CS Catering Equipment are pleased to announce that we are now able to offer the full range of products from Burco Catering Equipment.  This range once famous for its water boilers now offers high quality and affordable Burco Oven Range, Burco Fryer, Burco Bain Marie, Burco Grill, Burco Coffee Machine and Burco Toasters. The majority of which are designed for ease of installation through a 13 amp connection and table top use except for the gas equipment. To view the entire Burco Catering Equipment range click the link.

Burco Catering Equipment are part of the Glen Dimplex group which is famous for its brands such as Morphy Richards, Lec, Xpelair and many more. The organisation was founded in 1973 and is currently one of the world’s largest electrical heating business and holds significant market positions in the domestic appliance industry worldwide. The Burco range of products adds to this range giving them a huge presence in the commercial catering equipment market.

Glen Dimplex and Burco Catering Equipment are a privately owned firm and through there on going expansion and policy of continuous product innovation they have created a range of Burco products to suit most sites.

Burco is today still one of the best known brand names in water boilers since the emergence and popularity of the Baby Burco Waterboiler in the 1950s.  Burco have launched new models and changed existing ranges to suit the modern commercial catering equipment market resulting in the excellent range of products that can be seen on the CS Catering Equipment web site today. If there is a Burco Catering product that you are trying to source and it is not listed give us a call on 0845 4500 500.

With plenty of advance notice, news of The Restaurant Show 2010, which will be taking place in London’s Earls Court on 11-13 October, is already in circulation.

22 years old, the event is expected to reach unprecedented levels this year, with planned features including the UK’s top chefs demonstrating new culinary ideas through a three-day Centre Stage event. Workshops are also planned, with restaurant heads set to impart their commercial know-how through briefing sessions, in addition to wine and food experts giving guidance as to how to select the finest wines and compile the best menus.

Supported by contests and seminars, the show is targeted towards those active in the restaurant and dining pub sectors. In terms of the event’s competitive element, this will centre upon chefs from various parts of the UK who will be competing with each other to prove their edge and display the skills that have led them to where they are today. Compass Group Chef of the Year, National Chef of the Year and the Indian Restaurant and Gastro Pub Challenges will all be hotly contended.

In addition to this, more than 100 companies active in the food and beverage industry will be presenting established lines as well as their latest products to help add that certain je ne sais quoi to menus. Meanwhile, to cater for any chocoholics in attendance, top international competition The Barry Callebaut World Chocolate Masters is dedicated to the inspirational use of chocolate.

Also boosted by several hundred suppliers of food, wine, spirits, tableware and other hospitality services, the show is expected “to have something for everyone,” according to features manager Clair Bowman.

Education secretary Michael Russell has revealed that more than 600 modern apprenticeships have been facilitated within the food and beverage industry over the past 18 months, which has also had a knock on effect to the catering equipment industry.

Addressing his audience at an Edinburgh-hosted Royal Highland Show, Mr. Russell highlighted the need for encouraging skills within the field to bolster employment in the country and to help its financial rehabilitation, especially since 2010 will be a Year of Food and Drink for Scotland.

Supporting a reported 49 apprenticeships during the previous fiscal year, Skills Development Scotland made a thirteen-fold increase in its commitment to such schemes, backing 650 people during the year ended March 2010.

Mr. Russell also talked of the motivation behind the country’s Year of Food and Drink, formed as a joint endeavour with the Scottish tourism industry, which is to put Scotland forward as a nation of food and drink and equip the local workforce with the necessary skills to fulfil the sector’s burgeoning demand, hence the significant rise in funding over the past year.

Speaking of the end goal and in the knowledge that tourists spend £1 in every £5 in the sector, Russell commented, “Scotland Food and Drink has a target to grow the industry to £12.5 billion by 2017.”

Meanwhile in County Durham, eight year old Lily Mansfield of Woodham Burn Primary School has won a World Cup culinary contest, which forms part of the educational establishment’s Let’s Get Cooking Club, with her Hand of Cod creation, inspired by Diego Maradona’s dubious goal in the final stages of the 1986 World Cup.

The Robot Coupe portfolio of food processors, whose name derives from the French verb ‘couper’ (to cut), performs a host of culinary feats with its varying blades that slice and dice in every imaginable way.

The comprehensive line of devices is oriented towards the commercial catering environment where speed is of the essence. Thanks to a considerable number of options in terms of size, they are suited to a broad spectrum of sites.

All products within the range are designed to perform high speed and quality vegetable processing. They have the ability to reduce legumes into slices or juliennes in split second timing and shred with a continuous feed attachment. Other connecting preparation options, such as cutter bowls, also provide options to chop, grind, puree, mix or knead, rendering Robot Coupe food processors extremely multi-functional units.

Supplying a significant proportion of the overall range, UK supplier CS Catering Equipment boasts over 20 models in its collection. Amongst these, the minimum amount of covers catered for is 10-20, with other models designed to handle enough vegetables for a substantial 400 covers and speeds of up to 3000rpm.

With either polycarbonate or stainless steel cutter bowls with handles – the bowls up to 5.5 litres in capacity, some Robot Coupe units have numerous speed settings and pulse options whilst others have just a single one. Other differentiating factors between the units are the availability of flat blades with some models, however, all come with attractive list price discounts.

The not for profit social enterprise and official professional training body for front of house service, The Academy of Food & Wine (AFW), has announced the names of the finalists in its 2010 Gastronomy Team of the Year competition.

Designed to highlight the importance of good communication and strong working relationships between kitchen and front-of-house staff, entries to the competition were welcomed from any chef/waiter team from any restaurant of any size.

Answering and judged on a questionnaire, the five regional finalists of the contest – including staff from Andaz, London, Hotel TerraVina, Hampshire and Saffron, Birmingham – will plan a two-course meal with accompanying wines and be expected to demonstrate careful consideration of ingredients, combination of tastes and an appropriate marrying of these with the choice of wine.

This year’s event, held in association with Discover the Origin, an initiative to inform food and wine professionals about the origin of five Discover the Origin PDO products (parma ham, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, burgundy wines, port and Douro Valley wines) is supported by Harpers Wine & Spirit.

The finalists’ dishes will need to include one of the two PDO food ingredients and will come head to head in a real-time ‘cook and serve’ final on 19 July 2010 at Westminster Kingsway College, London.

Winners of the competition will win a 10-day trip, courtesy of Discover the Origin, to the locations of Burgundy, Parma and the Douro Valley to deepen their appreciation of the provenance of the PDO list of products.

Like them you can get winning catering equipment right here at CS Catering Equipment.

Serve over counters are refrigerated units whose high level shelf provides dual functionality – the display of products on the one hand and an effective sales counter on the other.

CS Catering Equipment supplies a wide range of serve over counters to meet varying budgetary and practical requirements. With over 30 options covering the brands Valera, Blizzard, Igloo, AHT and Frost Tech, the equipment supplier is also able to source other machines if a specific model is needed.

For buildings where access might be an issue there are various slimline units under the Igloo brand, all of which have digital temperature controls, stainless steel worktops, refrigerated under storage, auto-defrost capabilities and a storage temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, the only differentiating factor being their dimensions. The Valera Hill Slimline is also a very popular unit within the shallower depth offerings and has a short lead time. In terms of its visual appeal, this option is white as standard but is supplied with a choice of colour adhesive strips for the front of the unit.

We currently have reduced pricing on all Valera Hill Slimline serve over counters until the end of the world cup – click for more info

In terms of visually attractive models, the Blizzard Shadow or Blizzard Shadow Slimline options – available in various sizes but most of which are designed to fit through standard doorways – have stainless steel display decks, illuminated glass canopies, granite back shelves and are available in white or grey finishes. The Frost-Tech models supplied by CS Catering are also an interesting option on the design front, all of which have a modern stainless steel exterior as well as interior, curved glass frontages and a mid-shelf for ambient storage.

The food catering industry has its roots spreading far and wide across hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs as well as coffee shops, bakeries and supermarkets, and indeed schools, universities, hospitals and special occasions, where catering facilities are almost always essential.

Within the exacting food service sector, speed and efficiency are of the essence, irrespective of the outlet type or its scale, since hunger and patience rarely go hand in hand.

This is why choosing the right catering equipment to suit specific business needs is key – not only to keeping clientele satisfied but also to ensure optimal efficiency, safety and reliability behind the scenes as well as laying strong foundations for any enterprise and ensuring a competitive edge.

With over 10 years history, CS Catering Equipment is one of the UK’s leading suppliers to the food catering industry whose aim is to provide the highest quality catering equipment at the best possible price, all in one place. Its comprehensive range of catering facilities is chosen by our expert team to secure clients the best deals on the most well-respected brands such as Lincat, Parry, Samsung, Classeq, Robot Coupe, Kitchenaid and many more.

The company’s all-encompassing portfolio covers all catering equipment requirements from ovens, microwaves, commercial fryers and various function specific cooking equipment, to numerous refrigeration and freezer solutions, dishwasher and glass washers, sinks, catering benches, hot cupboards, peelers and chippers, storage and shelving, weighing and packing options, in addition to LPG gas equipment, cash registers and even insect control and drain maintenance solutions.

Centred around a range of 600m deep modular cooking appliances, the Lincat ESLR9C is considered the standard by which commercial catering equipment is judged.

The mainstay of the busy kitchen environment, this UK-produced six plate electric oven is ideal for those kitchens where gas supply is impractical and has numerous characteristics determining its ease of cleaning, efficiency, consistency and endurance.

To facilitate the former, the Lincat ESLR9C oven has fully pressed and sealed hobs, a removable oven base and a vitreous enamelled interior for its wipe clean credentials. It also boasts automatic power reduction for situations where a pan is removed or boils dry, which also helps to preserve hotplate life. Twin fan assisted ovens make for an even heat and consistent results whilst its large capacity supports increased productivity.

In terms of manoeuvrability and adaptability, the model features legs at the front and castors at the rear, has slide opening doors and four shelf positions with two removable shelves.

As for its design, it is a sturdy and stylish piece of equipment. Measuring 900x900x600mm and with 16.5kW of power, the Lincat ESLR9C oven combines the necessary capacity that is required of busy catering kitchens with the reliability and efficiency that the Lincat brand has become renowned for.

The industry benchmark of electric ovens, the Lincat ESLR9C,  can either be purchased outright or leased and can be delivered within 3-5 working days.

Director and co-founder of manufacturing industry consultancy Newton, Andrew Hawes, has drawn attention to the increasing number of recruitment freezes that are being lifted throughout the restaurant sector, with new appointments now being made.

Whilst cutting back on staff was necessary in the depths of the economic crisis, a growing number of firms within the industry are starting to recruit again – and will continue to do so over the next few months – in anticipation of an upswing, according to Hawes.

His view of the sector’s improvement and employers’ positions regarding recruitment supports recent research published in the Manpower Employment Outlook survey. Results of this investigation revealed that seven per cent of employers envisage their headcount increasing over the forthcoming three month period.

Whether under rental contracts or through direct purchase, restaurants’ preparation for a resurgence in business as consumer confidence starts to return could, in turn, also imply an increased demand for efficient and cost-effective catering equipment solutions.

Meanwhile in Scotland, Caterer.com has launched The Best Employers in Hospitality 2010 – Scotland award, which seeks to recognise those businesses providing the best working conditions for employees. Staff will be consulted directly, with their involvement and responses determining where their employers rank amongst other firms.

For the awards programme, Caterer.com is partnering with Learn Purple, a consultancy advising businesses, particularly within the services industry, on employee engagement and retention. Managing director of the firm Jane Sunley commented,”These awards will make a real difference by helping to promote and highlight best practice in the industry.”

Lincat Catering Equipment have a range of around 450 products and are one of the world’s leading names. They offer a variety of products for both in and out of the kitchen, including equipment and furniture.

Within the kitchen, their products include standard grills and also a number of specialist types of grill. Infra red grills have a fast heat up time that allows the grill to be switched off when not in use, saving energy. Gas-fired and electric chargrills are ideal for creating chargrilled foods without lava rock, with easy cleaning guaranteed by the use of removable grills.

Pasta boilers allow easy water drainage and with their front controls maximum safety is ensured during use and atmospheric steamers are ideal for steaming large quantities of food, providing healthy food production as well as reducing food shrinkage.

Lincat Catering Equipment standard ovens are available as gas, electric and convection and range from medium to heavy duty. Undercounter ovens are designed to support counter top units and their enamelled interior and removable components provide easy cleaning solutions. Range ovens are also available in a variety of sizes and energy source.

Bain Marie’s are available as wet, dry or wet/dry models, with round or square pots. The variety of sizes on offer provides solutions for all sizes of kitchens. Lincat Catering Equipment solutions for food serving include heating cabinets and scuttles as well as heated display units that provide heat from both the base element and overhead halogen lighting.

For cool display storage, display showcases not only hold food at the correct cool temperatures but are also designed for easy glass cleaning. These showcases also have even daylight-balanced illumination that allows food display to be enhanced.