at the event include Alison Sawyer, Business Development Manager of Livebookings, and Chris Wood, Managing Director of toptable.co.uk, Europe's largest restaurant table-booking service. They will be addressing delegates on 'Technology and the Use of Websites', and 'Marketing and Promoting On-line Bookings' respectively.

Kelvin Macdonald, Managing Director of London-based Bankside Restaurants, will host the event and will describe the benefits of using restaurant reservations technology and booking services, as well as giving a practical demonstration as to how on-line and real-time booking services work.

The HCIMA Small-Business Seminars, which will run from September 2005 to March 2007, will comprise a series of events backed-up with general guideline material, produced in collaboration with industry experts, in each of the subject areas under scrutiny.

Commenting on the launch, Petra Clayton, HCIMA Director of Marketing and Communications (pictured above), said: 'Setting up a small hotel and catering business has become an appealing proposition for an ever increasing number of people, many of whom are totally new to the hospitality industry and to business, and are, as such, in need of help with gaining specific knowledge and skills for their chosen sectors. In 2003 alone, according to the Small Business Service, over 12,000 hotels, restaurants and catering companies were newly registered for VAT in the UK, indicating the vast number of hospitality business start-ups taking place across the nation. Since more than 99% of VAT-registered operations employ fewer than 50 people, this statistic is also an excellent indicator as to the size of the small hospitality business population. Indeed, the UK hospitality industry is dominated by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), which constitute over two-thirds of the profession.'

For more information or to book a place at the seminar, visit HCIMA seminars online

Seafood Scotland, with support from the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish), will be utilising a state-of-the-art demonstration unit on wheels designed by Glasgow-based RH Morton & Co at The Seafood Fair later this month.
'We needed something hygienic, functional and mobile,' says John Franchetti, Exhibition Contractor for Seafood Scotland and Seafish.'I designed the trolley with RH Morton and it suits our requirements perfectly.'

The design comprises a ceramic hob at one end, a preparation unit in the middle, and a chute at the other end to dispose of waste and the design ensures ease of use and conforms to all health & hygiene standards.
We have a big turnover at the fairs so it is important that the equipment works as simply and efficiently as possible,' continues Franchetti.

RH Morton has thirty years' experience making bespoke kitchens and catering equipment, and has fitted kitchens for a range of top chefs across the country including Martin Wishart, Nick Nairn, Colin Clydesdale and Gordon Ramsay.

More information visit the Hays Galleria website or RH Morton online

A record number of Scottish foods here have been awarded Gold in the Great Taste Awards.
Winning companies included the Shortbread House of Edinburgh, the Orkney Herring Company and The Islay Fine Food Company.

After weeks of regional judging by over 200 judges, the foods considered to be of 'Gold' standard were re-assessed by an exclusive panel of top chefs, food writers and retailers chaired by Jean-Christophe Novelli. They held an intense and often confrontational final judging session to decide on the overall regional winners and the coveted 'Supreme' Champion award. The results will be revealed at the awards ceremony on 5th September.

'Being granted a Gold Award is recognition of the craft and dedication in the making of superb food and drink,' said Bob Farrand, National Director of the Guild of Fine Food Retailers.

The Great Taste Awards runs parallel to the Specialty & Fine Food Fair London taking place at Olympia from 4th-6th September.

Wednesday 21st September 2005
6.30pm â?? 8.30pm
The Hub, Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Use this interactice workshop to transform you and your team in the workplace. Discover a process that drives innovation, injects new energy into the creative process at work and establishes a new environment of inventiveness. Innovation is all about creating the right environment for ideas to flow. This workshop will show you how. Bookings must be made in advance.

15 pounds(HCIMA members)

18 pounds(Non members)

10 pounds(students)

Prices are per delegate and include a finger buffet/wine, a great networking opportunity and tour of the venue.

For further information, call Rob Moore on 0131 440 1960

Leith's Waterfront Wine Bar & Grill has recently seen an extensive expansion and has become one of the area's largest al fresco drinking and dining areas.
Skippers of Leith, the company encompassing The Waterfront Wine Bar & Grill and Skippers Seafood Bistro, have recently undertaken a renovation of the dockside area in front of the two restaurants, developing it into a fantastic outdoor drinking and dining area on Leith's Waterfront.

The original dockside terrace has been developed to include a multi-level seating area and a refurbished pontoon.
Skippers Seafood Bistro has also seen a new addition; the conservatory now opens onto an attractive outside terrace which seats up to 16 people.

'Leith has changed enormously over the past few years and with the recent developments and regeneration led by Forth Ports, it is shaping into an extremely desirable European destination, to live, work and visit,' says Gavin Ferguson, owner of Skippers. 'We are meeting the increased demand for lifestyle restaurant venues offering gastronomic excellence on a par with our European cousins. At the same time we are allowing people to enjoy this fantastic historic location.'

The native oyster season is almost upon us and the search is on for supreme shuckers to take part in the Tabasco British Oyster-Opening Championships 2005.

The competition, which takes place on 1st September at Bibendum Restaurant and Oyster Bar, London, aims to find the fastest oyster opener, or 'shucker', in Britain. Contestants are required to open and display 30 native oysters as quickly as possible, and will be judged by a panel of seafood experts and chefs.

The winner will receive prizemoney of 250 pounds and an expenses-paid trip to compete against other world-class shuckers in the International Oyster-Opening Championship in Ireland at the end of September.

Applications are now open. Contact Food Matters on 020 7371 6466 for further information.

Maximising the Potential for Growth in Out-of-Home Eating
Agra Informa's 3rd Annual Strategies for Growth in Foodservice Conference will bring together distinguished speakers from across the foodservice industry to look at all aspects of foodservice.

The two-day conference will examine the most exciting market developments and explore the new opportunities for foodservice operators and suppliers to exploit the growth that has been seen in the past few years. This conference provides an unrivalled opportunity to hear the latest market information and network with senior executives, decision-makers and buyers from across the UK foodservice industry!

Strategies for Growth in Foodservice is an unmissable conference which brings together a panel of expert speakers featuring representatives from a variety of operators and suppliers working in the out-of-home eating sector.


Speakers include:

Ed Aspel, Sales Director, Yates Group
David Field, Managing Director, Nestlé Foodservices
Keith Gentry, Group Purchasing Manager, Virgin Active
Laurence Smith, Marketing Manager, Unilever Foodsolutions UK & Europe
Simon Crichton, Catering Director, Macdonald Hotels

Conference highlights include:
Consumer Attitudes to Foodservice
Developing Brands in Foodservice
Driving Growth Through Innovation
Catering for the Leisure Sector
The Market for Health, Wellness and Nutrition
Products in Foodservice

Click here to register online now.

ARAMARK has recently been awarded a Scottish Healthy Choices Award for their work at Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE), operated by petroleum and petrochemical company, ExxonMobil.

L-R: Lize Watt, ARAMARK Chef Manager at SAGE; Representative from the Health Education Board in Scotland; John Harrison, ARAMARK Chef at SAGE.

Lize Watt, ARAMARK Chef Manager at Sage, and ARAMARK Chef John Harrison, attended a lunch at the Palm Court Hotel in Aberdeen where they were presented with their award by Scottish Healthy Choices.

The Scottish Healthy Choices Award works with caterers to encourage them to provide healthy options in a healthier environment, and forms part of a wider national initiative to improve Scotland's poor health record.
To gain an award, caterers must satisfy four main criteria:

1) The provision and promotion of healthy food choices
2) High standards of food hygiene management
3) Acceptable breastfeeding arrangements
4) Provision of adequate non-smoking areas.

'We are really pleased to have won this award and we have had a very positive reaction from our client,' said Lize. 'The new 'Eat Safe Award' is being introduced in England later this year and we are all looking forward to the new challenges this will have to offer'.

Braehead Foods has two trips organised for the Autumn, open to all customers:

7 September 2005

Game, Poultry & Herbs. Day visit to Highland Game, Dundee; Mitchell's Chicken, Letham and Scotherbs, Dundee. Coaches leaving Glasgow and Edinburgh at 8am.


11 October & 12 October 2005
Callebaut Chocolate (Day trip to the Chocolate Academy, Banbury, Oxfordshire). Transport to and from the Academy organised by Braehead Foods.

For further information or to book a place, contact Alastair at Braehead Foods on 01563 550 008.

The Guild of Fine Food Retailers have awarded five Gold Great Taste Awards to Scottish products from Scotherbs, Rannoch Smokery and Castle MacLellan.

All three companies will be taking their place on the Scottish Pavillion of the Speciality Fine Food Exhibition in Olympia in September, where they will be displaying and sampling their products among 400 Exhibitors from home and abroad.

The prestigious Great Taste Awards provide annual recognition and rewards for exceptional standards of food and drink available in the UK.

Papa John's is due to open a new outlet in Kilmarnock in the first stage of its plans to open half a dozen stores throughout the west of Scotland over the next year.

The pizza chain, with 3000 outlets worldwide, has launched an ambitious recruitment drive that could see the creation of up to 120 full and part-time jobs.

'Having secured a prime town centre site in Kilmarnock we are now seeking to fill a number of positions, including General Manager, Store Manager and supervisory roles,' says Richard Anderson, Papa John's master franchisee for the West of Scotland. 'We're seeking the right people with the right attitude and appetite to help us introduce West of Scotland customers to better ingredients and better pizza.'

The new store is based at Unit 2, 76/86 Titchfield Street, Kilmarnock.

Brits spent an incredible £34.5 billion eating out last year, a figure worth just under a third of the total UK food and drink industry. The average family of five could spend nearly £3,000 a year on food and non-alcoholic drink outside the home.

Food and grocery think-tank IGD has joined forces with foodservice research organisation, Horizons, to produce a definitive figure for the value of the food and drink industry in the UK. An accurate figure for the proportion of the market taken up by people eating outside the home is available to industry analysts for the first time.

'Eating out in Britain is becoming more accessible and more affordable all the time,' says James Walton, Senior Economic Analyst at IGD. 'The British consumer has more choice than ever before in terms of where they go and what they eat. From the traditional fish and chip shops and burger chains, to a London restaurant selling locust and cricket salad and crocodile fillet, the average British citizen has an incredibly wide variety of venues and cuisine from which to choose.'

There are 55,700 restaurants and takeaways in the UK. Together with outlets like hospitals, workplace canteens and schools, the foodservice sector represents 31 percent of the £112.5 billion UK food and drink industry.

'Foodservice as a whole presents a wealth of opportunities for food producers and manufacturers across the country,' continues James. 'It is important that we have first-class research and information on the foodservice sector and a credible and definitive figure as to what the sector is worth to the British economy.
If you don't know the value of something, you can't track improvements or otherwise in the sector.'

Peter Backman, Managing Director of Horizons, feels that the value of the sector is at its highest level ever: 'It is very important to the UK economy as a whole and while its value has been growing steadily over the last five years, the number of people eating out has increased even more rapidly, with one in five meals now eaten out of the home.'

Blackmount Foods Organic Meats supplies the hospitality and catering trade with organic beef, lamb, pork and chicken. Owner Alex Allison has expanded his market from trade to the general consumer enabling his organic meat to be bought directly from the farm via internet mail order, directly from Allison's farm in Biggar where it is aged, expertly butchered and vacuum packed. As an organic producer, Blackmount's meats are produced with minimum use of agrochemicals, and routine use of antibiotics on animals is prohibited.

All meat and poultry is traceable from field to fork and with Blackmount's iced, next-day delivery service you can enjoy it whenever you like.

Visit the Blackmount Foods website for more information.

To coincide with 'Gourmet Glasgow' week, The Living Room presents a one-off menu, sampling their finest cuisine.

The exclusive seven-course gourmet menu will only be available on the evening of the 17th August 2005. For table reservations to this unique event email glasgowpa@thelivingroom.co.uk.

Scottish game processor Braehead Foods rewarded competitors in the Scottish Culinary Awards 2005 Gressingham Duck category with a behind-the-scenes trip to Green Label Foods, exclusive producer of Gressingham Duck. Braehead Foods, sponsors of the competition at ScotHot 2005, flew fifteen competitors to the 300-acre site at Loomswood Farm in Suffolk to see the rearing process from hatch to cull.

Right: Craig Stevenson at work in Braehead Foods

The competitors, who included a range of talent from Gleneagles Hotel, HMS Raleigh and Lodge on the Loch in Luss, were given a tour of the farm and the hatchery before visiting the factory where the ducks are slaughtered and processed. This was followed by lunch at Elizabethan mansion hotel Secksford Hall, where Green Label's Gressingham Duck was on the menu.

'I'm always interested in sponsoring events that encourage young talent in the catering industy,' says Craig Stevenson, Managing Director of Braehead Foods, 'and I feel it's important to reward the entrants for their hard work and effort. We organised the trip for the chefs to see where their produce comes from and to appreciate what they are working with.'

'It was a wonderful opportunity for young chefs to see what happens before the duck gets delivered,' said Joe Queen, President of the Federation of Scottish Chefs, who accompanied the competitors to Suffolk on Craig's behalf. 'I would like to see more work like this in tandem with the industry and I give Craig full credit for getting out there and making it happen.'

Braehead Foods has two trips organised for the Autumn which are open to all customers:

7 September 2005: Game, Poultry and Herbs
Highland Game, Dundee
Mitchell's Chicken, Letham
Scotherbs, Dundee
Coaches leave Glasgow and Edinburgh at 8am.


11 October 2005 The Chocolate Academy, Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Transport will be arranged by Braehead Foods.

To book places, contact Braehead Foods on 01563 550 008.

The Restaurant Show and Restaurant Live is the perfect occasion to celebrate and recognise the talent of emerging and established chefs.

The first cooking final is The Gordon Ramsay Scholar 2005 on Monday 19th September, where 10 finalists will battle it out to win the coveted award. Now in its fifth year, the competition encourages young British chefs to demonstrate their skills and creativity, with 10 young hopefuls selected from 125 entries.

The Compass Junior and Senior Chef of the Year culinary competition will take place on Tuesday 20th September and brings together the brightest culinary talents from across Compass Group, with chefs working in various sectors from business & industry and fine dining to education, healthcare and defence. Junior and senior entrants will compete live and will be required to prepare a three-course meal for two in just 90 minutes.


The NZ-UK Link Foundation Culinary Challenge 2005 is scheduled for Wednesday 21st September. Created by New Zealand chef Peter Gordon of Providores, London, the competition sees 10 young UK chefs and hospitality students reproduce their proposed menu, incorporating New Zealand produce and wines, within a two-hour period. Finalists are awarded a year's paid membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs and the overall winner will receive an all-expenses-paid working trip to New Zealand to include six weeks' work in a variety of top New Zealand restaurants, a further week of free time to discover the country and, of course, the opportunity to gain first- hand knowledge of the country's unique food culture.


The The Gordon Ramsay Scholar 2005 judging panel comprises:

Gordon Ramsay
Heston Blumenthal
Richard Corrigan
Angela Hartnett
Josh Emett
Marcus Wareing
Andreas Antona
Frenchman Yannick Alleno,
David Pitchford
And last year's scholar, Marcus Eaves.

Harvey Nichols is the first store in Edinburgh to stock these delicious 'posh pies', and will be offering customers the chance to sample these unique gourmet pies at a tasting on Saturday the 6th August 2005 from 12 noon until 4pm.

Demand for Bernard Alessi's renowned pies led to the expansion of the Simple Simon's Perfect Pie Factory, a converted 19th century steading nestled in the pastures of the Scottish Southern Uplands, where he prepares and bakes his tasty, additive-free pies using only the finest, freshest, natural ingredients.

Harvey Nichols now offers a selection of pies from the full range, from chicken fillets in creamy tarragon sauce to ratatouille with feta cheese and beef sausages in onion gravy.

The pies have been designed to be a meal in themselves to tempt individual palates offering a simple, healthy meal. They require only to be heated up and served with a tossed salad.

For more information, visit the Simple Simon's Pies website