The Caterer Blog

It had to happen at some point. Britain's most famous pub - the Rovers Return in Coronation Street - is being touted as the latest brand by ITV to pub operators. Now we can all eat Betty's hotpot, drink pints of Newton & Ridley's and watch fights between the locals during our lunch breaks.

The Rovers Return will follow in the footsteps of fellow TV bar Cheers. The US sitcom has spawned a global empire of Cheers bars, including sites in Piccadilly Circus and its native Boston, sadly none of which contain such entertaining locals as Cliff, Norm or Woody. It has been a rather lucrative business for production company Paramount and Host Hotels & Resorts who installed 46 bars modelled on Cheers in their hotel and airport lounges.

While Coronation Street isn't that much of a global brand I'm sure that Betty's hotpot has a place in the UK pub market, even if the Rovers Return theme might wear a little thin, and an enterprising pub-co would be rather stupid to ignore the appeal of such a brand (particularly the integrated brewers who could get their beers on the most watched programme in the UK).

The funniest thing about this story? It was in the Sunday Times over the weekend, as a novelty and nothing more, but splashed all over the front page of today's Daily Star with a big, red, exclusive banner next to it. I know being the next Bet Lynch has its appeal, I just didn't think it was something worth fighting over.

Yesterday we reported that Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie had bought the Punch Bowl in Mayfair, London, for an estimated £2.5m. Now the Material Girl has denied splashing out on a posh London boozer.

So what exactly is going on with the Punch Bowl? Who has Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises sold the site to? As the mystery unravels we will bring you all the latest details.

Update 06/03/08: Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises has now denied that the Punch Bowl is up for sale but there are rumours that the site may end up with a new landlord yet. Should more news break we will keep you informed.

So the National Minimum Wage is to rise again. Is it that time of year already?

Yes, the Government has announced that as of October the hourly National Minimum Wage for those above 22 years of age will rise from £5.52 to £5.73 per hour.

Although an increase is an increase, most employer bodies seem happy enough that this isn’t an above inflation rate hike this time.

But with slower consumer spending and the pub closure rate climbing, what do you think?

Part of doing business and good for the industry’s image or an unwelcome addition to a growing set of business burdens as things get progressively tougher in 2008?

For more see our National Minimum Wage news round-up>>

History of the National Minimum Wage>>

National Minimum Wage guide>>

One of Golf’s most famous names, The Belfry hotel in Warwickshire, has launched its own Belfry Blend of coffee.

Those facing the hotel’s Brabazon golf course – four times host of the sport’s premier team competition the Ryder Cup – can enjoy a cup of the black stuff, which is being supplied by the nattily named Wicked Coffee Company, before they head out.

David Toulson-Burke, general manager of the Belfry, said: “We like to give our guests a highly tailored experience when they visit us at the Belfry and we hope our own brand of coffee will help towards making their experience that little bit more special.”

The Belfry brand is available at fore of the hotel's restaurants and bars.

The Belfry hotel to redevelop as exclusive golf course>>

Ryder Cup venue the Belfry to be pulled down and rebuilt>>

De Vere walks away from the Belfry hotel>>

A year ago contract caterer Crown Group announced it was adopting a new name, Oriel Group, and rebranding two of its businesses to simplify things.

The plan was that following an announcement in June Oriel (one presumes not named after the American cookie) would come into force from July 2007.

At the time it also renamed two of its operating companies Crown Venue Catering and Crown Society Special Event Catering as Kudos Hospitality and Seasoned, respectively.

Oriel's sales and marketing director Jonathan Byrne told Caterer back in June last year that the rebrand would end the confusion surrounding Crown and "act as a springboard, moving us forward".

However it now seems the move might have turned into something more akin to a belly-flop.

In short Crown’s customers didn’t like the new name and had an attachment to Crown so although Kudos and Seasoned have stayed (along with the group’s other businesses including Missing Ingredients, London’s Flying Chef and two Michelin starred restaurant Midsummer House) Oriel was still-born and never came to pass.

Interestingly the U-turn wasn’t communicated with quite the enthusiasm or energy of the original Oriel announcement.

Crown Venue Catering awarded five-year deal at Manchester's GMEX and International Convention Centre>>

Crown Group wins a £50m deal for 75 leisure centres>>

Midsummer House Michelin-starred restaurant forced to take foie gras off the menu>>

Rob Hartwell is the 2008 Acorn Scholar. As part of a year’s development activity, he has been given a sabbatical from his sous chef role with Peach Pub Company to take a four-month cooks tour.

In December 2007 my dream was made a reality when I was awarded the 2008 Acorn Scholarship. As a result, I have been able to embark on four months’ of travel which will take in Fiji, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam.

My goal is to experience flavours and food that are new to me and collect some recipes to bring back to the UK. So I’ll not only be eating but also actually cooking in all these countries. Fiji is my first stop and for this leg of the journey, I’m accompanied by my girlfriend Sophie.

Fiji
After two 12-hour flights, five hours waiting in airports and three hours on a boat, Sophie and I finally arrived at our first destination, Naviti Island, Fiji. This is a small island in the middle of the Fiji islands with a population of about 18 locals plus me and Sophie. We are staying in a “bure” which is a wood and straw hut, similar to a cabin.

There is no electricity apart from that generated by two solar panels which powers fans, lights and the fridges in the main kitchen.

From what I’d read and heard, I was not expecting the food to blow me away, but after talking with a few locals on the mainland I quickly gathered a vision of fresh, honest and totally authentic food.

On the first day we were asked if we would like fish for lunch. This sounded like a great idea, especially as the islanders call the sea their “farm”. I wanted to see what their catch would be. Having met with our friendly local on the beach, we saw another local man paddling out on a kayak, line fishing for our lunch - you really can’t get fresher than that. The Fijians export a lot of fish to Japan, the USA and Europe such as marlin, tuna and opah. That day they cooked our catch in coconut milk and then pan-fried it - a really simple dish but fresh, full of flavour and a great start to the tour.

Later on that week, we were invited to see a traditional feast called a “lovo” (pronounced lobo) being prepared and cooked. I had been expressing an interest in their food in the last few days and had become friends with more locals, who thought it would a great opportunity for me to see a completely different underground style of cooking and how they cooked traditionally.

After being decribed by a critic as a "Real Life Basil Fawlty", hotelier Andy Hageman decided to publish his memoirs of running Mortons House Hotel in Dorset. In his book "Innkeeping with Mr Fawlty", he recounts the trials, tribulations and triumphs that lie behind the scenes of an up-market hotel.

And although, unlike Basil, he never picked a fight with his guests, in his 15 years of running the hotel, he was unsuccessfully sued by one guest, assaulted by another, he plunged a guest's mobile phone into an ice bucket and dealt with a naked man who sleep-walked into reception.

Oh Darling. We told you to take it easy on the booze and look what you have gone and done this time. You’ve made a fool of yourself and in front of so many people too.

In his first Budget Chancellor Alistair Darling raised duties on alcohol significantly. Duty on beer will rise by 3% while taxes on wine will rise by 14 pence per bottle and spirits rise by 55 pence per bottle. Alcohol taxes will stay at 2% above inflation for the next four years.

It wasn't much of a surprise. The rise was widely expected since the weekend but not on such a significant scale. Darling has fallen for the perception that Britain has a very serious problem with alcohol and the only way we can solve it is by giving more money to the Treasury.

Today's news leaves hospitality in a predicament. Pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels are the safest and most heavily regulated places in which to consume alcohol. The industry has worked awfully hard to sort out its own house when it comes to under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour fuelled by alcohol, and while it is by no means perfect, it is certainly a safer place to be around drunk people - as opposed to a street corner with teenagers drinking alcopops bought in a supermarket.

The sad thing is this rise could change absolutely nothing but the price of a pint, the one thing the pub industry cannot afford at this moment in time.

From what’s new in gastronomic Paris to wreaking revenge on rude customers in New York, blogging on the world of food has never been bigger.

It can make and break restaurants, expose and embarrass egos, all whilst celebrating everyday food obsessions from café nosh to the best Michelin-starred cuisine.

Last weekend's Observer listed the "world's 50 most powerful blogs" and, in and amongst the largely gossip based offerings were a couple of hospitality related corkers.

Big news for the budget hotel sector this morning with speculation suggesting the two major players - Premier Inn and Travelodge - are considering a £3b merger.

According to weekend reports, Premier Inn owner Whitbread has been in talks to take over Travelodge's 330 budget hotels from Dubai International Capital (DIC).

DIC bought Travelodge from Permira in 2006 for £675m, but the joint company could be worth up to £3b.

We're speaking to Travelodge this morning so watch this space...

Update: Informed sources tell us the talks are definitely ongoing, although both parties are staying schtum for now.

I am a man that likes a drink. However I was still amused at one operator’s take on responsible alcohol retailing, experienced this weekend.

For reasons to painful to go into, I found myself at a well known leisure-park operator’s site in the West Country on Friday/Saturday.

It was very much the sort of weekend – eighties in theme – where those in attendance attempt to shove as much booze down their mostly fat throats as possible in the name of binge-drinking.

Having already set its sights on tackling the family market with the purchase more than two years ago of Luxury Family Hotels it seems Von Essen Hotels has a new target, pet owners.

The company, which owns the Cliveden in Berkshire, Sharrow Bay in the Lake District and the Royal Crescent hotel in Bath, has launched the Very Important Pet Package (VIPP) ahead of National Pet Month from 5 April to 5 May.

Remember Max from Brookside? No me neither. However the man who played him in the much missed Channel Four soap, Stephen Pinder, is part of a team of judges at the Chester Food & Drink Festival young chef competition this weekend.

Stephen will be rolling into Chester Racecourse on Easter Monday with Jane Casson from Made in Cheshire and Shaun Turner of recruitment firm Halcyon to put the contestants through their paces.

The former Max Farnham is pictured here at one of the qualifying rounds in West Cheshire College. Congratulations to Robert McDermot, 23, of the Red House in Boughton; Richard Lovell, 20, of Upstairs at The Grill in Watergate Street, Chester, and Artur Hebel, 25, of Pastarazzi, Grosvenor Street, Chester who are all competing in the final.

The young chef competition is part of the Chester Food & Drink Festival which runs from March 22 to March 24, Easter Weekend at The Racecourse.

Surely someone from Chester based soap Hollyoaks was available?

Oh my goodness, my Guinness.
I was in a mate's local catching the United/Liverpool game last weekend and while a couple pints of the black stuff were certainly worth the wait, the Portuguese barwoman serving them definitely demonstrated a cultural difference in her approach to doing so.

Such was the head on our pints that our host took a moment to look at them quite perplexed before rooting around for a knife to slice the large white crowns clean off to enable her to carry on pouring.

The process was repeated a fair few times until we received something akin to a pint of Guinness (those from Ireland stop reading now).

Shame she hadn't seen this How Stuff Works video on how to pour a pint of Guinness.

Still, it’s unusual to garner such entertainment from ordering a round so I was more than happy to let it go.

Aside from this example of class in a glass anyone else out there had any recent drinks horrors?

No responsible alcohol retailing here, gov>>

More high profile pub failures predicted>>

Speculate to accumulate as the economy wheezes say entrepreneurs, but it’s a nervous time for struggling restaurants across the land.

Celebrity chefs such as Ollie Couillaud and Michelin winner Hélène Darroze are no doubt well cocooned within the luxury London hotel-restaurant market, but the humble neighbourhood restaurant looks to be feeling the pain of slowing consumer spending.

Some sad news reached Caterer Towers yesterday: the inventor of the Egg McMuffin, Herb Peterson, died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Santa Barbera aged 89. It is not known whether he was a regular consumer of his greatest invention (and international hangover cure).

Still, at least all at McDonald's can console themselves with a nice cup of tea. PG tips being its brew of choice after it signed a deal today with Unilever to sell sustainable tea in its 1,200 stores throughout the UK and Ireland.

That equates to over 24 million cups a year. Nice to see that the monkey from the ITV Digital adverts is having an effect. Remember monkey prefers his PG made with "three stirs clockwise, two stirs back; one and three quarter sugars and show it the milk". Try asking for that and a McMuffin.