Scottish catering and hospitality news in Scotland

Neil Ellis has been appointed General Manager at Mar Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf resort, near Bishopton on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Having spent four years at the Mercure Point Hotel HOtel in Edinburgh and latterly at City Inn in Glasgow, Neil was Chair of Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG), a director of the Edinburgh Convention Bureau and a Council Member of Edinburgh Hotels Association.

Entries are now being invited for this year's Academy of Food & Wine's Gastronomy Team of the Year 2010competition. If you have a chef/waiter team who could devise a menu with wines, you could be in with a chance of winning.

The competition, sponsored by Discover the Origin, seeks to find the chef/waiter team that submits the best two-course menu with matching wines. The menu must make use of Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, matched with wines from Burgundy, Port and Douro Valley wines, which are part of the Discover the Origin PDO (protected designation of origin) campaign.

The first round features a questionnaire, from which successful teams will be chosen to submit their menu with wines. To find the ultimate winner, the best teams from five regions will be invited to a cook-and-serve final at Westminster Kingsway College, London, on 19 July 2010.

KEY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER BEFORE ENTERING:

-Is your menu planned with matching wines in mind?
-Has your sommelier or wine waiter tasted all the food on the menu?
-Do your front-of-house staff and your kitchen brigade work effectively as a team?

Entry forms can be downloaded at www.afws.co.uk or contact the Academy of Food & Wine on 020 8661 4646. All entries must be received by 26 March 2010.

Brodies, the specialist suppliers of coffee and coffee equipment, took home the prize for Outstanding Customer Service at the Beacon Supplier Awards in Wales. The Edinburgh-based company's Ian Hannah walked away with the Exceptional Staff Member Award.
According to he organisers, the awards were designed 'to recognise excellence among the suppliers of Beacon, the largest purchasing consortium for the independent hospitality industry, in the areas valued most by their customers.'

The Inver Lodge in Lochinver, one of Scotland's most remote hotels, is undergoing a major transformation that will include Albert Roux's third Chez Roux restaurant in Scotland.

The hotel, owned by Robin Vestey, will reopen in April this year after a six-month refurbishment.

Mr Nicolas Gorton, General Manager of Inver Lodge Hotel, has run the hotel for over twenty-two years since it opened in 1988, and will continue to manage the refurbished hotel when it reopens to the public in April.

www.inverlodgehotel.co.uk

Scotland had the highest occupancy and rooms yield of any part of the UK in 2009, according to the latest survey by accountants and business advisers, PKF. The research found that hotels in Scotland experienced a 1.6% drop in occupancy and a 5.6% fall in rooms yield during 2009. However, this was considerably higher than the occupancy figures in other parts of Britain, with regional UK down 4.8%.

Edinburgh had a 2.1% increase in occupancy and, at 77.9%, had the highest percentage occupancy rate in the UK outside London. The annual performance of the capital's hotels was boosted during December, with a 7.9% year-on-year increase in occupancy and a 5.1% rise in rooms yield.

The Barceló Troon Marine Hotel has appointed Federation of Chefs President Kevin MacGillivray as Head Chef.

'It is 42 years since the hotel has had a new Head Chef and I want to spread the good reputation of the restaurant even further afield,' he says. 'We will also be hot on the tail of AA rosettes and other culinary recognition.

www.barcelo-hotels.co.uk

Entries and nominations are open for the CIS Excellence Awards 2010, in association with Caterer.com.

Open to all types of established and emerging businesses and individuals involved in these sectors, the CIS Excellence Awards are positioned as the industry's ultimate accolade. From chefs and contract caterers to independent hotels, restaurants, local authorities, gastro-pubs and environmentally conscious organisations, there is a category to suit you or your company.

The awards will recognise an individual or company's business achievements and their contribution to their industry or profession. Winners, in addition to gaining national recognition as a major player, will also be offered valuable publicity through Catering in Scotland magazine, The Federation of Chefs Scotland and our affiliated websites.

The closing date for entries is Monday 5th March 2010.

Please visit the CIS Excellence Awards website for criteria, entry forms and full details of the nomination process. Then complete and return the Entry/Nomination form and email it back to us or post it to the address on the CIS Awards website before 5th March 2010.

Award Categories and Criteria 2010:

1: The Healthier Scotland Award, sponsored by the healthyliving award in association with Healthier Scotland

2: The Innovation in Training Award, co-sponsored by Xpress Recruitment & the Institute of Hospitality

3: The Pub-Restaurant Excellence Award, sponsored by Food Options

4: The Contract Catering Chef of the Year Award, co-sponsored by Blue Arrow Catering & Caterer.com

5: The Sustainable Business Award, sponsored by Nestle Professional

6: The Restaurant Newcomer of the Year Award, co-sponsored by ASA Recruitment & Sodexo

7: The Independent Event-Caterer of the Year Award, co-sponsored by Charlton House Catering & Hilton

8: The Award for Excellence in Hospitality Education, co-sponsored by MCL

9: The Independent Hotel of the Year Award, sponsored by ARAMARK

10: The Restaurant of the Year Award, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions

11: The Chef of the Year Award, sponsored by BaxterStorey

12: The Lifetime Excellence Award, sponsored by Braehead Foods

The CIS Excellence Awards website.

Beacon Purchasing has announced a strategic alliance with Acquire Services Ltd (ASL), one of the primary procurement specialists in the hospitality cost sector.

Under the agreement, Beacon will license ASL's epsys e-procurement system, under the banner of BeaconOnline.

Chris Durant, Director of Beacon, said: 'E-procurement is still relatively new in the independent hotel sector. With BeaconOnline, we can maintain a highly effective and competitive commercial purchasing solution for members.'

Learnpurple, the award-winning organisation which 'provides expertise in talent management, learning and people retention,' is due to launch its Scottish office later this month.

The venture will be headed up by Gavin McLean, a Scot with 20 years' experience within the hospitality industry, when the Scottish office opens in Edinburgh on 25th February.

www.learnpurple.com

Institute of Hospitality Seminar: 'Developing Your Business & Your Team'
Best Western Bruntsfield Hotel, Edinburgh
9am to 12.30pm

Join the IoH for an interactive event, with presentations from:

-VisitScotland
-Hospitality Assured
-Scottish Enterprise
-Institute of Hospitality Management Qualifications
-Johnston Carmichael Accountants & Business Advisers

This event is free for members but pre-booking is required. Email your name, telephone number & email address to IoHScotland@hotmail.com.

For the latest news and member benefits and services, visit
www.instituteofhospitality.org

Wilson Storey Halliday, the independent catering services provider which encompasses well-known brands such as BaxterStorey and Cater Link, has reported a 10% trading uplift for 2009, driving its revenues to over £300m.

Alastair Storey, Chairman and Chief Executive of WSH, said: '2009 was a challenging year which saw our business-and-industry market contract.
'Despite this, BaxterStorey has had another strong year, generating record new business sales of £50m resulting in an £8m increased turnover on 2008. The outstanding performance of sister businesses are evidence of the wisdom of investing across different pockets of the hospitality sectors, ensuring that we are strongly positioned for further growth.'

www.baxterstorey.com

Scottish caterers and hoteliers are being urged to adopt the message of a new campaign encouraging the public to support Scotland's food and drink industry.

Launched earlier this week, the 'Eat Fresh, Eat Seasonal' campaign was introduced by Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin and Rural Affairs Secretary, Richard Lochhead.
As the latest step in the Scottish Government's national food and drink policy, which aims to increase the total value of the country's food and drink industry to £12.5 billion by 2017, the campaign aimes to encourage retailers to stock and promote local produce.

Trade organisations including Scotland Food and Drink, Quality Meat Scotland and Seafood Scotland have endorsed the campaign.

Visit www.whatsonyourplate.co.uk/recipes.htm for more information.