The Public Sector Catering Awards (preciously the Cost Sector Catering Awards) celebrated it’s 30th year last night at the Hilton London Metropole. The awards are the gold standard for public sector catering, which is often the unsung hero of the foodservice world. Be it catering in education, hospital catering, care home catering and even catering for the military and the prison service, public sector catering is the oft-unseen force that keeps Britain running.
We are thrilled to announce our latest collaboration with world ingredients brand Cooks&Co: the Worldie Sandwich Competition. As an agency that values creativity and food, we couldn’t be more excited to lead the development and management of this culinary competition.
Typography. You just click the drop-down and choose something you like the look of. Simple. Serif if it’s formal, sans-serif if it isn’t. Job. Done. Well no. Typography is almost certainly the most under-appreciated element of visual design. Done well it’s amost invisible. Change the typeface on Apple, on Easyjet, on Nike or on Converse, and the entire brand is lost. It’s the tone of voice, it’s the personality, it’s the rhythm and meter of the message and it’s been that way since the earliest letterforms began organising communication, writing histories and spreading news around our world. So what should be looking out for in 2023. Read on good traveller, read on.
For more than three decades, jellybean has been proud to support Plan International, a global children’s charity where each employee over that period has had a child sponsored for them in their name – 100 in total.
Earlier this month I headed into a rather rainy London for the first Lumina Food Strategy Forum of the year. With a new venue – the Everyman Broadgate – Lumina’s quarterly forums provide a fantastic insight into how the out-of-home market and consumer behaviours have changed over the previous quarter.
Monday night may not traditionally be ‘party night’, but this Monday was the exception, as it saw the 11th annual Contract Catering Awards held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in London’s Tower Bridge. The night attracted the great and the good of the contract catering world to celebrate the best in the business, from healthcare to CSR, education to innovation, and everything in between. The night kicked-off with bubbles and networking, and then it was onto the main event – the excellent meal and the awards themselves, as the excited nominees (including my local cobbler’s nephew – long story!) would finally find out who would be walking away victorious.
The inaugural Foodservice Summit, brought about by the wonderful team behind Bread & Jam Fest, was held at the beginning of March in an effort to help foodie start-ups crack open the often misunderstood world of away from home and showcase the many opportunities that the foodservice market can offer brands. As a leading foodservice agency we were of course there and were in fact proud to be a sponsor of this exciting new addition to the foodservice calendar.
Burgers? Brooklyn Lager? SOLD. H2O once again pulled out all the stops for 2023’s National Burger Awards, paying homage to the heroes behind the grill with a gauntlet style showdown followed by an awards ceremony to honour the best burgers in the UK. The competition was fierce with over 200 entries, that were eventually whittled down to sixteen of our country’s leading burger restaurants, pubs and street food trucks.
The MCA Food to Go Conference is always a must attend event and this year was no exception. As a leading food and drink agency we make it our business to stay on top of the latest trends, so we were there to hear from a stella line-up of experts from market insight to operators. The day was, as ever, jam-packed, but here are our top take-outs…
Well it’s better (slightly late) than never. Art Director Luca and myself have taken a look at the most reported (and evidenced) design trends for 2023.
The findings of which proved rather sobering for me (Andy) at least, as it turns out that the design vernacular of my childhood (90’s / rave) have now returned – nothing makes you feel so old as the confirmation that your not-so-long-ago childhood is now a fit subject for nostalgia.
To start the new year on a high and to tackle my first resolution, I challenged myself to Veganuary. Alongside 700,000 others, I signed up to go vegan for January 2023, in hopes of improving my diet and doing my part for the animals and environment.
The month was a great success, and as February rolled around, I was filled with a real sense of achievement. Going forward, I’m committed to incorporating more plant-based foods into my lifestyle and making substitutes where and when I can – “Veganuary is more than just a pledge”!
Here are the dishes I’ll be continuing to enjoy throughout the rest of 2023…
Both consumers and brands have the power to create real change, and by examining our own buying choices, we can help to make our world a fairer and more ethical place. This Fairtrade Fortnight (27th February – 12th March) is about spreading a simple message – making the small switch to Fairtrade supports producers in protecting the future of some of our most-loved food and the planet.
News that the Government plans to centralise regional buying and distribution agreements across food and catering supplies to appoint one single ‘super supplier’ for schools, hospitals, care homes, local authorities and developed administrations, has sent shockwaves through the foodservice industry. The plan which seems to be at best ill-advised (if advised at all) and at worse, a step towards a monopoly has been met with criticism across the board, as industry experts, suppliers and wholesalers air their concerns at the lack of consultation.
The 2023 Six Nations Championship got off to a thrilling start at the weekend, with Scotland delivering a stunning performance to defeat England in the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham, while Ireland dominated Wales in Cardiff on the opening day. Italy’s bravery and determination almost saw them clinch a famous Six Nations win against reigning champions France, but just missed out by a narrow margin.
Have you ever found yourself torn between two career paths? On one hand, there’s the allure of being in the spotlight and living life in the fast lane as a Love Island contestant. On the other hand, there’s the stability and challenge of a career in marketing. OK, maybe not a scenario many people might find themselves in, and it’s not the start of a mid-life crisis and career change, I promise. But I thought, hey, this would make for a fun blog, don’t you think? Well, you may be surprised to know that there are actually some striking similarities between these two paths. So, let’s take a deeper dive and explore the parallel worlds of reality dating TV and food and drink marketing.
Leveraging the consumer pull of a restaurant brand to create a range of products in retail is not a new idea by any means. Indeed, since 1998 Pizza Express has had their incredibly successful FMCG range in retail. Then followed Nando’s, Itsu, Greggs, YO!, TGI Fridays, Ed’s Diner, Chiquitos and Harry Ramsden’s. There is also Carluccios’s, Zizzi, Wahaca, Wasabi, Wagamama and more! In fact, we recently worked on the launch of Cinnamon Kitchen into Tesco, a range of premium Indian fine dining ready meals developed by Vivek Singh of The Cinnamon Club group of restaurants (you can read more here).
I recently spent a long week in Marrakech to celebrate my significant other’s special birthday. For a short break in January, just a 3.5hr flight from Gatwick and boasting temperatures of 20 degrees, it was the ideal destination. The city is renowned for its rich culture, history, and of course delicious cuisine. The food in Marrakech is a blend of traditional Moroccan flavours, with a touch of Berber and Andalusian influences and during our stay we sampled some of the best that Marrakech has to offer.
January is an important time to predict and consider what trends and changes we can expect to see in the culinary world throughout the year. In the food and hospitality industry, staying ahead of the curve is essential in order to appeal to customers and remain successful. Although we’ve already looked at trends in the eating out market, here, we will explore what flavours and ingredients chefs and restauranteurs should be aware of in 2023:
Air fryers have become increasingly popular over the last few years with no sign of their popularity waning. With more models on the market, from budget to high tech, and plenty of recipes available online and on social media, the trend is at an all-time high. After receiving one for Christmas and being a full-time foodie, I am now fully immersed into the ‘air fryer universe’ and excited to try new dishes.
How do they work?
The great thing about air fryers is that they use an alternative method to deep frying which is a much healthier option, you can simply use a single tablespoon of oil or a low-calorie spray. Hot air is blasted round the basket/tray instead of frying yet still manages to produce the crispiness and crunch that we crave.
Why use them?
Air fryers are super energy efficient, cooking dishes in record time and using less electricity than a standard oven. They may be a pricey initial investment but are worth the energy saving in the long run. They are best suited to a small family or couple, otherwise it may take multiple cooks and would be better to use an oven all in one go for larger households.
Which model?
As you can imagine there are many air fryer options out there and it’s important to choose the right one. They’re available in different cooking capacities and 1 or 2 baskets, make sure to choose one that will be big enough to feed your household or the type of dishes you want to achieve.
Some models offer multi functionality with oven-styles that have rotisserie accessories, or a multi-cooker including a slow cooker or dehydrator. It’s worth reviewing a few different models to see which best fits your needs.
It’s also worth checking that the baskets are removable and also dishwasher safe, to help ensure you can keep your air fryer as clean as possible.
From the ultimate favourite crispy chips to gooey chocolate chip cookies, the air fryer really does it all. My favourite cooks so far have been homestyle fries, super crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and chicken wings – crispy skin yet moist in the middle. Anything from eggs for breakfast to one pot cooks for dinner will work a treat. If you’re in need of some inspiration there’s a plethora of delicious recipes from home chefs on TikTok or try any of your favourite foodie websites.
A lot of recipes take a little bit of trial and error with temperature and time to make sure you get the best end result, with the air fryer being a different type of cook to a traditional oven.
A great way to ensure that you get the crunchy or crispy end product is by coating it with some corn flour – this works best on potatoes and meat. Make sure to flip or toss your food often to help achieve an even cook. You can use parchment paper or filters to add to the tray/basket to avoid any mess or extra clean up.
Happy air frying! Don’t forget to share your recipes and dishes with us on our socials @jellybeanagency
As we find ourselves in deepest darkest January with the parties and fun of Christmas and New Year a distant memory it may seem there’s not much to get excited about. However, one thing I do look forward to in the depths of winter is cracking out my beloved slow cooker and whipping up my favourite winter warmers.
