Chafing dishes are ideal for any number of catering environments, including catered parties, buffet restaurants and standard restaurants. These chafing dishes come in a huge range of styles, sizes and shapes. These dishes will ensure that any heated food, from stews to potatoes, are kept warm and delicious until they are ready to be served.

Olympia chafing dishes are considered to be some of the best available in the catering industry. The Milan chafing dish from this brand is a great choice for many. Made from stainless steel, it’s durable and very easy to clean. This dish comes with two fuel holders, a cover and water pan, so it offers great value for money. It has a generous capacity of 9 litres and a very stylish look, due to the highly polished, mirror-like shine that the stainless steel has.

The Vienna chafing dish, also from Olympia, is the perfect size for smaller catering environments, with its capacity of 7.5 litres. It comes with a single can holder, a food pan and a water pan, so you have everything you need to keep food warm. It has an attractive high shine finish to the stainless steel surface and is incredibly easy to clean too.

The Paris chafing dish is a compact item, with a roll top and a capacity of 6 litres. It is supplied with a fuel holder, a cover, a food pan and a water pan. Made from stainless steel, it not only looks stylish, but is also very practical, durable and most importantly, reliable.

Posted by Hayley on the 14th December 2011

Recession? What recession? Economic downturn be damned! The catering industry should be heartened to hear that when there are headlines about the public sector strikes splashed all over the newspapers, at the same time, some in the industry feel sufficiently buoyant to open a huge restaurant, which claims to be the biggest in the country.
What is this restaurant and where is it?

Za Za Bazaar is a buffet-style eatery which has just opened in Bristol. According to the press, it can cater for up to 2,100 diners per night. Structured on an ‘all you can eat buffet’ style arrangement, the new restaurant covers some 30,000 square feet at the harbourside of the city and offers a different vibe from the ‘young people’ culture, which prevails in the area generally.
In an interview for the local press, the spokesman for the restaurant said he hoped to attract families and all sorts of parties of people – he argued that there will always be birthdays, always be reasons to celebrate and he wanted Za Za Bazaar to be the venue of choice.

This has been an opportunity to create jobs in the area, of course and there are 36 chefs and some 120 staff who will man the pumps at the new venue. There is a wide range of cuisines, from Chinese, Indian, Tex Mex, together with traditional British fare. This is a chain restaurant, in fact and the first of eight proposed new venues.

Posted by Matt on the 13th December 2011

Samsung microwaves are popular with commercial catering establishments because of their energy efficiency, reliability and robust build. They have both programmable and manual controlled models in the range and a large selection of power outputs to suit each catering business’s need. We stock a range of popular and competitively priced Samsung Microwaves from light to heavy duty models.

For less intensive use, the Samsung CM1079XEU Light Duty Commercial Microwave is an asset to any commercial kitchen. It has a stainless steel exterior and an output of 1.1kW, with manual control features. There is a 0 to 30 min timer and the interior holds 26 litres at capacity. The energy rating is 13A and we offer next working day delivery, with three years parts and labour warranty as standard.

For heavy duty commercial catering use, the Samsung Super Heavy Duty Manual Microwave CM1919 is very popular. It is the most efficient and tough model in the range, designed to meet high volume and demand requirements of a busy kitchen, with all the usual reliability and efficiency found in the Samsung range. It has a manual dial or touch dial depending on the model chosen, along with a power output of 1850 watts, cavity dimensions of 370w x 370d x 190h and a 13a rating.

As well as stocking kitchen appliances and equipment, we also stock a wide range of parts to prolong your kitchen equipment’s lifespan and we have an experienced customer services team and expert engineers on hand to help you find the item you need for your catering business.

Posted by Matt on the 12th December 2011

As consumers become increasingly conscious about the environment and locally sourced food products, farmers’ markets are surely an important outlet for regional produce. Also, with the oncoming festive season, Christmas markets and generally shopping activities are on the increase and so this is an excellent time to showcase wares by local companies and farmers.

Let’s look at a couple of examples.
In North Lincolnshire – the county of Lincolnshire sausages, pork pies and the local plum bread – there has been success at a farmers’ market recently. In order to attract customers, the Pink Pig Farm (now a decade old), celebrated by selling its sausages at 2001 prices at the Brigg Farmers’ Market. There was much local support for the event. Other stalls included those of Tom Wood with his best ale, brewed locally and also Fiona Sciolti. She has recently won awards with her botanical chocolates (created out of local and natural ingredients) and these were also on sale – no doubt a great idea for Christmas presents.

Huntingdon is also going to run two special Christmas markets this month (December 9th and 23rd). As well as traditional entertainment, including a children’s carol singing event and less traditional but helpful events such as the police’s free postcoding of bikes, excellent quality home produce will be available. The market will also offer a limited number of Farmers’ Market cookbooks to those who spend over £10.
There will be all manner of meat products, including poultry and sausages, as well as vegetables and cakes, jams and chutneys.

Posted by Hayley on the 8th December 2011

Bravilor is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of beverage preparation equipment for the professional catering industry, with particular market leadership in tea and coffee making facilities.

Bravilor have been leading the way in filter coffee systems for over 60 years and are the European leader in this market sector. Bravilor manufactures filter equipment, machines for hot and cold water production, fresh brew and instant machines and a range of accessories to suit every size and type of catering establishment.

We are proud to stock a range of the brand’s top products, including the Novo 2 and the Mondo 2 coffee machine models.

The Bravilor Novo 2 filter coffee machine has a high capacity and high efficiency spec, designed to serve large groups with ease. With its smart stainless steel exterior, the unit’s capacity is 24 cups and can make 144 cups of quality coffee every hour.

The Mondo 2 comes supplied with two decanters that hold 24 cups of freshly filtered quality coffee and the unit features a ‘coffee ready’ alert, a signal for de-scaling, stainless steel styling and Pyrex decanters. It takes five minutes to brew a decanter of fresh filter coffee for twelve cups. The Mondo 2 doesn’t require plumbing in which means it can be sited flexibly and it has self-regulating hot plates which adjust their temperature to suit the coffee in the decanter, making the Mondo 2 very responsive.

Speak to our experienced customer services team about your particular requirements.

Posted by Matt on the 7th December 2011

The diet of the nation’s children has long been a concern of the celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver and he has been in the news again recently as a result of this issue. You may have heard that the chef openly criticised the education secretary for the quality and the standards of school meals – the chef charged him with ‘eroding’ the quality of them.

What led to this criticism? Apparently, Oliver was bothered by the new state of affairs. Academy schools, it is said, are under no obligation to sign up to the food standards which were brought into place by the last government.
Oliver is seeking the support of pupils’ parents and wants them to ask Michael Gove (the education secretary) to stick to the previous arrangement. If this is not done, there is a concern that standards may drop again. The chef has been quoted as worrying that it is too much to ask a headteacher to become a professional caterer and that standards could be cut as headteachers have to balance the books and make numerous other decisions about the running of their schools. The standards which were introduced by the previous government were there to provide a minimum requirement.

The role of schools in terms of the nutrition of the nations’ children is increasingly important. With the increase in working parents, many primary and secondary school pupils have their meals at school and many children eat both breakfast and lunch at school.

Posted by Hayley on the 6th December 2011

Dualit toasters are a household name and a trusted commercial catering brand alike. Kitchens around the UK boast a toaster made by this leading manufacturer and we are proud to offer a range of popular Dualit toasters to our customers. The models range from two through to four and six toast slot models, with advanced features such as selector switches (to choose which and how many slots you need to use), simple timers to brown bread perfectly and simple to replace parts, which also make these products ideal for high demand catering establishments and extend their lifespan.

Try the Dualit 2 Slot Vario Bread Toaster as a handy model for smaller catering establishments. This model has a smart black finish and offers two slot toasting. The selector allows you to choose your slots and there are simple to change, pro-heating elements. The model comes with a crumb tray, intuitive and reliable functions and is easy to clean.

Or for more demanding catering use, try the Dualit Caterers Pop Up Toaster with a four slot capacity and a controller to maintain consistent and repeated browning of bread. The level can be set per pair of slots and again the model features virtually unbreakable heating elements, an easy to clean design and removable crumb tray for convenience. This model is ideal for self-service catering, such as in hotels and buffet breakfasts.

Speak to our friendly customer services team to find out more. We offer a wide range of products and spares for the commercial catering industry.

Posted by Hayley on the 5th December 2011

These days the media is awash with examples of celebrities used to inspire passion into the next generation. Certainly they need a little encouragement given the awful economic climate for those leaving school or university in these gloomy times. We have seen Lord Alan Sugar amongst the Young Apprentices and the junior cooking contests.

However, even when the cameras are not rolling, the catering industry still works behind the scenes to inspire the new chefs of tomorrow.
Cue Tom Kitchin. Not only does this Michelin-starred chef run the renowned restaurant, The Kitchin, which opened in 2006, but he has also taken time out from his busy schedule to visit the pupils of the Leith Primary and Lesmahagow High School, for a masterclass to fire their interest in the world of all things culinary.

These schools were chosen as they have already earned some spurs – they are the winners of the One Planet Picnic competition. These lucky children were invited to a demonstration at the Kitchin’s restaurant with an emphasis on how to use seasonal and locally-sourced food produce. This follows the chef’s own personal belief and professional practice of respecting the environment and the seasonal nature of food.

Kitchin was quoted as saying his own experience as a father has affected his desire to inspire the next generation about the natural larder on the doorstep of the Scottish pupils. This is something that will surely meet with the approval of many, as these considerations are taken into account on a daily basis by thoughtful and eco-conscious consumers.

Posted by Hayley on the 2nd December 2011

Tefcold was established in the year 1987 and since then has been manufacturing some of the highest quality refrigeration units in the world. Each aspect of the manufacturing process is carefully supervised, so that the end product is one of outstanding quality. The company have continued to grow and is now one of the most trusted refrigeration names on the market today. The Upright range of Tefcold fridges have some great features which make them ideal for large scale catering environments; such as their static cooling, adjustable feet for easy fitting and simple to clean interior. They also have a digital temperature display and their temperature can be adjusted, as when it is necessary. These fridges can be defrosted manually.

The chest freezers from Tefcold refrigeration are just as innovative. They come with a defrosting drain installed, so that you don’t have to worry about water spillages when you defrost. The aluminium interior is great for maintaining a fixed temperature, to ensure food is kept as fresh as possible, the handle comes with a lock for extra security and the interior features baskets for easy storage. Tefcold Refrigeration also do a fantastic range of counter fridges and freezers, so that caterers who do not have a lot of space to work with can make the most of the room that is available. These neat little counter refrigeration and freezer units fit perfectly underneath low counters, making access to food quick and simple, yet are able to hold a generous amount of goods.

Posted by Matt on the 1st December 2011

England is flexing its sporting and hosting muscles for the Big Event in 2012. It only seems five minutes since London won the bid to host the Olympics but now the date is almost upon us. Land has been acquired and redeveloped, the scheduling and programming is underway and all of the many satellite industries and individuals are planning their place in the event.

McDonald’s is one of these companies which is preparing in advance. As reported online, McDonald’s has kicked off with a programme to hunt down the members of staff it will employ to work at Olympics posts in its restaurants in the capital city during the period of the Olympic Games.
How is the fast food giant planning on organising its staff? In order to make a selection of the staff who will work at its Olympic Park venues, the company will run some ‘Olympic Champion Crew Super Team’ events to qualify. These events are to take place in a select number of its larger branches during November 2011. This has been disclosed by HR Magazine.

How will McDonald’s choose which staff to use for the big sporting event? Apparently there is a set of criteria which will be taken into account. Successful candidates should demonstrate qualities such as excellent customer service, speed and also team-working.
The company is obviously taking its part in the Olympic Games very seriously. It has also pledged to launch its biggest restaurant, with a capacity for some 1,500 customers, in the Olympic Park area.

Posted by Hayley on the 30th November 2011