It's New Year and thoughts inevitably turn to the 12 months ahead. Kitchen Rat decided to do a bit of crystal ball gazing...
January
Hilton boss David Michels loses his entire £9m windfall from the Hilton-buys-Hilton deal in a marathon poker game with orange-skinned celebrity antique dealer David Dickenson.
February
Hot-tempered chef Tom Aikens is arrested and jailed after crowning a customer with an ashtray she tried to nick.
March
Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin's mullet wins Best in Show at Crufts, but is caught out by tough new quarantine laws when it attempts to take a celebratory short break in Torremolinos.
April
Contract caterer Compass Group confesses to withholding discounts from suppliers for the past 50 years. Outgoing chairman Francis Mackay's wife admits: "He's been a very naughty boy."
May
Punch Taverns buys up all the pubs in the UK. Competition commission OKs the deal on the grounds that it can't really be arsed to investigate.
June
Jamie Oliver launches campaign to improve prison food but pulls out after a nasty incident in the shower room involving a dropped bar of soap.
July
London's Savoy hotel sold to Choice Hotels, which renames it the Sleep Inn Savoy London Luxury Hotel, Resort and Spa by Choice.
August
Chef Raymond Blanc is cast in the role of Inspector Clouseau in the remake of "The Pink Panther", which proves to be the surprise box-office hit of the summer.
September
After a night on the tiles, Clapham House Group's David Page pays £3m for Khan's Kebab shop in Peckham, south London, citing massive roll-out potential. Regrets it in the morning.
October
Chaos at top London restaurant after chef mistakenly puts his commis' stash of "magic" mushrooms in the omelette special.
November
Gordon Ramsay's new TV series, Celebrity Hell's Kitchen Property Swap Revisited, attracts 10m viewers on its first night.
December
Department of Health revises smoking ban guidelines. Smoking now permitted in all pubs, except those that serve alcohol.
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