The meals available to certain sectors of society have come under the public spotlight recently. Remember Jamie Oliver and his campaign to improve school meals for children? Another area of concern is the arena of hospital meals and recent news headlines show that this is a current issue.

In Wales, the patients in the NHS hospitals will benefit from a new series of obligatory nutritional standards from the beginning of the New Year. What does this mean in practice? According to reports, the content of the meals must satisfy certain criteria, such as a restricted quantity of saturated fat and a good helping of protein, as well as healthy food stuffs such as fruit and vegetables. There are also regulations to help patients remain hydrated, with offerings of 7-8 drinks on a daily basis and regularly changed drinking water, plus access to snacks. April 2013 is the target date for full implementation of these regulations in Wales.

And what about the rest of Britain? There is now the case for the government to look into extending these guidelines or similar ones to the rest of the country. According to reports, a recent poll of a thousand people revealed that a good majority of 84% wanted England to have these minimum requirements for hospital catering too.

Of course, one of the very important steps to successful recovery in hospital is to gain the strength from a nutritional diet and good meals. Hopefully the government will see fit to introduce some guidelines to ensure that patients at other British NHS hospital will benefit from similar treatment to those in Wales.

According to reports in the industry press, although the hospitality sector has weathered the economic storm relatively well all things considered, there is still need to take into account the unusual and harsh economic factors that are relevant to today’s world.

Reports about the service consultancy called Horizon have addressed this issue specifically. It has been said that certain changes will need to be taken into account in 2012, for a successful year. Of course, one of the problems is that the pockets of consumers are not so deep. Given the question marks over job security and many job losses, customers are becoming wary of splashing out.

Yet it is not a uniformly bleak picture – experts are also suggesting that providing the catering industry can adapt to these changing conditions, then there is still a good business to be made. There are many reports of new eateries opening in these harsh conditions and that, in turn, new jobs are being created. It is impressive when business owners are tenacious in finding new niches and new ways to appeal to customers in this economic climate. Obviously, providing a good quality service is essential – value for money is one of the key issues to bear in mind when marketing new services to the public. The more a customer feels they are getting quality products for a good price, the more chances of the business’s success.

There is good news too – compared to the retail sector, there are reports that the pub and restaurant industries are doing very well.

Fancy hearing some good news in terms of the economy? When we are confronted at every turn with stories of disaster on the high street – retailers struggling to stay afloat in the stormy gloomy economic climate – it seems that the catering industry is doing not too badly at all, thank you very much.
Here are a couple of good news stories to counter the misery elsewhere.

The celebrity chef, Gary Rhodes, has plans afoot to open a new restaurant in Plymouth at the Dome, according to reports. This is good news for the job market as it could create some 50 jobs in the industry. It may also breathe some life into the visitor centre in Hoe, which has been shut for half a decade. Although there are various technical consents to be obtained for the development, a redevelopment in the area would be much cause for celebration.
Another good news story: Wagamama, the much loved restaurant chain, is looking to launch a new branch in Dorchester. This will also create more jobs for chefs in the kitchen.

Fancy a little more? According to reports, a new hotel and spa is in the offing in Lancashire in the Ribble Valley. This project could also provide employment in the area as it looks for staff to provide the necessary services – reports indicate that they could create as many as 80 hotel jobs. Indirectly, the project could also boost tourism in the Ribble Valley.

The headlines have been filled with rather alarming news about the quantity of food that is discarded by NHS hospitals. Rumour has it that in excess of £22m is spent on meals that are thrown away.

This is quite a figure – how was it reached? There have been some recently published assessments of statistics gleaned from NHS trusts. These observations have argued that one in every twelve meals is returned uneaten, which amounts to around nine million meals on an annual basis. In the worst offending trusts, more than a fifth of the meals are discarded in this way.

A formal report on the matter is due to be published shortly by the Care Quality Commission. Of the 100 hospitals which the Commission has researched, nearly 50% have been a ’cause for concern.’ What reasons account for this shocking waste? Sadly, the causes which have been itemised in the press indicate that things are not running as well as they should. One reason for food being returned to the kitchen untouched is that trays are taken away from patients before they have been able to eat- or there is no ‘dedicated mealtime,’ when hospital carers could make sure that those patients who struggle to feed themselves or to eat properly, are helped to eat a decent meal.

The Health Minister, Simon Burns, has been quoted as saying that each patient should receive the support needed to eat a nutritious meal. Sadly, there have been many initiatives since 2000 to improve hospital food, but a truly successful campaign remains elusive.

Photo: Sporkist

Professional grade catering requires professional serving kit and we stock a range of top-rated essentials that our customers return to time and time again.

Kelso cutlery is a classic example and its plain cutlery range is one of the industry’s most widely used. Each item in the plain cutlery range is made from highly polished 18/0 stainless steel. It’s classically shaped and designed, with smooth, undulating curves and perfect simplicity. This makes it an ideal choice for all catering environments, from high class restaurants, through to events catering, cafes and bistros and even corporate and canteen catering.

Another feature of the Kelso cutlery plain range is its price – it’s extremely competitive and ideal for cost-conscious businesses who are still seeking quality and durable products for their businesses. Each item in the range is scratch resistant and suitable for dishwasher use and all will last the test of time without warping or bending with regular use.

The cutlery items in the range are sold as individual items such as serving spoons, dessert spoons, knives, forks and teaspoons, in boxes of twelve. Sample sets are also available, selling the main items together as a pack.

As with all of our products, we place a real premium on quality and customer service and our helpful team is here to advise and help you make the right choice for your catering business. We offer a customer satisfaction guarantee, returns policy should the items bought be unsuitable for your needs and flexible delivery options.

Many of us have heard of the Jamie Oliver Foundation, the charity set up by the celebrity chef, to help those who have an interest in good food – the organisation assists in teaching aspiring individuals how to cook, learn about food content and sources and also contributes to employment in the sector. Famously, the chef also set up a flagship scheme, called Fifteen, in 2002, which involved educating those who were unemployed or lacked sufficient qualifications. The success of this project was well-known and two further ‘Fifteen’ restaurants were subsequently opened in Amsterdam (2004) and Cornwall (2006).

Recently another project which helps those in need has also received recognition within the catering industry. Us UnLtd is a project set up by Steff Needham and Shaniece Roberts and their efforts were applauded at the 2011 Inspiring Young Women Awards recently as they both won prizes. The women were also approached by Room restaurant to offer them training in how to succeed in the hospitality industry.

The Us UnLtd project wants to create a drop-in centre for homeless young people, offering washing facilities, café services and urgent accommodation. Those involved with this project, called The Getaway, have all been homeless at some point. The team from Room will help to train the Us UnLtd team in bringing their project to successful fruition, including the preparation of food under the watchful eye of Pete Taylor, head chef at Room. Like Jamie Oliver’s foundation, the scheme has many benefits for those at the disadvantaged end of society.

Sammic catering equipment is produced by a Spanish company with decades of experience in making high quality products. There are a wide range of catering products to choose from including peelers, mincers and mixers as well as vacuums.

The Sammic range of mixers come with accessories which make food preparation as easy and straightforward as possible; the balloon whisk, beater and dough hook will allow you to find the perfect accessory for the food you are making.

Each type of Sammic mixer comes with a stainless steel bowl as standard, for easy cleaning and durability. The range of peelers available from this company allows you to choose the best peeler for your food preparation needs. There are three models of mincers to choose from as well; depending on how much food needs to be minced, there is a mincer for lighter use, such as the PS-12 or one for heavier use, such as the PS-32.

The vacuum machines which are made by Sammic catering equipment are excellent for keeping food fresher for longer; this is done by drawing all of the air from the vacuum pack and sealing the food inside so that it is preserved for as long as it can be in a hygienic manner.

The vacuum packing machines are suitable for use with many different types of liquids and solid foods, so that the amount of food wasted in a catering environment can be significantly reduced. The vacuum packs come in a number of shapes and sizes so that you can choose one which suits the amount of food you want to keep fresh.

As reported in Blue Skies, the aviation online magazine, the industry has recently given birth to a catering management system, Aero Chef. What is it? It is a software system that assists inflight catering teams to streamline their business.

Given the recent changes in the aviation industry, the Aero Chef team wanted to create a system that would help efficiency. Competition has been tough – low cost airlines with high volumes have made companies want to create a process that cuts waste and is profitable.

The development team at Kott Software therefore began work to see what they could do to meet the challenges in the market place. They were aiming to look at issues such as efficiency of process, careful and effective costings, avoiding waste and making business decisions on the basis of management reports – plus keeping a reign on budgets to keep the finances in check.

The Aero Chef system was the result of their endeavours. Based on the internet, it is an Enterprise Resource Planning solution, facilitating central management for inflight catering. It is designed to cover the core areas and also assist with customer relations and managing supply chains.

A director of the business has been quoted as praising the Aero Chef model as it is very competitive and offers an all-in-one solution for this sector of the catering market. It provides easy access to various reports to help with management of the business, plus costings, profitability and other intelligence reports. It is also said to have a forecasting function, complying with HACCP and industry quality standards.

Not only is KitchenAid® an excellent company which produces excellent catering equipment – it is also a company with a conscience. What is it doing? According to local reports, the company will link up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Del Webb developer in the US, to work together for a worthwhile cause ‘Cook for a Cause’ within the Del Webb communities.

The Cook for a Cause event is designed to help to address the problems of breast cancer by both raising funds and also increasing awareness and knowledge of the disease.

KitchenAid is something of a veteran in terms of its participation with the Cook for the Cure organisation. Published statistics indicate that the company has raised some $8 million over the past decade and its plans are becoming increasingly ambitious – during the 2011 Cook for the Cure event, it is aiming to reach out to 1,000 cooks around America.

How does KitchenAid operate? One example published online is the donation of some of its excellent catering equipment as part of the prize in a local raffle. The prize is not to be sniffed at either, amounting to $500 in value and comprises various goodies such as a chopper, stand mixer and a cookbook. There are some supplementary raffle prizes from KitchenAid too, such as a blender and hand mixer.

There are various other regional business contributors to the raffle also. In addition, organised events include cookery demonstrations and the opportunity to taste various delicious samples of food.

The application process for Exeter College’s Michael Caines Academy, which seeks to build excellence in hospitality, is now underway.

Led by Caines himself, a Michelin-starred chef who also received his training at the college, the selection phase has been about identifying young talent that will improve the overall quality of trainees in the field.

“The hospitality industry is a great employer,” commented Caines, who added, “It’s fantastically dynamic and requires energy, creativity and all sorts of different people and personalities.” In order to help him recruit the best of the best and capture and build on the best talent available, Caines recently held a reception for potential partners, inviting reputable names from the world of food in the south-west to come on board. Not only looking for their time and expertise, the hospitality expert wants prospective partners to help impart knowledge surrounding food culture, provenance, fair trade, sustainability and environmental responsibility.

And to ensure that future trainees themselves are equipped with the stamina and resilience needed for a career in catering, Caines is putting applicants through their paces with a two-day selection process carried out by dedicated staff. During this, applicants’ practical skills are put to the test in the college training kitchen, as are their palates and their willingness to sample and analyse the taste of their culinary creations.

“What I’m looking for is that they’re prepared to taste everything,” explained one of the judges, Huw Southcott. But not only that applicants are willing to taste everything, but also that they really think about what they are trying to achieve in terms of flavour and how this can be improved.