It’s fair to say that 2022’s World Cup was a bit of a surprise package; one where the sumptuous theatre of the beautiful game managed to just about outshine – or at least temporarily mask with gilded wallpaper – the widely reported misdeeds of the host regime. It’s great news, therefore, that, this time around, one third of 2026’s expanded tournament is safely ensconced in the hands of a peace-loving nation with sensible, pragmatic leadership at the helm.
Last Thursday, 650 people packed into the London Hilton Metropole to celebrate the best in public sector catering. Nineteen awards. One brilliant evening.
I am absolutely thrilled that from April 2026, Neil Brenson becomes Managing Director, alongside Susan Wickes in a joint MD structure at jellybean that reflects both the growth of our business and the direction we are heading.Read More
Consumer confidence has been stuck between -23 and -17 since the summer of 2024. Job security worries are growing. And yet the UK food to go market has not just held its ground. It has grown.
Right now, someone is asking an AI tool which food brand to buy. Which sauce, which drink, which supplier to call. And the answer they get won’t come from a Google search. It won’t link to your website. It will be a single, confident recommendation from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity and more. If it doesn’t include your brand, you simply don’t exist in that moment.
Food in Healthcare – It’s not about being cheap. It’s about quality and value.
Two firsts for Arena
Thursday the 5th of March marked a milestone for Arena. Not one, but two firsts; the Importance of Healthcare Catering was Arena’s inaugural breakfast event and its first ever sector-focused gathering.
The B2B Marketing UK Agencies Benchmarking Report 2026 is out, and we’re delighted that jellybean has been named both as a Top 10 UK Market and Strategy Planning Specialist (coming in at no.7) and a Top 40 UK B2B Marketing Agency (coming in at no.34).
A rallying call for UK foodservice manufacturers waiting out the storm.
When a jockey becomes unseated in the throng of hard-fought steeplechase; they are taught, as if it needed teaching, given the immediate danger of being crushed to buggery by pairs of onrushing fetlocks, to adopt the foetal position and pray.
This week saw Lumina Intelligence host a webinar that challenged many of our assumptions about sustainability in the food and drink sector. The session revealed a significant shift in consumer attitudes around sustainability set to impact foods and drink brands in 2026.
There’s something genuinely uplifting about seeing 89 faces on a Teams call at 9am on a weekday morning. Not because they have to be there, but because they want to be. That was the opening to Hospitality Action’s Ambassador AGM, and it set the tone for what turned out to be one of the most moving hours I’ve spent in front of a screen in a long while.
I’ve always loved fried chicken. The crunch. The juice. The way it manages to be both comfort food and celebration depending on where you are and who you’re with. So, when H2O Publishing invited Nick and I to the inaugural Fried Chicken Championships at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, it was a done deal.
A couple of weeks ago saw the last of Lumina’s Quarterly 2025 briefings, packed full of data and what we can expect to see in the world of hospitality as we welcome in 2026. Following the highly insightful deep dive, our hosts took us on a festive foray around Spitalfields Market.
I had the pleasure of attending the Arena Christmas Event with Susan, our MD, on December 1st – a brilliant way to kick off the festive season, especially as it was held at the stunning Mandarin Oriental Park Lane. Beyond the celebrations, it was an invaluable opportunity to gain key takeaways for the year ahead in our industry.
At this year’s Arena Christmas Event heavyweights from UK Hospitality, The Evolv Collection (previously D&D), Gather + Gather (contract caterers) and RedCat Independent Pubs assembled on the stage at the Mandarin Oriental for a compelling panel discussion. Given the recent budget there was a lot to discuss. Below are my key takeaways, the good, the bad and the ugly…
Walking the floor at ExCeL, it was impossible to ignore the sheer buzz around all things better-for-you. This year, health and function weren’t fringe topics, they were very much centre stage.
Code to Cuisine – AI, Creativity and the Future of Food – UCFF Session
This year’s festival was not just about tasting new flavours and catching up with familiar faces. On the Trends & Debates stage, things got lively as industry leaders explored the role of AI in foodservice. The discussion offered a fascinating look at how technology is shaping menus, kitchens and the guest experience – with a certain amount of spirited debate along the way.
Dubbed ‘Glastonbury for Chefs’ UCFF has long been the go-to event for chefs looking for inspiration. The ‘Universal Cookery and Food Festival’ is a mouthful in itself, but offers far more than a mouthful when it comes to amazing food and drink, both from the brands in attendance and the stand-out catering (well when you are feeding chefs you have to be pretty impressive). No exhibition halls here, just a farm, great food and drink, demos, debates and of course fresh air and thankfully this year – sunshine! With its original format it is quite literally a breath of fresh air when it comes to foodservice events.
