New resources!

Campden BRI

There is now a link to Campden BRI (The independent UK organisation that carries out research and development for the food and drinks industry worldwide) in the Athens list of resources. The site gives access to news, research and reports along with new technologies bulletins, project summaries, training and events schedules and access to other publications. A log-in is required for the Member zone. Please see the description of the resource in the Athens list for the log-in details.

Westburn Journals

2 new titles from Westburn Publishers are available in the IngentaConnect resource via Athens. They are: Journal of Customer Behaviour and (The) Marketing Review

Food, Drink and Hospitality: Space, Materiality, Practice

The British Sociological Association’s Food Study Group, in conjunction with the Hospitality & Society Journal and Oxford Gastronomica, Oxford Brookes University, are holding an event at the British Sociological Association’s London Meeting Room on Friday 14^th of June 2013.

There is a call for papers for those wishing to present. Abstracts of approximately 500 words should be sent to Peter Lugosi (plugosi@brookes.ac.uk) by Thursday the 28^th of February 2013.

More details, including booking instructions can be found here 

Jelly (Water) Babies

One post has led to another this morning. Whilst looking at the call for papers for the event next June by the Food Studies group of the British Sociological Association, which I've posted separately about, I came across the following interesting and inspiring talk transcript..  I shall never view a green jelly baby in quite the same way! :-)

National Eating out Week

This week (18th to the 24th November) sees the 3rd National Eating out Week. For more Info click here

It would appear that today has been set aside as 'In Praise of Casserole' day, and tomorrow will be 'In Praise of Spag Bol day' ! This theme continues for the rest of the week

Resource - change of name

Please note that the Datamonitor resource has now changed it's name to Marketline Advantage. You will neeed to scroll a little further down the Athens list to find it

Herman the German

Akin to an edible chain letter, Herman the German friendship cake apparently originates from the 1720's and the Amish people. They would make a type of  sourdough bread which would be passed among the needy and sick. The Amish began to emigrate from Germany to America in the early C18, where they established settlements in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and they took the recipe with them. The basic premise is that you can either start your own 'Herman', or you may get given one. It’ll probably be given to you in a bowl looking something like this:

(This is the starter mix, which is a substitute for baking yeast) Whichever is the case, you ‘nurture’ your  Herman for 10 days, following the instructions, and every few days adding sugar flour and milk. After the 10 days is up, just before baking, the growing mixture is separated into four portions. You bake the one portion (adding any extra ingredients you think would enhance the flavour) and pass the other three to friends to ‘nurture’ and continue the cycle...

With any luck, your baked Herman should end up looking more like this:

Find out much more about the origins of Herman, along with instructions, tips, advice and recipe ideas here

Where did they get that lamp?

A new website launched in March this year, will help hotel guests to recreate the decoration they enjoyed during their stay, in their own homes.

The site www.discover-deliver.com aims to source the accessories, including furniture, crockery and cutlery, for the customers and deliver the exact item or something as similar as possible in terms of style and quality, to them. The site has it’s own shop where items can be purchased which the researchers have already selected from a number of hotels across the country, but if the customer wishes to own something they’ve seen in any hotel they’ve stayed in, they’re asked to simply take a photo of the item and send it in to the site. There is a charge of  £25 for using the service which is then redeemable against any item they eventually purchase.

Hospitality Action Week

Hospitality Action, the Hospitality Industry Benevolent Organisation, has been offering assistance to those who work or have worked within hospitality in the UK, for over 170 years. This week,14th-20th May is Hospitality Action week and will see a host of fundraising activities taking place all over the country and covering the entire hospitality industry. Find out more here

'Oggy' Oscars

Pasty makers and lovers will be descending on the Eden Project in Cornwall this weekend for the first ever world pasty championships.

For a pasty to now be labelled 'Cornish' not only must it be made in Cornwall, it must also contain certain ingredients and can't be crimped on the top; only on the side! This came about as a result of the EU status award of 'Protected geographical indication'. 

There are 4 categories in the championship... 2 for residents of Cornwall only and 2 for amateur outsiders..including 'Open savoury pasty' in which unusual savoury recipes are welcomed! I know what my unusual ingredient would be! Any guesses?? What about yours....?

E-resources Bonanza!

The Institute of Hospitality has this year introduced a brand new e-Resources Collection, which combines hospitality industry e-books and e-journals on a single platform. The journals package actually contains many VERY useful Management, Marketing and Business titles, including the well-known general management magazine, published since 1922 in Boston, Massachusetts, and claiming a particularly ‘high ranking amongst academic, executives and management consultants’.

To access the Institute’s collections you must be a registered member. Registration is free, but you must be a UCB student or a member of staff. To register if you are on Campus, bring up the One-Log (Non-Athens) portal list of resources, by clicking on the logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen (Looks like a cogwheel with a green tick in it) and choose ‘Institute of Hospitality (account registration)’ Create a personal account and then you will be able to log-in to the site on each subsequent visit, either by going directly to the Institute of Hospitality home page, or If you want to access the site from the One-Log portal each further time, by clicking on the 2nd link - ‘Institute of Hospitality (member log-in)’.

If you want to access the resource from off-campus, you will need to download software first, to see the One-log logo on your computer. The instructions for downloading the software can be found here.

Essential chocolate guide

The Largest chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut has made available an ‘Essential Guide to chocolate;. The Guide claims to be the ultimate chocolate reference for any chef and includes information on the latest chocolate trends, recipes, how to ‘temper’, plating, and problem solving techniques. You can download the guide here.

Best Employers In Hospitality Awards 2012

On the 28th May this year, the Lancaster hotel in London will host the Best Employers in Hospitality Awards 2012. The competition is now open for entries! Employers enter themselves and then their employees rank them using a bespoke employee engagement tool which asks them to evaluate their employment experience with questions ranging from working environment through to career opportunities. Click on the above to learn more about this year’s competition and the winners of last year’s event. The deadline for completed entries this year is 2nd April.

Food and Drink Apprenticeships

With National Apprenticeship Week this week, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) are keen to exploit the Government’s commitment to deliver an extra 250,000 apprenticeship places by 2015 by increasing the number of apprenticeships available in the food and drink manufacturing sector. They have called on all UK food and drink manufacturers to sign up to an apprenticeship pledge and have also launched a careers campaign called 'Taste Success - A Future in Food'. Read about the FDF’s plans, some case study examples and find about their series of regional roadshows here

Recipe for Change

Friday 24th Feb will see the first ever World Food Night organised by the charity Refugee Action. It is an opportunity to hold an event and cook food from around the world for friends, family, or colleagues in return for donations for their dinner. Celebrity chef and “dragon slaying” entrepreneur Levi Roots has endorsed the event, and registration is now open for anyone who’d like to take part. The website has all the information and resources you’ll need, including invitation cards, a poster, and recipe ideas, as well as news of how others intend to participate.

Get into shape for 2012

Yes.. I know we're already here! I just wanted to draw your attention to the People 1st website, as it has developed a number of useful resources to help hospitality businesses 'get into shape' for 2012.. a huge year, with the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics and Paralympics!