Hotelympia preview: Gear up for the year
PUBLICANS UNDERSTAND the value of time management only too well, and it's a skill that's never more valuable than at Hotelympia, one of the industry's biggest events.
Taking place at ExCel, London, from February 17 to 21, publicans planning a visit should think ahead to ensure they connect with the events and exhibitors most relevant to their business.
New product areas for 2008 include Tabletop, Décor & Design, Premises & Facilities Management, and Bathroom & Spa, with more than 1,000 exhibitors at the show in all. There are also two co-located shows; Careers in Hospitality and Hostec-Europe.
Live skills are very much a feature of Hotelympia, including culinary competition in the Live Theatre and the La Parade des Chefs restaurant, as well as the finals of the UK Barista Championships, heats of the renowned Nestlé Toque d'Or student chefs competition, and creative inspiration from chefs at the top of their game in The Skillery.
Food & drink
The Food & Drink section aims to entice visitors with a host of new products designed to bring a point of difference to a menu, or add a touch of excitement to the bar.
On the convenience side, Heinz Foodservice will introduce the first complete table-top solution for both unrivalled quality and convenience. The distinctive, premium look solution compactly presents Heinz Tomato Ketchup, HP Sauce, Heinz English Mustard and Heinz Mayonnaise in new squeezy and safe opaque bottles for a stay full appearance.
In addition, Heinz will launch Taste of Home, inspired by traditional homemade stews and cosy casseroles. The 430g microwaveable snack pots are big and hearty with rich combinations of meat, potatoes or dumplings and chunky vegetables.
Baxters Food Group will introduce its new frozen soup range in six flavours including family favourites such as chicken & country vegetable, creamy mushroom and minestrone as well as fresh ideas such as carrot & coriander, spicy parsnip and tomato & basil. The soups can be prepared in a pan, microwave, steamer or Bain Marie.
The Handmade Cake Company will introduce new blueberry & lemon drizzle cake, a combination of sharp citrus flavours with very fashionable blueberries in a pre-cut round cake and raspberry & pinenut slice, a cross between a crumble and an oaty flapjack with lots of raspberries, finished with pine nut.
Vittles will highlight its choice of multi-portion gateaux ranging from wild peach liqueur & mango charlotte to best seller, chocolate junkyard - a chocoholic's idea of heaven with a chocolate pastry case filled with a base of Belgian chocolate ganache and chocolate mousse decorated with popular chocolate sweets and piled high with chocolate shavings.
On the drinks side, Britain's first flower beverage drink will be launched by Hib. Made from hibiscus flowers, which gives the drink its totally natural ruby red colour, the high vitamin C content in hibiscus flowers gives the drink anti-bacterial properties.
Love Smoothies will launch its innovative frozen fruit smoothie pouches, enabling pubs to make fresh smoothies by adding the pouch to freshly squeezed juice and blending for 30 seconds. Each pouch contains two and a half of the five recommended daily portions of fruit and veg.
Typhoo will highlight Typhoo In-Cup, perfect for tea on the move, and Typhoo Decaffeinated. Visitors can also take advantage of a free prize draw to win cinema tickets in support of Typhoo's new promotion with family movie Horton Hears a Who!
The new Adonis traditional espresso machine from Victoria Arduino will be unveiled in the UK by First Choice Coffee. It offers an easy-to-use system that enables any pub to serve a great cup of coffee.
Fracino will launch the Cybercino, a fully-automated machine with a retro-style appearance. Quick and easy to use, with push-button automation, the machine is designed to suit busy bars.
Marco Beverage Systems will show its full range of filter coffee brewers under the Filtro brand. Making its UK debut at the show will be Marco's new eco-friendly water boiler. The company will also preview a prototype of its latest 'intelligent' filter coffee brewer, which automatically dumps coffee after a pre-determined time to avoid customer complaints of stewed coffee.
Bermar will launch the Wine Barista, a specialist 'wine by the glass' cabinet which showcases up to 72 bottles of red and white wine, all stored at perfect serving temperature.
Furniture
Pubs know the punishment furniture can take both inside and out. Lloyd Loom of Spalding will demonstrate a unique material that enables its furniture to be used all year round in temperatures ranging from 40°C to -40°C. The range consists of sofas, armchairs, dining chairs and several different size tables, as well as a sun lounger and contemporary pieces. Eastward will launch a range of all weather woven furniture for outdoor and conservatory use. Made from woven polyethylene, the product is totally weather-proof and UV resistant and is also extremely durable.
Also on show at Hotelympia will be the Dyson Airblade which can dry hands in just 10 seconds. The Airblade works by forcing unheated air, filtered to remove bacteria, through a 0.3mm gap at over 400 miles per hour.
Catering equipment
Catering equipment is witnessing a major change at the moment. As well as the performance of the product, users need to know about energy efficiency and 'whole life costs'. With more than 250 exhibitors showing equipment there will be plenty of choice.
With sustainability such a focus, Falcon Foodservice Equipment, Williams Refrigeration and Eloma combi ovens have pledged the Aga Foodservice Equipment stand will be carbon neutral.
The stand will featue a live demonstration area where visitors can see a wide range of the latest products put through their paces.
Enodis UK Foodservice will also focus on the environmental angle with the latest addition to its Frymaster range. The Protector Fryer can save up to 50 per cent on costs by extending oil life while maintaining both the oil and food quality.
The reduced oil usage also means that operators can consider using healthier but more expensive oils such as trans fat-free oils.
Lincat will launch the new heavy duty Opus 700 filtration fryers with built-in filtration, also designed to save money by extending the life of cooking oil and enhance ease of use.
The elite Bonnet range will be unveiled by Hobart UK. The company will demostrate new products, innovation and energy saving features. The company's team of specialists will also be on hand to help advise pubs on choosing the right equipment to suit their style of menu, type of operation and budget.
On the Rational stand a full service restaurant will allow visitors to watch chefs prepare five star food, from stilton soufflé to beef wellington to baked alaska, in the company's SelfCooking Centers.
Meiko, specialists in warewashing manufacture, technology and service, will be highlighting energy-saving and cost comparison initiatives. It will also show the company's range of warewashing systems, a range of dewatering units for stand-alone kitchen installations or in-vessel composting, and the new Microvac vacuum kitchen waste removal system.
Classeq will launch the new Hydro dishwasher, a totally re-engineered pass-through machine that's fast, flexible and more energy efficient.
Hubbard Ice Systems will be displaying new Scotsman machines, including the new ultra-green, high efficiency Prodigy Modular Cuber
