"Do a spur of the moment walk", implores the email; "do a really ancient castle. Do funny-looking mushroom picking. Then do surfing. Really. We have bigger waves in autumn that at any other time of the year."

Click through to the Visit Wales site, and you're dazzled by a riot of colours and numbers. Apparently, the Principality boasts 20,273 shades of green, among them mushy pea green, apple green and olive green; 107,000 plant species; 3,388,000 things to do; yellow hotels, green campsite, purple B&Bs, blue hostels and turquoise self-catering options.

Methinks the copywriters responsible for the site might have been sampling a few of those funny-looking mushrooms ...  

The manny in question, Steven King, will operate out of the hotel's Ofsted-registered playroom, the Woolley Bear's Den. Says Steven: "I get to play all day and I think it's good for the boys to have someone to play with and who really understands them."

In the press release announcing King's appointment, hotel GM, Clare Hammond does her bit for reinforcing gender stereotypes: "Who could be better at setting up a race track, building Lego space ships or running an arts and crafts session than a boy!" she enthuses

Some wag from around the office has ringed the two dishes on a copy of the menu pinned up in the lift, and scribbled "food miles!!" next to them. Evidently, they thought the dishes had been sourced from North Africa and Eastern Europe, rather than merely drawing inspiration from the regions' respective cuisines.

I mention this, because it's symptomatic of the customer's growing knowledge - or in this case perceived knowledge - about food and the issues surrounding its provision. The days when lunchers and diners got what they were given and were glad of it are long gone. Now, customers want to know which gradient of the Po Valley the balsamic vinegar on their salad was created from, and whether their basmati rice is of the Pusa or Ranbir variety.

As if that weren't headache enough, they are increasingly aware of ethical issues such as food miles and organic crops.

Who'd be a professional caterer?

Had you realised that its been six months since Valentine's Day? No? Not on my radar either.

But, apparently, today is the most unromantic day of the year.

According to Accolade, "a luxury new cooking appliance brand from Stoves", the last week in August has the fewest references to "I love you" on the internet, the University of Sydney carried out a study on moods and found that Wednesday was the lowest day of the week, people are currently suffering from post-bank holiday syndrome, and sales of Champagne generally take a plunge in August.

The campaign has some eminent supporters. McDonald's, Compass Group, Sodexo and Merlin Entertainments are among the hospitality operators that are backing the sector skills council's positive attempt to reach out to the nation's youth. Viewers were pointed to the campaign's website, where vox pops from industry workers extol the virtues of working in hospitality.

Tom Pearson, head chef of Loch Fyne Covent Garden, talks about the buzz, excitement and adrenaline of working in a restaurant; Compass HR resources performance leader, Anthony Kirby recalls bumping into the likes of Roman Abramovich, Stevie Gerrard and the Royal Family; and McDonalds manager, Laura Cross describes her job's fantastic environment and endless possibilities.

Vast effort has been exerted over many years to improve the industry's brand as an employer of choice. Still it remains tarnished by preconceptions of low pay, back-breaking work and unsociable hours. People 1st's attempt to appeal to youngsters on their own terms is a laudable attempt to bring a little lustre back to Hospitality's reputation.

Aidan's first blog, back in August 2006, described a dinner of sardine salad and fruit salad he had just cooked for his brother and his brother's girlfriend. The meal was eaten "with a selection of wines to commiserate Phillips Idowu's failure to win a medal at the triple-jump earlier in the day. Still - there's always another day." Indeed there is: two years on, Phillips has just qualified for the Olympic triple jump final.

I like Aidan's blog because it provides a window on his life. Over the last two years we've seen him prpgress from being a trainee chef in London, to working full time at Barcelona's Commerc24.

Which Hospitality blogs do you go back to time after time? Let us know.

Great for guests - but could this be curtains for the concierge?

The book's format is really accessible: 100 tips over 150 pages, making it ideal for returning to in spare moments. The tips span the whole lifecyce of a hotel, from choosing a site and planning a concept to building and motivating a team and marketing your operation.

Here are ten tips that stood out for me. You'll have to get onto Amazon and order a copy if you want to check out the other 90 ...

1. Choose the right neighbourhood. Before you buy a property, make sure there are no nasty surprises nearby - a busy fire station next door, a refuse disposal company down the road ...

2. Visualise everything. Sense-check each decision made by architects and interior designers to make sure what they create is fit for purpose. "How can the customer reach those bath taps? Where can we hang or store the towels? How do we clean under that bed?" ...

3. Open full throttle. Soft openings are for wimps - pre-market your hotel in order to open with a full house.

4. Manage the moment. Resist the temptation to stay locked away in your office and get out into your hotel to experience first-hand the service levels guests are enjoying - or suffering.

5. Say thank you and well done. Money isn't everything: motivation is best fuelled by achievement and recognition.

6. Demonstrate you really care. "We have all experienced the head waiter who sidles up to a table, before you have even taken a mouthful of food, to ask if everything is all right, and then moves on before you have answered". Don't allow a similar insincerity into your dealings with guests.

7. Don't let meetings clash with your greetings. The more time you spend in areas of greatest guest activity, the more you learn - so don't spend too long closeted away in meetings. And never let a guest be told that you are "in a meeting".

8. Price it right. Pricing policies are crucial to your business, so understand and master the relationship between price and volume.

9/ Create confidence in others. "Good training is the art of teaching someone how to do something to the standard you require and with the confidence that will ensure that it is successfully implemented in a manner that will please customers and colleagues alike."

10/ Keep your feet on the ground. Don't become the guest - "because the tools of your trade include food, booze, and beds, don't be tempted to mix your work with your pleasure".  

If you could offer just one tip to an aspiring hotelier, what would it be?

a/ employ a student to stroll up and down your local high street wearing a sandwich board advertising your company;

b/ rely on word of mouth; or

c/ establish a website that carries all the information your prospective customers need to know about your and provides an appealling shop window for your business?

If you voted "c", yours sounds like just the sort of business we are looking to celebrate in the Caterer Group's latest awards scheme. The Caterersearch.com Web Awards have been created to recognise the best websites in the industry and reward the organisations and individuals involved in designing, managing, marketing or promoting them.

Categories span the full range of hospitality operations, large and small, group and independent; and there are also awards for the digital marketing campaign and interactive feature of the year.

Websites will be judged on visual design, innovation, content, interactivity, ease of use, commercial success or potential and overall user experience. And, since our judging panel will base its decisions largely by scrutinising your site, the Web Awards are very easy to enter. All you need to do is send us your site address and a brief explanation of what you think is good about it, and we'll do the rest.

 For further details go to www.caterersearch.com/webawards.

Good luck!

I'll be back in a week.

Last week's Springboard summer fundraising event was also a roaring success, with Pride of Britain's Peter Hancock hosting proceedings with his usual steady hand and witty turn of phrase - his "prick with a fork" gag was a personal highlight. In her welcome speech, Springboard chief executive Anne Pierce introduced guests to the latest addition to the Springboard team - Catey - which provided a proud moment for all on the Caterer and Hotelkeeper table.

Also, last week, there was the climax of this year's Nestle Toque D'Or competition, which saw a team from Carlisle College beat all comers in the battle to be proclaimed the best catering college team in the country. This year's winners would have had to look no further for inspiration than their own city centre, where 2004 winner, James Hill, now runs his own restaurant, the Bijou. Earlier this year, James, who followed his Toque D'Or success with a stint in Angela Hartnett's kitchen at the Connaught in London's Mayfair, told the Caterer that the competition gave him a "really good insight into the whole concept of catering that has helped me in the running of my own business.  I realised that running a restaurant is more than just cooking and serving up dishes - it's about what your business represents, how to plan it successfully and the messaging you wish to place behind it." Well done to Nestle Professional for facilitating such a valuable educational process, and congratulations to the team from Carlisle College for its tremendous success.

The course began in 1989 as a partnership between the college and the Academy of Culinary Arts, whose members sponsor students and offer them prolonged placements at their restaurants and hotels. The stated aim of the course is to "inspire the rising generation to train with the elite of their chosen profession".

So, well done to this year's graduates and their sponsors:

• Adam Blanchard (Claridge's)
• Adam Bowden (The Ritz)
• Christopher Castle (Royal Automobile Club)
• Peter Dickinson (Restaurant Associates)
• Jake Finn (The Ritz)
• David Gillott (1 Lombard and the Sloane Club)
• Matthew Hiscoe (Wilton's)
• Daniel Jeffries (Claridge's)
• Francesca Kay (Royal Automobile Club)
• David Leggett (Boodle's)
• Lewis Linley (Restaurant Associates)
• Emma Mann (Grand Hotel, Eastbourne)
• Paul Matthews (Roux Fine Dining)
• Nicolo Rasile (The Wolseley and St Alban)
• Richard Spence (Tylney Hall Hotel)
• Sheree Stafford (Lucknam Park and Directors Table BAT).

By chance, I was turning through a book called Letters to a Young Chef by Daniel Boulud on the train up to London to attend the event. I've not finished it yet, but already it looks a real winner, packed with advice for young chefs looking to forge a career in the kitchen. Here are Boulud's ten commandments of a chef:

1. Keep your knives sharp
2. Work with the best people
3. Keep your station orderly
4. Purchase wisely
5. Season with precision
6. Master the heat
7. Learn the world of food
8. Know the classics
9. Accept criticism
10. Keep a journal of your recipes.
    

Dog lovers can nominate venues in five categories: Somewhere to Eat, Somewhere to Sleep, Somewhere to Drink, Somewhere to Visit, Self-catering holidays or in the 'other' category, which incorporates all other public places.

The thinking behind the competition is that, as the credit crunch spurs more Brits to take summer holidays at home, dog owners will need to be able identify places in their area that are geared up to serving our four-legged friends. According to the club's press release, this could amount to innovative hound-focussed services or "simply a bowl of clean water or the promise of a friendly smile".

So, in your staff briefing this morning, make sure you tell your team to offer a broad grin to any mutts they encounter through the course of the day - who knows, it might just win you the Kennel Club's Champion Dog Bowl.

1. The event was a celebration of where the industry is going, but also of where it has come from, and the make-up of the audience reflected this fact. I sometimes feel that young, contemporary hospitality hotshots lose sight of the heritage of the UK hospitality scene, and I was determined to make sure we paid our dues to the industry's heavyweights as well as its newest stars. Guests like Roy Ackerman, Willy Bauer, Raymond Blanc, Ramon Pajares, Terry Holmes, Anton Mossimann, Richard Shepherd and Brian Turner have all worked tirelessly through the life of the Cateys to create the hunger for good hospitality we all benefit from in 2008, and it was great to have them all with us on the night. Talking of paying dues, I was thrilled that Joe Hyam, one of my predecessors as editor of the Caterer and a central player in the creation of the Cateys, was present on Tuesday night.
2. The emotion on display truly tugged on the heart strings. Springboard's Anne Pierce was visibly moved when she received the Special Award. There was a look of real shellshock on Vineyard chef John Campbell's face when he realised that he had won not one but two Cateys on the night - in the Education training and Chef categories. And the awarding of the Silver Catey to Michel and Albert Roux and the Lifetime Achievement Catey to Harry Murray brought the house down.
3. I had a microphone that worked, unlike last year!