In This Issue
Trans-Continental Group: the innovation continues
Dobbies want best quality, range and value for money plants for their customers
Fron Goch, Strikes Garforth & Green Pastures are The Greatest Garden Centre Catering Teams
Election week dents sales, reveals GTN Bestsellers
Smart on the move to the Eureka Building
Retail Lab @ Glee is set to be the key focal point at show
Don't miss the HTA National Plant Show
Elho sponsors new award at National Plant Show
The Gardens Group founders receive Outstanding Contribution Award
Botanical glasshouse in development plan for old port
Best in Show award for Wyevale Garden Centres
Love Your Plot announces Kettler as sponsor of Al Fresco Fortnight
Tong Garden Centre shortlisted in Bradford business awards
Horticultural Plant Buyer
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Winds of change blow garden product sales off course
Busy first Orchid Inspiration Days event
Cool cucumbers buck the sales drop
History & Heraldry in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200
Growing media sales plummet
DJ Turfcare to launch RHS range at Glee 2017
The end of Summer for plant sales?
Business development appointment at Mr Fothergill's
Green Up for professional looking lawns
APL Avenue impresses the judges!
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Food appeals to all the senses at HTA Catering Conference
Dobbies win at Sammies 2017
Big buyers out in force at Commercial Kitchen 2017
Situations Vacant
Horticultural Plant Buyer
£36,880 pa
 
Read more»
Send us your news and great ideas

Contact us with your news. 

Email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk, or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700


Food appeals to all the senses at HTA Catering Conference


This year’s HTA Catering Conference, sponsored by Compass Group UK & Ireland, was once again a great success, with lots of positive feedback delegates taking away some valuable insights from our fantastic speakers.

Keynote Speaker for day one was Peter Avis, UK Restaurant Manager of the Year. He shared his inspirational story of how he went from a dishwasher to Restaurant Manager at the prestigious Babylon Rooftop Gardens.

Through being encouraged by his managers at the beginning of his career, he was able to see how that company culture helps to empower staff and make them feel like they can achieve, and this is something that he has ensured he has continued with his staff today.

The evening played host to our annual HTA Catering Conference dinner where we were graced with the presence of 2016 MasterChef Winner, Jane Devonshire. Jane shared with us her down to earth and inspirational story of how her son convinced her to apply for MasterChef, and how no matter what the competition threw at her, she enjoyed every minute.

By cooking dishes from her childhood and family favourites throughout the show, it echoed the sentiment highlighted by many speakers at the conference, that the atmosphere and feelings that you are able to create in your cafes and restaurants and the food you serve are just as important as the food itself.

The dinner was followed by the Greatest Catering Awards, presented by Trevor Pfeiffer from Garden Trade News.

Over the past few years the National Trust has rejuvenated their cafes and restaurants, and Matt Drew, Head of Food and Beverage, talked us through the strategies that they used.

When they first started to look at the redevelopment plans, the first point of call was the menu. They discovered there were 40,000 recipes in use throughout the business, so they narrowed this down to a range of central recipes that individual outlets can choose from to suit their customers.

The ingredients that each outlet choose to use for these recipes though is not prescriptive as they are encouraged to use local produce where possible.

The full HTA Catering Conference report, including details of all the speakers workshops can be viewed at www.hta.org.uk/cateringconference
< >
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Del.icio.us Digg
Related Articles