How do you start your day? A builder’s tea? (standard) A milky coffee? (safe) A black coffee? (bit extreme) A double espresso? (I think you need help).
Chances are that you, like myself, start your day with a caffeinated beverage to get you going. I was always a tea girl, through and through until I discovered iced coffee, and I’ve been in a coffee fuelled love affair with it ever since. Whilst I could wax lyrical about how amazing it tastes and why you too should love it, its history and influence in modern day society makes for a much more compelling case.
As we continue to struggle as a nation to cope with the impact of Covid-19 on a local, national and international level, and adapt our lives to a new normal in order to keep the R number below 1 and implement strategic lockdowns in specific communities, I stop to reflect on the impact this pandemic is having on our 2020 project helping girls in Zimbabwe continue their education. Whilst we complain about compulsory quarantine after a 2 week holiday in Spain, rally against wearing face masks in busy public places, miss having mass social gatherings with our friends and family and struggle with continuing to work from home in an ever changing landscape, spare a thought for a country that is suffering from a poor harvest, rampant inflation and a growing Coronavirus problem.
As part of the MCA’s recent series of webinars, the insight experts looked at how different factors will impact key foodservice sectors – creating winners and losers. With consumers worried over the imminent recession and job security once furlough ends in October, as well as very real concerns over Covid safety and hygiene when eating out, some operators find themselves in a better position than others. Of course, as has been the case for the last few months, it is an ever changing scene, but as of July 2020 MCA predict the following…
The 4th July brought the foodservice sector one step closer to recovery, but in a post-covid world the question on everyone’s minds is when will the industry return to its former glory? As part of their Food Strategy Forum series, MCA examined what a post-lockdown recovery looks like for the UK market, highlighting the impact coronavirus has had on trends, dynamic meal equation and the consequential shift in consumer attitudes and eating habits.
If you made arrangements with friends or business associates to meet up at a certain time and place and just failed to turn up with no excuse, apology or forewarning you’d quickly end up with no friends or and/or unemployed. So what makes people feel they can book a table at a restaurant and then just not turn up?
Mine was one of the 3,000 bookings taken by Paul Ainsworth’s team over the two days when they opened their phone lines. Yes, we were the people keen to get out and get eating! After months of lock-down cooking and a wedding postponed (not once but twice) due to Covid, we were eager to at least have something to look forward to in our two weeks of non-honeymoon and what better than a trip to our favourite haunt Padstow? We were also interested to see what ‘new normal’ dining would be like and of course keen to stay safe having spent so long doing the right thing and staying home. We chose the restaurants based on three factors: ones we love, dog-friendly ones (as we had the hound with us) and a new factor for our ‘new normal’ – ones we trusted. Paul Ainsworth is possibly our favourite chef, I followed his lock-down story on social media and was keen to support his return, so when the booking lines opened we were ‘on it’ and booked to stay at The Padstow Townhouse in a newly dog-friendly suite (we were in good company as Jason Atherton was also staying with his family). We also booked for Café Rojano and The Mariners with a visit to Rick Stein’s St Petroc Bistro sandwiched in between, topped off with pre-dinner drinks at the new Padstow Distillery and Padstow Brewery Tasting Rooms.
Good value for money has always been a priority to us, but since lockdown a lot has changed and consumer perception of it. As part of their Food Strategy Forum, the MCA examined what value for money really means in the new normal, here are my top take outs from their webinar.
As Jellybean celebrates its 33rd year in business and manages its way through the Covid 19 lockdown I take a rather irreverent look back and reflect on what was happening in the UK in 1987 – the year that it all started and our business was established. I am sure it will jog some memories and I hope it brings a smile to a few old faces who remember those days as fondly as I do.
From Special Fried Rice, to Mango Rice Pudding. From Asia to Britain. From The Alchemist to Cyrus Todiwala. It is safe to say that Tilda Chef At Home has exceeded all of our expectations…
Yesterday’s announcement to open up hospitality and UK tourism from 4th July was just the life line the industry had been campaigning hard for. Married with the unseasonably good weather we’re currently experiencing, it looks like we may be about to see a staycation boom this summer (with Bojo’s blessing). After being cooped up for so long there is a sense that certainly a sizeable chunk of the population rather fancy a change of scene having stared at the same four walls for the past three months.
With the foodservice industry being forced in to a slow crawl due to the lockdown, and the grocery retail industry experiencing heightened demand, but with new rules, the wholesale market has faced some huge challenges head-on and shown some remarkable adaptability throughout the Corona Virus pandemic.
Buying seasonal and local produce was predicted at the beginning of 2020 to be a big trend in the UK, with consumers adopting the concept when cooking at home and also looking for more seasonal dishes on menus when eating out. The trend sees people making the most out of changing ingredients throughout each season, appreciating the peak of each of the flavours and textures of produce.
As the foodservice market starts to brush itself down, dust itself off and look to take its first tentative steps now is the time to look at what is in store for the immediate future of foodservice. Today Simon Stenning shared his latest predictions with a CEDA audience, the topline summary of his far more in-depth report (which is available to purchase via futurefoodservice.com) shone a light on the industry as a whole as well as further sector specific impacts. Below are my top takeout’s…
In the absence of almost all face to face interactions in our working lives, it’s amazing how quickly in isolation we have adapted and gotten used to viewing each other as small, slightly pixelated digital beings, via video platforms like Zoom or Teams.
When it feels like we’re living in a Groundhog Day, the task of finding ways to stay positive is becoming a challenge we’re all facing. Whist we’re doing what we should to stay physically healthy, it’s equally as critical we stay on top of our mental health. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology and host of The Happiness Lab podcast recently spoke about the ways in which we can boost our well-being during these unprecedented times. Here’s the key take-outs from her most recent Q&A:
I read a news story in The Caterer recently that spoke about how zero waste and modest ingredients will be key post-lockdown for chefs and it made me realise just how much we’ve been relying on these types of ingredients ourselves of late – the ‘new frugality’ if you will.
Usually when you think of Arena events you think palatial venues, glasses of bubbles, canapés and of course a fabulous three course lunch. Not to mention the shared insights from those at the top of their game and the chance to catch-up with industry contacts old and new.
Coined the ‘new normal’ there are numerous predictions about how our ‘adjusted normality’ will pan out. Of course, nobody knows for sure how this unprecedented pandemic will affect UK consumers and the eating out scene in the months ahead, but here are some of the top predictions across both…
This week our client Hobart – the UK’s leading catering equipment manufacturer and service provider – announced that it is to make the healthcare sector its “absolute number one priority” helping keep public sector kitchens operational in the face of overwhelming demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
