The Editor's Hospitality Blog

One hundred and thirty years since it first appeared in quality newsagents across the land, Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine has finally crossed the desk of ever-lovely film director and food critic, Michael Winner.

Writing of a recent trip to the Vineyard in Stockcross in his latest Winner's Dinners column, the creator of the popular Death Wish movie trilogy described the hotel as "highly regarded. At least by a dodgy magazine, Caterer and Hotelkeeper, admired by some in the misnamed 'hospitality industry'. It gave the Vineyard's cook, John Campbell, the Chef of the Year award and Andrew the 2008 Hotelier of the Year award. That's somewhere below the Jewish Blind School white bar third class".

We've had some notable successes on our century-long metamorphosis from the Caterer and Refreshment Contractors Gazette to our current multimedia incarnation. We've interviewed the greats of world cuisine; lobbied government on a range of meaty issues; developed awards initiatives that have come to recognised as the Oscars of hospitality; and helped millions of individuals to better manage their businesses and their careers. But none of these baubles can compare with the honour of registering on the radar of the cultural colossus that is Michael Winner.

Have you, like John Campbell and Andrew McKenzie at the Vineyard, faced the terror of a visit from La Winner? If so, tell us your experiences and pass on any tips you have for keeping him sweet and his review sweeter.

Here's an interesting article about the pitfalls of motivating staff during a downturn. It's a bit wordy, but there's some good advice - the best being that telling staff "you are lucky to have a job" is unlikely to get the best out of them and fill them with enthusiasm in the current ecomic climate.

Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing will be headlining this year's Annual Arena Lecture, which takes place at the London Hilton Park Lane on 5 February and we want questions from you.

The chef patron of the two-starred eponymous restaurant at the Berkeley hotel in London's Knightsbridge, will be answering questions from readers of Caterersearch.com and Caterer and Hotelkeeper.

If you have a question for Marcus, e-mail info@caterersearch.com with "Marcus Wareing" in the subject line or leave a message at the end of this blog.

The reader with the best question will win two complimentary tickets to the Arena event.

While Michelin has delivered a record number of stars to its British and Irish constituency - a total of 137 starred restaurants - the mood across the country is that the Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland 2009 results give credence to the view that Michelin is biased towards French chefs and French cuisine.

Of the four new two-Michelin-starred restaurants in Britain , only one, Martin Burge at Whatley Manor in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, is British, while the other three restaurants, Claude Bosi's Hibiscus, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, all in London, are all run by French chefs.

Today, Caterersearch launches Guide Girl, a blog that will debate the world of guidebooks and all that comes with them.

So if you're remotely interested in all things Michelin, AA, Good Food Guide, Harden's and much, much more, then look no further. Guide Girl will scour the globe for all you need to know.

Of course, this week all eyes are firmly on Michelin. In his first video interview since the Michelin Guide to Great Britain & Ireland 2009 was leaked last weekend, Derek Bulmer highlights this year's winners and losers. Check it out along with video interviews from some of this year's success stories - Claude Bosi of two-Michelin-starred Hibiscus, Angela Hartnett of the one-starred Murano and David Moore and Marcus Eaves of the one-starred L'Autre Pied.

Take Satyajit Moocheeroy, for example, an international student working at Jury's Inn in Croydon.

Satyajit had entered a salon display class on the Tuesday of the show, but that morning, couldn't find the exhibition. He'd gone to the address on the confirmation letter he had been sent, but hadn't realised he was outside salon director Peter Griffith's house in Knowle, Solihull, having typed Peter's postcode into his Sat Nav.  He rang Peter to say where he was, slightly surprised to see that no-one was home.

I visited Unilever Foodsolutions' swish new development kitchen in Surrey on Friday morning.

While Knorr evangelist, Marco Pierre White, worked on some recipes in an adjacent kitchen, Unilever foodsolutions' Executive Chef, Ray Lorimer cooked up a traditional Burns Night dish of haggis, neeps and tatties. As he plunged his dagger into the haggis, he treated us to a couple of verses of Robert Burns

Former three-Michelin-starred chef, Marco Pierre White proudly announces in the Spring 2009 edition of the CAMRA members' magazine, Beer, that he will shortly be raising the price of a pint of beer from £4 to a fiver in his country pub, the Yew Tree Inn.

"I think most pubs undercharge", he tells the mag. "On the average price of a pint, with the duty and VAT now topping 70p, plus the cost of buying beer from the supplier, and all the other overheads, some publicans are left with less than 60p. How can you survive on that? I think you've got to be brave; after all, people don't have to drink it."

White goes further, suggesting that high prices are his way of discouraging drink-driving:

"By charging more, they drink less and I'm not putting people into their cars over the limit. You might as well sell two pints for eight quid rather than three for nine, because people have to drive home".

He's all heart.

"If I relied on beer drinkers, I'd go out of business", adds Marco. No wonder.

As you probably know, our man Simon Hulstone of the Michelin-starred Elephant in Torquay, has been representing Britain at the famous Bocuse d'Or competition, over the past two days.

Guide Girl, our newly launched blog which covers - among other things - the exploits of Michelin-starred chefs, has been reporting directly from the Sirha exhibition in Lyon (thanks to our hosts Nestlé Professional) where the Bocuse d'Or has been staged this week.

Guide Girl will be posting the result - after 6pm tonight - on the site.

Be sure to check it out and, in the meantime, COME ON SIMON!

It seems that everywhere you look there is a blog on the subject and food is no exception. But where do you begin? How do you know what is a good blog or not?

Earlier this week, the 2008 Food Blog Awards winners were annouced. Winners are selected from a nominations from fellow bloggers and their users. There were various categories, from Best Food Blog - Chef to Best Food Blog - Writer. Despite most of them coming from across the pond, you can find out who the winners were here.

And talking of all things blogs, Caterer has launched two new blogs.

The first is Guide Girl dedicated all things Michelin, guide books and restaurants and for all of you that love your gadgets then check out Product Junkie, to keep up to date with the latest product releases.

And keep and eye out for our very own food blog. Rhubarb and Mustard is coming to a computer screen neaer you very soon!

You have to have been walking around wearing a blindfold and a pair of ear defenders not to have noticed the inflight catering Virgin complaint letter that's been doing the rounds on the internet recently.

Well our colleagues over on sister website Flightglobal have challenged Caterersearch to identify the food in the picture.

So I need your help - and I'm willing to pay. The best answer will receive on of three A Life in the Kitchen cook books by the fabulously talented Michel Roux Jr of London landmark Le Gavroche.