Category Archives: Catering Business
28 Jan |
Regional News Meat, Climate & Opportunity |
With the ongoing debates on climate change and with plant-based foods on the increase in terms of both popularity and availability; the meat industry is being vocal in explaining the “vital importance of livestock farming” to the South West region.
At a recent seminar, stakeholders heard from a panel of industry experts and farmers. They educated visitors on a sector often unfairly blamed for its contribution to global warming.
The seminar focused on long-standing reports that livestock farming involved a choice between food production and caring for the environment. This has long been a contested issue. As Jonathan Foot, head of environment at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) pointed out, producing one kilo of beef takes a fraction of the water used to produce two pairs of jeans. He also highlighted the high nutritional value of meat.
Livestock Standards
NFU president Minette Batters said: “UK farming has some of the highest standards in the world both in terms of animal welfare and the environment…we need to encourage a return to whole foods.” The seminar also advocated the benefits of livestock resources to improve the quality of soil. This is becoming degraded but good soil equates to better crops. Livestock is also a source of natural fibres which will become more important in the move away from plastics.
Farmers in Wales are also having their say. This follows a statement by the UK Government’s Committee on Climate Change hinting at the need for taxes on meat and dairy products to curb consumption by a fifth. There is also the suggestion of increasing UK tree cover from 13% to at least 17% by 2050.
According to the Farmers Union of Wales; even if all UK food production ceased overnight, the carbon emissions of the country would fall by just 10%. Farmers believe that introducing such measures will simply increase Britain’s reliance on food imported from countries with greater carbon footprints. This clearly defeats the object.
FUW president Glyn Roberts commented: “as acknowledged by the Committee, switching away from UK red meat would increase the nation’s carbon footprint because we have some of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of meat reared anywhere in the world.” In addition, farmers in the uplands of Wales argue that on windswept thin soils; only livestock rearing is suitable as crop production is impractical.
Moreover, the union stressed that plant-based foods aren’t necessarily more environmentally friendly. All manufactured food, it argues is very dependent on agricultural systems and available natural resources; as well as transportation and how far the product has travelled.
Give Us Your Food
Meanwhile, down in Devon, ‘imaginative’ stallholders and food sellers are being sought for the 2020 festival in Exmouth in May. The four-day event is the largest free festival in the South West and now in its 24th year.
An Exmouth Festival spokesperson said: “We’re looking for imaginative and customer-focused local food sellers, offering a wide variety of tasty choices for our hungry festival-goers to cater for their different tastes and diets”. Time to get your applications in!
Published Date: 28th January 2020
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Food Sourcing, Local food, News
Tags: Food producers, monthly news
21 Jan |
We’re Going Down The Pub! |
There’s good news for a change. Reports published today show that for the first time in a decade, UK pub numbers have risen. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number rose by 0.8%. And the main reason is down to food sales.
In 2003, four in 10 employees within the UK pub industry worked behind the bar and three were employed in the kitchen; but today, the story is very different. Pubs and bars across the UK now employ 457,000 people and of this, food staff make up 43.8% of employees.
It seems that going for a pint has transfigured into going out for a meal. This is very good news for the industry. Despite the significant closures seen over the past few years, there has been an increase in jobs. With 7,000 (an increase of 16%) more jobs in the sector in 2019 compared with 2018.
Consumer Habits
There is no doubt that our consumer habits are changing with pubs having to diversify to accommodate these changes. It may come as a surprise that one of the largest chains, J D Wetherspoon, serves more coffee than any other restaurant, except for Costa.
But the chain has proved it can put its money where its mouth is. It announced last month that would inject £200m into the business over the next five years, with the creation of 10,000 new jobs and new pubs.
In the same vein, independent and smaller pubs are serving coffee, tea and breakfast to attract a different demographic such as women and families.
Food Diversity
These changing habits are further reflected in a report just out. This confirms vegan food to be on the increase, with sales of meat-free foods expected to exceed £1.1bn by 2024.
In 2019, more than one in four new food product launches were labelled vegan. Last year, a smorgasbord of meals and snacks aimed at vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians went on the market. The uncontested leader of the pack being the outrageously popular Gregg’s vegan sausage roll.
14% of Britons consider themselves flexitarian, meaning they consume meat occasionally but their diet is mainly plant-based. This is twice as many as vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians combined. And those cutting down on meat soared from 28% in 2017 to 39% in 2019. Sales of meat-free foods rose to an estimated £816m in 2019, up 40% from £582 million in 2014.
Still Pressure for Smaller Pubs
It was also reported that the number of micropubs, small pubs and bars in the UK saw a rise in 2019 by 0.4%, the first time in over 15 years that the net figure has increased. This category is defined as those with under 10 employees, however, it is also under a great deal of strain faced with challenges such as business rates, beer duty and price matching with the big chains.
Hugh Stickland, senior statistician at the ONS, said: “While smaller pubs have been struggling to survive in recent years, bigger pubs have been growing in number. We’ll have to wait to see if this marks a revival for smaller ‘locals’.“
Published Date: 21st January 2020
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
Tags: Catering business, Hotel, Pubs
14 Jan |
Top Tips for Catering Businesses in 2020 |
This year has started somewhat explosively, with concerns about the environment, bush fires, international political escalations and the future of certain members of the monarchy in jeopardy. But people still have to eat. So putting the news aside, it’s time to consider the next twelve months for catering businesses. Here are our top tips for catering businesses for 2020.
Firstly, there are no guarantees about the impact of Brexit. The best route to take is the one that is already benefiting your business directly. Top of the list is the maintenance of your appliances. Put in place a maintenance programme for your ovens. This will ensure that whatever disasters or decisions may befall us over the next twelve months; a substandard, under-performing oven won’t be one of them.
It’s All About the Planning
Secondly, plan for regular and irregular annual events. There are always catering opportunities linked to traditional dates, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, food festivals and so on. Take a look at our sporting calendar for additional opportunities in 2020. It’s an Olympic year as well as Euro 2020 for football fans and the start of the new cricket Hundred game. So if you are catering for sports fans, take advantage or provide an alternative for non-sports fans.
Staff training is essential. Don’t stint on training because if something goes wrong, the consequences can be catastrophic. Make sure that your staff are fully familiar with all relevant health and safety requirements and appliance operation, and make this an ongoing exercise. There is a plethora of H&S legislation and come Brexit, there is bound to be more. Educate your staff so that in your absence, your business will still thrive.
Goal Setting
Set goals in terms of time management and profit and loss, and make them realistic. There is nothing more demoralising than not reaching your target within the time frame allotted but be reasonable on yourself. We have endured a turbulent and uncertain few years politically, and it’s not over yet. Continue working to the highest standard professionally and don’t cut corners.
Invest in catastrophe training. As we have seen from the traumatic scenes in Australia, sometimes we are at the mercy of unforeseen and unpredictable forces. These may be natural or man-made but either way, they can cause the loss of business. Be prepared. If you are a mobile catering company, plan for both rain and shine at events. If you live in flood-prone areas, check weather predictions and plan for the safe removal or protection of appliances and staff.
Trend-Spotting
The last of our top tips for catering businesses and perhaps most importantly, keep an eye on current trends. We have seen a momentous rise in vegan and vegetarian demands for restaurants and fast food outlets in the past few years. With culinary trends changing constantly, there is always an opportunity for savvy operators to gain a foothold in a new market.
Don’t be afraid to be bold and always check out the news on AC Services Southern’s blog and like our Facebook page.
Published Date: 14th January 2020
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News, Ovens
Tags: Brexit, Events, Hotel, mass catering, Pubs, Restaurant, schools
13 Jan |
Welcome to AC Services 2020 Calendar |
2020 has arrived and with it comes the promise of a huge year of sport as can be seen in AC Services 2020 calendar for catering businesses.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games take place in Tokyo.
Football fans are eagerly awaiting the start of Euro 2020.
And with two Twenty20 World Cups, cricket fans also have the inaugural season of the new The Hundred competition to look forward to.
January
- 3-12, Tennis, ATP Cup, Australia
- 12-19, Snooker, the Masters, Alexandra Palace, London
- 20 Jan-2 Feb, Tennis – Australian Open, Melbourne
- 25, Chinese New Year
February
- 1, Rugby union – Men’s Six Nations:
- 1, Cricket – Australia v England women’s T20, Canberra
- 2, Rugby union – Women’s Six Nations
- 7, Cricket – India v England women’s T20, Melbourne
- 9, Cricket – Australia v England Women’s T20, Melbourne
- 12-16, Cricket – South Africa v England T20, East London
- 21-8 March, Cricket – Women’s T20 World Cup, Australia
- 22, Boxing – Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury heavyweight world title
- 25, Pancake Day
March
- 1, Football – Carabao Cup final, Wembley
- 10-13, Horse racing – Cheltenham Festival
- 13-15, Athletics – World Indoor, Nanjing, China
- 22, Mothers’ Day
April
- 2-5, Women’s golf major – ANA Inspiration, Mission Hills
- 4, Horse racing – Grand National, Aintree
- 9-12, Golf – Masters, Augusta National
- 12, Easter Sunday
- 14-19, Swimming – British Championships, London
- 16-19, Gymnastics – British Championships, Liverpool
- 18-4 May, Snooker – World Championship, Sheffield
- 26, Athletics London Marathon
May
- 8, May Day and VE Day Bank Holiday
- 9, Football – FA Women’s Cup final, Wembley
- 14-17, Golf – US PGA Championship, San Francisco
- 22, Rugby union – European Challenge Cup final, Stade de Marseille
- 23, Football – FA Cup final, Wembley
- 23, Rugby union – European Champions Cup final, Stade de Marseille
- 24-7 June, Tennis – French Open Roland Garros, Paris
- 27, Football – Europa League final, Gdansk
- 28, Cricket – first round of T20 Blast group matches
- 30, Football – Champions League final, Istanbul
June
- 4-7, Women’s golf major – US Women’s Open, Houston, Texas
- 6, Horse racing – The Derby, Epsom
- 12-12 July, Football – Euro 2020 various venues, Final at Wembley
- 16-20, Horse racing, Royal Ascot
- 18-21, Golf – US Open, New York
- 20, Rugby union – Premiership final, Twickenham
- 20, 21, Longest day then Fathers Day
- 25-28, Women’s golf major – PGA Championship, Pennsylvania
- 29-12 July, Tennis Wimbledon
July
- 4-5, Athletics – Anniversary Games, London Stadium
- 16-19, Golf – The Open, Royal St George’s
- 17-15 August, Cricket – The Hundred
- 18, Rugby league – Challenge Cup final, Wembley
- 24-9 August, Olympic Games, Tokyo
August
- 14, Cricket – The Hundred women’s final, Hove
- 15, Cricket – The Hundred men’s final, Lord’s
- 20-23, Golf – Women’s British Open, Royal Troon
- 25-6 September, Paralympic Games, Tokyo
- 31-13 September, Tennis – US Open, New York
- 31, August Bank Holiday
September
- 5, Cricket – T20 Blast Finals Day, Edgbaston
- 6-13, Cycling – Tour of Britain
- 10-13, Golf – PGA Championship, Wentworth
- 19, Cricket – One-Day Cup final, Trent Bridge
- 25-27, Golf – Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin
October
- 10, Rugby league – Super League Final, Old Trafford
- 18 Oct-15 November, Cricket – Men’s Twenty20 World Cup, Australia
November
- 2-8, Tennis WTA Finals, Shenzhen, China
- 7, Rugby Union – Autumn internationals, England v New Zealand
- 8-15, Tennis – ATP Finals, London
- 15, Cricket – Men’s Twenty20 World Cup final, Melbourne
- 23-29, Tennis – Davis Cup finals , Madrid
- 24 Nov-6 December, Snooker – UK Championship, York Barbican
December
- TBC, Darts – PDC World Championship, Alexander Palace, London
- 26, Horse racing – King George VI Chase, Kempton
So a packed year of opportunities for events targeting those interested in sport and those trying to avoid it for catering businesses in AC Services 2020 calendar.
Published Date: 13th January 2020
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
Tags: Catering business, Events
13 Jan |
What’s Happening with UK Restaurant Chains |
Not so very long ago, the UK’s casual dining sector was booming. At one point, major chains were expanding at a rate of one new restaurant opening every single week in the UK. Popular high street food chains were winning awards for the quality of their food. Restaurants such as Zizzi, Jamie’s Italian, Pizza Express, Byron Burger, and Five Guys were springing up everywhere. They could be found on every high street in the country.
However, the trend turned sharply and unexpectedly. In late 2017, the UK witnessed a string of these casual dining chains beginning to struggle badly; with many top names, such as Jamie Oliver with his 25 restaurants entering full-blown administration. The number of restaurants falling into insolvency in the year ending June 2019 increased by 25% to 1,412. This is the highest number of insolvencies since at least 2014. Numerous factors have been blamed for the decline, with many chains experiencing accumulative issues which have left them in a financial mess.
Great Expectations
When the trend for restaurant chain expansion was at its strongest, private equity companies were eager to invest. Billions of pounds were spent after 2013 on turning small chains into fixtures on every UK high street; with renowned restaurants vying for business in very concentrated spaces.
Now these investors want a return on their investment that simply is not available. This is due to heightened business rates (which have risen above inflation for four years), increased energy/labour costs and imported foodstuff costs. If we take into consideration the average wage of the majority of the UK’s working population; more and more of us have had to scale back on luxury spending.
Furthermore, quality has become a big issue and with many chains offering an unchanged menu from five years ago. People are beginning to realise that there are cheaper, fresher alternatives than the mass-produced pizza or burger. More vegan and vegetarian options have admittedly been introduced on menus but not much else has altered.
Biting Back
Meanwhile, over the last five years, new cuisines have become popular in the group restaurant scene. The Caribbean cuisine chain Turtle Bay now has 40+ restaurants in the UK, and shows a 143.8% five-year growth. Within the last 12 months, Indian group restaurants saw an 8.9% increase, bringing the total to 159.
Effectively, the current and alarming rate of restaurant closures shows that the eyes of these casual dining chains were literally bigger than their bellies. There were simply far too many to begin with. But although the UK chain restaurant industry may be in decline now; the right measures to reduce costs and a renewed focus on quality could yet revive these franchises. Diversity is key for the restaurant chains to bite back and entice customers to a better experience all round. There needs to be more diversification in the choice of menu and in the value of the meal as perceived by the customer.
Published Date: 13th January 2020
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
Tags: Catering business, Pubs, Restaurant
26 Nov |
Last Service Call for Christmas |
In the good old days, we used to all be aware of the number of shopping days till Christmas. But now every day is a shopping day. On-line and in the real world, we’re able to get most things within 24 hours of ordering them. Increasingly we have become reliant upon that.
Problems arise when that last-minute expectation cannot be met for perfectly valid reasons. Like a finite number of service engineers and everyone suddenly needing their expertise. This is the problem we face every year at AC Services Southern; when catering businesses suddenly realise in December they need their Rational oven servicing before peak Christmas use.
Black Friday Reminder
Black Friday sales seem to be launched earlier each year. One UK retailer started theirs in October this year! Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is the last Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is the big American turkey dinner with all the trimmings followed by pumpkin pie for the whole family; while Black Friday signifies the start of the countdown to Christmas not the biggest sales.
Indeed it’s called Black Friday from all the heavy and disruptive vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This caused gridlock on the streets of Philadelphia, as the whole family went shopping on their free day. It sounds a bit like a cross between a Boxing Day walk and the start of New Year sales!
For AC Services, it’s almost become a tradition that on the Tuesday nearest Thanksgiving, we blog our gentle reminder to Rational oven users in South West England and South Wales. This is to not delay and book your pre-Christmas Rational service today on 01454 322 222.
This way both of us can tick your equipment off our to do list early and concentrate on the real Christmas dramas later in December. We can guarantee that up until Christmas Eve, our engineers will be working flat out to cope with the inevitable panicked last-minute rush of breakdowns and servicing!
Buy On-line
Now is also a good time to check that you have all the cleaning products you need to ensure that your Rational ovens continue to function at their highest efficiency. Rational Self-Cooking-Centers have automatic cleaning programmes built into their software. When used with the right cleaning materials you get cosmetic and hygienic cleanliness.
Our on-line shop enables you to purchase these at whatever time of day you remember or have free in the forthcoming rush. But please be aware as these are delivered by delivery firms and they may be affected by their delays caused by volume of parcels and weather. Again earlier purchase enables greater peace of mind.
Published Date: 26th November 2019
Category: Catering Business, Cleaning Products, News, Ovens, Rational, Self Cooking Centre, Service plan
Tags: AC Services, Cleaning Products, Rational Ovens, service
15 Oct |
Foods at Risk |
There’s been constant activity in the global media over the past few years regarding climate change and the effect that it is having on the food we eat. We may be in danger of losing some of the food we are familiar with; due predominantly to the changes that are taking place in our climate.
This year, the British brassica has been affected by unusually heavy summer rains bringing flooding to the UK’s main growing region for cauliflowers, Lincolnshire. Elsewhere, the record-breaking heat-wave wilted fields of cauliflowers across the whole of Europe. This left a shortage in not only cauliflowers, but also cabbages, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
America’s organic apples, mostly grown in Washington State, are also in trouble. As is coffee, with at least three-fifths of current coffee species facing extinction, according to a recent study. More worryingly is the decline in wheat crops, a staple global food which is sensitive to temperature changes. Places like India could see a reduction in wheat harvests of between 6% and 23% by 2050.
Even the humble sushi roll is under threat. Japanese farmers are blaming warmer, cleaner seas for a decline in nori seaweed production. The nori production fell to its lowest level in 2018 since 1972, pushing up prices and decimating supply.
Maple Syrup
The 2019 maple syrup harvest has also been affected. According to The New York Times, 2012 saw production of maple falling by 12.5% overall due to an unusually warm spring. This impacts negatively on syrup production because the process depends on specific temperature conditions.
More recently, in 2018, production of maple syrup fell by 21.7% throughout Canada. The culprit was Canada’s warm weather during the winter with later than normal snow. Sugar content is determined by the previous year’s carbohydrate stores with sap flow depending on the freeze-thaw cycle.
The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers has even had to tap into its strategic reserves this year to avoid any shortages or price spikes for maple syrup. Quebec has put in place additional harvest areas to meet with high demands, and they are now being used widely.
From High to Low
In Vermont in America, sugar maple harvest has witnessed a renaissance in the 21st century following decades of decline. The revival comes as many Americans are turning their backs on refined sugars for natural products such as maple syrup, agaves and honey. Production of maple is now one of Vermont’s pre-eminent industries. In 2018, the value of Vermont’s maple syrup production exceeded $54.3M. This accounted for 38% of the maple syrup produced nationwide.
Producers are doing what they can to avoid any shortages; such as collecting the sap later in the season and introducing technological advancements. These cut down on traditional collection using buckets and replace it with miles of vacuum pump-operated tubing.
As Keith Thompson of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation says: “It’s not just about keeping the individual trees healthy, it’s about keeping the entire forest healthy.”
The maple syrup industry is currently keeping abreast of the problem. It’s initiating solutions to combat the inevitable changes in climate. It urges other industries to follow suit in order for our favourite foods to remain available. At AC Services, we thoroughly commend that approach.
Published Date: 15th October 2019
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Food Sourcing, News
Tags: AC Services, Catering business, Food producers, mass catering
08 Oct |
Restaurant Show Report 2019 |
The Restaurant Show; where else can you find hundreds of suppliers all in one place and at the same time, enjoy two other exhibitions?
The Restaurant Show at Olympia in London last week featured the Bar & Pub Show and Catering Equipment Expo. They have become the ultimate destination for the hospitality industry with regard to innovations, services and suppliers.
This year brought together some of the industry’s biggest names to address the most significant issues around culinary trends, technology and employee engagement.
Gamification in Restaurants
There were plenty of sessions to engage visitors with some key current trends revealed and investigated at the Restaurant Show. This included gamification. The ‘True Players’ session revealed how Starbucks and itsu, inspire and engage staff through gamification and analytics to promote customer experience, staff retention and sales.
Another session focused on the influence of Generation Z and Millennials who currently represent a significant part of the workforce. An expert panel discussed thinking differently about culture in the workplace. It showcased approaches from sports and psychotherapy that can help create a hard-working and trustworthy workforce. Technological advances also featured heavily at the show. There were sessions on how to harness the power of voice technology for frictionless service amongst others.
Alongside the many culinary demonstrations were examples of innovations, including JenPak Ltd’s new eco-friendly range of crockery which is made from recycled sugarcane, or Bagasse. FSG Tableware Ltd exhibited its reusable to go cups made from coffee waste.
On the cuisine front, Biff’s showcased its indulgent plant-based burgers and ‘wingz’, and its signature and innovative crispy fried jackfruit. In addition, Elisa-Foodexhibited its 100% whole wheat, spelt, quinoa gluten-free, organic and vegan pizza bases and pizzas.
Sustainability is always at the core of the Restaurant Show. Once again, the organisers partnered with FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity. At the end of the show, FareShare conducted a surplus food collection service for all exhibitors. This prevented unnecessary food and drink going to waste, giving all suppliers the chance to donate their excess products to feed people in need.
Catering Equipment Expo and Bar & Pub Show
CEE featured expert advice on tabletop, back-of-house and heavy equipment as well as technical demonstrations and cost-saving seminars from leading experts and exclusive product launches from leading brands.
The Bar & Pub Show, now in its third year was extremely well attended with a focus on the evolution, diversification and adaption to changing consumer behaviour. There was a programme of live events at Bar & Pub Hub. Exhibitors ranged from the UK mainland’s most northern distillery Dunnet’s Bay to the bottle glass to sand crusher. The latter claims to solve a bar’s recycling storage needs.
Published Date: 8th October 2019
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Events, News
Tags: Show report
24 Sep |
Record Year for lunch! in 2019 |
lunch! returned to London’s ExCel last week to the delights of food retailers, food-to-go operators, café and coffee shop buyers and owners, travel and leisure caterers.
The line-up of the show included 62 speakers appearing in 36 Keynote Theatre sessions, and more than 400 exhibitors.
This is a record number of exhibitors. They showcased a huge range of products and services; from ingredients to kitchen equipment and counter displays, food and drink to packaging, payment and business services.
Innovation Challenge
One of the highlights of lunch! is the Innovation Challenge award. Where this year, a record 110 competed with many of these innovations enjoying their official trade launch at the show. The products competing for a much-coveted gold Innovation Challenge Award were showcased in the Innovation Challenge Gallery. lunch! visitors chose the award finalists by voting for their favourites on opening day.
A significant part of the show was set aside for plant-based and ‘meat-free’ innovations. This catered for café, coffee shop, food-to-go operators and retailers looking to cater to the thriving vegan and flexitarian market. According to Marketing Week, last year, the UK launched more vegan products than any other nation. This made it the country’s fastest growing culinary trend of 2018 with a market worth of £310m. Approximately 22 million people now claim to be flexitarian and one in eight Britons choose to be vegetarian or vegan. To reflect this, 52% of exhibitors at lunch! offered vegan or vegetarian alternatives.
Sustainability in Catering
Sustainability was another key theme. As some of foodservice’s biggest consumers of single-use packaging and disposables; coffee shop and food-to-go operators have been making huge strides to reduce their environmental impact. The Sustainability Panel addressed these issues with keynote speakers and included some of the top names in the industry; Ollie Rosevear, Head of Environment at Costa Coffee, Martyn Clover, Head of Food at Tortilla, Jim Winship, Director of The British Sandwich & Food To Go Association, and host Martin Kersh, Chairman of the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA).
The Panel also addressed contemporary issues such as tackling food waste, increasing food redistribution, reducing energy and water consumption, more recycling and reusing (packaging, uniforms, furniture etc), looking to alternative food sources, and encouraging behavioural change.
Hannah Squirrell, Customer Director at Greggs said: “the ‘Blue Planet effect’ has driven customer awareness of the environmental impact of their consumption choices to a whole new level. We are proud to support national environmental initiatives, including Surfers Against Sewage Beach and River Clean Series, and are committed to doing our bit to protect the health of the planet.”
For reusable alternatives, visitors were able to see innovations such as the Ecocoffee Cup created with natural fibres made from bamboo waste material sourced from chopstick production. Similarly, Berrington Spring Water’s Aluminium Refill Water Bottle launched in June has tripled sales projections.
Lunch! is a great show to keep tabs on recent innovations and trends after a long summer. One for all catering businesses to put on the diary for 2020.
Published Date: 24th September 2019
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Events, News
Tags: Catering business, Show report
17 Sep |
Rugby World Cup Food & Drink |
Rugby players and supporters love food and drink. And with the Rugby World Cup about to begin in Japan comes the opportunity for originality for caterers of all kinds.
Homebound supporters not only want to enjoy the games with a beer; but can also be tempted by finer dining as well as the more traditional delights.
When one thinks of rugby forwards, the delicacy and fine detail shown by Phil Vickery and Martin Bayfield on Masterchef isn’t the first thought. But given the importance of food in their training, it’s perhaps not surprising.
Food Glorious Food
As far as food goes, Japan is taking the competition very seriously. Rugby players have a regimented approach to their diet in order to keep themselves fighting fit and at the top of their performance levels. According to a number of top coaches, protein is vital to develop and maintain muscle mass. Some coaches insist that the players consume a daily amount of 2.5g of protein per kilo of body weight. This includes eggs, dairy, beef, turkey, chicken and fish, most of which are abundant in Japan.
Many adhere to four meals a day. An example would be porridge and poached eggs for breakfast; sweet potato, vegetables and salmon fillets; steak skewers with roasted root vegetables and coconut rice for a post-training meal; and a prawn or chicken stir fry for dinner.
In the 24 hours before a match players should consume high-carb meals based around slower-digesting carbs such as potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes and oats. These are complemented with sweeter sources such as fruit and smoothies. Japan’s Yaki udon will be especially popular, as the dish is thick and chewy noodles, made from wheat flour. Yaki soba uses the thinner soba noodles made from buckwheat flour.
The Japanese national delicacy, sushi, fits well into a rugby player’s diet as does a lot of everyday Japanese food. It can be beneficial from a fuelling and recovery perspective due to increased intakes of nutrients such as omega-3 and electrolytes. Fish, stir fries and shellfish will feature heavily in menu choices as will the meat selection such as Wagyu prime cut Japanese beef. The meat fat has a very low melting point so it can literally melt in your mouth. Rumour has it that the animals are fed beer and massaged with sake.
The England team however, might be short on condiments. Supplies of tomato ketchup and mayonnaise have supposedly been sent ahead because their favourite condiments are scarce and expensive in Japan.
Beer Galore
Japan has very good news for beer drinkers. Major Japanese sports keep spectators lubricated with vendors who patrol the stands dispensing beer into cups. These are called Uriko and they are crucial to meet the demand for beer. When Australia visited in 2017, bars were drunk dry before kick-off! So to ensure no embarrassment for the official sponsors, Heineken, the Japanese Heineken brewery has increased production by 80%.
One thing is clear, food plays an important part in the rugby world and with each country bringing their own nutritionists and food advisors, the right diet in Japan (a balance between East and West cuisine) may well go a long way in confirming the eventual winner.
The Rugby World Cup Final is on 2 November at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama; when the winner of the 20 competitor countries will be crowned. So plenty of time for catering businesses to work out their own game-plan to benefit.
Published Date: 17th September 2019
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Events, News
Tags: mass catering, Pubs, Restaurant