Having just passed the 3 month mark at Jellybean, I jumped at the chance to attend my first industry event. Specifically designed for those new to foodservice, the Horizons Key Club and Study Tour seemed right up my street.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I was greeted with open arms by Peter Backman – the host of this particular event. With in-depth knowledge of the foodservice industry gleamed from over 30 years experience in the sector, Peter was able to quickly get us up to speed on the sector’s structure and statistics.

As well as covering the basics, Peter explained the various trends before taking us out to the local area to highlight the variety of different food concepts on offer in Bank, London. A world away from our quiet high street in Leatherhead where we have just a few lunchtime options, it was amazing to see how brands had included trends and technology to tempt lunchtime diners in a hurry.

From salad to go chains Vital Ingredient and Tossed, to health conscious Pod and Fastoche – it was clear that nutritious and delicious lunches were on the top of London’s foodie wish list. Of course, with such a diverse demographic, international cuisine was also a major player on the high street with brands such as itsu, Kaiten and Mehek being popular choices amongst Londoners. Even the local Post Office had a mini restaurant attached serving sandwiches and Indian / Chinese cuisine!

After the workshop had finished, we couldn’t resist stopping off at Taoo – a grab ‘n’ go food concept serving Baozi. Their Cheese and Chorizo steamed bun was simply delicious and definitely worth the detour.

Thank you to Horizons for putting on a fantastic workshop and for tempting my tastebuds!


Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.