Story of the week: Industry figures have paid tribute to Ronnie Clydesdale, the iconic Scottish chef-restaurateur and founder of the famous Ubiquitous Chip restaurant in Glasgow, who has died aged 74.
In other restaurant news, we catch up with MasterChef winner Dhruv Baker as he plans a new career.
Alan Murchison and Chris Horridge announced that they will be joining forces to open a restaurant featuring Horridge's distinctive style of cuisine.
Rarely out of the news, Jamie Oliver's Jamie’s Italian concept spearheads a new tranche of restaurants at Westfield London.
Chef and sommelier duo Agnar Sverrisson and Xavier Rousset, co-proprietors of the Michelin-starred Texture in London, are set to open a second venture in the capital.
England and Liverpool football player Steven Gerrard announced that he is to launch a new restaurant with hotelier and restaurateur Paul Adams.
In contract wins, brothers Ben and Hugo Warner have landed a £35m contract to provide hospitality services at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and three other heritage sites, Caterer revealed, while Chartwells was awarded a £1.6m contract extension at Sherborne Girls School in Dorset after a high-achieving first year.
Andrew Howarth, managing director of Duchy Catering, is on gardening leave ahead of his departure from the firm.
Bar and casual-dining operator Loungers is to target market towns and a female clientele by creating a new "hybrid" brand of outlets called Cosy Club.
Finally, the British Hospitality Association (BHA) has called on the political parties to take hospitality seriously, as part of its 'manifesto' ahead of the General Election; meanwhile the Government abandoned plans for a 10% increase on cider duty in the face of strong opposition to the move.
Editor's Pick
There are still spaces left for our first Chef Eats Out event of 2010, at Brett Graham’s two-Michelin-starred Notting Hill restaurant, the Ledbury – book now!
Find out about taking part in Hospitality Action Week – 17-23 May – and support your industry charity
Contribute to our pre-Election special here – post your questions on Table Talk
Still not had enough of chocolate? Check our chocolate masterclass with William Curley
View thousands of hospitality and catering jobs via our new-look jobs service, Caterersearchjobs
Quote of the Week
“His style of food is truly unique, combining health and nutrition into the fine-dining scene is going to make a very exciting and dynamic restaurant concept "
Alan Murchison explains why he’s on the hunt for a restaurant for Chris Horridge