Archive for category Food
HARRISON CATERING SERVICES SWITCH TO FREE RANGE EGGS
Posted by admin in Catering Services, Food, News on July 8th, 2010
Starting from May this year, Harrison Catering Services will be switching their entire business over to British sourced Free-range eggs. The intention is to move all sites to this increased product specification by September 2010.
Harrison Catering is proud to be able to make the move to Free-range after an intensive period of research and negotiation by the company’s purchasing department. The move follows a series of talks with the Soil Association and the eventual distributor, 3663, which was able to secure two regional suppliers capable of providing the company’s annual requirement of 2.5million British Free-range eggs.
Gareth Harrison, Director of Group Business, who represents purchasing at Board level for the family-owned contract caterer, comments: “This is a fantastic development for the company, as it represents a prime example of how our growing purchasing power enables us to increase product specification without affecting client costs. The move to Free-range eggs also represents Harrison’s commitment to quality and responsiveness to customer demand.”
Harrison’s Company Nutritionist Dr. Juliet Gray is also delighted with the decision: “This is great news from a nutritional viewpoint. Free-range eggs actually have the same nutritional composition as eggs from caged hens, as both are nutrient-dense, but moving to Free-range should mean that more of our customers will be confident in eating eggs.”
Harrison Catering Services was founded by Geoffrey Harrison sixteen years ago and has a current turnover in excess of £50million. The company has pioneered catering based on quality, fresh food prepared daily on-site for a range of client sectors, including schools, universities and businesses such as Carphone Warehouse, Cofunds and Monsoon.
For information tel: 020 8971 3300
NEW CATERING SHOW FROM MAKRO SET TO MAKE BIG ENTRANCE INTO MARKET
Having spotted a gap in the market for a one-stop shop trade show exclusively for catering professionals, Makro is launching its Pro-Caterer Show, which promises to be the ‘must-attend’ event of the year for the HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, caterer and pub) industry.
The live event, which will take place on 25th and 26th May 2010 at Telford International Centre, in Shropshire, will bring together both new and existing customers, suppliers and Makro staff in an all-encompassing exhibition.
The 6,000 square metre exhibition has been designed to replicate a ‘real life’ town centre, with a fully functional pub, chip shop, professional kitchen, sandwich shop, take away van and coffee shop stand. With a range of cooking demonstrations, food and drink sampling, business workshops and tutorial sessions on offer, the exhibition will demonstrate Makro’s commitment to understanding its customers’ whole businesses by bringing together for the first time suppliers from both the food and non-food arenas.
To demonstrate the way Makro’s business solutions can be implemented by catering customers, celebrity chef Aldo Zilli will be giving cooking demonstrations on solutions for gastro pubs and fine dining restaurants. Other cooking demonstrations will focus on the impending World Cup tournament, with extensive sampling and demonstrations including burgers from around the world that can be used to create themed menus in pubs, sharing platters and ‘vertical dining’ solutions that cater for football fans who want to be able to eat while standing up in the pub. To tie in with this, tastings of beers from around the world will also be held to give caterers ideas about the types of beers to serve to tie in with their world cuisines.
A number of exclusive deals, that will not be available in store, from over 100 top-name suppliers will be available to customers on the day. These include free wine with case purchases, multi buy promotions on Cadburys, Mars, AG Barr and Nestle products, 15% off all HoReCa Select new catering equipment and 20% off H line and catering work wear. As well as on the day offers, all attendees will be presented with a discount booklet offering savings in Makro stores.
With over 300 Makro staff present at the show, including customer relationship managers, senior store managers and customer consultants, and industry experts and suppliers on hand to offer caterers advice and tips on the smartest way to run their businesses, the show will be a significant networking opportunity for caterers from all sectors.
Mark Copeland, customer management director at Makro, said: “At Makro we are evolving our business model with the aim of becoming the first choice cash and carry wholesaler in the UK. Our HoReCa customers are at the heart of everything we do, so when we realised there was not currently a trade show that was comprehensively addressing their business needs, we were determined to plug that gap.
“Through listening to our HoReCa customers we discovered that many of them are regularly working with up to twelve suppliers for their various food and non-food requirements. We are hosting the Pro-Caterer show, which is open to professionals only, to showcase Makro’s total solution for caterers, and demonstrate how we can fulfil all of their food and non-food business needs, to ultimately save them valuable time and money.
“Although the show is currently in its inaugural year, we are planning to make this a regular fixture in the annual HoReCa calendar, to give caterers the chance to network, broaden their knowledge and receive advice on maximising the profitability of their business.”
The first day of the Pro-Caterer show will be open to suppliers and staff and will be followed by a gala dinner, at which the first ‘Gastro Excellence Awards’ will be handed out, to celebrate the best in the catering industry. The second day of the exhibition will run from 10am – 4pm and is open to all HoReCa professionals, including both new and existing Makro customers.
To register their attendance, caterers should visit www.makro-procaterer.co.uk
IT’S BRITISH SANDWICH WEEK 2010
British Sandwich Week 2010 (May 9-15) – an occasion designed to recognise the importance of one of Britain’s greatest food inventions.
Did you know – we now consume more than 11 billion sandwiches every year -
more than 3 billion of which are made commercially in a market worth over £6
billion and employing more than 300,000 people!
Never, since 1762 when the fourth Earl of Sandwich first dubbed two slices
of bread with a filling as ‘a sandwich’, has this great British food been so
popular and British Sandwich Week gives us all an opportunity to shout about
it.
For information visit www.sandwich.org.uk
FROZEN FOOD SALES INCREASE DESPITE DOWNTURN
New research shows frozen food sales increased in the UK food service sector between 2006 and 2009 – despite fewer outlets and falling overall sales.
Data compiled by Horizons FS Ltd on behalf of the British Frozen Food Federation shows the total value of frozen food purchases increased by 2.4% over the period. Total frozen food purchases were worth £2,261,000 in 2009, compared to £2,209,000 in 2006.
But at the same time the number of outlets in the sector fell by 1.8%. And the number of meals provided by the sector, which includes restaurants, hotels, pubs, institutional and leisure outlets, also fell by 4.4%.
Brian Young, director general of the British Frozen Food Federation commented: “This research makes interesting reading for the frozen food sector. It suggests we have been performing well despite challenging economic times for the foodservice sector as a whole. Meal numbers are falling and outlets are falling, but frozen food sales are holding up well.
“This demonstrates the numerous cost and convenience advantages of using frozen ingredients and prepared meals in the food services sector. Chefs are increasingly finding that frozen alternatives offer them the opportunity to cut costs while still meeting the stringent demands of their customers for high quality, nutritious meals.”
“The frozen food market offers foodservice outlets competitive prices, year round price stability and availability, and opportunities to improve portion control and reduce waste. Using frozen alternatives can also help chefs to reduce kitchen labour costs. And with the quality and taste of frozen food now better than ever, thanks to recent improvements in freezing technology, there’s more reasons than ever to make the switch.”
Latest figures for the restaurant sector (including full-service and quick-service outlets) suggest meal numbers have been falling for these outlets too – although the number of outlets has risen slightly, due in large part to the growth of sandwich and coffee shops. Meal numbers were down 4.1% for full service restaurants over the period, and by 2.8% for quick service outlets.
Brian Young adds: “People do seem to be eating out less and the restaurant sector does seem to be feeling the effects of the recession despite the growth in outlets. We’re pleased with how the frozen food sector is performing in this challenging market.”