Well-seasoned travellers

Chris Blaydes, head chef at the Miller Howe hotel on Lake Windermere, Cumbria, is busy flicking through some guide books. Will it be South Africa, New York or New Zealand next year? Blaydes is not planning his next holiday, however. He is thinking of places in which to promote the Miller Howe name.

This year, for example, Blaydes and his second chef Susan Elliott arranged a South African trip with Inter-Continental Hotels. They visited Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, training chefs to prepare and cook Miller Howe pastries, quiches and pies.

The pair have a well-established routine for these visits. After three days in the kitchens showing chefs the Miller Howe way, there is a lunch to which tour operators and journalists are invited. The lunch is marketed under the Miller Howe name.

For several week after the event, buffet meals are promoted as featuring Miller Howe recipes. Blaydes and Elliott are then able to enjoy some well-earned time in the sun.

This is a marketing recipe that has worked well for the hotel on more than one occasion. This year proprietor John Tovey has seen an increase in South African guests - all of whom heard about the hotel through the Inter-Continental promotion.

He estimates that about 10% of his visitors come as a result of such promotions, which have also taken place in New Zealand, New York, Washington, San Francisco and Japan. Tovey first started the visits in 1974 and has been delighted with their results ever since.

In the early days, a team of eight would spend five weeks of the winter travelling to foreign countries to cook and promote the hotel. "We used to promote the trip as a festival of English country house cooking," says Tovey.

"The interest was phenomenal, particularly in the USA where the media always picked up on what we were doing. About 80% of our visitors were coming from the USA as a result of the promotions we did there.

"People wanted to experience a small English country house hotel. We were different to the large groups."

Some 22 years later, Tovey is still in favour of such exchanges, although he now takes a back seat to let the younger members of his team come forward.

Extra benefits

He also believes that these overseas visits do not necessarily have to bring a financial return. "Foreign trips bring huge benefits for your own staff. They get to see how a big kitchen operates, they eat different food, and it develops them in their own work. It also helps you to hang on to your staff."

Although staging events such as that to South Africa are not free, costs are generally nominal. Blaydes and his team travel when the Miller Howe hotel is closed - between early December and early March - so there are no additional labour costs to cover their absence. Flights are paid for by the host hotel in return for the training that Blaydes provides. Accommodation and food are also free.

Planning these trips is not a breeze, though. When Blaydes is planning a special dinner, many ingredients have to be flown out specially.

Black pudding, for example, is not easy to come by in South Africa. When Blaydes was preparing a promotional dinner in the country two years ago using the product, he arranged for a trunk-load of black puddings to be flown over.

"Fortunately, we got it through without any queries," he remembers. "But I dread to think what would have happened if we hadn't."

Working in an unfamiliar kitchen can also cause problems. Oven temperatures can be tricky to gauge and a few degrees either way can ruin a tried-and-tested recipe.

Fridges can also be problematic. "The hotel has to carry on as normal while we are there, so it's sometimes impossible to get enough fridge space," says Blaydes. "You have to fit in with the kitchen and often end up with ingredients in lots of different fridges - it can be difficult to keep track of them!"

There are also the inevitable misunderstandings and mistakes that can occur when working in an unfamiliar environment. "Once we made 200 butter servings in the shape of swans and then found they had all disappeared," recalls Blaydes. "The staff had taken them and used them for a banquet. We had to start again from scratch."

The work can also be intensive and very stressful. "When you're there as an expert your reputation is on the line," says Blaydes. Dealing with the heat and working at altitude can also present unforeseen difficulties.

Does Blaydes think any hotel could reproduce this marketing formula? "Having the John Tovey name is very important," says Blaydes. "You've got to have something that is marketable. And it helps if you've already got contacts overseas. But there are plenty of opportunities for links with foreign hotels that can work to everyone's advantage."

Blaydes also thinks the education he gains as a result of the trips is enormously useful. "It's beneficial just to see how big hotels operate," he says. "Mind you, it has made me realise that I wouldn't want to work in one. They are just not personal enough."

Apart from the marketing and educational value of the promotions, John Tovey has found another bonus from his trips. Miller Howe has provided a scholarship for Rose Chetty, a young African girl, who is spending three months working with Blaydes in the hotel's kitchen.

"Our links abroad have given Rose an opportunity that she would never otherwise have had," says Tovey. "For the others here it's a great boost for team morale. These promotions are not just about a financial return. You've got to realise that you have to give something back."