Hotel focus
Breakfast
Make sure you offer a wide choice of cereals at breakfast time. Kellogg's Foodservice Solutions have produced the Portion-Pak Mixed Case which contains five top selling cereal brands - Corn Flakes, Frosties, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, Fruit ‘n' Fibre and Special K - giving a total of 30 Portion-Paks.
For hotel guests who don't have time for a sit down breakfast, there's the Kellogg's To Go Twinpot. This comprises cereal, milk, sugar if needed and a folding spoon in a choice of five cereals - Healthwise Branflakes, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, Traditional Cornflakes, Special K and Frosties.
Beverages
For hotel guests seeking decaffeinated coffee, Brian Wogan has launched a new range. The "At Last" range offers three varieties - Sumatra, Guatemala and Brazilian decaff, in 227g silver cyber packs.
Create innovative and imaginative coffees with the new range of coffee syrups from Tate + Lyle in four varieties - vanilla, hazelnut, caramel and Irish cream.
These syrups not only add pizzazz to speciality coffees, but can also be used in cooking. A free booklet containing a variety of serving suggestions and recipe ideas is available. The syrups are packaged in 750ml bottles.
Afternoon tea
Boost afternoon tea sales with mouth-watering gateaux and cakes. These can be easily made from cake mixes from Dawn Foods - Golden Cake Base and Chocolate Cake Base. All you have to do is add oil and water which makes the mixes easy to use and fast to prepare.
Both cakes can be used as the base for a layer cake, novelty shaped cakes and classic American desserts such as Devil's Food Cake or Boston Creme Pies. Both mixes are in 12.5kg bags.
Traditional afternoon cream teas are always popular among overseas visitors. The new range of premium scones from Brakes can be served at tea-time, as well as at other meal times. Premium Cherry Scone, packed with cherries, can form part of a Cream Tea, served with jam and clotted cream.
Premium Sultana Scone can also be served at breakfast, as it can be served with butter and a selection of preserves and marmalade.
Premium Cheese Scone, fully baked and drizzled with cheese, can be served with a range of fillings.
Also from Brakes are the new 5in Pre-cut Teacakes. Available in boxes of 48, each 100g teacake costs 23.4p, £11.25 per pack.
Main meals
Research from Cherry Valley shows that consumers would like to see more duck on the menu.
Plain Sliced Duckling Meat from Cherry Valley can be served with a spicy salsa marinade mixed with a green salad, while Plain or Peking Sliced Duckling Meat can be mixed with a pasta salad.
Sliced Duckling can also be used to make various sandwiches such as the oriental duck wrap, which includes sliced duckling with batons of spring onion and cucumber, served with a plum sauce marinade.
The sliced duckling range is available in 1kg bags.
Other products include Chinese Roast Duck, a boneless product which can be easily sliced or carved and served with salad in a sandwich or with rice as a salad.
Frozen Raw Boneless Breast Fillet is supplied trimmed and ready to cook and serve. Carve into thin slices and serve in an open sandwich or as part of a salad with vinaigrette, baby spinach and garlic croutons.
Chips are always a popular accompaniment for most main meals and different chip varieties can be selected to suit various meals.
For example, serve classic A Grade Chips from McCains with a traditional roast dinner or Jacket Wedges with a bowl of chilli con carne. The latest offering from McCain is Lumberjack Chips which are bigger and chunkier than Beefeaters. These are thick-cut, skin-on chips which can be served with steak and salad, as well as salmon and vegetables.
To save preparation time, Swaddles Organic has introduced a new range of gourmet-style meals.
The range features 17 different dishes in ten and 20 portion packs.
Varieties include Lamb Tagine, Thai Chicken and Shepherds Pie, vegetarian options such as Green Lentils with Garlic, Cauliflower, Onion and Tomato Curry and Three Bean Goulash and children's meals such as Ketchup Burgers, Chicken Nuggets and Pork and Apple Burgers.
Desserts
Add pizzazz to desserts with the new range of fruity Connoisseur Coulis from Watson & Philip under the Cearns & Brown label.
Made with 90 per cent real fruit, there are three varieties - mango, raspberry and blackcurrant. They can be served on their own as a topping for a dessert, mixed with fruit or frozen to make a sorbet.
They can also be used in cocktails and smoothies.
Available in 6 x 1 litre cartons at £23.17 per pack.
Chocolates
After dinner chocolates or a chocolate on the pillow in the hotel room gives added value to guests. Cearns & Brown's Connoisseur range comprises 77 chocolate truffles in plain, milk and white chocolate. Varieties include Raspberry & Champagne, Foiled Macadamia Nut, Cappuccino Truffles with Tia Maria and Cocoa Dusted Brandy Truffles. A box costs £11.10.
The Assorted Chocolates and Petits Fours contains 84 chocolates with an assortment of 11 varieties of plain, milk, white chocolates and petit fours. These include Champagne Truffles, Marzipan Fruits and Rose and Violet Cremes. A box costs £8.88.
Now for something different. Who could resist the tempation of Belgian chocolates in a can? That's the latest offering from Philpot Foods under the Elizabeth Shaw brand. The ring pull 100g can contains six fresh Belgian chocolates. Available in two kilo boxes.
Buffets
Save valuable preparation time at buffets by using handmade Canap‚ Carriers from Foodafayre.
The Canap‚ Cheddabowl is a crisp, crouton like biscuit cup with a taste of mature cheese, which can be served with savoury fillings, such as salmon mousse or taramasalata.
The Canap‚ Filocrown consists of filo pastry, made into crowns in which both savoury and sweet fillings can be served.
They are individually packed in cases of 180 (6 x 30) at £32 per case, with a nine month shelf life.
Drinks
As the flavoured alcoholic beverages (FAB) market has grown by 63 per cent in the last year, it makes sense to be well stocked with a good range such as Vodka Kick, Red Square, and Bacardi Breezer. Original, Still and Black Metz from Bacardi-Martini has been relaunched with stylish new packaging and an improved flavour.
Fruit flavoured sparkling waters from Caledonian Clear are a good alternative to alcohol for hotel guests. There are six different varieties - Summer Peach, Spring Raspberry, Arctic Strawberry, Wild Blackberry, Orchard Apple and Pink Grapefruit. Available in 330ml conical shaped bottles.
Style
Stackable designer chairs mean it's easier to move them around and they can be stored conveniently. The new B879 dining chair from Primo Furniture is available with or without arms. Moulded seats and backs are polished to choice and frames are in chromium or epoxy coated in colours to suit individual requirements.
Andy Thornton has introduced the new Capri collection of table bases which are suitable for a wide range of interiors and covered outdoor areas.
Available in standard table (730mm) or drinkstand (1030mm) heights, the table base's slim stem is balanced by a domed circular base (550mm), weighted for stability.
Both table variations are in a choice of polished chrome, a tapered beech stem and chrome base combination and a cast iron stem and base in various colour finishes. The bases can be mixed with one of Andy Thornton's ranges of table tops in a range of sizes, shapes and materials.
Dudson has produced "Danube" - a new decoration for the Sonata shape. This sculptured shape is decorated with a blue ribbon and bow style of pattern with the sauce, 8in/20.3cm plate and bud vase. This tableware is dishwasher microwave proof and durable.
With the new PeopleCall Pager System from Call Systems Technology under the JTECH label, customers no longer have to hang about or queue while they are waiting for a table. A pager is given to customers who are waiting and when their food or table is ready, the pager tells them by vibrating and/or issuing an "alert" tone.
Communication between kitchen and waiting staff can be speeded up with the JTECH ServAlert also from Call Systems Technology. At the heart of the system is the VPS transmitter which is in the kitchen and sends signals to the pagers. All the chef has to do to operate any pager is to push its number on the transmitter. The VPS then sends out a silent vibrating pager signal, alerting the member of staff to come to the kitchen. For waiting staff, it will indicate an order is ready, while for management or maintenance staff it could warn that there is a problem in the kitchen.
Toshiba's VRF system the SuperMulti, has been installed as part of the recent £½ million refurbishment of the garden wing at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire.
As a result, air conditioning has been extended to the property's largest bedroom area, the landmark dovecote and rooms in the 17th century main building.
Joe Laydon, facilities manager, says: "We really can't do without air conditioning. Guests either ask for it or expect it. We're been delighted with the choice of Toshiba and the installation by Air Options. The external installation is so neat that I find myself showing it off to people. The outdoor units are well camouflaged, but accessible."
In the guest rooms, designed by Trevillion Interiors, there are radiators in traditional cases and the Toshiba chassis units have been fitted into the same design. Laydon says: "Each guest has their own control. As the units are heat pumps, they give economical heating and cooling. It provides the flexibility we need with heating and cooling required in different areas at the same time."
HFBAR There are two versions of BarOlympic's stainless steel underbar systems - a standalone version with modern bar frontage or BarOlympic units under a traditional pub style bar. The system means easy access to pipes and cables for cleaning and maintenance. It is compatible with existing and new bars, supporting all the services required such as drinks pythons. Also new is a hot over cold deli display. The top of this contains a heated display area, while underneath is a refrigerated display section for cold foods.
The Fabric Warehouse recently supplied fabrics with a medieval colour and texture for a new look room at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire, for owners the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. The company provided a complete package including curtains, table dressings and five unusual handmade metal curtain poles in speckled bronze, with fleur de leys finials.
Oberflex real wood laminate from Abet has been used for the refurbishment of the Novotel International hotel in London.
Sycamore and American Cherry were used to clad the walls and columns in various areas including conference suites and the central atrium. With a high resistance to impact, abrasion and scratching, Oberflex can be used for cladding of doors and walls, desktops, display units and other horizontal or vertical applications.
The installation of a new platform lift at the Portland Heights Hotel in Dorset has given easy access for the disabled to the hotel's coffee shop, bar and restaurant. The glass panelled EO4 platform lift has been supplied by Dolphin Lifts.
Duturo, the new hard wall finish from Armourcoat has been applied at Ian Sloane's new Oriel restaurant at Mere Green in the West Midlands. A key element of the design is a sweeping, curved feature wall finished in Duturo. It has also been used on the curved staircase, as well as with wall mirrors in the lower seating area.
Ian Sloane says: "I felt Duturo presented a new solution to wall finishes as far as depth and colour variance are concerned."
Duturo is so tough, it will show no signs of cracking, crazing, flaking or delamination. Its lower installation costs mean it can be used in many applications. It is available in 36 soft colours and three textures - Strat, Savannah and Sandblast.
Olympic Catering has supplied and installed kitchen and catering facilities to four floors of the Chancery Court Hotel in Holborn, London - a listed Edwardian building.
The project included two main kitchens, three bars, two dishwash areas, four pantries and a granite servery in the hotel's new brasserie. All the bars have been built using the BarOlympic, 766, bar system, with one of the them being more than 9 m in length.
TileCo Ltd is a new company offering a portfolio of Italian and Spanish ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles.
Manufacturers include Marazzi, Emil Ceramica, Ascot, Kronos and CO-EM offering palettes of colour and texture, glazed stone surfaces, as well as innovative and durable porcelain stoneware, complemented by natural limestone, slate, glass and metal tiles.
