Slightly later than usual, here are a few of the top catering news stories from around the industry in October…
Mugs of Steel
There was an interesting demonstration from one of our Crockery suppliers recently. Steelite International went out of their way to prove that their products are better than “inferior foreign imports”.
They staged an impressive balancing act when they placed a double-decker London bus on top of four mugs …without any breakages.
Steelite now plan to take their ‘Made in England – Made for Life’ on the road before lobbying to Parliament to do more to back British.
Ruby Tuesday
Businessmen brothers Stephen and Gary Mayo who have brought the American diner chain Ruby Tuesday to Wales as the first in the UK, hope to expand the franchise across the country.
Stephen said “With the pub trade in crisis, many businesses have been focusing on the restaurant trade as a way of growing business. We have noticed people’s eating trends have changed over the last few years. Although it’s fine to go to a Michelin-style restaurant, people don’t want to take four hours over a meal because they value their leisure time more. There’s a great niche in the market for casual dining coupled with topservice.”
Top Scores for Restaurants Outside London
For the third year in a row, Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, has taken top spot in the Good Food Guide 2011 and again received the highest accolade, a 10 out of 10 rating – a rare accomplishment signifying that the restaurant consistently achieves perfect dishes.
Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant in Royal Hospital Road came second and was the only one in London to make it into the top five.
The Guide’s consultant editor Elizabeth Carter says: “Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay continue to delight us with their stuff of genius, world class style and memorable dining experiences. But we’ve seen significant changes in the UK restaurant scene over the last year. A crop of talent has sprung up all over the country, pushing London restaurants out of the top spots.”
See the top 60 restaurants here.
Britons are back in love with Fish & Chips
A recent report published by the Daily Express newspaper has revealed that an extra million portions of the dish have been served this year at the expense of exotic rivals such as curries and Thai dishes.
This comes as good news for chip shop owners, following a 7.6% fall in sales last year being reported by fish frier’s.
A poll conducted earlier this year found that Chinese had taken over as the nation’s favourite food with curries in 2nd and fish & chips in 3rd spot.
But the market has sprung in the last 12 months, which means an extra 19,231 portions of fish & chips are now being eaten every week.
