Universities have diverse needs when it comes to tableware. The catering managers are highly cost-conscious and looking to get maximum life-span from their products, yet flexible in their thinking.

We are seeing patterns emerge depending on which sites within the university is being refurbished or re-stocked. That can mean focusing on catering disposables for the ‘to-go’, light eats and snacking side of the business, right through to the procurement of good good quality, super-vitrified crockery for an on-site restaurant.

Many of our customers have opted for ‘badged whiteware’, which means their universities own branding is ‘fired’ onto a base white china. The resulting tableware remains highly durable, looks great and delivers a bespoke look and feel that adds value to the quality of the restaurant. It’s relatively inexpensive to badge white-ware and just needs a bit of forward planning. We work closely with suppliers such as Churchill China to offer some great options of super-vitrified, badge-ware and it’s also becoming increasingly popular to brand accessories, such as napkins or glasses, to match.

White-ware is by far the most popular choice of crockery for universities: “it’s the same as any eating establishment, white ware is practical, and new presentation concepts can be blended in with existing ranges for minimal cost. Food looks good on white and that’s why it remains the chef’s choice!

Catering disposables are big business for universities right through from hot and cold beverages to sandwich packaging, napkins and paper towels. There is an increasing demand for universities to buy ‘sustainably’ in line with both Government and student environmental policies.

We are seeing a significant increase in the number of customers happy to pay a small premium for products which tick the sustainability boxes. Some decisions are common sense – for example use paper cups that break down easily against their plastic counterparts and don’t over-package needlessly when it comes to sandwiches and food ‘to-go’.

Photo by Taekwonweirdo

We sent our weekly email out this morning – this time we’ve highlighted the great savings you can currently make on the Churchill Crockery from our website.

The email includes products from a few of the Churchill ranges we sell online; including plates, bowls and mugs from Art de Cuisine Menu, Alchemy White and Churchill Nova.

We stock many more of Churchill’s great crockery sets on the website though. Click the following link to view them all…

Churchill eStore – A separate online store featuring many of the Churchill ranges.

While many caterers are always keen to update their tableware and crockery, the economic downturn is still determining purchasing habits. That means that any decisions made must be seen to be cost-effective and necessary.

Dudson Classic White Crockery

Updating a collection, rather than replacing the entire stock-holding of any establishment, is by far the most popular option.

A range such as a ‘white-ware’ crockery set is simple, clean and enables additional products to be added as needed – often from different suppliers – giving a new look and feel, complementing and adding value to the existing tableware. We list our products in tiered ranges, offering everyday porcelain, premium whiteware and fine dining options – enabling people to cater for all occasions.

The duel purpose items within these crockery collections are another strong feature. For example a bowl can be used for both cereals in the morning and as a salad or dessert bowl for lunch. This level of flexibility cuts costs considerably and is becoming a factor of ongoing interest for caterers who are looking for versatility and best value.

Churchill Classic Crockery

Depending on the style of establishment, some operators (particularly in markets such as health and education – and not forgetting banqueting) are interested in adding further value to a collection and opting for badged or branded crockery, meaning that the establishment’s own company logo can be placed onto the white china.

The resulting dinnerware remains highly durable, looks impressive and delivers a bespoke look and feel that adds to the value of their site. We offer some great options of super-vitrified, badged crockery of the best quality by working closely with our suppliers such as Churchill China while we are beginning to see exciting expansions in the branding of accessories such as napkins and glassware to match.

Catering Crockery – Buy Online!

Churchill China recently published their ‘Edu-Catering’ Collection highlighting some of their crockery ranges which would be suitable for schools.

With 200 years of manufacturing expertise in Stoke-on-Trent, the heart of the famous “Potteries”, Churchill China design and product crockery tableware of exceptional quality and durability for the hospitality industry.

Through experience and research we have developed products that are perfect for the needs of the education sector.” – Andrew Roper, Chief Executive Officer

Below are some extracts from the catalogue.

Crockery for Primary Schools

Our suggested range for Primary School children is functional, practical and excellent value for money. The Churchill vitrified body is exceptionally strong, durable and chip-resistant.

Eating from proper tableware is crucial to improving table manners and etiquette enhances the presentation of school dinners.

Crockery for Secondary School

Young people in secondary school can be a demanding customer group, favouring cosmopolitan and on-trend food choices. Crockery selected for meal and snack offerings need to reflect this customer group. The right choice can have a considerable impact on meal uptake.

Suggested crockery ranges: Churchill Nova, Churchill Classic, Churchill Chefs Choice & Churchill Art De Cuisine

Staff Room/Hositality

The Churchill Beverage Collection offers a comprehensive choice of beverage ware to meet all your schools entertaining needs. Be that parents evenings, school performances, open days or fund-raising activities.

All these ranges and much more can be found in our Churchill eStore – a dedicated micro-site, specifically designed to help you find the crockery you need from Churchill.

Chefs Choice is the sleek, simple yet beautifully shaped, super vitrified crockery range by British manufacturer, Churchill China Plc. The super strong ceramic set is finished with an ultra smooth surface, engineered for performance and is lightweight for easy transportation. The crisp white plates / dishes / bowls are the perfect canvas for any food presentation.

This range has a 5 year edge chip warranty, resistant to metal marking and is oven, microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. Available in plates, bowls, dishes and other complementary accessories it isn’t hard to see why this is the Chef’s Choice.

Churchill Chefs Choice Crockery – Buy Online

• Like most people in the catering industry, your crockery will probably be cleaned in a dishwasher. Ensure you are using the right detergents so as not to effected the super-vitrified glazed surfaces. Check your dishwasher instructions for the correct settings and temperature.
• While storing crockery items that are not being used regularly, separate each item with paper or tissue to avoid scratches. Never store cups with the rim down and do not hang cups as this can weaken the handles.
• Always wash crockery and cutlery separately to avoid metal markings and never use harsh scourers or abrasive materials -the surface of your crockery can become damaged if the proper care is not taken. To remove stains or burnt particles, let the crockery piece be soaked in warm water for few minutes before washing.
• Use crockery only for serving and not for cooking.
• Some crockery is designed with gold or metallic trims – these must never be used in a microwave.

I can vouch for the last point. I put one of my Mum’s best plates in the microwaves once… the microwave was not the only thing sparks were flying from! – Mark

The eStore has been live for a while now but today we put the finishing touches on the ‘Shop by Product Type’ feature on there.

We’ve been working closely with Churchill to improve the way we present our crockery online and this seemed like an obvious yet effective solution. On the homepage of the eStore, in addition to the normal ability to browse by product range, you can now browse crockery pieces by product type. So, if you’re like me, and don’t know your Churchill Ultimo from your Alchemy White, you can now simply browse the plates, pick a range based on your design preference and purchase your pieces from there.

Browse by product type in the new Churchill eStore

As the image above shows, all crockery is split down into 8 sections:

• Plates
• Bowls & Dishes
• Buffet
• Cookware
• Beverage
• Accessories
• Wood
• Stoneware & Patterns

As always, we’re open to suggestions on ways can improve our shop so if you have any feedback, please let us know.

Churchill eStore – Buy Churchill Fine China Crockery online now!

Tableware is a huge investment for caterers and in these lean times it pays to make an intelligent buy. Caterer and hotelkeeper magazine recently published an article talking to some of the manufacturers and suppliers, including ourselves, about the latest trends in the industry. Below are some of the key quotes and information from the article.

Menu Driven

Steve Walton, UK sales manager at Dudson, explains:

Although it would be easy to say that the current trend towards clever buying, that is, the purchasing of one bowl for a variety of menu items, has been developed from the necessary streamlining of operations caused by the recession, that would not strictly be true. It is more complicated than that.

This current trend is primarily menu driven. The emphasis on gastro and brand sections of the market, with the prominence of homely and traditional menus created from local produce but presented with a wow factor, has resulted in the evolution of the simple pasta dish into something more innovative and versatile.

Chefs wanted plain white plates as a frame for their food, then they wanted different shapes to create focus and interest. This trend has continued today with not only squares but also wave and organic shapes.”

Enhanced Experience

Emma Bullen, new product development manager at Churchill, says the trend is born of continuing efforts to enhance the whole dining experience.

Customer perception of product presentation is higher than ever before and chefs are looking for more innovative food presentation materials and style.

They are quick to incorporate new food trends – such as shared dining bowls – into their menus and enhance these inspired dishes with accent pieces.

Elements such as wood are commonplace in kitchens now and chefs are keen to uncover the new mix of materials to create differentiation, reinforce brand and food style, and enhance speciality dishes. Key trend setters we have seen are funky chip mugs and sexy sauce dishes. Wooden platters add a wow factor with a selection of rustic dishes and can then be used as liners to serve side dishes or sandwiches. These dishes do not have to be full tabletop collections – they are often additions to the existing tableware, maximising tabletop impact with minimum expense.

Bolt-On Products

At Alliance Online, which carries crockery lines from more than 30 suppliers, marketing manager Emma Malone confirms that caterers are buying bolt-ons to their existing standard range.

We find the majority of our customers have a core manufacturer or brand they favour but are complementing their mainstream tableware with items that work across the breadth of their menu and that may mean choosing a different manufacturer.

Today’s menus are are diverse and one size rarely fits all – it’s about creating a signature look and front-of-house presentation is just as important as what’s on the plate.

Menus are so much more diverse and the crockery gives a great opportunity to add value to food presentation. Soup bowls are obvious products, doubling up as pasta dishes, but they also make great dessert dishes or vegetable presentation platters, too – even side salads. Square or oblong plates are another – they can work across all courses, look superb and are flexible right across the serving spectrum.”

Top catering crockery manufacturer, Churchill, are currently running their ‘Winter Warmer’ promotion. See the image for further details ->

As the advert shows, the emphasis is on tableware used for those popular winter dishes such as pies, hot-pots and soups.

Churchill have picked out specific pieces for the promotion which features crockery from their sets including; Cookware, Igneous, X-Squared and Ultimo.

To make finding the products a little easier we’ve added a special section to our Churchill eStore, see the link below…

Churchill ‘Winter Warmer’ Crockery – Buy Online Now!

Tumblers

Glassware sales were high throughout August with two categories from this section occupying the top 5. The prices of our glasses have always been competitive and we expect our tumblers to continue to sell well this month with our current offer of 48 x Hi-Ball Glasses at just £14.48!

Catering Disposables

Could be the summer festivals pushing the sales of catering disposables up in August. I was at the Coldplay concert over the weekend and enjoyed a few beers from a disposable cup. Plates and food containers were popular choices amongst our customers as people took advantage of the occasional glimmers of sunshine and ventured outside. We shall see if this trend proves correct and sales drop in the winter months.

Utopia Pure White Crockery

Easily one of our most popular ranges of crockery, Utopia Pure White tableware is ideal for cafe’s and canteens – most caterers choose this range when cost is the most important factor.

Beer Glasses

Another one related to the weather perhaps? Sales of beer glasses were high throughout August as people enjoyed a few drinks in the last of the summer months.

Hot Cupboards

Not surprisingly, a kitchen equipment category came out on top again last month. Our prices on kitchen kit are hard to beat on the ‘net and this time is was the turn of our Hot Cupboards to top the catering equipment sales list.