Health officials slam Heston Blumenthal over sick staff – For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say

Health officials slam Heston Blumenthal over sick staffRead the full article in the Independent>>

UK hotels are vulnerable to Mumbai-style attacks
Anti-terrorist officers have warned that luxury hotels in the UK are vulnerable to Mumbai-style attacks and are watching for any increase in small arms being smuggled into the UK through ports and remote airfields. Security officials, who believe that the threat to the UK is at the "severe end of severe" (the third of four risk levels which rate an attack as 'highly likely'), are also considering issuing guidance to managers of hotels, businesses and buildings where people gather in large numbers. The warnings come just days before the G20 summit kicks off in London and ahead of a relaunch of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy this week. There are growing concerns that the focus on security in London is displacing the threat of terrorism to other parts of the UK. - 21 March, Read the full article in the Daily Telegraph
Jamie Oliver and Fergus Henderson top Observer food winnersJamie Oliver's attempts to get the people of Rotherham cooking has won him the Food Personality award in the Observer Food Monthly awards, while the Outstanding Achievement award went to Fergus Henderson and his St John restaurant in Clerkenwell, London. Other London-based winners included Moro (best restaurant) the Wolseley (best breakfast), The Albion (best Sunday lunch), and Byron (best cheap eat). Edinburgh's Bramble was voted Best Place to Drink while the two ethical awards went to Devon's Riverford Field Kitchen (best ethical restaurant) and the Fife Diet local food initiative (ethical contribution). - 22 March, Read the winners' list and accompanying articles in the Observer >>

Celebrity French pastry chef seeks London boutique Pierre Hermé, the French celebrity pastry chef known as the Picasso of pastry or the Dio of desserts, is looking to open a shop in London. Hermé, whose family boasts four generations of bakers, currently has four boutiques in Paris and eight in Tokyo. His Left Bank shop in Paris attracts such long queues that customers are limited to taking two photographs of his cakes to cut down the wait. Hermé, who began his apprenticeship at 14, is famous for his development of the macaron - the almond meringue biscuit of Italian origin - into a soft, succulent dessert filled with exotic ingredients such as rose petal cream, raspberries and lychees; Heinz tomato ketchup, Tabasco and pickles; and wasabi and grapefruit. - 21 March, Read the full article in The Times >>
Christian hotel owners sued for discrimination by gay couple The Christian owners of a seaside hotel in Cornwall are being taken to court for banning a gay couple from staying in one of their double rooms. A county court claim for up to £5,000 has been lodged by Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy for ‘direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation'. But hoteliers Peter and Hazelmary Bull say they have banned all unmarried couples, heterosexual and gay, from sharing a bed at the Chymorvah Private Hotel since they bought the business in 1986. Mrs Bull said that even her brother and his female partner had to stay in separate rooms when they visited the hotel in Marazion, near Penzance. The hotel website says: "We have few rules but please note that out of a deep regard for marriage we prefer to let double accommodation to heterosexual married couples only." The hotel received a letter of complaint from gay rights organisation Stonewall last August, a month before the alleged incident involving Hall and Preddy. - 21 March, Read the full article in the Daily Mail >>

Top liver doctor calls for drinks ban in alcohol blackspots The UK's top liver doctor wants to see alcohol sales banned in towns with a binge-drinking problem to tackle the soaring number of UK deaths from alcohol-related liver disease, which have doubled in the past decade. Professor Ian Gilmore wants the law changed so councils can refuse licences on health grounds. "When I became a liver specialist 30 years ago, alcoholic liver disease was something we only saw in middle-aged and older people. Now we're seeing people in their twenties with end-stage liver disease," said Professor Gilmore. His proposals would turn many inner city areas turned into drink-free zones, including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Rochdale, Kingston upon Hull, Tameside, Oldham and the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The ban was opposed by Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb, who warned: "Prohibition in America bred notorious criminal behaviour and failed. You can't create alcohol-free zones. It will drive binge drinking underground." 22 March, Read the full article in the Sunday Express >>

By Angela Frewin

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