Previous Articles August/September 2010
If you're new to Scotland's premier catering and hospitality magazine, here's a sample of the type of article we feature. From Edinburgh and Glasgow to the Borders and Highlands we report on the latest issues affecting Scottish catering, hospitality and tourism businesses.
The Scottish Chefs’ Conference
Monday 1st November, Glasgow Thistle Hotel
The Scottish Chefs’ Conference returns to the Thistle Hotel for the second year running, bringing with it a host of well-known chefs on the demo guest list.
Catering in Scotland provides a preview of what’s in store on 2nd November…
Are YOU a Best Employer in Hospitality?
The heroes and stars of the Scottish hospitality industry are preparing to be recognised, rewarded, lauded and applauded, when Caterer.com’s inaugural Best Employers in Hospitality Awards 2010 get underway in September. Employers from across Scotland have been entering and nominating themselves for the past four months, and are being judged by the best-qualified adjudicators in the business: their employees. The black-tie awards ceremony takes place on 28th September 2010 at Edinburgh’s Prestonfield House Hotel, and Catering in Scotland provides a special preview of this unique event…
Three simple questions that all hotel and catering operators should ask themselves:
- How confident are you that your building is safe in the event of a fire?
- Does your fire safety policy demonstrate that you are aware of possible hazards?
- Does your evacuation policy highlight how you would evacuate disabled guests?
Research shows that increasing numbers of businesses are neglecting or even ignoring their health and safety obligations, which could prove fatal in more than one sense of the word. But it’s not just fire that poses a serious threat; food contaminants, flooding, air pollution, electrical appliances, spilled liquids - the list is endless. With so many types and levels of risk – and so much at stake - is it really worth gambling with your business, your reputation and, above all, the lives of your staff and customers?
Catering in Scotland meets Douglas Cameron to find out what operators can do to protect themselves and minimise risk in the workplace …
These days, energy-efficiency is arguably as important to a business as its training policy, its marketing strategy and its bottom line. Not only will a cut in running costs save an operator money in the short- and long-term, it will also enhance their credentials and reputation in the eyes of their customers, suppliers and clients. By lowering emissions and making each kW count, your establishment stands to gain in more ways than one.
As part of its ongoing environmental policy, Crieff Hydro recently installed powertherm™, an innovative Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system manufactured by the Shenton Group…
‘A life-changing experience’. This single tagline attracted Gusto employee Sarah Cowin to the advertisement searching for climbers to tackle Mount Kilimanjaro earlier this year. Although it seemed like an achievable feat in terms of others who manage to conquer it each year, the thought of scaling the world’s tallest free-standing mountain with a group of strangers posed its own set of challenges: Would she be fit enough? How would she cope with the altitude?; Could she raise the necessary funds?; Would she have the time to train properly? Could she climb to nearly 6,000 metres above sea level without oxygen?; Could she really share a tent with someone she’d never met before?
Coincidentally, the same self-searching questions are being asked by the anxious group of HIT Scotland supporters who, in less than six months’ time, will be trudging along in her footsteps.
For their benefit in the meantime, here’s Sarah’s account of her journey to the roof of Africa…
Employee Tribunals: The Tables Are Turning
The catering and hospitality industry has for years suffered from a relatively excessive level of staff turnover. An advantage of this used to be that the chances of a high-value tribunal claim (leaving aside discrimination and some other claim types) was, in general, fairly low, as employees who left a company could normally find work elsewhere quite quickly. However, with the recent downturn affecting business, and vacancies becoming increasingly hard to find, some aggrieved workers are choosing to pursue their employers through the courts instead. So, what do you do about an employee who apparently has a point to prove, and who is pursuing a tribunal claim potentially worth £500 or £1,000?
Chris Leitch outlines how employers can - depending on the merits of their individual case - avoid liability for costs when workers challenge them on the grounds of unfair dismissal…
Changing the Rules of the Game
Highland Game, the Dundee-based venison producer, has worked hard over the last decade to raise the profile of what it sees as a truly Scottish meat. Processing and selling the highest quality venison products since 1997, the company is committed to promoting best practice throughout its operation, regardless of the costs involved. However, now that venison has become a more customary addition to menus, the level of demand is outstripping supply more than ever before, and the company is now seeking new ways of dealing with this disparity.
Catering in Scotland speaks to Highland Game’s MD, Christian Nissen, and discovers an interesting new option that was previously the preserve of our European cousins…
Protect Your Heritage, Preserve Your Portfolio
As the CIS Excellence Awards Independent Event-Caterer of the Year 2010, Heritage Portfolio (HP) is at the top of its game. Formed in 2002, the Edinburgh-based firm has grown into one of Scotland’s leading providers of top quality food and hospitality for a broad range of clients throughout Scotland. With a formidable reputation for winning contracts across the spectrum - from Government organisations and private companies to public bodies such as the National Trust - Heritage Portfolio have become a benchmark for success.
However, even the biggest players can suffer during the bad times, and Heritage were no exception. The worldwide downturn in corporate events and entertainment budgets meant that the company witnessed an uncharacteristic dip in revenues over the last 18 months, although these have begun to bounce back of late. The questions is, how did they managed to thrive during one of the most serious recessions in living memory?
Catering in Scotland met Executive Director, Mark Miller, to find out…
A former family estate in Ayrshire has transformed itself to become a leading attraction for locals and tourists alike, and as visitor numbers climb and the facilities grow exponentially to cope with demand, a new challenge has reared its head. In both restaurants and throughout the seven fast-food kiosks, the levels of mess and waste from sauce and condiment dispensers had become unbearable both for staff and customers, so the new catering managers acted quickly to find a solution.
Catering in Scotland meets an operator who chose a different, more economical route to tackle the problems of condiment waste and mess…
Building on a Healthy Heritage
From the outset, the criteria for the healthyliving award was designed to fit a wide range of businesses, and its recent receipt by the award-winning Edinburgh-based caterer, Heritage Portfolio, demonstrates just how flexible the accolade has become.
Catering in Scotland discovers what it took to attain the industry’s most prestigious healthyliving achievement…
Scotch Lamb Takes Centre Stage At Bocuse d’Or
The world-renowned Bocuse d’Or will be held in Lyon on 25th and 26th January 2011, and with Scotch Lamb as the main meat ingredient and Seafood Scotland supplying the monkfish, crab and langoustine, there is a distinctly Scottish flavour to the menu this time around.
Margaret Stewart profiles one of the ultimate challenges for top chefs from across the globe…
