TRAINING FOR CATERING STAFF
Consultant Julian Edwards (GY5) is the lead partner in the South East for School Feast Food Excellence and Skills Training. In June, Edwards launched a ‘training bus' taking school meals training services to schools who can't find the time to send their staff to college for training.
LOOKING BEYOND NUTRITION STANDARDS
"Secondary Schools are prepared to pay for improved service," says consultant Steven Watts (Review Consultancy).
Watts managed the tendering in 15 secondary schools. In every case quality and innovation of the offer and the freshness of the food always came first. In some cases this has even been demanded in the face of an increased subsidy.
‘BUNDLING' CONTRACTS DELIVERS BETTER VALUE
"We are suggesting to schools that wish to outsource school meals that they ‘bundle' contracts with lock-on services such as cleaning," says Niccola Boyd-Stevenson (Panache Consultancy).
"The contractor has the opportunity of earning a reasonable fee and the school can receive best value."
MORE CASH FROM NEW STYLE OF SERVICE
FCSI consultant Ruth Hutt (Competitive Contract Services) reports that year 7 pupils at Tamarside College, Plymouth, were given a new style of lunch service last year, replacing cafeteria style with a choice of set main meals and a pudding.
Take up has increased and the pupils spend their full allowance with the new system, so the school earns more cash.
FAMILY SERVICE INTRODUCED
The introduction of family service at a London academy replaces the traditional servery, saving time on queuing but also on labour, while promoting responsibility and good table manners, says consultant Richard Wedgbury (Alexander Jon Richardson & Associates).
Wedgbury also helped introduce ‘self funding' at King's School Grantham, where food sold outside the school will pay for the new kitchen.
Recent Education Kitchen Projects by members of CEDA
Kitchen installation, project management, service & maintenance is a speciality for many CEDA members where their experience of solving problems and their expertise of handling all types of kitchens can really pay off for education caterers.
Shebbear College - Devon
Due to busy summer school, this new kitchen had to be completed in a window of 6 days! The very limited timescale coupled with the many problems that would be incurred in stripping out an old building made this a huge task for Aspen Design.
Reading School Tuck Shop
Carford Group designed a new back of house operation to prepare and cook food and a new front counter. They had to bring the building up to modern standards for health and safety including ventilation, floors and remove a damp problem.
Ashford Park Primary School
JDS designed and installed a new kitchen, supplying a complete turnkey package including new wall finishes, flooring, lighting, ventilation, services and gas interlock system within a tight budget.
Oakham School - Rutland
The sheer volume of meals (20,000 per week) made this a big project in a very tight timescale. Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment replaced the equipment, streamlining the central island suite and created a new servery.
Kendal College - South Lakes
A lecture theatre style kitchen that had to double as Staff/Student Café, a 20-seater private dining room and a cinema! And it had to have the style of a "trendy batchelor pad" using a mixture of top end domestic equipment as well as commercial. Designed and installed by Vision Commercial Kitchens.
Rugby High School
The design of a new catering facility in an old building to improve menu choice with healthy food had to be completed in the 6 week summer holiday which left only two weeks for Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment to install the equipment.
The Hub at Glasgow University
The first requirement for Catering Design Group was to produce a feasibility study reducing the catering space requirements from 4500 to 1700 square metres, generating major savings in energy. CDG then designed/installed the new facility incorporating energy efficient equipment.
