The Caterer Blog

A campaign to break the beer tie - where pub landlords have to buy their beer directly from the pubs owners as a proportion of rent - is vowing to see through its fight against Britain's largest pub companies.

Fair Pint, which launched last month, was formed to highlight the tied lease agreements used by pub owners such as Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns.

Brian Jacobs, founder member of Fair Pint, told Caterer that the campaign's goal was to get the recommendations of a Select Committee for Trade and Industry report in 2004 adhered to.

The report called for more transparency in the way that rents were calculated, as well as recommending a voluntary code governing rent reviews.

But the report also insisted that removing the beer tie would not necessarily make tenants better off.

Ah school meals, the battleground for hearts and minds (both children and parents). Jamie Oliver, Turkey Twizzlers, you know the drill.

While there seems genuine optimism about the fate of the primary school meals service, providers and politicians are waiting eagerly to see the findings of next month's LACA/SFT school meals survey.

Surely national uptake at secondary level will have risen, having bottomed out at its lowest point since just after the Second World War last year. Surely?

But how about this to garner envious glances from all? John Betts Primary School in London's Hammersmith - demonstrating a laudable whole school approach - opted out of Local Authority control last year for school meals.

This was well meaning, as the school wanted to deliver a made on site, fresh-food lunch service, but not at all straightforward as John Betts didn't even have a school kitchen. Bugger.

It seems that there's never a dull moment in the life of a celebrity chef... and never a day that they're out of the news...

Marco Pierre White spoke in Monday's Times about cruising, sandals and democracy whilst Tuesday's Mirror reported that (in between filming his latest TV series in the US) the "explosive chef and the highly-volatile Nancy Dell'Olio are now an item." Well, with Sven Goran Eriksson now off to to manage the Mexico national team, the coast is clear for MPW. Just imagine the rows over shampoo though.

Meanwhile Gordon Ramsay got a dose of his own medicine as Liam Gallagher had a few F-Words for the ubiquitious chef, and finds himself in more competition with his wife Tana, who, not content with outselling her husband's last cookbook with her own Family Kitchen, decided it's now time to take on her fiery-husband on-screen, declaring herself ready to do a cooking show with Gordon according to Tuesday's Daily Record.

Several papers also reported on Monday on how Gordon gets his kids to eat greens... a model for parents everywhere.

Jamie Oliver had a busy Monday as the debut single from his protégé Tim Kay (on which Jamie plays drums) was released on the same day he opened his new Italian restaurant in Oxford.

Leading hospitality institution Thames Valley University received some great exposure on the BBC last night when Sir Alan Sugar's Apprentice put its remaining candidates through a full day of tortuous interviews in order to weed out the men from the boys.

But TVU unexpectedly got thrown into the limelight when it became clear during one of the candidate's discussions that he had been fibbing about an HCIMA course on his CV.

Asked how long he had spent at the university, recruitment sales manager Lee McQueen, who was one of four others in the running for Sir Alan's six-figure-salary job, claimed he had spent two years at Slough but had not completed the course.

But it turns out, following some research by the interviewer, that McQueen spent only four months studying for his hospitality-based qualification. How someone who specialises in recruitment thinks this is acceptable is beyond me. What percentage of people lie on their CVs?

Although Sir Alan was shocked to hear about this blatant lying, McQueen remains as one of four candidates now that colour-me-beautiful Lucinda has been fired. 

It must have been McQueen's unusual impersonations of a pterodactyl that saved it for him. Now that's what I'm talking about. 

The Olympic Games, that most venerable institution, is almost here again.

Soon we'll be drinking in the spirit and ideals of ancient Greece reborn anew in China.

Yes, there'll be much revelling at this showcase of the pursuit of excellence and the chance it provides for individuals to reserve their place in history, and no doubt the odd dropped baton or two.

And of course, we'll all be cheering on our plucky, poorly-resourced team GB, maybe even Dwain Chambers.

There'll be the drug scandals, naff mechandising and of course Tibet. Yes, it's all there in the mix and inevitably with the handing over of the torch at the closing ceremony thoughts of London 2012.

But before we get there, we'll have a chance to watch 14-year old diver Tom Daley compete in China as the second youngest-ever male Olympian to represent GB, and that, in part, will be thanks to Sodexo.

Those with a memory might recall my last attempt at annulling our one-sided relationship, where I offered my services conjuring up tag-lines for glossy A4 pamphlet, including the front page maxim "Raisin' Views - The Best Way To Stay Currant".

Well, in a blatantly hostile gesture, they've nicked my thunder and upped their game on the pun front. "California Gleaming", "Raisin' the stakes" and "Simply crammed with raisins" (less impressive) all make it into the current issue.

What levels need a man top to sever themselves from this mailing list? A bare-foot pilgrimage to California Raisins HQ? A genetically engineered blight on the US raisin crop?

Well, it's come to this. As a bargaining chip to escape the mailing list, I've offered myself as a gratis freelancer for Raisin' Views. Read on for another soon-to-be-ignored letter to California Raisins:

Lovers of high camp rejoice! Hilton Hotels has teamed up with Sky One's Gladiators for charity.

Yes those latex clad TV warriors are lending their support to Hilton's Around the World in a Day initiative, which last year raised £50,000 for good causes.

Taking place on 29 June, Around the World participants have been challenged to collectively travel the circumference of the earth - 29,901.55 miles - by taking part in one of two events: the competitive Team Challenge or easier-going Miles4fun.

Although giant cotton buds are banned, the Gladiators will be entering a team in the Team Challenge event - so you could be going up against the likes of Spartan, Ice, Enigma and Predator on the day, which should at least put a smile on your face if nothing else. 

For more on the event go to www.hilton-foundation.org.uk

Hilton plans more hotels over the next five years>>

Does a drink in a JD Wetherspoon pub lead to greatness?

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin would contest it does, and has in the latest Wetherspoon News, the keenly-priced pub company's staff and customer newsletter.

In his chairman's message Martin points out that Boris Johnson, now London Mayor, popped in for a pint at the Wetherspoon owned Furze Wren in Bexleyheath just before his election success.

Coincidence? Martin doesn't think so.

While Martin's well publicised views on binge drinking being more a cultural failing than something to batter the pub trade with ring true, his assertion that Johnson should have taken a spot writing for Wetherspoon News rather than the Daily Telegraph to "reach a wider and, in my opinion, more discerning audience" is probably open to debate.

JD Wetherspoon introduces gluten-free menu>>
JD Wetherspoon profits go flat>>
Everyone want to laugh at chancellor's expense (Kitchen Rat)>>

London Mayor stops Ramsay chefs' Beijing Olympic trip>>

With food inflation featuring heavily in recent doom-and-gloom predictions for the UK economy, It seems, much like Eastenders, everyone's talking about it.

A Caterer investigation published today found that contract caterers are very much of the view that higher food prices are here to stay and must be confronted.

However one chief executive told me that they had had a few teeth-gnashing moments with clients who despite being well up-to-date on food inflation from the healthy news coverage it's been receiving, tend to react with puzzlement when told meal tarrifs in their restaurants need to rise.

Anyway, if you'd like to learn more about the subject, including expert advice on mitigating food price increases, we have just launched a dedicated Food Costs page rounding-up developments.

 Do let me know your thoughts, also.

It's that time of the year again when Wimbledon is upon us. This year all the tennis frenzy has been slightly overshadowed by the excitement of the Euro but nonetheless, close to 50,000 tennis fans are expected to flock to the All England Club in south London.

But, of course, the tennis isn't the only thing Wimbledon is famous for and nothing- apart from the rainy intervals - defines the championship more than strawberries and cream. It is expected that visitors at this year's tournament will consume more than 28,000kg of strawberries accompanied by over 7,000 litres of fresh cream. That's more than 8,000 punnets per day.

But, thanks to rising food prices, visitors will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets this year as the price of a punnet of strawberries and cream has gone up from £2 to £2.25, marking the first increase in five years.

But then again hungry tennis fans can also tuck into the lashings of sandwiches, ice creams, slices of pizza and smoked salmon bagels on offer - not to mention the 150,000 glasses of Pimm's, 17,000 bottles of Champagne and 100,000 pints of beer.

Wimbledon is one of the biggest catering events in the sporting calendar and comprises the largest single annual sporting catering operation in Europe. All of the catering is undertaken by Facilities Management Catering, who employs close to 1,500 catering staff at the site's numerous outlets.

With the Wimbledon Championships in full swing London's Pearl restaurant and bar has created a strawberries and cream cocktail.

The strawberries and cream cocktail is served in a Collins class filled with strawberry ice cubes that have been made by steaming fresh strawberries for two hours before straining them through muslin cloth and collecting the juice.

This part of the process takes 12 hours, which is considerably longer than most of the UK contenders will last in the Championships this year.

The juice is then combined with a strawberry liqueur and frozen in ice-cube trays. A separate jug of creamy cocktail mix is served on the side, allowing guests to pour the cocktail over the strawberry ice-cubes.

As the ice melts the strawberry flavour infuses and intensifies the drink, which should be enough to make even Andy Murray smile (for a while).

Game, Set and Strawberries>>

Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Morecombe & Wise, Chris & Jeff Galvin, the Krankies.

Yes history is replete with great double acts and after watching our latest Caterer video of Leon co-founders John Vincent and Henry Dimbleby I believe I have witnessed another.

Yes, John and Henry were on fine form (note for the purpose of this gag I am excluding Leon's third founder Allegra McEvedy who was one of the hospitality few recognised in the recent Queen's Birthday Honours) at the latest Arena lunch at London's Landmark hotel on Monday (23 June).

Speaking to John in a follow up interview, I asked how he'd found taking the stage in front of an audience of industry peers. He said although nervous he'd written a script to get him and Henry through.

However, as with all good double-acts there always has to be a bit of one-upmanship, and the opportunity to stitch your partner up like a kipper must always be taken.

In this case it most certainly was when Henry apparently nicked the best bits from the prepared script and left Johh scrambling around - in his head - for something to say.

Well, what are business partners for after all?

No news yet on whether John is considering hiring the other Leon to do a bit of boardroom "cleaning" at the healthy fast food chain.

Chris and Jeff Galvin to sign deal in the City>>