September 2006 Archives

It's great to see hoteliers joining in the "Say No To Bed Tax" campaign and with such taste and forethought as well. Hotelier Peter Grazier, co-owner of the Crown hotel in Harrogate, wheeled a bed outside the front of the Midland hotel in Manchester to highlight his opposition to a bed tax.

Of course Tony Blair probably had more pressing things on his mind - like what Gordon Brown might say during his conference speech and what his wife might say in response - but Peter's protest must have grabbed attention thanks to the scantily clad lingerie models who are also very much against the bed tax.... and why not!

Have you seen this news story. I guess it's not such a surprise that Gordon Ramsay has been voted the most influential player in the industry. So this year's vote didn't go to Jamie Oliver, nor InterContinental Hotels Group boss Andy Cosslett or Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck.

All three are in this year's CatererSearch100 list, alongside 96 other hospitality heavyweights ranked in order of who is making the biggest impact in hospitality in 2006. Have a look at the full list and tell me what you think. It makes interesting reading, I think!

To support British Food Fortnight we are asking chefs to send us their favourite British recipes - these can either be twists on traditional classics or recipes designed from scratch that use only British ingredients. Join in and send us your favourites and you could win some Pyrex dishes and have your work featured in Caterer. For more info and to send us your recipes see here.

Notice any similarity between world class French chef Joel Robuchon and french-speaking former footie manager and pundit big Ron Atkinson???


Robuchon opens his first London restaurant L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon tonight. If you're going, then let KR know what its like, as I have other plans tonight!

Hilarious interview with Jamie Oliver on YouTube. Watch and weep!