Articles by Date : April 01 2006 - April 30 2006

News in brief
Are you a wiz with the fizz?; Rupert Willcocks dies; Torre takes over at Greyhound; Leon the third more
(07 April 2006 10:47)

Hong Kong’s Langham Place hotel opens spa... and other International hotel news
Essential news from around the world, including: Central Hotels gain Thai property; Intercontinental in joint project with heart clinic; Mandarin.... more
(07 April 2006 10:20)

Asian Allures
As American palates grow accustomed to adventure, chefs are amping up menus with Far Eastern ingredients that venture beyond the mainstream. more
(06 April 2006 17:22)

Slam Dunks
Dipping sauces delight diners and unleash kitchen creativity. more
(06 April 2006 17:14)

Scratching a Niche
Small chains try to find the next food craze among noodle soup, tapioca tea and cream puffs. more
(06 April 2006 17:06)

Revenue may have to fork out £50m in tronc refunds
Restaurant businesses in the UK could be owed up to £50m in refunds and compensation by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), after fundamental errors were.... more
(06 April 2006 16:48)

Changes to staff transfer laws
New laws governing the transfer of workers between businesses when contracts change hands or companies are taken over come into force today (6 April). more
(06 April 2006 16:48)

Dish R&D: Breakfast Melt
A hearty sandwich pressed on a panini grill heats up the morning menu at Sodexho’s Jazzman’s Café. more
(06 April 2006 16:37)

Dipping sauces uncovered
Diners are dipping in across all foodservice arenas, adding layers of flavour with an array of saucy accompaniments no longer reserved for French.... more
(06 April 2006 16:32)

Fire safety delays could leave firms uninsured
Hospitality businesses could be left operating without valid insurance following delays in new fire safety legislation, industry experts have warned. more
(06 April 2006 16:12)

Skans sell Chewton Glen to a private buyer
Chewton Glen's owners have sold the iconic country house hotel after 40 years at the helm for an undisclosed sum, Caterer can reveal. more
(06 April 2006 16:12)

A fresh start for the BBC?
BBC catering, famously derided over the years, will be revamped after the re-tendering of its facilities management contract, Caterer can exclusively.... more
(06 April 2006 16:11)

Hampshire hoteliers buy Isle of Wight hotel
Two hoteliers from Hampshire have bought the Fernbank hotel on the Isle of Wight off a guide price of £795,000. more
(06 April 2006 16:04)

Shine club-restaurant in Norwich is sold
The Orgasmic Café chain has bought the Shine restaurant, bar and nightclub in the Tombland area of Norwich in Norfolk. more
(06 April 2006 16:01)

New owners for Chagford’s Globe Inn
The Globe Inn at Chagford in North Devon has been sold to experienced licensees Brian and Ann Kirtley. more
(06 April 2006 15:39)

Cheshire investors buy Wimbledon hotel
A family-run hotel in Wimbledon which can count rock stars Eric Clapton and UB40 as past guests has been bought by private investors from Cheshire. more
(06 April 2006 15:35)

Hinds Head in Shropshire changes hands
Sharon and Roy Brown are the new owners of the Hinds Head local pub in the Shropshire village of Norton in Hales, near Market Drayton. more
(06 April 2006 15:30)

Local developers buy Cromer seafront hotel
A Victorian hotel in a prominent location on the Cromer seafront in Norfolk has been sold to local developers. more
(06 April 2006 15:26)

Boutique hotel near Bath on market for £1.65m
The family-run Woolverton House hotel near Bath has been put on the market for £1.65m. more
(06 April 2006 11:40)

Talks about a bid to buy pub company Honeycombe continuing
Pub and hotel company Honeycombe Leisure has confirmed it remains in discussions with a third party about a possible bid for the company. more
(06 April 2006 11:21)

Fast-food companies face fines for street litter
Fast-food outlets must clear litter surrounding their property or face a £2,500 fine from today. more
(06 April 2006 11:20)

The Bench: London weekly hotel performance to 2 April, 2006
London hotels boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 51% in the week ending 2 April, according to figures from hotel benchmarking service The.... more
(06 April 2006 10:26)

The Bench: North-western hotel performance in March 2006
Hotels in the North West of England increased revenue per available room (revpar) by 12.8% during the month of March. more
(06 April 2006 10:21)

Where do you stand on staff turnover?
Last year Caterer and Hotelkeeper and the Best Practice Forum launched a free benchmarking service to help you work smarter. Miles Quest reports on.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Training: Speaking the lingo
Ten new countries joined the European Union in 2004, bringing an eager workforce to this country and easing the pressures of staffing in the.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Champagne masterclass
The sale and service of Champagne is under the microscope in the fourth of Ronan Sayburn's series of sommelier masterclasses more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Isinglass, Urmston, Manchester
Manchester's Chef of the Year Lisa Walker plies her trade in the unlikely suburban outpost of Urmston, where Andrew Shanahan went to sample her new.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Gold Bohemia beer
Gold Bohemia is a new addition to the Pierhead Purchasing range of imported beers. more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

How should I manage the increase in energy costs?
How should I manage the increase in energy costs I am now experiencing? more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt, Germany
The first of RF Hotels' three German properties to open, Villa Kennedy is located just off the south bank of the River Main. more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Break out the bubbly
Slippers are out and Champagne is in, according to the Office for National Statistics' latest survey of the British "shopping basket". Fiona Sims.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Nicky Rybka-Goldsmith, founder of Soup Kitchen, Manchester
Manchester's Soup Kitchen is the brainchild of Nicky Rybka-Goldsmith and Yvonne Goldsmith-Rybka, and was last week named Best Newcomer at the.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Cassandra Cockerill, manager of Entropy restaurant, Leicester
After completing a degree in physics at Manchester, establishing and managing an award-winning bar and restaurant doesn't seem like the most obvious.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

New TUPE regulations explained
Rebecca Emmett, senior associate at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, explains the legal obligations which apply to inherited staff when businesses are.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Cube & Star: New Cube route for Turner
It's a change of focus at the Cube & Star as owner Mark Turner decides that the restaurant isn't paying its way and opts for a simpler menu. Diane.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Those were the days... or where they?
Today's fashionable dishes can quickly become tomorrow's cast-offs, warns chef and writer Bill Knott more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Adam Simmonds: on winning a Michelin star
Adam Simmonds's success didn't come overnight - which made Michelin recognition for his food at Ynyshir Hall in Wales all the sweeter when it did.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

£100m boost for Queens Moat Houses
Salvaged hotel group QMH is planning a £100m refurbishment programme to reignite the company's fortunes. more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Table Talk
Nice to see Bill Toner's career back as a popular topic of speculation among his contract catering cohorts. more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Caterer loves... bathroom products
Gone are the days when a hotel could get away with a simple bar of soap, 2-in-1 shampoo-conditioner and perhaps one of those not-so-stylish shower.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

NAO sees savings in catering procurement
Contract caterers could save schools, hospitals and defence services £30m a year if they didn't conceal bulk discounts, a study by the National Audit.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Serve better food or get out of the road
In response to the news article "Motorway giants in fight to change 'outdated' laws" (Caterer, 30 March, page 8), I was amused by what RoadChef chief.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavour
As I become more interested in the mechanics of culinary practices, a certain three-letter word has become very important for me. "Why?" is the key.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Review of Reviews: 6 April 2006
The Times, 1 April Ginny Dougary finds food to enjoy in the Cotswolds at the much-praised Allium in Fairford An amuse-gueule of mini-cornets.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Lynn Hawdon named School Chef of the Year
Waltzing TV chef James Martin looks on as Lynn Hawdon cooks her way to the Local Authority Caterers Association 2006 School Chef of the Year title. more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Regions lead growth in hotel revenues
UK hotel room revenue last year hit its highest level since 2001, according to the latest Hotel Britain survey by industry consultant PKF. more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

We'd like to be unhappy but we never do have the time
Chefs are not as happy as they were a year ago - it's official. Training group City and Guilds reckons chefs have fallen from fifth place last year.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

News in brief
New executive chef at Bovey Castle; People 1st launches new website; Deadline for Knorr National Chef of the Year award; 27 authorities bid for.... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Clapham House snaps up Tootsies
Clapham House's takeover of Tootsies will help take the restaurant group national, according to industry experts. more
(06 April 2006 00:00)

Good week/Bad week
GOOD Savoy guests London hotel fishes shopping trolleys and litter from the Thames to restore view made famous by Monet. Philanderers .... more
(06 April 2006 00:00)