Celebrity Signature Dish Sean Wilson Your Must-Read Guide to Dealing with Customer Complaints
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OCTOBER THE MAGAZINE FOR CATERERS 2010 £1.50 MAKE A KILLING ON HALLOWEEN SUPERFOODS FOR STUDENTS CELEBRITY SIGNATURE DISH SEAN WILSON YOUR MUST-READ GUIDE TO DEALING WITH CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS PRODUCED BY THE COUNTRY RANGE GROUP FOR THE CATERING SECTOR LiftLiift youryourr salessalles withth everyone’severyone’s favouritefavvourite break KIT KATKAATT ® 4 fingernger1 is nownow Fairtrade.Fairtrade. WhichWhich makesmakes it an even betbetterter cchoicehoiceoice for the perfect break. And with £22m in media supporsupportrt2, no wonder it’sit’s the UK’sUK’’s best-selling confectionery snacsnackk3. StockStock KIT KATKAATT ® 4 finger as partparrtt of a top-sellingselling range from NESNESTLÉTLÉ PROFESSIONALESSIONAL® and boost saleses by meeting customer needss throughout the dayday.. HaveHavvee a break.breakk. 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TrademarkTrademarkmark of SociétéSociété des ProduitsProduits Nestlé S.A. Stir it up contacts www.stiritupmagazine.co.uk contents EDITOR Janine Nelson [email protected] Telephone: 01282 611677 Editor’s Letter WRITER Sarah Rigg Telephone: 01282 611677 What do you do when a customer surprised by the rising popularity of DESIGNER Richard Smith complains? It is one of the most difficult Halloween celebrations in this country. Telephone: 01282 611677 situations that a caterer has to deal The American/Walmart influence is PUBLISHER Practical Publishing with, and needs to be handled with definitely the dominant factor and Telephone: 01282 611677 the utmost care and tact. you may be surprised to learn that an ADVERTISING Mags Walker However, when a customer complains astonishing £235million was spent on [email protected] it can be a blessing in disguise. Statistics ‘celebrating’ this event in the UK last Telephone: 01282 611677 show that, for every person who year. Find out more on page 16. SUBSCRIPTIONS Olivia Blunn complains, there can be hundreds who I hope your festivities on October 31 [email protected] Telephone: 01282 684555 don’t bother to complain but who also are suitably spooky! spread negative comments about you. On page 20, we speak to two industry experts for their advice on how best to deal with complaining customers. Our Advice from the Experts column this issue examines how computer software can help improve efficiency in a wide range of catering venues, and we also take a behind-the-scenes look at the elBulli restaurant in Spain, which has been voted Best Restaurant in the World for a record five times. I’m sure I’m not alone in being Customer Profile Ocean House Café and Deli 07 04 The Soapbox and Cooks Calendar 23 Education • Food for a brainy day 05 News from Country Range - ‘Fresher’ up your menus with some brain-boosting food • Baumann’s Blog • Life’s ‘beachy’ since moving to the seaside 25 Health & Welfare News • Five ways to use... Pesto • Catering for the elderly - The three-pronged plan for • Newdles! boosting health Country Range launches brand new noodles My Signature Dish • Dishy Delights for Diwali 27 Leisure News • Good cod! - Check out our new • Wel-Cam move on tourism by Sean Wilson 28 range of fishy fare - PM right to back British hospitality • Kitchen Clean Winner • Country Club 28 My Signature Dish • My Signature Dish by 16 Food and Industry News Sean Wilson • Can you scare up a profit this 31 Leading Lights Halloween? • Growing number of diners want • With Henry Dimbleby dinner for under a tenner • Being the best of the best 33 Advice from the Experts • Stir it up’s must-read guide to • How software can meet today’s dealing with customer complaints catering challenges Leading Lights with Henry Dimbleby 31 OCTOBER 2010 Stir it up 03 Cert no. TT-COC-2143 E G N A R Y R T The N U O C Soapbox by Roger Rant What’s it COOKS CALENDAR all about? OCTOBER NOVEMBER (CONT) 4th - 18th THE LONDON 18th DELIA'S FOOD AND RESTAURANT FESTIVAL WINE WORKSHOP - The feature in this issue Details: www.visitlondon.com CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINING about dealing with 11th NATIONAL CHEF OF Norwich City Football club complaints gives pause THE YEAR 2010 LIVE Details: FINAL THE RESTAURANT www.deliascanarycatering.com for thought. SHOW Earls Court, London 20th - 24th 11th CULINARY Particularly for caterers in what Details: www.craftguildofchefs.org WORD CUP Global event is optimistically called the ‘profit’ 28th - 30th THE NATIONAL Luxembourg sector (offering food for sale) HONEY SHOW Details: www.craftguildofchefs.org a reason to jump through all the St George’s College, Weybridge, Surrey 30th ST ANDREW’S DAY hoops necessary for success Details: www.honeyshow.co.uk (or survival) is paramount. Is the reason because you 31st HALLOWEEN DECEMBER really love cooking and feeding 4th EASY VEGETARIAN people? BONG. Wrong answer. NOVEMBER COURSE CHESHIRE The reason needs to be that Details: www.cordonvert.co.uk 1st - 7th BRITISH SAUSAGE WEEK you are in business for money. Details: www.britishsausageweek.co.uk 4th CARERS RIGHTS DAY That gives the correct focus to Nationwide events get things right and be there 3rd FOOD ALLERGY - THE Details: www.carersuk.org WIDENING PERSPECTIVE for your customers in the future. The Allergy Research 4th - 5th FOODIES CHRISTMAS Foundation and the 2010 Allergy Academy Craft Guild of Chefs London Edinburgh Details: www.foodsmatter.com Details: www.foodiesfestival.com 5th BONFIRE NIGHT 24th CHRISTMAS EVE Details: www.dti.gov.uk/fireworks You can email 25th CHRISTMAS DAY your letters to 14th WORLD DIABETES DAY [email protected] Nationwide events 26th BOXING DAY Details: www.worlddiabetesday.org 31st NEW YEARS EVE 04 Stir it up OCTOBER 2010 E G N News from Country Range A R Y R T N U O C Mark Baumann is Stir it up’s regular columnist. He is the owner of the acclaimed Baumann’s Brasserie in Coggeshall, Essex, was elected as a Master Chef of Great Britain in 2003, is a regular TV chef - and is a proud customer of the Country Range Group. Each issue, he shares anecdotes about life in his chaotic world of catering… I’ve just come back from a Mediterranean I had to do a couple of cooking What else has happened this month? cruise which was absolutely amazing. academies looking like a hamster! I Our online shop has gone ballistic. It I was extremely nervous about going went to the doctor’s immediately after has really been quite incredible. Things because I didn’t think it was my kind and they told me it was life-threatening are flying out! I’m not sure where we’re of thing. and sent me straight to hospital. They going to go with it yet. At the moment But now I’m a total convert! eventually managed to drain the gum it’s just a cottage industry but we’ll The food was really good, everything and release the pressure and I had see what happens as time goes on. you could possibly imagine. The meals the tooth taken out. I then got a blood I’m also meeting up with Weber were all four or five courses - including clot - but I’m proud to say I didn’t barbecues next week. We’re in six formal nights when I had to wear have a single day off work! negotiations about the possibility my tux - and I put on about half a stone, Last month I did some demos at of doing a TV series, which is quite which isn’t too bad by all accounts. Jimmy’s Harvest Festival (more about exciting. I’ll keep you posted. There were 1900 passengers and 900 that next issue) with Jean Christophe We never pander to fads and trends staff so we were looked after like Novelli, Angela Hartnett, Rachel Allen at the brasserie, but we judge ourselves royalty. It took me a while to get used and the Hairy Bikers. Doing live by www.toptable.com. Whilst I was to the fact that no one had made my shows can be quite a nerve-wracking away, we’ve had quite a few good bed for me when I got back to England! experience and you always worry reviews posted and we are now the Food-wise they weren’t doing anything ‘What if something goes wrong?’ highest rated restaurant outside new which particularly inspired me. When it does go wrong, like the ovens of London. I’ll have to go away There was a Marco Pierre White don’t work, you have to have a bit of more often! restaurant on board which you had to fun with the audience and swiftly move pay a bit extra for and we ate there on to something else. You always want Happy cooking! quite a lot. You tend to pick up more to get it right but it doesn’t always on food terminology. They give you the happen sadly.