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Written by antoni
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Friday, 09 July 2010 00:00 |
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The Conservative led coalition has launched a consultation to explore how best to cut immigration to the UK, fuelling fears of a skills crisis in the ethnic restaurant sector.
Keeping to its pre-election promise, the Conservative lead government wants to reduce net migration to the UK to 1990 levels, which would mean tens of thousands rather than hundreds of thousands of immigrants a year.
Details of how the final limit will be delivered will be agreed after the 12-week consultation with businesses, but an interim immigration cap has been put in place to avoid a rush of applications.
The announcement is bad news for the UK's 13,000 ethnic restaurants, which rely heavily on chefs from outside Europe and can expect to face a recruitment squeeze at the very least.
Tier 2 National Shortage Occupation List
Presently an exemption via the Tier 2 National Shortage Occupation List allows restaurants to bring chefs into the UK, in effect side-stepping the points-based migration scheme that prevents lower skilled workers from outside the EU gaining entry.
The occupation list is overseen by the Migration Advisory Committee, which has been asked to conduct a separate consultation on what level a cap should be set at. However, former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown had already pledged to have the chef exemption removed from the list by 2012, and any action by the coalition is likely to be more drastic.
Tough situation made worse
Speaking in the July edition of Restaurant magazine, Café Spice Namaste's Cyrus Todiwala said the biggest issue facing the ethnic restaurant sector in the UK is manpower.
"Smaller restaurants wanting to improve can't, because there is a skills shortage - and also no young generation willing to take on new challenges", he said.
A spokesman for the British Hospitality Association agreed recruitment was already a major issue for ethnic restaurants in the UK. "We don't quite know yet how it will affect the skilled chef category as not too many are currently accepted, but if the number is cut back or, worse, the category is abandoned, then the problem will get worse," he said.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has also come out against an immigration cap, arguing the hospitality sector has always struggled to find enough chefs and a limit could slow growth and stifle a recovery in the sector. |
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Written by Tandoori
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Thursday, 08 July 2010 21:46 |
 Kitchen staff encouraged to strut their stuff on camera with their special talent to be in with a chance of winning a £1000 cash prize!
Do you work in a restaurant or takeaway kitchen and have talents that go beyond cooking and washing up? If so, you could win one of three £1000 cash prizes by entering www.kitchenstoptalent.com! Perhaps in your spare time you’re proud of your smooth dance moves or enjoy a spot of juggling. Or maybe you do great impressions of famous celebrities or entertain your colleagues with your singing. Whatever your talent, P&G Professional has the contest for all wannabe stars - Hederol’s “Kitchen’s Top Talent” campaign.
The competition offers three members of the hospitality industry the chance to win £1000 each by submitting video clips of them performing their top talent. Videos can be captured by mobile phone, camcorder or digital camera and uploaded straight to the Kitchen’s Top Talent website (www.kitchenstoptalent.com).
Restaurants have until 23 July to enter their clips, after which the website will be open for public voting. The winners will be chosen by members of the public who will be invited to vote for their most memorable video clip – meaning funny clips will have just as much chance as serious competitors to win!
Hederol will provide participating restaurants with business promotional toolkits to allow them to drum up support and create publicity in their community. The overall winner will also have their very own Hederol Road Show, an exciting event which takes place at the establishment where they work to showcase their talent in their local community.
Nick Beresford, Managing Director, P&G Professional said: “Our campaign is about realising the true potential of our kitchen staff. Chef’s aside, back of house staff have long been the unsung heroes of the restaurant industry. Kitchen’s Top Talent is about recognising these vital members of the industry by giving kitchen staff a moment in the spotlight.”
The campaign will be supported by P&G Professional’s Hederol, a long-lasting efficient washing-up solution that is made for the trade. With its ability to cut through grease easily and effectively, Hederol is the ideal solution for busy restaurant, café and QSR operators, with one 5L bottle washing up to 7,000 dishes.
For further information on P&G Professional, please visit www.pgprof.com.
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Written by Tandoori
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Tuesday, 06 July 2010 10:19 |
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 Revealing the real truths about the nation’s favourite vegetable. The ‘Potato Masterclass’ was held in London to celebrate the start of the British new potato season, and to launch a new campaign that will highlight to consumers just how tasty, versatile, sustainable, and healthy potatoes really are.
Potato Council research identified that people don’t know that potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, and that they are in fact 99.9% fat free.
A new team of Potato Ambassadors that will be working to bust these potato myths was introduced.
These include the star of Iron Chef UK Sanjay Dwivedi, leading Consultant Dietitian Sian Porter, and a team of British potato growers.
A recent Potato Council survey revealed that only 7% of adults would choose potatoes as their carbohydrate of choice for international cuisine, compared with 85% who would use potatoes for a more traditional British meal. Sanjay Dwivedi, who is passionate about potatoes, both at home and at his Kensington restaurant, Zaika said: “Potatoes shouldn’t be associated with purely British or European cuisines, because they are ideal for so many dishes from around the world. From Bombay potatoes, to fresh Thai salads or Jamaican Jerk stir fries, potatoes are a fantastic foundation for an unlimited number of tasty and exciting meals.”
So to show just how versatile potatoes are and how quick and easy they are to cook, Sanjay Dwivedi, cooked up a range of exciting and varied potato dishes. These included Chinese Five Spice Potato and Chicken Salad, Quick Potato and Fish Salad and his very own Grilled Chicken Breast, Garlic and Chilli Mash.
When asked one in ten adults didn’t think that potatoes contained any vitamins or nutrients, while just a quarter identified all the nutrients they contain. Leading Consultant Dietitian Sian Porter explained just why potatoes are naturally good for us: “People think that carbohydrates, and potatoes in particular, make you fat which is simply not true. In fact potatoes have a low energy density making them perfect for helping with weight management. Not only that, but potatoes contain many vital nutrients including vitamin C, vitamins B1 and B6, and folate. Only a fifth of UK adults think of potatoes as a good source of vitamin C, despite the fact that 15% of our vitamin C intake comes from them.”
To see for themselves just how easy potatoes are to cook, delegates at the event teamed up with the potato growers to cook their own delicious potato supper. Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs for the Potato Council, Caroline Evans, said: “People may not realise it but our 3,000 potato farmers grow over 6 million tonnes of potatoes each year, the majority of which are eaten here in Britain. We know more than 80% of consumers want to support home-grown food, but they face a number of challenges when looking for meal ideas.
Their knowledge of what the potato can offer is poor, so it’s our job to help bust some of these myths. Potatoes are tasty, healthy, versatile and sustainable and our team of ambassadors will help us communicate this clearly to consumers.”
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