Scottish catering and hospitality news in Scotland

The 2007 Young Chef/Young Waiter national finalists have been selected following the regional finals held at Adam Smith College, Darlington College, Birmingham College (Food & Tourism) and Thames Valley University (Ealing).

Eight chefs and eight waiters, all aged under 24, will go forward to compete at Westminster Kingsway on 15th October for the 2007 titles, and the winning chef and waiter will be announced at the InterContinental London Park Lane.

The finalists have already won an exclusive invitation to visit Champagne Louis Roederer at the end of September. The winners of the final will then be presented with a cheque for £2000 and an week's study trip to Berlin.
Runners-up will receive £1,000 each and a study trip to Piedmont, Italy, while third prize offers £500 and work experience at a UK Michelin-starred establishment. The 2007 competition will also see £500 worth of catering equipment from Hansens awarded to each of the overall winners' establishments.

The Young Chef Young Waiter Competition, now in its 23rd year, is run in partnership with American Express, the Savoy Educational Trust, Louis Roederer Champagne, HSBC, CMA, EBLEX, Sodexho and Restaurant magazine.

Harlequin Leisure Group has opened of Las Ramblas, a new Barcelona-style bar and restaurant, in Bearsden, Glasgow.

Named after the iconic, tree-lined pedestrian street located in central Barcelona, Las Ramblas accommodates up to 100 diners and features a live kitchen with Spanish chefs preparing authentic Catalan cuisine to order.

Harlequin Chief Executive Sanjay Majhu has invested £1.4 million on buying and transforming the former China Experience restaurant into an authentic tapas bar and restaurant: 'The opening of Las Ramblas introduces a new dining option to Bearsden residents,' he says.

Edinburgh's Kitchin was this week awarded three AA rosettes, and becomes one of just 20 restaurants in Scotland to have achieved such an accolade.
'Our ambition now is to maintain and improve this level of service for our existing diners, as well as for the growing numbers of people who are finding out about the unique experience The Kitchin has to offer,' says proprietor, Tom Kitchin.
The Kitchin also boasts a Michelin star, which was awarded seven months after opening.

Le Salon Culinaire International de Londres, the culinary challenge which will host over 80 competition classes at Hotelympia 2008, is now open for entries, with a deadline of 1st December.
For a complete list of classes and further information on Hotelympia, which takes place from 17th-21st February, at ExCeL, visit the Hotelympia website.

The British Egg Products Association (BEPA) has warned that food manufacturers and caterers can expect further significant price rises for egg products over the next few weeks, due to strong demand and the spiralling costs of egg production.

The pressure on the egg products market has largely been caused by the increasing cost of raw materials, which have been driven up by high wheat costs.

'The dramatic increases in feed costs, coupled with a shortage of eggs for processing, have meant that we are having to pay far more for eggs than we have done in the past,' says Clive Frampton, Chairman of the British Egg Products Association. 'The price rises are needed in order to guarantee supply to all our customers in the short to medium term.'

The cost of feed accounts for around half the cost of egg production and has nearly doubled this year. Wheat prices have risen as a result of the poor harvest across Europe, increased global demand for cereals for biofuels and increased meat consumption in developing countries. World cereal stocks are at record low levels.

Strong consumer demand has exacerbated the problem, with retail egg sales up by more than 3% this year and demand for egg products continuing to rise in line with the traditional seasonal uplift. As a consequence, food manufacturers and caterers are facing price rises of around 50%.

The Town House Company has made a series of new appointments. The positions include Jeremy Hope and Pirmin Hodel as General Managers for The Bonham and Channings respectively, while Johanne Falconer has become Area General Manager for The Howard and Channings.

The Town House Company has developed and now operates some of the hospitality industries most exceptional and successful town house hotels. Each of these managers will without a doubt continue this success in their new positions.

Johanne Falconer has been promoted to Area General Manager for The Howard and Channings, having been at the Howard Hotel since 1999. Throughout the last eight years she helped to achieve and maintain IIP status and attaining 4 AA Red Stars during her time as The Howard's General Manager.

Jeremy Hope was previously Deputy General Manager, and is responsible for the hotel's Green Tourism Business Scheme Gold Award.

Pirmin Hodel joins as General Manager of Channings from his position as Deputy General Manager at the Millennium Hotel in Glasgow. Originally from Switzerland, Pirmin has worked in the hospitality industry for 19 years, nine of which has been spent in Scotland in various managerial positions including The Scotsman Hotel and The Bonham.

Crerar Hotels has bought the Craiglynne Hotel in Morayshire from London & Edinburgh Inns. The purchase price was not disclosed but it is believed to be significantly lower than the price which Crerar received for the hotel two years ago as part of a deal selling 20 of the group's then existing portfolio.

The 80-bedroom Victorian period hotel will be owned by the North British Trust Group and operated by Crerar Management Ltd, the management arm of the group, as a Swallow Hotel.

'The Craiglynne Hotel is a very good three-star hotel in a superb location, and it currently sits very well within the Swallow estate,' says Paddy Crerar, Chief Executive, Crerar Hotels. 'We intend to invest initially £500k on a general refurbishment but will revisit the hotel's strategic position over the next 12 months which may well result in a full remodel should we consider it better to trade the Craiglynne as a Crerar hotel.'

The Craiglynne Hotel will come within the Swallow Hotels portfolio, increasing the number of Swallow Hotels to 27. The combined asset value either owned or under management by Crerar is valued at over £200m and, combined with Crerar Management Ltd,(which operates a further 26 hotels on behalf of investment companies) the group operates 35 hotels with over 2,730 rooms and approximately 2,100 staff.