It is reported in this week’s Caterer & Hotelkeeper that the Government is set to ban the sale of below-cost alcohol. It is claimed that the move will support pubs and breweries by reducing the price differential between alcohol in the supermarket and in the pub, which is great news for the industry if it works. Will it make me visit the pub more often? I honestly don’t think so. When I go to the pub it is because I enjoy the atmosphere and it’s a great place to socialise. I also enjoy the odd glass of wine at home, relaxing on the sofa watching a good movie. If a supermarket is offering a good deal on case of beer or a nice bottle of wine I don’t think ‘fantastic I’ll drink double’ I just appreciate the good it does for my purse strings. At the end of the day, I’m responsible enough to make my own decisions on where and how much I want to drink.
Traditionally closed to the public, the Fishmongers’ Hall will open its doors on July 1st for one night only to host an exclusive dinner on behalf of Hospitality Action.
The evening will commence at 7pm with a drinks reception which will be followed by a sumptuous four course seafood feast at the historic Fishmongers’ Hall – one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London – while overlooking the River Thames. Established in 1272, the Fishmongers’ company is amongst the most ancient of City Guilds with an unbroken existence of more than 700 years. This unique event sounds like the perfect way to spend a summers evening and is something food lovers are sure to enjoy. The great news is there is still time to get your ticket, priced at just £85 per person.
To secure your place contact Giuliana Vittiglio on 020 3004 5504 or at gvittiglio@hospitalityaction.org.uk. Visit www.hospitalityaction.org.uk for more information about the charity.
Hospitality Action offers a range of services to past and present employees within the hospitality industry. These services include financial aid and support and a family member’s scheme for retired industry members. All funds raised throughout the evening will offer a lifeline to those who find they have fallen on hard times.
The William Murray team is planning to get the bank holiday weekend off to a good start with a late afternoon celebration in Wonderland. Any opportunity to sample some fairy cakes, try whoopie pies and generally clink some glasses!! It’s also our chance to say ‘hello’ to the new faces and toast our recent client wins ….
Today’s Daily Express has featured an article that failing to clean your teeth properly can raise the risk of heart disease by as much as 70 per cent, according to a study by University College London.
As fascinating as the results of this research may be, what I’m more concerned about is the fact that people need to be reminded about cleaning their teeth properly! Not only will the person brushing their teeth improperly suffer from a heart attack, but any other person in contact with them due to the halitosis! What a lovely thought for a Friday!
This week’s Caterer & Hotelkeeper has reported on the launch of a new super budget hotel which is set to offer rooms at incredibly low cost rate of £32 per night. Budget hotels have been steadily growing in the last number of years in response to growing customer demand for value overnight accommodation but the rate offered at the 47-bedroom Premiere Classe Hotel in Coventry will rival even the very lowest advance booking prices of main budget brands such as Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express. It seems that owner Louvre Hotels are confident its name will not get confused with the UK’s current largest budget chain Premier Inn explaining that its logo, colour scheme and spelling widely differ. So will it be a case of you get what you pay for or could this be the eve of a new era, that of the super-budget hotel?
While most hospitality operators are gearing up for the World Cup, one licensee is doing the opposite – banning all football fun from his pub.
Punters at Russell Bettany’s pub, the Victory in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, will be fined for wearing football shirts and mentioning the beautiful game, according to today’s Publican.
Good news for those who are anti-fooball indeed. And even better for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices who will benefit from all ‘fines’ raised.
Another day, another story in the press about chocolate. This time it’s a positive one, so we’re paying full attention!
Reports this morning claim a new type of chocolate has been developed that can help fight wrinkles! The Swiss firm sharing this good news boasts to have developed a way of preserving the health-giving antioxidants in cocoa beans – ie. the ‘good bits’ which are usually lost in the manufacturing process.
Now all I need is details on where to buy it and I’ll be in line like a flash
Compass UK and Ireland has appointed Ian Sarson as group managing director, succeeding Ian El-Mokadem, who was widely known in the industry as ‘Elmo’. He will be playing a key role in developing the business in specialist areas, including healthcare and education.
We had a great evening last night at Hospitality Action’s Question of Support. Our team may not have made it to the premiership, but we won our league and were proud to lift the trophy at the end of the evening. The event raised over £65,000 for HA, with Unilever Foodsolutions handing a cheque to Penny Moore for £15,000. A huge thank you to everyone that attended, hopefully we’ll have the same luck in the World Cup this year!
One could be forgiven for thinking April Fools day was upon us with the recent story in the press about ‘the double banana’. Organisers of a charity fun run stumbled across the freakish fruit amongst a batch of bananas distributed free to runners of the race. When they peeled back the skin, they found two bananas crammed tightly together like two fingers of a Twix! Ironically, the fruit was uncovered only the day before the run in London’s Hyde Park billed ‘Beat the Banana’ – a race in which runners compete to overtake an athlete dressed as a banana.
With twice the fruit, and therefore twice the amount of skin, my advice - should anyone be lucky enough to get their mitts on one of these bizarre bananas – is to discard of the skin with caution. More skin equals more ‘slip potential’ which equals more embarrassment for the victim! Tread carefully!
