July 2006 Archives

I think these make sense - apparently they are sweeping the states and could cross the pond to here soon. Happy riding!

Kitchen Rat loves blogging and thinks this blog should be viewed by more people, so that's why we've signed up to the bloggers profile site and post a profile on Technorati Profile. This should help more people reach this site and if you are into blogs then it's also a great way to find \more blogs that you enjoy reading.

Kitchen Rat loves blogging and thinks this blog should be viewed by more people, so that's why we've signed up to the bloggers profile site and post a profile on Technorati Profile. This should help more people reach this site and if you are into blogs then it's also a great way to find \more blogs that you enjoy reading.

For those eagle-eyed amongst you who noticed that big Gord wasn't present for the final photo call at this month's Catey awards, KR has found the answer. While many suspected the celeb chef had many a hasty exit, he hadn't. Instead, I learnt, he was answering a call of nature and was stuck in the little boys room - possibly coiffuring his bouffant hairdo

Kitchen Rat's joke at the expense of the editor of a rival restaurant publication about his breakfast attire when interviewing Chris Galvin has not gone down a storm with the aforementioned Ed. Excrutiating as it was for KR to reveal to everyone that the said Ed was wearing nut-crunching cycling shorts during the interview - not a good look on any man. The jibe has prompted the magazine's editor to reveal to the restaurant world that he is hung like "an Iceland frozen prawn"......snigger, snigger... But hey fair play for being so honest - not something that is easy for a man when it comes to talking about the size of his tackle - and as we all know its not the size of the linear that's important but the motion on the ocean that counts - a good thing if you happen to be a prawn! Anyway thanks for the name check in your "august organ", which prompted me to wonder when the whole of "The Cleaver" column would be dedicated to the goings on at Caterer and Hotelkeeper!

Awards bashes are a pretty good excuse to put on some finery and drink a bit more bubbly than is good for you. With that in mind, last week Kitchen Rat popped along to the snappily-named Hotel and Catering Personnel and Training Association Annual awards do at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London. The room was full of some of the industry's great and good but one member of the crowd particularly caught my eye. Putting on some finery is all very well but surely not at the expense of underwear (see photo - far left). I can only guess she was in a rush to leave the house.

Sniffing round the table legs at another industry party this week, my rat ears picked up an interesting snippet regarding the new Malmaison hotel in Oxford. Seems they're keeping the old iron cell doors (Grade-I listed, you see). Should be cosy. Intriguingly, I also overheard mention of "bodies". Sounds like the builders may have unearthed a few unexpected surprises. If anyone can shed any light, drop me an email or something.

Wow.. well the 23rd Cateys was a hell of bash and thankfully for Kitchen Rat I managed to secure yet another invite. That's 23 years on the run, so I think its high time that I won award now - I hope the judges read this and dream up a suitable category for me for next year! There were many highlights but my favourite memory is Gordon Ramsay's hair. My god, he should become patron of the buffon society for those with "big hair". The TV star and top chef cut a stylish image in his white tie and tux - nice touch, I thought - but had grown the most amazing bread-head. If you weren't there on the night (yah booh sucks that means you weren't invited!) then see CatererTV's Catey 2006 highlights package and look out for Gordon's gigantic blonde buffon!

Kitchen Rat was lucky enough to attend the BHA's annual lunch on Tuesday and was pleased to see the proceedings were dominated by the bed tax and the campaign to stop Sir Michael Lyons from recommending this revenue-raiser for local government. However, it must be said that the BHA's campaign slogan Put the Bed Tax to Sleep seemed wholly appropriate given that Travelodge and Caterer have both been running a Say No To Bed Tax campaign since April. One could say that at the BHA has finally woken up, but hey, I guess there's nothing like joining the party late in the day!

A classic clip of The Muppets' character the Swedish Chef is doing the rounds on YouTube. Watch and weep as Sweden's national dish gets the treatment it deserves. Actually the Swedish Chef reminds me of another hapless Swede whose World Cup display was less inspiring than meatballs themselves - good luck Sven, we've seen enough!

A classic clip of The Muppets' character the Swedish Chef is doing the rounds on YouTube. Watch and weep as Sweden's national dish gets the treatment it deserves. Actually the Swedish Chef reminds me of another hapless Swede whose World Cup display was less inspiring than meatballs themselves - good luck Sven, we've seen enough!

A classic clip of The Muppets' character the Swedish Chef is doing the rounds on YouTube. Watch and weep as Sweden's national dish gets the treatment it deserves. Actually the Swedish Chef reminds me of another hapless Swede whose World Cup display was less inspiring than meatballs themselves - good luck Sven, we've seen enough!

I hear that Sir Rocco Forte's wife has landed the great man in a bit of bother with the police. Apparently, while driving his Chelsea tractor the wrong way down a one-way street, she caused a four-car smash and then drove away from the scene.

Alas, Sir Rocco's Range Rover was picked up on CCTV footage and identified as the offending vechile, but he contested that his Range Rover could not have been involved as he never knew it had happened. As it turns out his wife had decided not to tell the great man, but just forwarded the paperwork onto his office.

The magistrates at Guildford Magistrate's court obviously felt a certain sympathy with Sir Rocco as they only fined him £500 for failing to comply with a police investigation