Hospitality Media

'Bordeaux Revisited' - Episode 3 & 4 - Ronan Sayburn MS

2012-01-26T12:49:00.000Z

Episode 3 takes us to St Estephe in the Northern Medoc with a focus on the 'terroir' with it's deep gravel banks, which are predominantly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the most exposed and northerly point of the 'left bank' close to the estuary of the Gironde. Ronan makes references to Chateau Cos d'Estournel and Chateau Montrose which are the communes most premium wines which have a huge calibre for aging.

Episode 4 journeys us south beyond the commune of Pauillac to St Julien where Ronan discusses the differences in the terroir here with it's lighter soils and the effects of the gravel mounds known as 'croupes' and ditches known as 'jalles' that separate each of the communes. He takes a look at Chateau Lagrange and Chateau Leoville-Barton. View this in HD

Published by the Caterer and Hotelkeeper

BigHospitality - William Drew, 'A Day in the Life of A Kitchen Porter'

2012-01-25T12:41:00.000Z

'A Day in the Life of a Kitchen Porter' was filmed at Les Deux Salon in Covent Garden starrring William Drew, Editor of Restaurant Magazine. It's aim was to highlight the importance and provide insight into the position of Kitchen Porters in busy Restaurants and Hotels. Good Kitchen Porters are worth their weight in gold and can help on so many other levels.

Big Hospitality - Sustainability in Restaurants and Pubs

2012-01-25T12:34:00.000Z

We were filming at the Preston Park Tavern Brighton for Big Hospitality and the Sustainable Restaurant Association. They have been awarded 3 stars for their sustainability. The piece is all about the 'do-ability' even for smaller operators that can really make a difference in terms of being sustainable. The star rating system allowing customers to make choices about restaurants that match their ethical and environmental values.

YouTube Changes, by Jacqueline Franklin

2012-01-17T10:43:00.000Z

There's no better time to have a YouTube Channel. The reason is very simple reason. It is the third (some say second) largest search engine in the world. That should be a strong enough reason in itself . . . There’s even more reason to enhance your digital marketing strategy through using YouTube, with its ‘new look’, improved functionality and which is more attractive to the business user.

In addition to general changes in design of the new 'home page', with the subscribers feed now in the centre of the page, the accent of ‘searches’ have changed and importantly the detail of the analytics has increased providing valuable insight in terms of ‘segmentation’ of followers.

Design and Relevance

With the new feed on the 'home page' you can identify videos from people you are subscribed to at the top, not some random viral video, therefore more targeted. Remember those who subscribe to you will also be seeing your activity via updates, so the tip here is to keep it frequent!

Searches

Searches appear to have changed as well. It appears that channels are featuring much higher up the search rankings. Once viewers are into your channel, quality and relevant videos will improve retention levels, improving ‘stickiness’ which all helps with page rankings in terms of Google’s algorithms.

Analytics

Finally the ‘all important’ analytics which have been improved providing valuable stats for measurement purposes. The clearer layout allows for easier viewing of the analytics, to see how the video is working for you and tips and advice as to how content maybe improved.

'Chocolate' by Joanna Wood, Food Journalist and Editor

2012-01-12T09:23:00.002Z

Recently I became part of showbiz, kinda. I went to watch pastry 'supremo' Claire Clark film her new television series in a studio-cum-front-room in the bowels of Battersea. Actually, it was in a very bijou part of ‘lower Chelsea’ and quite a fun afternoon. The interesting thing about it, apart from watching Claire strut her stuff to the camera, was the fact that there were so few people involved on the technical side of things: just a couple of camera operators, a sound recordist and the producer/director – oh and make-up dah-ling. It’s amazing what you can do with few resources. But then chefs know that, don’t they?

Claire Clark

The series, called Chocolate Covered and made by the Blackbird production company, is centred around that essential of the patissier(e)s art, chocolate. And three humungus cheers for that. In fact, three even bigger cheers for any series devoted to the skills of the pastry kitchen. So often, pastry chefs are overlooked in the stampede to write about and film all things foodie in the restaurant world. Yet, theirs is the skill that we all sample last in a meal. And it’s a vital component in dining out. If the desert isn’t up-to-scratch it can spoil all that has gone before. If it is sublime, it puts the seal on a memorable evening. So, I think it’s great that the wider world is beginning to really celebrate our patissier(e)s.

William Curley

Claire is one of our finest: she’s a former head chef at California’s famous French Laundry and was involved in opening über-celeb-café The Wolesley in London. So watch out for her series when it airs next year. But it’s not only Claire who’s making waves in the big, wide world. Her contemporaries, William Curley and Damian Allsop are both carving out names for themselves on the haute couture chocolate scene. Curley’s got a couple of shops (in Richmond and Belgravia) and Allsop’s amazing dairy-free chocs have a starring role in Selfridges (and many top restaurants). I could go on…there are many more chocolateries and patisseries out there, set-up by British chefs and entrepreneurs. So a further three cheers for them, too. If you’re a chocaholic or a fine pastry person, the next decade is going to be great.

Damian Allsop

Joanna Wood
Food Journalist and Editor
Contact email: joanna.wood885@btinternet.com

See videos on Claire Clark, William Curley and Damian Allsop masterclasses and read about our top UK chocolatiers in the Caterer and Hotelkeeper Magazine.

Claire Clarke MBE - Choux Pastry Masterclass

2011-12-06T07:38:00.006Z

Claire is known within the industry as a master patissier. She is formerly of the French Laundry in the Napa Valley, California. We filmed Claire for the Caterer and Hotelkeeper Magazine, carrying out meticulously a 'choux' pastry masterclass. Unavoidably long, but nothing could be edited out !

Host Contract Management - Food Photography by Lisa Barber

2011-11-16T14:11:00.000Z

Host Contract Management required a specialist food photographer for a location shoot at one of their locations last week. It was a quick requirement that needed a quick turn around. We asked Lisa Barber, a specialist food photographer who works regularly for The Independent to shoot this for us. Lisa followed the brief, added to it her creativity and attention to detail and produced these amazing results. The client is also tremendously happy!

'Bordeaux Revisited' Video Series with Ronan Sayburn MS, by Jacqueline Franklin

2011-11-04T15:09:00.000Z

A very hot Bank Holiday was spent in Bordeaux over the Summer staying at Englishman's Gavin Quinney's Chateau Bauduc.

A series of eight videos have been produced with Ronan Sayburn MS. In addition to an intro each episode focuses on an individual commune providing a snap shot, yet with crucial information as to key differences. The advantage of these over books is that information is synthesised, visual and presented by an expert in the field of wine.

This style of video is clearly educational/informative as well as doing a bit of a 'sell' in making you want to visit the region itself! Quality video with rich content is engaging. Check out our video production page in terms of other benefits for your business.

The first two are up on the Caterer and Hotelkeeper site with others to follow.

Pomegranates from Turkey, by Joanna Wood

2011-11-01T09:35:00.001Z

Pomegranates are seared on my brain at the moment. Huge, fat, fresh, juicy, blushed pomegranates. Why so? Because I’ve just got back from a short holiday in south-west Turkey: just a little north of Fethiye, in case you’re interested. And everywhere I went there were pomegranates leaping out at me. Box after box on trucks (speeding off to juice factories), in the stalls at local markets, on street corners – juiced by hand for immediate multi-vit thirst quenching – hanging, ripe and ready for picking, in orchard after orchard. Just everywhere.

It was a real eye-opener. I’ve been visiting Turkey all my life but never this late in the year or, come to that, in this region in the autumn, so that’s probably why I’ve never associated the fruit with Turkey. What was interesting is how the fruit is used locally. Obviously, people swig the freshly squeezed juice. But they also seem to use the seeds liberally in salads (as is the case in North African countries) and for infusing olive oil, which in turn is splashed, neat, over salads. It has that sharp, almost sourish quality – an acquired taste, but addictive – which works well with lashings of fragrant dill ripe, red tomatoes and cucumber.
One of the things I love most about Turkey, is that on every spare piece of land people plant fruit trees. Not just pomegranates. Anything. Lemons, limes, oranges. And quinces – these, too, were coming into harvest while I was there. UK chefs and cooks are just rediscovering quinces. They were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean cooking, but we forgot about them for centuries, in our national culinary consciousness. The quinces we get in Europe require a lot of work – they’re hard as nails off the tree, even when ripe, and need slow cooking. But in Turkey the variety you get in the south, if the locals are to be believed, is edible – apple or pear-like – raw. In Turkish cuisine, quinces are used to make jelly or jam, poached in puds (often served with cream), sometimes roasted, and often matched with stewed meats. Chicken and lamb, for instance. And they make a quince cheese (paste) from it, too – which is lovely with, yes, cheese.

The most surprising – and delightful – foodie discovery of all that I came across was a wild pepper tree, growing among the tranquil, eerie ruins of Kayaköy, the abandoned village that inspired Louis de Bernières novel, Birds Without Wings (much better that Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, trust me). The fruit, tiny little pink berries – which tasted of nothing much really and certainly nothing like the dried spice – are easily missed. What a thrill to realise what they actually were, though.

Michelin Stars UK by Joanna Wood

2011-10-19T12:18:00.000+01:00

Well. Michelin put a spanner in the works this year didn’t it? – shifting publishing their new GB & Ireland guide this side of Christmas. As ever, the new stars, the demotions, the omissions have generated frenzied tweeting, blogging and gossiping behind closed doors.

The great news is the UK has two new two-Michelin-star holders. At long last, due recognition to Sat Bains, whose imaginative and superb cooking in Nottingham’s Restaurant Sat Bains many, including me, feel should have garnerd him starrier status years ago. And what a lovely surprise to see Tom Kerridge continue his rapid rise to success at the Hand and Flowersin Marlow. Congratulations to both.

And congratulations to all the new one stars, too. Shame that we didn’t have any new three-stars to add to the list – The Square springs to mind as a likely candidate. And commiserations to those whose hopes have been dashed: concentrate on your cooking, cook from your heart, don’t focus soley on the guide and you WILL get there!

by Joanna Wood

Food Journalist/Editor

Interview by Amanda Afiya, Web Editor Caterer and Hotelkeeper.

'Cook With Kids' - Rob Kirby & Great Ormond Street Hospital by Joanna Wood

2011-10-10T13:08:00.007+01:00

Last night I went to the launch of a book – Cook With Kids by Robert Kirby , published by Absolute Press, the royalties of which are going to the Children’s Hospital School at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. And it got me thinking. How many chefs are there out in the big wide world who get involved in community or social projects and remain unsung heroes?

Everybody hears about celeb cooks and chefs when they’re worthy. The Hairy Bikers’ backing Meals on Wheels; James Martin helping to get Scarborough Hospital’s food fit for its patients, for instance. But the publicity currently being given to Rob Kirby’s efforts on behalf of Great Ormond Street’s school, which, for the record, extend to teaching the kids under a charity called Adopt-a-School as well as penning the cookbook, represent a rare occurrence.

I’m all for leading lights throwing their weight behind food campaigns. And I want to state here and now that I think the Hairys and James Martin are totally sincere in their efforts to bring their two chosen causes to the public’s attention. But the cynic in me also keeps asking: if Jamie Oliver hadn’t put his head on the block all those years ago with his school meals campaign would we have had high profile names taking on similarly unfashionable social food causes? And how much of their involvement is driven by their agents or TV producers? – and does their involvement extend to months, even better, years, beyond their TV campaigns?

I do hope the answers are yes, none, yes. But maybe it doesn’t matter. If there is any media attention paid to unsexy – but vital – food issues like feeding the elderly or sick, it’s got to be a good thing. And in the meantime, here’s to all those chefs who don’t get public pats on the back, but who are giving up their time to help others share their passion with food.

BTW - I have to declare an interest in Cook With Kids – a teensy one. I edited it! But the cause is a wonderful one, so please help support it by buying a copy Cook With Kids by Robert Kirby.

Joanna Wood
Food Journalist/Editor

Caternet Video

2011-09-30T12:28:00.000+01:00

We produced the Caternet Video which launched their software – G Shop for Caterers to use for all procurement purposes. Caternet is a Microsoft partner and is currently building additional modules to create integrated software.

Senkai Restaurant, Ignite-Group

2011-09-30T12:05:00.000+01:00

The Ignite-Group appear to have 'what it takes' because the launch of Senkai is stunning on London's Regent's Street. They have Tim Tolley as their Chef creating a Japanese-inspired robata grill and raw bar menu. The interiors and food are fabulous.

CH & Co - Via360

2011-09-30T11:51:00.000+01:00

Via360 is another CH & Co brand that we shot photography for, portraits/lifestyle that conveyed clean, friendly and professional imagery. This is their facilities arm for the Corporate market. We had to shoot at a weekend when we had the flexibility of available space.

QR Codes: Ours and what are they?

2011-09-29T13:11:00.042+01:00

So What Are These All About ?

This is ours and we will be using them in the following places: on our Blog page, any printed material: business cards, invoices and any direct marketing. Other places to look out for them are posters, newspapers, editorial magazines and other content, invitations, plus advertising . . .

How does is work? Assuming you're up to date with phone technology, you firstly need to download a free App onto your phone. The rest is simple, open the app and it will ask you to scan a QR code. Once it's done it will automatically link your phone to the url / website, try ours if you don't have a QR code.

8 Easy Steps

Visit the QR Code website.
Follow on-line instructions to generate your unique code.
Save the html coding somewhere safe (external hard drive).
Paste it into your blog for example (see ours).
Download from the App Store a QR code App.
Scan your code off the screen.
Your url code and website appears on your phone!
Useages can be enormous and use your QR code for any selective digital media, printed material, posters, editorial, business cards, invitations . . . .

It's a speedy way of clients or prospective clients accessing information from your website, such as additional contact details or 'offers' for example. QR codes are another tool that can be utilised as part of the promotional and communications mix. They help with attracting more 'traffic' to your site and will help with page rankings. Happy QR coding!

The Elephant Restaurant Website Opens for Business!

2011-09-26T11:33:00.000+01:00

The Elephant Restaurant

Delighted that we delivered The Elephant Restaurant website to schedule and budget. We developed the site together with our web developers and the team at The Elephant and Koyah PR. A system that will allow them to update easily themselves: events, menus and recipies. Simon Hulstone, Michelin Star Chef and who represented Britain on the world stage with the Bocuse d'Or in Lyon runs The Elephant in Torquay. The website launch also coincided with Simon being on Saturday Kitchen BBC with James Martin last Saturday - 24th September.

Bordeaux Revisited with Ronan Sayburn MS

2011-09-07T11:28:00.000+01:00

Dominic filming in St Emilion

Though material was filmed during July, the editing has finally come to an end and 8 videos have been produced. A pretty remarkable feat over 2 1/2 days with temperatures in the upper 20's. We were staying at Gavin Quinney's beautiful Chateau Bauduc. Challenging for Ronan, as there's a lot of information to get across and to maintain interest. The concept behind the videos are that they're informative and educational. They're soon to be launched on the Caterersearch website.

Chateau Cos d'Estournel, Pauillac

Heston's Dinner - My New Kitchen

2011-07-21T11:51:00.000+01:00

We've been back to 'Dinner' but this time for the Caterer and Hotelkeeper to video the feature for 'My New Kitchen'. Diane Lane interviewed Executive Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts to understand the design of Dinner restaurant and how it blends with the kitchen. Also the way in which recipes are formulated at Dinner through researching old recipes.

Cateys 2011 - Grosvenor House, Park Lane

2011-07-20T11:43:00.000+01:00

Last week the Cateys took place at Grosvenor House Hotel. We were there to capture images of when the guests arrived. With some even avoiding the camera ( you know who you are!). As ever a truly dazzling event with amazing food designed and prepared by double Catey Winners, Chris and Jeff Galvin, see article and video. Watch this space for further images of the winners!

Silvena Rowe - Quince, Mayfair Hotel

2011-06-28T11:59:00.000+01:00

We visited Silvena Rowe at Quince Restaurant located at the Mayfair Hotel. Silvena is known for using flowers, petals and leaves in her cuisine. Her style is Eastern Mediterranean with an Ottoman/Persian mystique.

Acorn Awards 2011

2011-06-27T10:50:00.000+01:00

We were at the Acorn Awards which was held at Coworth Park in May. The Acorns celebrated 25 years of celebrating the industry's young high achievers within the Hospitality Industry who are under 30 years of age. Some images of the winners below. Sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions.

Mark Sargeant at Rocksalt - Folkestone

2011-06-24T07:54:00.000+01:00

We had a great day down in Folkestone for the Caterer photographing Mark Sargeant at his latest restaurant Rocksalt. We covered Mark's portrait, food and the restaurant itself which is a new build. An amazing location right on the beach overlooking the harbour. Take a look at todays Caterer with this story.

London International Wine Fair 2011 - Excel

2011-06-22T10:38:00.000+01:00

We visited Excel for the London International Wine Fair (LIWF) in May and managed to interview a handful of key people in the Wine Trade: Louis Fabrice Latour CEO of Louis Latour (Burgundy, France), Mardi Roberts of Ridgeview Estate (producers, Sussex), Robersons Wine (Fine Wine Merchants, Shippers, Retailers, Wholesalers), Peter McCombie MW (Master of Wine, Wines from Spain on-trade consultant) and Ronan Sayburn MS (Master Sommelier). The interviews give an insight into what's 'current' within the Wine Trade in 2011. The Caterer magazine also ran a consolidated version.

Ignite Group - Eclipse Bar - Interiors

2011-06-21T12:58:00.000+01:00

The Ignite Group commissioned us to photograph the interiors of another new bar 'Eclipse' located on the Old Brompton Road, South Kensington. In addition we captured their range of cocktails. Eclipse is an international brand which is set to expand.

The Cavendish Hotel - Lusso Luxury Lifestyle Magazine

2011-06-16T11:49:00.000+01:00

We found ourselves on one of those warm Spring days in Jermyn Street, London for a feature in Lusso, Luxury Lifestyle Magazine. The brief was to follow Ciaran Fahy, Managing Director of The Cavendish, London, shopping in Jermyn Street and to capture the atmosphere. Commissioned by Costello Media.

Leith's School of Food and Wine

2011-06-14T12:30:00.000+01:00

Spent a day at Leith's School of Food and Wine, photographing School Cooks who won a competition with Premier Foods to spend the day at Leith's. Fun was has had by all . . .!

2010 Born Digital Wine Awards - Runner Up

2011-06-07T11:32:00.000+01:00

We were delighted that we were voted as Runner Up in the 2010 Born Digital Wine Awards - Video section. The announcement was made at the London International Wine Fair at Excel on the the 18th May! Well done everyone.

Shortlist Winner - Born Digital Wine Awards !!

2011-05-04T10:09:00.000+01:00

We have been selected as a 'Shortlist' winner of the 2010 Born Digital Wine Awards in the category Best Wine Themed Video! We are excited about this as these are Global Awards and we have a 1:5 chance! The video in question is 'Opening a Bottle of Port with a Feather', with Ronan Sayburn, Master Sommelier. This was filmed last Summer at Hotel du Vin, Tunbridge Wells on a very warm Summers day. The Caterer and Hotelkeeper published this on Caterersearch.com

We used a hand held camera for the opening shot, selected some accordion music adding atmosphere with some vintage feel, reflecting the subject.

The winner will be announced at the London Wine Trade Fair at Excel at 10.30 GMT on the 18th May.

Heston Blumenthal - Dinner - The Mandarin Hotel

2011-04-05T16:23:00.000+01:00

We've photographed Heston several times at various locations for various commissions. We were sent to Heston's latest restaurant 'Dinner' at the Mandarin - Hyde Park to photograph him and Master Sommelier Joao Pires for Harpers Wine and Spirit. Dinner is a clearly different proposition to the Fat Duck at Bray and claims that the aim is not to aspire to 3 Michelin stars here. There is a Tasting Menu with 8 White wines, Red and Dessert wines, plus a monthly English Wine. Heston, clearly inspired by the Channel 4 Series 'Feast' employs a team of researchers at Dinner to research historical dishes which will then be given the Blumenthal 'touch'. There is an ice-cream maker that is brought to the guest's table with an enormous selection of toppings - a real Willy Wonker experience!

Yotam Ottolenghi - Nopi - Soho

2011-04-05T14:53:00.001+01:00

One early morning we found ourselves for the Caterer with Yotam Ottolenghi at his latest opening, an 'all day' Brasserie in Soho - Nopi. Not only does Yotam have an MA in philosophy, he has a small chain of deli's whose windows are loaded with colourful meringues and enormous amounts of roasted vegetables, located in desirable parts of London. Well know for his Asian come Middle Eastern come Mediterranean style of food, he has written numerous best selling cookery books. Take a look at the Nopi Blog as to the story and the development of Nopi, highlighting the various 'uppers' and 'downers' experienced in opening a restaurant, a real transparency going on here. Yotam Ottolenghi Blog. To read the full article visit Yotam Ottolenghi, Caterer

CH&Co - HR Photography

2011-04-05T14:38:00.000+01:00

Following the success of CH and Co's last years HR campaign they came back to us and wanted the same black and white, however, with spot colour teatment. This time, instead of the studio shoot they wanted them shot on location. So armed with ideas we spent a day shooting staff doing some unusual things; they seemed to enjoy it and so did we!

Bumpkin Restaurant - Notting Hill

2011-03-28T10:17:00.000+01:00

Spent a great day at Bumpkin Notting Hill, which is part of the Ignite Group of restaurants. Originally a Public House, which has been converted to a stylish restaurant. It has a visible kitchen allowing customers to see dishes being prepared.

The brief was to creatively photograph their food and interiors, here are some examples . . .

Champagne Murders - Ronan Sayburn MS

2011-03-14T13:13:00.000Z

We've taken a viral approach on this one. In fact it wasn't intentional. It was just the way things turned out and we had the vision of what do to next!

The brief was to make a video about Ronan Sayburn 'sabering' a bottle of Champagne, however, it didn't quite go according to plan. Whilst we were setting up the shot, Ronan had to fake the 'sabering'. When it came to the filming he didn't change the angle of the knife, therfore striking the bottle exploeded! The rest is history, it was too irresistible not to do something creative with it.

So watch now to see what happened and then follow the link and see how it should be done!

John Campbell - Coworth Park

2011-02-23T12:29:00.000Z

Went to see John Campbell at Coworth Park. The last time I photographed him was at the Vineyard at Stockcross. A slightly different beast here in a slightly different part of Berkshire and with the Dorchester brand. The commission was from the Caterer and 'My New Kitchen' feature. John's amazing multi-million pound kitchen took only 6-8 week to design and is slightly smaller than at the Vineyard. Two masterclasses were filmed (see below). View full article on Caterersearch.com.

New Michelin Stars 2011 - Interviews

2011-02-07T12:52:00.000Z

Gaining a Michelin Star; what it means for business, view on. . .

The Curlew - Bodiam, East Sussex - Interview with Neil McCue and Mark Colley

Danesfield House - Danesfiled House Interview with Adam Simmonds

Bocuse d'Or Finals - Lyon - Simon Hulstone

2011-01-24T12:01:00.000Z

The Bocuse d'Or final is happening this week in Lyon. The qualifying rounds took place in Geneva in 2010 which we filmed last year. We've been at Simon Hulstone's restaurant, The Elephant, in Torquay to take his portrait, so really good luck to him, it's going to be tough even with the 'British Bulldog' spirit! Live streaming from Lyon can be seen at The Hospitality Show at the NEC on 24-26th January.

Marco-Pierre White - Masterclass

2011-01-14T13:26:00.000Z

Unilever hosted a Marco-Pierre White masterclass which was a fundraiser for Hospitality Action, at their kitchens in Leatherhead (see earlier blog post). Here's the video, take a look . . .

Texture Masterclass x 2

2011-01-14T13:17:00.000Z

We have been at Texture filming not only Aggi Sverrisson but also his sommelier Xavier Rousset matching wine to Aggi's dishes. The masterclass (Below) was of a Beetroot Salad with Goats Cheese Snow. Xavier matches this dish with a Sylvaner from the Sud Tyrol, Italy; delicious . . . The second was a masterclass of Aggi preparing Gravadlax and Xavier complimenting this with Tyrells Semillon from the Hunter Valley, Australia.

Ben Meadows - European Photographer Awards

2011-01-05T14:50:00.000Z

Damon Albarn

Ben Meadows is one of our photographers and we're gunning for him next week. He's the only UK photographer whose been shortlisted for the Popview + Lex Van Rossen Photography Awards in Holland next week. The purpose of the award is to help stimulate music photography When he's not working with us he's out at the coolest places in town taking pictures of bands. Good Luck Ben!

Bonnie Prince Billy

Wild Billy Childish

Gil Scott Heron

Hotel du Vin launches new website with Video Content

2010-12-07T14:30:00.000Z

Hotel du Vin have just launched their new website and have a fresh strategy to create enhanced awareness about their passion for wine. Another key new direction for HdV is to increase their web content using video. They have Ronan Sayburn as their Director of Wines and Spirits who is also a Master Sommelier. We've produced four videos for their new site including HdV's philosophy on wine buying, training and educating. In addition, Ronan's top 5 wines for Christmas and also a Wine Tasting Masterclass with white wine and red wine. Watch this space, HdV are truly passionate !

Marco Pierre White - Hospitality Action

2010-11-09T19:02:00.000Z

70+ guests had the privilege of spending an intimate evening with the handsome face of Knorr - Marco-Pierre White last week. £17,000 was raised for Hospitality Action in which MPW carried out various 'masterclasses' in small groups. This fundraising event was held at Unilever Food Solutions at Knorr's kitchens in Leatherhead.

Some comments we overheard were "sheer exhileration" to feeling a little close to the knife! An exceptional three course dinner followed . . .

English Wine Harvest is happening!

2010-10-21T13:47:00.000+01:00

The English Wine Harvest has well and truly started and the fruit was looking good at the Hush Heath Estate in Kent at the weekend. The red grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meurnier are destined for Bottle Fermented Sparkling Rose using the Champagne method. Premium Sparkling English Wine is where things are at. Many factors are helping to achieve this: serious investment in the vineyard and winery, improved knowledge and winemaking and climate change is clearly having some influence but is not the key factor. The other clear message is the passion to produce quality English sparkling wine, without compromise from the award winning growers. It's very much watch this space as far as English Sparkling Wine is concerned together with Still Wine.

We had Ronan Sayburn interviewing some London Sommeliers in the vineyard at work! The interesting aspect was that the picking was being done by variety, clone and rootstock in order that the winemakers can establish which ones are proving most effective for the site. All comes down to science.

Chapel Down

Ridgeview Estate

Nytimber Estate

View the video at: Caterersearch.com

Decanting Port using a Feather !

2010-09-17T12:18:00.000+01:00

Ever had tricky encounters when decanting a bottle of Vintage Port or Wine. Look no further and check out Ronan Sayburn's technique . . .

Take a look at CatererSearch.com

Rhodes W1

2010-09-17T11:00:00.000+01:00

Celebrity Chef Gary Rhodes Fine Dining partnership continues with Restaurant Associates at The Cumerberland Hotel's Rhodes W1 Restaurant, which holds a Michelin Star. The Hotel also features Rhodes Private Dining, Rhodes Brasserie and Rhodes Patron Bar. Rhodes W1 restaurant has been beautifully designed by Kelly Hoppen. As well as the video being posted onto Youtube, the video is featured on TV's in the Lobby and at private events.

Something for everyone!

Hospitality Action - Ready Steady Cook Off

2010-09-09T09:55:00.000+01:00

We were shooting last night at Waterstones in Piccadilly for a 'Ready Steady Cook Off' at Elior's demonstration kitchen. This event was organised by William Murray for Hospitality Action and involved 4 teams having to prepare dishes with unknown ingredients plus the 'three egg omelette' cook off. The overall winner was Jonathan Doughty of Coverpoint Consultancy and his team with Fiona Hamilton of William Murray and Diane Lane of the Caterer. Fun had by all!

Flora versus Butter - Taste off !

2010-09-06T12:35:00.000+01:00

Unilever carried out a 'Flora versus Butter' tasting at their R & D centre in Leatherhead. This study tested whether Chefs, who were selected randomly could be accurate as to which food was prepared with Flora and which was with butter. The video on Youtube illustrates the experiment using bio-physical and neurological techniques Flora Original Spread Video The outcome revealed that this was not possible and infact participants preferred Flora, dispelling the myth that 'butter is best'. In addition the Flora option means that it is a 'healthier' alternative using 78% less saturated fat.

Gastronomy Team of the Year 2010 - ACFWS

2010-07-20T22:46:00.000+01:00

The Academy of Food and Wine held it's 'Gastonomy Team of the Year 2010' competition at Westminster Kingsway College in Vincent Square over the Summer. The winning team was Chef de Parite Neil Cooper and Sommelier Laurent Richet from Hotel Terravina in Hampshire. The competition involved a 'cook and serve' with a range of dishes and complementary wines which had to include 'Discover the Origin' ingredients. The overall judge was Rob Kirby the Chef Director of Lexington Catering. The winning team won an Academy Training Bursary and a 10 day trip to France, Portugal and Italy!

Cateys 2010 - Grosvenor House

2010-07-05T21:47:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year when schools almost out and it's Oscar time for the industry. It's the Cateys with red carpet treatment at Grosvenor House, London. We are there capturing all the pre-dinner glamour, followed by all those well deserved winners receiving their awards. Some of the highlights of the Winners included a Lifetime Achievement Catey for Roy Ackermann; Best Group Marketing Campaign for Compass Group ; Best Restauranteur of the Year went to Chris and Jeff Galvin at Galvin Restaurants ; Mark Hix won a Catey for the most prestigious Chef and

Lucknam Park won their Catey for the Best Independent Hotel of the Year award. Details of further winners can be found at Caterersearch.

25 Years of the Roux's and still going strong!

2010-06-21T22:06:00.000+01:00

2010 sees the Waterside Inn achieving a quarter of a century of retaining its 3 Michelin Stars. To put this into some sort of perspective they are the only restaurant outside of France to achieve this! Michel and Albert Roux were the 'founding fathers' and since Michel's retirement 8 years ago, Alain has continued in their footsteps, albeit a lighter style of cooking.

We had the honour and task of creating a 'celebratory' video reflecting the mood and atmosphere of the Waterside Inn. One of life's absolute 'musts' of 'places to eat' before you die!

Bocuse d'Or 2010 - Results

2010-06-09T14:48:00.000+01:00

A truly exciting and electric contest, with Denmark winning the European leg of the competition - Kofoed Rasmus. This was followed by Norway in 2nd and France in 3rd position. Our UK man, Simon Hulstone, achieved 4th place which is an astonishing result. The team and fan club of around 30 industry pros supporting went wild! This means that Simon is in the world finals in January in Lyon.

There were 20 judges, one from each participating country, with Brian Turner representing the UK. He's president of the Academy of Culinary Arts who was responsible for the British entry. Hulstone won a special prize for his meat dish. The brief was to prepare and cook a fish dish from Norwegian Halibut and the meat from Swiss veal, for more see Caterersearch article and our video on Youtube. Finally the Bocuse d'Or is gaining momentum here in the UK as players and industry understand it's relevance and importance.

Bocuse d'Or - European Finals - Geneva

2010-06-06T22:01:00.000+01:00

We've just completed the Bocuse d'Or UK website in time for the European finals in Geneva today and tomorrow! We're there taking stills and video of theses finals where the winner will be announced on Tuesday 8th June. Entries are managed by the Academy of Culinary Arts and the UK representative is Simon Hulstone of the Elephant in Torquay. The Bocuse d'Or trophy is currently held by Norway and the world final will be held in 2011 in Lyon.

The Bocuse d'Or is the Oscars of the culinary world and has been under popularised in the UK. This is set to change, however, requires greater awareness, enhanced support and funding, if we are to bring home the Bocuse d'Or trophy. Various methods are illustrated on the website from donating ingredients to loaning equipment and donating money. Pictures and video will follow shortly of the action and of course the European winner !

Lusso Launch for Charlton House

2010-05-21T14:55:00.000+01:00

We were at the launch of Lusso Catering, one of five new brands for Charlton House. The location was Coopers Hall, Devonshire Square EC2, on the 10th May. It's exciting times for Charlton House, being an independent company, which the parent company is now known as CH&Co. Lusso provides fine dining for city institutions. We contributed to the photography for the website and created the presentation media including music for the launch day.

And Restaurant Manager of the Year 2010 is . . .

2010-05-21T12:56:00.000+01:00

. . . On Monday we were at Babylon Roof Gardens, Kensington photographing the Awards Ceremony during the Gala Dinner of the UK's Restaurant Manager of the Year for 2010. This prestigious award went to David Hennigan from the Crown at Whitebrook in the Wye Valley close to Monmouth in Wales, which is celebrated also for having a Michelin Star.

This industry competition is organised by the Academy of Food and Wine supported by the National Skills Academy for Hospitality, sponsored by Open Table and The Savoy Educational Trust. The panel of judges included the former maitre d', Silvano Giraldin of Le Gavroche and now Director of Roux Consulting; Matt Wilkin MS, Academy Director and Conor O'Leary, F & B maanger ar Andaz London.

And the Winner of the UK Sommelier of the Year 2010 is . . .

2010-05-09T14:34:00.000+01:00

. . . Christopher Delalonde MS !

On Thursday 29th April we were at the new Westbury Gallery, Westbury Mayfair Hotel photographing the UK Sommelier of the Year 2010. An impressive final, organised by the Academy of Food and Wine, sponsored by Champagne House Piper-Heidsieck. An all day event with awards presented at the Sommeliers Dinner, the same evening. On the judging panel was Gerard Basset MS, MW, the winner the previous week of the 2010 World Sommelier Championships in Chile.

The rise of the Chocolatier

2010-04-06T22:54:00.000+01:00

Things are heating up when it comes to fine Chocolate. The time has arrived for Chocolatiers to have their moment of glory, except that the glory moment may well be here to stay. Music to the ears of all chocolate gourmands! There are several chocolate mavericks out there and we've been to see a couple of them and video their master class.
First we have on stage is Damian Allsop whose chocolates are created without butter or cream and uses water based infusions. This technique offers a more pure flavour as it removes the lactic acid, giving a more intense, fresher and lighter experience - truly sensational! Damian is ex Aubergine and Locanda Locatelli and supplies Michelin Star restaurants.
www.damianallsop.com

Second on stage is William and Suzue Curley, who have developed a concept of artisan chocolaterie-patisseries for the high street. Their first success is located in Richmond with a second that has recently opened in Belgravia with room for 20 seats. Another dimension that has been added is matching Dessert wines and Champagne to their chocolate - fantastic!
www.williamcurley.co.uk

Take a look at Hospitality Medias master class with William Curley on Caterersearch.com

The Futures Bright for the UK Wine Industry

2010-03-09T21:47:00.000Z

Jacqueline's carrying out some primary research for her Dissertation about the UK Wine Industry (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Wine). If you're associated in anyway please complete the survey online. Responses are anonymous and collected through Survey Monkey. Should take 10 minutes to complete and no longer!

The Survey!!

HR at Charlton House

2010-03-08T21:46:00.000Z

Charlton House offered us an HR brief to include creative photography emulating the fun side of Hospitality. We had a great day shooting in the studio in a relaxed atmosphere. The purpose of the photography was for internal HR development brochures and communications. So rather than the dull set of promises many companies may make, Charlton House shouts loud and clear as to how they nurture, train and develop their team of people .

Roast at Borough Market

2010-02-15T22:58:00.000Z

Roast, set in the buzzing location of Borough Market of SE1. A real sense of food all around on a cold winters day, with every style of sausage known to man can be eaten between freshly

baked bread. Borough Market is a a gourmands paradise, in a very cool, hick kind of way. Roast takes this further and specializes serving dishes that uses quintessentially British produce. It specifies single farms on the menu and any rare breeds and of course majors on 'seasonal produce'. To top it all, award winning English wines are on offer with a range of bottle-fermented sparkling wines served by the glass. Very hard not feel patriotic of Britain's range of excellent farmers, who clearly take pride of the task in hand and have pleasantly created a niche. And Roast manages to pull all this together and makes you want to leave most definitely to 'Buy British!' Signature dishes include Slow Roast Wicks Manor Pork Belly', Black Welsh Beef; English Breakfasts are a big feature at weekends as well as 'Roast to go'. The light and airy restaurant with views of St Paul's and Borough Market makes this a really special place.

Roast on the Web!
Hospitality Media!!

English Breakfast

Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday

Pork with apple sauce from Roast to Go!

Sat Bains Masterclass

2010-01-24T21:30:00.000Z

Great to get to go to Nottingham to photograph and video Sat Bains at his restaurant. With 1 Michelin Star and the only restaurant to be awarded AA's 5 Rosettes in 2009/10, Sat is most definitely more than a 'rising star' of yester year. He's leapt into a new stratosphere of culinary excellence, philosophy and achievement. We tried to capture his slightly edgy character to make things more interesting. With that, the video interview and master class took longer than usual to edit!!

Sat Bains Masterclass on YouTube
Sat Bains Interview on YouTube

Pierre's Pop-Up

2010-01-24T21:22:00.000Z

We were delighted to be sent to Selfridges to take Pierre Koffman's Portrait at his 'pop-up' restaurant for Waitrose in November 09. Originally to operate for a week during the London Restaurant Festival in October, the date kept being extended due to its overwhelming success until the end of November. The famous 3 star Michelin French Chef, formerly of La Tante Claire in Chelsea, came out of semi-retirement to carry out this concept, which was effectively a marquee on the roof with restaurant and kitchen! Such a success story and talk of the town with review, after review, after review. What next for Pierre or for the 'pop-up restaurant concept?

Jonathan Raggett UK Hotelier of the Year

2010-01-23T18:36:00.000Z

We were sent to photograph Jonathan Raggett, managing director of Red Carnation Hotels. This was in advance of the announcement of him being voted UK Hotelier of the Year 2009, needless to say we were sworn to secrecy! A wonderful opportunity to meet with him at the Milestone, London and be able to use the sumptuous surroundings as a “backdrop”. Clearly well deserved and highly revered by industry critics.

http://www.redcarnationhotels.com/press-room/awards–accolades

Gary Rhodes W1

2010-01-23T18:33:00.000Z

Last week we went over to Rhodes W1 for Adhoc PR, to photograph Gary's new bar (Patron Bar) and the new private dining room all located at the Cumberland Hotel Mable Arch. These are all managed and operated by Restaurant Associates, the exclusive fine dining arm of Compass.

The funky "backlit" Rhodes Patron Bar is a major feature at W1 and not only did we enjoy photographing the "Patron W1" signature cocktail but can honestly comment that it tasted amazing! It is a combination of Patron Silver, Patron Citonge Orange Liqueur and Gran Marnier - Cuvee Centenaire and Pomegranate juice, plus additions of fruit and herbs!

The Private Dining Room, seats up to 40 has a real sumptuous feel with rich coloured decor and bold wallpaper. Dishes such as "Spotted Dick", Beetroot Tart" were on the menu. I can definitely recommend the "club sandwich" which had a modern 21st century "twist"!

25ml Tasting Sips At Last

2010-01-23T18:26:00.000Z

Great news for Dawn Davies, great news for restaurants and staff, great news for wine suppliers and last but not least great news for the customer! Dawn who’s the sommelier and wine buyer at Selfridges spear headed this campaign of being able to sell 25ml “tasting sips” as from April 2010, under new legislation.

This can only be positive for the hospitality industry and will open up opportunities. One such being is the ability to sell more premium wine as tasting samples and “by the glass”. It means that there will be increased flexibility with “wine flights”. In addition wines can be tailored to special menus and dishes rather than quite possibly incorrect matching resulting in a lower quality meal experience!

Naturally, an effective wine preservation system has to be in place to maintain quality and avoid wastage. Such systems are the Enomatic wine system http://www.enomatic.com or Le Verre de Vin http://www.bermar.co.uk