With less than a fortnight to go to the HTA Catering Conference now is the time to book in order to secure your place.

The two-day conference and dinner, sponsored by Compass Group, takes place at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June 2017.

Featuring speakers from the wider hospitality industry including Peter Avis, Restaurant Manager from London’s Babylon restaurant, Top Chef Dominic Teague from One Aldwych, 2016 Masterchef winner Jane Devonshire and Matt Drew, Head of Food and Beverage for the National Trust the conference programme also draws extensively from expertise from within the industry.

Klondyke Chief Executive David Yardley and Group Catering Manager Keren Feeney will provide an update about their Topiary Restaurant offer.

Salim Sajid from Blueberry Consulting will update delegates on the approach taken at Rosebourne Garden Centre and how things are going within their first year of operation.

James Debbage from the award winning Green Pastures Plant Centre and Farm Shop in Norfolk will talk about their popular offer which includes fresh salads from the kitchen garden and innovative afternoon teas.

Mark Farnsworth and Sharon McNair from Tong Garden Centre return to update delegates on the development of their catering offer one year on.

Neville Stein from Ovation Business Consultancy will chair a workshop session looking at striking a balance between food costs and labour costs, involving garden centre caterers including Dwayne Ross from Coolings.

Matthew Appleby will be talking to Costas Constantinou, Head of Restaurants at Horticulture Week award-winning Dobbies Garden Centres.  Costas, former Wyevale Head of Restaurants, will be talking about the new initiatives and team which he says will be delivering unrivalled standards of food, service and customer experience.

Following on from GTN’s Greatest Catering Awards, which will be presented at the conference dinner on Tuesday evening, Trevor Pfeiffer from Garden Trade News will highlight winning catering ideas, trends and examples of great teamwork that are so essential in creating memorable catering experiences in garden centres across the UK.

HTA Communications Manager Gill Ormrod comments, “The HTA Catering Conference provides an unrivalled opportunity for all those involved in garden centre catering to get the latest ideas and inspiration about trends, issues and views from the industry and the wider hospitality sector. With garden centre cafes receiving a great shout out on Radio 2 only this morning there really is a buzz around the quality of offer to be found.”

This year’s accompanying catering exhibition is fully sold out and provides a great additional opportunity to meet a range of suppliers from coffee, cake and soft drinks to bread, tea and much more!

For further programme details and to book your place please visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

Catering continues to play a huge role in the make-up of garden centres accounting for in excess of 25% of sales in many cases. Over half of all garden centres have a café or restaurant with many having invested further to increase their covers and grow their offer.

Complex businesses in their own right, there are many elements to consider from menu planning, cost control and staff recruitment to menu development, service options, allergens and much more.

Help is on hand! Bookings are now being taken for the HTA Catering Conference and Dinner – A Piece of Cake? which takes place on Tuesday 13 June and Wednesday 14 June 2017 at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield.

A milestone in the garden industry calendar, the HTA Catering Conference is a must attend event for all garden centre catering operators, from business owners and garden centre managers to catering managers, chefs and front of house staff.

Bringing together speakers from inside and outside the industry the HTA Catering Conference is the event to attend to find out the very latest developments, issues and topics of interest impacting on garden centre catering.  The conference is supported by an exhibition and the programme allows for plenty of networking with delegates and suppliers.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

Since winning MasterChef in 2016, Jane has taken the bull by the food horns and tested herself further by working with a number of amazing chefs including Marcus Wareing, Atol Kochhar, Jason Atherton, Michel Roux and Michael O’Hare at their restaurants.

Jane has presented at numerous Food & Drink Shows around the UK including BBC Good Food Show, Foodies and many others.  Her travels have taken her from Edinburgh to Brighton and loads in-between learning that she has a love of presenting her recipes and chatting to people about food.

The past year has been incredibly busy for Jane and is getting busier by the day. She’s having a wonderful time however, she still loves being a ‘stay at home’ mum washing socks and making dinner!

For further programme details and to book your place please visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

From dishwasher to UK Restaurant Manager of the Year, Peter Avis rose through the ranks of the hospitality industry to the rooftop heights of Branson’s prestigious Babylon Restaurant through hard work and fierce determination.

As a keynote and after dinner speaker, Peter shares his passion for customer service and responsibility, and draws on his inspirational rags to riches story to demonstrate that anyone can aspire to reach whatever level they may choose.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

In association with Dawn Foods experimental psychologist Professor Charles Spence from the University of Oxford will share his latest research about food psychology. Covering topics such as the way our palate changes with age and how our taste changes with the time of day this session will blow your mind!

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

This year’s event is supported by:

• Headline Partner – Compass Group
• Conference Partners - Blue Cap Coffee, Frobishers Juices Limited, Matthew Algie
• Exhibitor Partners – Beanworks, Belvoir Fruit Farms , CPL Training Group, Creed Food Service, Dawn Foods , Destiny Foods, i2i (Ascential), Middleton Foods, Space Catering, Speciality Breads, Swan Retail, Tea From The Manor, The Handmade Cake Company, Towergate (HTA Insurance),  Whitco, Vision Commercial Kitchens
• Stand Partner - Open Retail
• Drinks Partner - Quinton Edwards
• Media Partners - Horticulture Week, Garden Forum, Garden Trade News, HTA News
• Supporting Partner - Garden Centre Association

In a joint session Caroline Benjamin from Food Allergy Aware will provide an insight to the freefrom customer, and chef Dominic Teague (pictured above) from One Indigo, the restaurant at 5-star hotel One Aldwych in London, will explain why they decided to go gluten and dairy free with impressive results in terms of bookings and revenue.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

Matt Drew, Head of Food and Beverage from the National Trust, will reveal how their catering offering is business critical to their success and profitability and key to delivering special days out for visitors.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

With the aim of re-establishing Tong Garden Centre as one of the leading garden centres in the north, co-owners Mark Farnsworth and Tom Megginson, recognise the importance that catering has in creating a destination outlet for all the family. 

Since acquiring the centre in May 2015 they have refurbished the existing restaurant and added a coffee shop, children’s play area and food hall which incorporates a butchery and bakery. 

With a focus on well-priced, home cooked food and quality beverages they have increased the number of covers from 100 to 250. 

The original café reopened as Orchard Kitchen and now serves a seasonal and local menu prepared on-site by a dedicated team of chefs and cooks in a light and airy environment. 

Co-owner, Mark Farnsworth, and Commercial Manager, Sharon McNair, will talk about their catering operation and the importance it plays in their growing business.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

In live cooking sessions Rob Owen, Development Chef from Food Creed Services, will demonstrate his latest ideas and recipes – complete with mini tastings.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

There will be sessions from David Yardley and Keren Feeney from Klondyke and Strikes Garden Centres, Salim Sajid from Rosebourne Garden Centre and James Debbage from Green Pastures. Representing businesses of different sizes they will each talk about their catering operations and their challenges and successes.

Klondyke Chief Executive David Yardley and Group Catering Manager Keren Feeney will provide an update about their Topiary Restaurant offer.

Salim Sajid from Blueberry Consulting will update delegates on the approach taken at Rosebourne Garden Centre and how things are going within their first year of operation.

James Debbage from the award winning Green Pastures Plant Centre and Farm Shop in Norfolk will talk about their popular offer which includes fresh salads from the kitchen garden and innovative afternoon teas.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

Pictured above, from left to right: David Yardley, Keren Feeney and James Debbage.

GTN's Greatest Catering Team Awards are back again! The third year of these most prestigious awards for excellence in garden centre catering will be presented after dinner on the Tuesday night and a presentation about the winners and the new trends picked up during the judging visits will be made by Trevor Pfeiffer on Wednesday 14 June.

This year there are two new categories that the judges will be collecting information for: The Greatest Wash Up Team - that vital part of the catering jigsaw that keeps the whole show running like clockwork - and The Greatest Garden Centre Baking Team.

GTN's Greatest Awards always takes size of centre into account so there is as much chance of a small centre winning as a destination centre. "It's the Greatest we are looking for each year, who are truly creating memorable experiences with their garden centre catering," explained Awards organiser Trevor Pfeiffer.

To enter the awards all you have to do is nominate your team via e-mail to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and then the Garden Trade News team of expert judges will arrange to visit during May.

Full list of GTN's Greatest Catering Awards:

• The Greatest Afternoon Tea Team
• The Greatest Coffee Team
• The Greatest Wash Up Team
• The Greatest Baking Team
• The Greatest Chef Team
• The Greatest Front of House Team
• The Greatest Catering Team Overall

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

Following on from GTN’s Greatest Catering Awards, which will be presented at the conference dinner on Tuesday evening, Trevor Pfeiffer from Garden Trade News will highlight winning catering ideas, trends and examples of great teamwork that are so essential in creating memorable catering experiences in garden centres across the UK.

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

Caroline Benjamin from Food Allergy Aware will run a workshop looking at the ways of communicating information about allergens. Communicating what you offer and how your procedures back this up are an important part of ensuring a safe customer experience.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.

For more information and to book visit www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference

Fresh from a tour of Melbourne, artisan coffee world leader, coffee company Matthew Algie, will run a workshop session on best practice and the important role that a trained barista can have in your business.

Book now

The cost to HTA members is £325.00, plus VAT, which includes the two day conference, dinner and accommodation for single occupancy at The Belfry (£445.00, plus VAT for non-members).  Single day only rates are also available for those who cannot attend the full conference.