March 2010 Archives

Okay, this is probably one for the ladies.

Just imagine the squeals of delight when your female guests find this exquisite gift in their hotel rooms.

Indian fashion designer Manish Arora has created the perfect adornment for Pommery Apanage Rosé in the form of a brightly-coloured wrap with gold detail.

It was produced for the Harrods' Wonderland Easter extravaganza where the duo will cost £150.

The Champagne, distributed in the UK by Justerini & Brooks, has a fresh elegant nose and rich well-balanced palate and in its vibrant wrap will be totally irresistible to ladies who love luxury and all things beautiful.

Trust Product Junkie - we understand these things...

If you're a regular eBay shopper, keep your eyes peeled for 'Yellow dot plate' from a seller in Stoke-on-Trent while perusing the Pottery, Porcelain & Glass section.

You see, it may well have been painted by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall during a recent visit to the Tunstall factory of ceramic tableware manufacturer Dudson, along with her husband HRH The Prince of Wales who also tried his hand at plate decorating.

The royal couple visited Stoke-on-Trent as part of the centenary celebration of the formation of the City and were escorted around the factory by chairman Ian Dudson and managing director Max Dudson.

If you're anything like Product Junkie one of your first actions on being shown to a restaurant table, besides inspecting the menu, will be to scrutinize the cutlery and stemware and guess who manufactured them.

Okay, maybe that's just me then.

Now that little amusement could well get complicated when it comes to cutlery, as chefs' wear supplier Denny's has launched a personalised design and manufacture service of Damascus stainless steel knives.

The bespoke service is aimed at premium bars, hotels and restaurants where the operators require a design tailored to their décor or style, or even incorporation of an etched logo to reinforce their own brand.

One who has done exactly that is chef restaurateur Mark Hix, with a steak knife created especially for HIX restaurant and Hix Oyster and Chop House.

He wanted a design that would fit in with much of the vintage silverware collection in the restaurants and settled on a non-serrated blade - etched with the HIX logo - that can be re-sharpened easily and does not tear the meat.

Denny's says its Damascus range features the latest innovations in handle and blade technology combined with traditional sword making skills. The knives are crafted using 37 layers of the finest Japanese steel folded and layered for perfect sharpness and durability.

It's day three of Hotelympia and you have until Thursday 4th March to get along to the show and find that piece of innovation that will make a difference to your business.

The four category winners in the Innovation Awards have been announced and visitors can now vote for their favourite - to be named the People's Choice at the end of the show - on touch-screen pods in the Innovation Lounges.

In addition, lots of exhibitors have new products on show such as the Two-Way Matchbox from Adande in which the refrigerated drawers open on both sides of the unit for easy access (Stand N2438), Manitowoc's beer dispenser which pours pints automatically from the bottom up for speedy service at high volume sites such as stadia (Stand N2340), and Kraft's Tassimo Professional coffee machine for self-serve beverages (Stand S2036).

If you want some equipment buying advice or want to know more about energy-saving, training or warranty deals the Catering Equipment Distributors Association (Stand N2169) is providing personal shoppers to help visitors make the best use of their time at the show.