Each week Catering Design Group, one of the UK’s leading restaurant and commercial catering design companies, provides readers of GTN Food Xtra with a range of solutions, hints and tips around the theme: “Are you wise to the value of good design!”

This weeks topic is:  “The bigger picture”

Your financial targets will play a major role in the design process and influence how the designer thinks about such elements as number of covers, your menu, service style, opening times, staffing levels and skillsets, together with style of seating, ambience, choice of equipment, upselling and indeed how your space will operate in peak and less busy times.

To find out more, contact Catering Design Group at: info@cateringdesign.co.uk

http://www.cateringdesign.co.uk/

Highfield Garden World in Gloucestershire is celebrating a very successful first six months for its new restaurant.  Year on year, till movements during the first half of 2014 were up by over 22,000, and the average customer transaction increased by around 28% to just over £9.  Restaurant sales overall were up a massive 82%.

Owned and run by the Greenway family, Highfield is the largest independent garden centre in Gloucestershire.  April saw the completion of a £2.5m new restaurant and retail development at the site.   Transforming the food offering was the catalyst and the cornerstone of the entire project, and the new 450 seater lakeside restaurant features far-reaching views, floor to ceiling glass walls, a vaulted ceiling and indoor and outdoor seating areas.  

Director Tim Greenway commented;  “This project was a major investment for the business and it’s just fantastic to see it beginning to pay off.  I think the feel good factor has a lot to do with the restaurant’s success so far.  On top of serving good food and drink, it’s a really nice place to be – light, airy and relaxing.  It means customers enjoy spending time there, and it means they keep coming back – and telling their friends about it as well.  Many will come twice during one visit, maybe for elevenses and then for lunch a bit later on.”

Tim continued:  “We’ve carried on being careful about where we pitch our prices, and also worked hard to get the balance right between having old favourites on offer while expanding the menu to appeal to different markets.  So far so good.   Great coffee complete with latte art, is huge for us.  So are baked goods.  We now have 3 bakers on site and project that by the end of the summer we’ll have made and sold 23,000 scones and 140,000 hot drinks!”     

The new development increased Highfield footprint by around 1,500m² to 5,300m².  In addition to the restaurant the business has expanded its fashion, home and giftware offerings and welcomed new Peacocks, Ponden Mill and Pavers shoes concessions.  Tim Greenway explained how the new development has helped broaden Highfield’s appeal;  “Since our April launch we’ve definitely seen people travelling further to come and see us, when historically it’s been within a 50 mile radius.  We’re also seeing a younger market coming through the doors thanks to the “new” factor, some of the new concessions, and of course the modernised restaurant offering.”

Tuesday 23rd September marks the return of the multi-award-winning lunch! show to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.  With its focus on new innovations from across the food-to-go sector, this popular two-day event has gained a loyal following among buyers and decision makers responsible for garden centre catering.

With nearly six thousand attendees last year from across the retailing, hospitality, snacking and catering sectors, lunch! may need little introduction.  Since its launch in 2008, the event has enjoyed significant year-on-year growth in attendance (the 2013 show was 37% up on 2012) and won three best trade show awards along the way (including, most recently, the top prize at the Exhibition News Awards in March).   

For 2014, it’s on track for its biggest sell-out edition yet.  The 300-strong exhibitor line-up is as comprehensively eclectic as ever – filled with a who’s who of companies that will be helping to shape the future of the catering sector over the next twelve months.

“I think lunch! is the premier place for food retailers to get an insight into all the food innovation that is happening across the country,” comments frequent visitor Andrew Walker, former MD of Pret A Manger.

It is this focus on innovation, which keeps leading operators like Dobbies, Haskins, M&S, Tesco, EAT., Waitrose, Costa, Harrods, Gate Gourmet, Network Rail, Compass, Sodexo, Brakes and Hilton Worldwide to thousands of independents, returning year after year.

The latest innovations

Valued at over £14.9bn, the British lunchtime market is big business.  And it’s only going to get bigger.  Get your food-to-go offering right and your garden centre catering can offer plenty of lucrative sales. 

New exhibitors for 2014 include Metcalfe's skinny, Manitowoc Foodservice, Meridian Foods, Of The Earth Superfoods, Sarrion’s Macarons, Jax Coco, CHOC +, Duke of Delhi, Jealous Sweets, Coburg Coffee Company, and Francino.  

Returning exhibitors include Reynards (UK), Pidy, The Consett Popcorn Company, Taylors of Harrogate, eteaket Tea, Sweet Ideas, Sponge Cakes, Crown Foods - WAT KITCHEN, Square Pie, Freshfayre Chilled Foodservice, Adelie Foods Group, Odysea, Glen Dimplex Professional Appliances, Radnor Hills, SFD, Tudor Tea & Coffee, Butterware, Biopac, Bel UK Foodservice, Kavis, and Alan Nuttall. 

Make a date with lunch!

The show’s Working lunch! Theatre (sponsored by Magrini) is renowned for attracting ‘inspirational’ big names from across the food to go retailing and contract catering industry, and this year is no exception.  Confirmed speakers include representatives from Starbucks, EAT., Leon, Cook & Garcia, Pizza Rossa, British crowdfunding site Crowdcube, Horizons, and The NPD Group; plus an ‘Allergens Legislation Update’ from Wendy Duncan, R&D deploy manager at Unilever Food Solutions. 

Martin Hambleton, head of procurement & innovation at En Route International, will also be adding lunch! speaker duties to his impressive resumé.  As a former senior buyer at EAT. and Elior UK, Hambleton has been an “avid supporter of lunch! since the conception”, calling it “the best trade show a buyer can attend”. 

“I always find lunch! a great source of trends and innovation,” comments Hambleton.  “Lunch times are notoriously short these days, and food-to-go needs to deliver the lunch experience in short, sharp and innovative ways.”

The show’s free Keynotes, the popular 30-stand Innovation Zone, the annual British Smoothie Championships (also sponsored by Magrini), and the Innovation Challenge Showcase (offering a preview of all the latest new product developments) are all located on the show’s aptly-named Upper Feature Level.  

lunch! returns to the Business Design Centre, London on 23-24 September 2014. To register for your free trade ticket to lunch! in advance, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk (and quote priority code LUN98 where prompted).

The Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) results for July (2014) have revealed strong sales at member garden centres during the month.

The results out today, August 20, which are the only official GCA July trading figures to be released, show the year to date figure currently stands at 8.97% up.

Will Armitage, Chairman of the GCA, explained: “The hot weather experienced last month saw a slight decrease in sales in more traditional categories such as outdoor plants and garden sundries. However, many other categories saw increases including Catering which was up by 11.7%."

“Food hall/farm shop sales have also performed well throughout the year with the year to date figure standing at 5.09% up.”

The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.

The reports allow members to compare their trading positions with other centres.

Clare James, Director at Garsons Titchfield, said: “The good weather throughout July has meant increased customer numbers across the centre.

“In addition to this, our butchery counter has also brought in a number of new customers, who have then been tempted to purchase from our large range of chilled, frozen and grocery products.

“We have seen increased sales on meat pies, alcohol from a range of local suppliers and general grocery products, such as cold drinks and confectionary.”

 For further information, please call 0118 930 8918. Alternatively, please visit www.gca.org.uk, log on to www.facebook.com/pages/GardenCentreAssociation or follow the organisation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GC_Association. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan harvest 2014 kicks off on Saturday 27th September and runs until Sunday12th October. A chance to see the spectacular harvest displays that Heligan produces every year.

The fruits of Heligan’s productive year will once again be presented in the annual Harvest Displays while the produce is served up in homemade, seasonal dishes in the Heligan Tearoom. 

Visitors to Heligan can take this opportunity to see and taste “Heritage fruit, vegetables, traditions, colours and flavours to ignite your senses and feed your soul.” 

Heligan Managing Director George Elworthy comments: “Harvest is one of the most popular times of year here at Heligan. We see the fruits of the Summers labour, and each year the display gets more ambitious.”

Entry to the gardens is £11 for adults and free for children aged 5-16.

www.heligan.com

The buzz in the air at Webbs, Wychbold, has yielded sweet success with a bumper crop of honey for the award-winning garden centre.

Professional bee keeper Chris Broad successfully established eight hives in the Webbs gardens near Droitwich last year and is delighted they have just produced double the honey of any of his other bees.

This spring the hives have provided 900 jars of exclusive Webbs’ honey which will be sold in the Food Hall.

Chris, who runs Saltway Honey with his wife Susan from Bromsgrove, set up the apiary which yields two types of honey – a firm early one and a runny variety which will be ready later in the summer.

Chris said, “The bees at Webbs seem to produce about twice as much honey per hive as my bees elsewhere. They are certainly some of my best bees and I think the key to their high productivity is a succession of flowers for them all through the season in the Webbs gardens and nearby. This spring they had an abundance of hawthorn blossom and also oilseed rape and they went crazy on blackberry blossom.”

He added, “The Webbs bees have a great spot too. It's well screened to keep out the wind and partially shaded which is perfect for them, so they don't have to work too hard at either cooling or heating the hive.”

Last year the bees produced 1,600lb of honey over the whole season of which 400lb was spring honey.

Visitors to Webbs have been entranced by the bees and a number of taster sessions for prospective bee keepers at the garden centre has already sold out.

Chris Broad said, “I'm not surprised our bee taster courses are full up as we’ve seen a huge interest in beekeeping over the past few years and the number of beekeepers in the county has roughly trebled since 2005. People come with all sorts of motivations, but it seems to me the most common is a desire to supply your own kitchen with high quality home-grown honey. However, starting beekeeping can be quite a daunting prospect without some sort of introduction, and the taster course is intended to help prospective beekeepers to make an informed decision without having to commit to a full scale beekeeping course straight away.”

Chairman Ed Webb said, “It’s fascinating to see how the nectar from our lovely gardens is turned by the bees into this delicious-tasting honey.  The hives have sparked a lot of interest from our visitors both in the honey and the bee keeping taster courses. We have stunning gardens full of a wide variety of plants here at Webbs and I’m sure the bees benefit from the rich nectar. “

He added, “It's wonderful to see how nature is driving our visitors’ interest and understanding in seasonal food production.  Customers in the Food Hall had been asking for weeks when the set honey was going to be on sale again having enjoyed it so much last year. They remembered that the first honey yield is set due to the pollen from spring flowers and are keen to find out what this year’s crop will taste like. As the bees move onto the summer flower pollen – which results in runny honey -  we look forward to tasting more delicious results later this year.”

Speciality & Fine Food Fair, incorporating Speciality Chocolate Fair is the UK's leading, trade only, showcase of fine food & drink.

Moonshine have released a range of brewing bags designed to make home brewing quick, easy and appealing.

Following two years of development with Nottingham University and Nottingham Trent University, the system works by adding water to the brewing bag and leaving for a minimum of two weeks.

The range features three ales, two ciders and three wines, each able to produce 25 pints or 12 bottles of quality, home-brewed drink.

Winners of 2012 iNet 'Most Innovative Product of the Year', the Moonshine range has a long shelf life and features Dark, Medium and Pale ales, Apple and Pear ciders, Zinfandel style Rosé, Pinot Grigio Style White Wine and Cabernet Sauvignon style Red Wine.

Ideal for consumers who want to try home brewing but are put off because of the effort involved, Moonshine has striking packaging and a wide appeal, as there is no extra equipment or sterilising required.

Distributor enquiries can be made directly online  – moonshinedrinksonline.com – or by calling 0115 8462584.

For overseas Licensee/Distributor enquires, email richard@moonshinedrinks.co.uk or call 07587 636585

Rational will be putting the new SelfCookingCenter 5 Senses through its paces at GLEE 2014.

Professional Rational chefs will demonstrate to visitors different aspects of the new SelfCookingCenter combi steamer by cooking a range of items suitable for café menus. Visitors will also get the chance to taste everything that is cooked.

Developed to make cooking as simple as possible, the combi steamer features ‘iLevelControl’, which enables chefs to cook mix loads using their preferred specifications and cooking methods by altering important features such as temperature, time and air speed.

As the first commercial cooking appliance to work by interacting with chefs, the SelfCookingCentre means garden centres can expand their menus andsave space – as it can replace 40 to 50% of standard kitchen appliances.