Scottish catering and hospitality news in Scotland

HIT Scotland have announced the launch of the HIT Scholarships programme for 2009.

David Cochrane, Chief Executive of HIT Scotland, said: 'These are aimed at the Emerging Talent of our industry, to experience the best on offer locally, nationally and internationally.
'If people in the hospitality industry would like to apply for a scholarship, have a look at the new section online which provides all the information about what is on offer, plus some categories to help guide people.'

The closing date this year is the 30th November and the scholarships will be awarded on the 11th February at the Emerging Talent conference.

Visit www.hitscotland.co.uk/pages/scholarships.php to apply.

The HIT Scotland Grampian Dinner raised over £15,000 last week. Held at Aberdeen Mercure Ardoe House Hotel & Spa, the dinner entertained 200 guests from Grampian's hospitality industry to raise money for the charity's bursary and scholarship programmes.

David Trotter, who headed the committee organising the Aberdeen event, said: 'The hospitality industry in the Grampian region is growing in confidence all the time and we will be encouraging as many businesses as possible to apply for a HIT scholarship. 'The record investment is only possible through the support of sponsors and people coming to events like tonight's dinner.'

Meanwhile, tickets are currently available for the HIT Scotland Edinburgh Lunch on 3rd November at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh.

The Scholarships are open to anyone preparing for the next step in a hospitality career or in the final year of a related university or college course.

See www.hitscotland.org for more details.

Shetland mussels were described as 'the best in the world' by Jean-Christophe Novelli during a recent visit to the islands.

The reknowned French chef gave his seal of approval during a trip to Shetland's first ever Food Festival, where part of his tour included a visit to shellfish farm Blueshell Mussels Ltd.

The tour of the farm at Brae, which is part of the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG), included a boat trip to see the mussels being harvested from their growing ropes.

Novelli said: 'My visit to Shetland was extremely interesting and the quality of the food produced in the islands is tremendous. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the mussels that are grown in the clean waters around Shetland. These mussels are, in my opinion, the best in the world.'

Glasgow has been listed in The Lonely Planet's 'Top 10 Cities' section, the only UK destination to do so. Chosen on account of its 'exciting, contemporary image', the listing for Glasgow read as follows: 'Forget about castles, kilts, bagpipes and tartan; you come to Glasgow for the cocktails, cuisine and designer chic (plus the legendary native wit).'

Meanwhile, The Ubiquitous Chip was the only restaurant venue mentioned in the review of the city.

The Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 captures the world's hottest travel trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the year ahead, bringing together the expertise of Lonely Planet authors, staff and travellers.

Dubai-based luxury hotel group Jumeirah has unveiled plans to operate a new five-star super-deluxe hotel in Glasgow, scheduled to open in 2011.
The 25-storey development, designed by Ian Simpson Architects, will be situated in the city's financial services district and will boast 160 guest rooms and suites and 85 Jumeirah Living serviced apartments.

'Today's announcement is a resounding vote of confidence in Glasgow and its future ambitions,' said Councilor Steven Purcell of Glasgow City Council.

Three Glasgow schoolgirls have beaten Glasgow chef Brian Maule in a competitive cook-off at Craigholme school in the city's Southside.

Sixteen-year-olds Erin Curle, Kathryn MacNaughton and Rhian Evans went head-to-head with Maule, owner and head chef of Le Chardon d'Or in Glasgow.

The contest celebrated the opening of Craigholme's new home economics department and
required the girls, working with their home economics teacher Hilda Magill, to challenge Maule to dish up a healthier main meal than their own creation in less than 30 minutes from a set list of ingredients. The results were judged by radio Clyde presenter, Suzie McGuire.

As part of a £200,000 investment in new facilities, Craigholme has built a state-of-the-art home economics department at its St Andrew's Drive site in Pollokshields.

'I hope this event will encourage as many pupils as possible to have a go at making simple, quality meals that are good for you,' said Maule.

Edinburgh restaurateur Tony Singh announced yesterday that he will hand over the management of his Indian restaurant, Roti, to Glasgow restaurateur, Ryan Singh.

Ryan, General Manager of the 'Mister Singh's India' in Glasgow, who is also Tony's cousin, will take over the management of the 100-cover restaurant and wine bar. Tony will remain in an associate chef capacity at Roti.

Tony Singh launched two and a half years ago but is transferring the business to his cousin after deciding to focus on the development of Oloroso and other investment opportunities in Edinburgh.

'It makes perfect sense to hand over the management and ownership, and can now turn my attention to my commitments with Oloroso'.

A porridge enthusiast from Invernesshire has beaten off tough competition to take the title of World Porridge Making Champion 2008 on Sunday 12th October. Ian Bishop, a local mountain bike guru and cross-country ski school proprietor, scooped the coveted Golden Spurtle award at the World Porridge-Making Championships at Carrbridge, Invernesshire.
Having taken part in the championship every year since they started, Ian says his secret ingredient is the water he uses, which comes from a borehole into an underground river.
As well as the Golden Spurtle trophy, the 62-year-old champion was presented with a £350 hotel voucher and £250 spending money from the event's main sponsors, Hamlyns of Scotland.
In the speciality category, first prize went to chef Addy Daggert from Craigellachie, for his marzipan porridge with Glenfiddich whisky ice cream and vanilla-marinated stewed apple.
This year's judging panel was headed up by George McIvor and Colin Bussey of the Master Chefs of Great Britain, who were joined by guest judge Tom Lewis of Monachyle Mhor Hotel.
Among those also taking part were 2007 champion, Maria Soep, 2007 Speciality winner, Al Beaton, and Canadian newcomer, Joanne Grice.

Visit www.goldenspurtle.com for more information and photos.

A course at Perth College has been praised by education inspectors in a report carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE).

The college's Professional Chef Award programme, which allows students to develop skills in patisserie and bakery through a partnership with Gleneagles Hotel, was singled out for particular commendation.

Ian Gibb, Curriculum Manager for Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure said: 'The students benefitted from working in partnership with Gleneagles. They gained constructive feedback from both the College and hotel, including employability skills such as timekeeping, attitude, meeting deadlines and punctuality.'

The Professional Chef Award programme is part of a range of hospitality courses on offer at Perth College.

Simon Hulstone, Chef Proprietor of The Elephant Restaurant in Torquay, was last night crowned Knorr National Chef of the Year 2008 at the Park Lane Hotel, London.

Handed the main prize of £10,000 and a trip to Pordenone, Italy, Simon joins a host of well-known previous winners, including Gordon Ramsay, Mark Sargeant and the 2006 titleholder, Eyck Zimmer.

The biennial KNORR National Chef of the Year competition, run by the Craft Guild of Chefs in partnership with KNORR, culminated at this year's Restaurant Show. Eight finalists were tasked with producing a four-course meal from a selection of mystery basket ingredients revealed the night before.

The 2008 judging panel included Marco Pierre White, Angela Hartnett, Atul Kochhar, Claire Clark and John Campbell.

'Simon delivered an outstanding menu under the spotlight, and our heartfelt congratulations go out to him on his tremendous victory,' said David Mulcahy, Vice President Craft Guild of Chefs.

The eight finalists included:

David Kennedy, Chef Proprietor, Black Door Restaurant, Newcastle
Steve Allen, Head Chef, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, London
Frederick Forster, Head Chef, Le Boudin Blanc, London
Clark Crawley, Sous Chef, Barclays Wealth, London
Simon Hulstone, Chef Proprietor,The Elephant Restaurant,Torquay
Ian Boden, Head Chef, Limes Restaurant, Derby
Andreas Wingert, Senior Sous Chef, Lucknam Park Hotel, Wiltshire
Brian Canale, Head Chef, Heritage Portfolio, Edinburgh

HRH The Duchess of Rothesay lent support to the Community Meals service yesterday at the start of Community Meals on Wheels Week, a national event aimed at raising awareness of the meals service for the elderly.

The Duchess saw the Community Meals Service in operation At Ballater, Deeside, when lunch was delivered to village resident, Alexander (Sandy) Irvine, who will be 93 this month.

The Duchess then met representatives of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC), community meals staff and Aberdeenshire Council, to discuss how the provision of a meals service is a valuable part of a range of care at home services for people who are unable to cook for themselves.

Each year, over 40 million meals are delivered to more than 20,000 of the UK's elderly population.

'As winter approaches it brings into stark focus how important a community meal is, particularly when you consider that the early signs of malnutrition often go unnoticed,' said NACC national chair, Sue Ullmann. 'It is only when a person needs to be admitted to hospital that the full extent, and indeed subsequent treatment cost, becomes known.

Aberdeenshire Council adopted a Community Meals service in April 2007.

Charan Gill MBE is looking to launch a new career as a stand-up comedian when he takes to the stage at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow on 14th October.

The former shipbuilder, who founded his Harlequin Leisure Group in Glasgow in 1994 and built it into Europe's largest chain of Indian restaurants before selling it on in 2005, is now to determined to break into the cut-throat world of stand-up comedy.

'I was in The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow scouting for a comedian to book for The Hottest Night of the Year, when I had an epiphany and realised that I'd always wanted to be a comic,' he says.

According to the man himelf, Charan's routine will centre on Glasgow's love for curry, and provide a humorous insight into what goes on in Indian restaurants on an average Saturday night: 'I've got plenty of material!' he adds.

Also known for his charitable work, Gill has hosted The Hottest Night of the Year since 1998. The legendary annual event last year raised over £150,000 for The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow and Help the Aged, India.

Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic, cited the Scottish hospitality sector's established infrastructure as one of the key reasons Virgin Galactic selected Scotland as its number one choice for its first European space port.

Speaking at a presentation last week's 59th International Astronautical Congress in Glasgow, Will Whitehorn said: 'Scotland is perfect because we have high net-worth individuals spending $200,000 on a ticket for the flight and the area is unique. The benefit to Scotland is that we don't need new infrastructure. The luxury hotels, distilleries and all the tourism things are there already. Lossiemouth's runway is on the edge of the sea and we can take off over the Moray Firth in an area where there is closed airspace. It's perfect.'

Will Whitehorn will be discussing the positive impact of space travel on Scotland and the benefits it will bring to the tourism sector at this year's Edinburgh Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) lunch, on 3rd November at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa. Visit www.hitscotland.co.uk to book tickets.

The One and All Foundation, which was founded to tackle the issues associated with talent-development and equality of opportunity in the hospitality sector, was launched yesterday by Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform.

The charity aims to address skills shortages in the industry by focusing on the identification and development of talented individuals from all backgrounds, in particular from the six strands of diversity: Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Religion/Belief, Ethnicity and Disability.

Over 100 leaders from the industry met for a breakfast reception hosted by Iqbal Wahhab at Roast Restaurant in London to hear about the plans for the new charity.

Stephen Timms praised the initiative and said employers need to capitalise on the full potential of the diverse workforce: 'These industries are already ahead of the curve, and have a great history of offering opportunities, so I'm confident they have a bright future ahead,' he said.

'This is not about Positive discrimination or quotas, more red tape, or simply avoiding discrimination claims,' said the Foundation's Chairman, Peter Lederer. 'It's about recognising talent, nurturing and developing it to give our industry the best workforce in the future. Why are these people not progressing into management? Are they unaware of the opportunities? Are they simply not good enough? Are their talents not being spotted? We are missing out on critical pools of talent currently working within our businesses. They will move on if we cannot understand and engage them.'

The Foundation will aim to raise awareness and educate the industry through a series of workshops and seminars, as well as promoting role models in the industry and examples of good practice. It will also facilitate a reverse mentoring programme for talented individuals in the sector.

www.oneandall.org.uk

The Scottish Wholesale Association has announced a change of venue and format for annual conference. After successfully staging it at Dunblane Hydro in Perthshire for a number of years, the conference will be held at Crieff Hydro.

Dates for the conference have been confirmed as 5-7 June 2009.

Looking forward to overseeing his first conference as president of the trade association, Iain Hill said: 'We understand that there are many demands on people's time and we believe that a slightly shorter conference will suit busy wholesalers and suppliers whose priority is the day-to-day running of their businesses.'

'We very much hope that this slightly revised format and change of venue will appeal to our members and suppliers, said Kate Salmon, Executive Director of the SWA. 'We are confident that we will deliver a conference that is mutually beneficial to members and suppliers alike.'

Email info@scottishwholesale.co.uk for full details of the event, or visit www.scottishwholesale.co.uk.

Two girls from Gleneagles and the Balmoral Hotel took 2nd place at The Restaurant Association's Young Chef Young Waiter 2008 competition following the national final at Westminster Kingsway College in London.

Rose Green of The Balmoral Hotel took 2nd place for the chefs and Katie Watson of Gleneagles scooped 2nd for the waiters. Fellow Scot Tristin Farmer, now of Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, took third place for the chefs.

Eight chefs and eight waiters, all under 25yrs, took part in the final at Westminster Kingsway on 30th September. The 2008 winner of the chefs' title was Alejandro Jose Cancino from Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, while the winning waiter was William Bonfield from The Box Tree Restaurant.

The shortlists for the final of the Scottish Thistle Awards 2009, to be held at the Edinburgh International Conference centre on Friday 24th October, is as follows:

Business Tourism
Easterbrook Hall at the Crichton, Dumfries and Galloway
Edinburgh Convention Bureau, Edinburgh
Unique Venues of Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Collaboration
Connoisseurs Scotland, National
Tartan Turf Tour - Scottish Racing, National
Timberbush Tours & The Famous Grouse Experience, Edinburgh/Glasgow/Crieff

Customer Care: Accommodation
Crosswoodhill Farm Cottages, West Calder
Morag's Lodge, Fort Augustus
Pilrig House Apartments, Edinburgh

Customer Care: Activities & Attractions
Huntly Peregrine Wildwatch, Huntly, Aberdeenshire
Radical Travel, Edinburgh
The Famous Grouse Experience, Crieff, Perthshire

Customer Care: Serviced Accommodation
Skirling House, Biggar, Lanarkshire
The Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, Fife
Uplawmoor Hotel and Restaurant, Glasgow

Events and Festivals (International)
Celtic Connections 2008, Glasgow
Rock Ness 2007, Highlands
UEFA Cup Final 2007, Glasgow

Events and Festivals (Regional)
Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running, Highlands
East Neuk Festival, Fife
Wigtown Book Festival, Dumfries and Galloway

Innovation
Culloden Battlefield Guide, Highlands
Walkhighlands.co.uk, Highlands
Wilderness Scotland, Sea Kayaking, Highlands

Marketing Initiative
Ladacam, Pitlochry
National Galleries of Scotland, Andy Warhol Campaign, Edinburgh
7stanes Mountain Biking Project, Dumfries and Galloway/

Operator Programme of the Year
Collettes Vacations, Discover Scotland Tour Series, National
Hotelbeds, Scotland Fly Programme, National
Wilderness Scotland, Small Group Adventures, Highlands

People Development (Large)
Horsecross Arts Limited, Perthshire
Rabbies Trail Burners, Edinburgh
Radical Travel, National

People Development (Small)
Cluny Clays, Kirkcaldy, Fife
House for an Art Lover, Glasgow
The Famous Grouse Experience, Crieff, Perthshire

PR Excellence
CM Porter Novelli, Launching Budongo at Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh
CM Porter Novelli, Edinburgh's Winter Festival, Edinburgh
Mary King's Ghost Fest 2008, Edinburgh

Sustainable Tourism
EAE, National
Maximillion Events Ltd, National
Radisson SAS Hotel, Edinburgh

Young Tourism Enterpreneur
Ross McKinnon, Amazing Days Scotland, Kilmarnock
Catherine Bunn, Highland Campervan, Highlands
Philip Price, Loch Vision, Argyle