As things stand at the moment, Academies which have been established since September 2010 are not required by law to comply with the school food standards (http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/the-standards) which are mandatory in local authority schools.

Because Academies are ‘semi-independent’, they don’t have to adhere to any government nutritional guidelines.

If you’ve followed any of my thoughts over the past year or so, you’d possibly assume my alarm bells would be ringing by now. Well they’re not, and let me tell you why.

First, let’s look at what Lynda Mitchell, chair of the Local Authority Catering Association had to say late last year, when this whole issue blew up. She expressed understandable concern that schools would now be able to “hide behind their academy status” and lower the standard of their food offering in the process.

She made this further observation: “What an academy bursar or head may determine to be healthy food may not actually adhere to proper nutrition standards because people’s ideas on healthy food are not of one accord.”

I understand her concerns, but let’s be a little wary of populist over-reaction and engage instead in a little cool analysis of the situation.

The implication by many is that by not being bound to adhere to high food standards, Academies will take the path of least resistance, cut corners in an effort to save money, and start serving up chips and chocolate every day.

But surely that thought runs contrary to the very essence of an Academy? Remember what we are talking about here: educational establishments which have been formed or re-constituted for one main purpose – to be beacons of excellence. That is their main agenda – to excel in every area of their operation. Including food service.

Would Academies really want to compromise such an important area of their operation?

I can’t see that myself.

Academies are about showing that there is a better way. And companies like Cucina have the same rationale. Read through more than one of my blog posts here and you’ll pick up the thread: Cucina has a simple mission – to change school food for good, wherever we are. We don’t do that because we’re complying with regulations. We do it because this is what our company is. And surely, it’s what Academies are too?

I think it would be useful if we moved away from doom-mongering for a while. OK, I admit we’re probably only in the 5-10% of school caterers that are driving school food standards ever higher. And that there is too much talk and not enough action. But…look at us. We’re doing it! We’re giving kids chic, trendy, nutritious food and doubling, tripling, quadrupling uptakes. We’re showing others it can be done, too.
So let’s be inspired by our Academies, and trust that they can instill excellence not because they are made to do it, but because, at a fundamental level, it’s about what they are.

Till next time,

Steve

Let’s ignore the world of difference between primary and secondary school food for the time being and look at take-up rates when ‘free food for all’ schemes were trialled in Scotland and Hull.

In Scotland these hovered around 45%. In Hull the highest they got was 64%. Significant improvements, I’ll grant, but the figures show what a simplistic argument the price one is when taken just by itself.

Every single one of our 37 restaurants has more impressive figures to show, and they haven’t been achieved through price-cutting.

They’ve been achieved because increasing numbers of customers want to eat our food.

Of course price is a factor. If you read some of my other posts here you’ll see some of the things we are doing to absorb costs, counter the effects of food inflation and keep prices competitive. But there are also other things to consider.

I recently spoke at an awards night where the school motto is ‘achievement through active learning’. For me that means learning being ‘sucked in’ by the student, not ‘pushed in’ by the teacher. The student makes their learning happen because, well, they’re hungry for the knowledge.

That model of learning is a mirror of what Cucina is all about. In the olden days it was ‘eat up your veggies, they’re good for you’. Along the lines of ‘I know what’s good for you’.

That’s the moralistic stuff of yesteryear. Remember the comedy skit where a waiter walks up to a restaurant diner, smacks him across the back of the head and says: ‘Eat all of that up or you don’t get any dessert’? Ludicrous or what? And yet some people still think that kind of approach achieves results.

Today, stealthy eating offers a better way. We might create a dish that smells just as enticing as a double-cheese whopper with fries, but you can bet it will also be nourishing. (Although that’s almost certainly not the main reason the customer chooses it).

Speaking of choice, I am sure this is the other big factor in our success. Our menus reflect the ways customers like to eat. You know how it is, sometimes you may want to be a little adventurous and try a vegetable pad thai or smoked salmon on cream-cheese bagels. On other occasions you may be attracted to the comfortable familiarity of a lemonade battered fish with chips, mushy peas and a home-made ketchup.

Our young customers can explore a 3-week cycle menu offering 15: freshly-made soups, salad-bar choices, hot mains, vegetarian mains, pot-pasta choices, designer-pizzas, classic pizzas, hot puds and cold puds. And these menus also get reviewed on a regular basis.

If I’ve made you hungry with all this talk of food, I’m sorry. I think I’ve done the same to myself if that’s any consolation. And sorry again, you can’t come to one of our restaurants to try the dishes out. Never mind, you can always look at our case studies (http://www.cucina.co.uk/case-studies) to get more of a taste of what we’re achieving!

Till next time,

Steve

I suppose it comes down to the little things, the small touches, a complete absence of any errors, and a certain degree of magic that lifts one chef slightly above the rest. That being the case, I don’t think we can argue that the right person ended up with the top prize. That Ash Mair from Tasmania, he’s quite a talent, isn’t he?

One of the things I loved most about this guy was that his food told us something of his personal story. It was wonderful to see the way he applied his creativity to the basque tastes and traditions which were obviously such a big influence on him. TV doesn’t do tastes and smells, but I felt I could almost taste that roasted monkfish with the black lentils and basque piperade!

This series has certainly generated a lot of talk, and I think that’s a very good thing. My chefs and I sometimes discuss the effect – if any – that all these cooking programmes are having on the general population’s food outlook and eating habits. We British have some excellent culinary traditions, but we’re not exactly known around the world as a food nation. Ironically, we actually do have some of the finest chefs in the world.

There is one line of thought that says you can never change a deeply embedded culture and that we shouldn’t strive to change people’s food  outlook and their eating habits.

I’m afraid I don’t buy that one at all. After all, just look at what we at Cucina have managed to do, in our own small way.

We went into our first school with a vision – which was actually, to change a culture – a school-food culture. This was the culture of mediocre, bought-in food. The culture of slow service. The culture of poor planning, the culture of low standards allied to a distinct lack of…fun! And I’m proud to say we have changed it. Or I should say we are changing it, because there’s always much more to do, and we must always aspire.

And that brings me back to where I started, with Masterchef. The competing chefs talked constantly about their aspirations – where they wanted to take their cooking and what higher planes they wanted to rise to with it. I think if we don’t have those aspirations, we tend to stagnate.

I also think we need people to inspire us to greatness. Having to cook for a roll-call of 36 of the world’s best chefs certainly seemed to do that for the Masterchef finalists. One of my inspirational foodie moments was visiting Sat Bains’ restaurant in Nottingham. And then there was an earlier visit to Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons. Mmmmmm! Food experiences like that just lift the roof off your expectations, don’t they? They show you what is possible with a bit of genius and lot of dedication, planning and hard work.

And who knows what future food geniuses we may be inspiring in our own Cucina restaurants right now? I’ll suppose we’ll just have to wait and see!

Till next time,
Steve

We’ve always been about delivering what is possible, not what is easy. It’s so important for us to keep that up because we know if we ever veer away from the quest for perfection, we’ll stop being Cucina.

As per my previous column here, I’m very happy that we’re still right on message, turning out popular restaurant-standard food daily, to a happy clientele at 37 sites around the UK. But still, there’s that ever-present need to safeguard our service delivery. Which is why we’ve put together a new team to visit every Cucina site unannounced and on a regular basis.

This is something we’ve had in mind to do for quite a while. Alongside myself and co-Director Sam, the new visitation team comprises 3 chefs and our very own Cucina gardener. We operate on a rota system which allows equal visitation time, with every site being seen at least every 3 weeks. I’m delighted with that, and I actually think it’s an amazing achievement.

When you know the boss is coming round – human nature being what it is – you’re always keen to put on a good show. So we don’t announce these visits, and we see the restaurants running as they would on any normal school day.

I’m very keen to emphasise here that this programme is not about admonishing staff or catching them out. The idea is much more to praise and reward for excellence. Which is exactly what we’ve been able to do. (Side note: every single Cucina site manager will be paid a bonus this year).

On the other hand, it also means that we’re much more aware of specific challenges or difficulties that could be hampering a particular team’s operation.

The other thing the visitation programme has done is even things out for all the site catering teams. In the past, there has been a natural tendency for us to spend more time at the places where there are issues, or where events are being held. Or even where a high degree of hospitality which encourages us to stay a little longer than we really should.

Carry on like that and before you know it, 6 weeks have gone by and you realise you haven’t been to a site that’s actually running like clockwork.

With the visitation plan in place, we have a much better chance of more frequent contact with our best performers, which is as it should be.

This visiting experience has been an overwhelmingly positive one all round. I find that really gratifying. And what does it say about the ‘bang on message’ point I made earlier?

Till next time,

Steve

All this week, along with the management team, I’ve been laying up tables, cleaning trays, cleaning cutlery, washing up, and serving some of the best-tasting turkey dinners I’ve ever seen grace a restaurant.

When the service team see myself, co-Director Sam and all the managers in there and working as hard as anyone, they can see that we’re all in this together. It’s the Cucina way, and I can actually see the difference it makes to general morale and team spirit. And you know, this really is us in our ‘natural habitat’.

Christmas is the most important time of the year for us, so we pull out all the stops. And even though we go all out on the food, it isn’t just about the food. We set out to create a festive celebration in every restaurant, with the traditional sights and smells of Christmas to greet the customers as they arrive.

Festive tablecloths, dressed-up staff, Christmas crackers, and festive music mingle with a specially-created aroma (cinnamon, all-spice, cloves and oranges) fanned out from the kitchen to create a subliminal festive feel. We’re sowing special memories for these kids, I’m sure of that. And what about the food?

For the non-vegetarians, It’s turkey of course. We sourced some lovely British red-tractor birds these year – juicy and luscious to carve and serve. And didn’t they go down well! The brussel sprouts? Well, I don’t think we’re going to work any miracles there, although we did do a ‘try these if you dare’ approach, which caused a bit of fun.

We had crispy-on-the-outside moist-on-the-inside roast potatoes, fresh carrots, peas, horse chestnuts, chipolatas, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. For the vegetarians we had roasted vegetable tartlets with crispy leeks, and a festive (non-alcoholic) punch for everyone.

For dessert we served our very own Christmas puddings. We had home-made vanilla sauce and home-made chocolate and orange mousse.

Another thought occurred to me in the middle of the service – that traditions and customs don’t always remain constant.

For example, we had some of the customers asking: “What’s the meat today?” which begs the question: “Well, what do you normally have for Christmas?” Not everyone said ‘turkey’.

And a lot of kids had never tried Christmas pudding – the special treat that me and my generation grew up with. So that’s the other great thing we’re doing, I guess – allowing kids to experience some of these things for the first time.

Serving such a quantity of plated meals was a logistical challenge, that’s for sure. But it was great that we did it, and great that we made a difference. Because really, that’s what it’s all about. Oh, and did I mention the price charged to the customer? Just 3 pounds.

Anyhow, time to put my pen down now, and go out to do some Christmas shopping of my own!

To all of our clients, customers, staff and friends – my best wishes for a very merry Christmas, and a peaceful prosperous year ahead.

Till next time,

Steve

The celebrity chef has slammed Education Secretary Michael Gove for “eroding” nutritional standards. He said the Government’s decision not to make nutritional standards mandatory in free schools and academies would be a disaster, echoing the views of LACA (formerly the Local Authority Caterers Association). “It’s very simple. The private companies come in; they’re incentivised by profit,” he argued. “If the standards aren’t there they can sell a whole genre of new stuff, going back to the stuff I was fighting seven years ago.”

Cucina is supportive of a level playing field in which all schools and academies are subject to the same rules, and say it would not be in everyone’s interests to lower standards in order to make a fast profit. However, it disagreed with Jamie Oliver on what would happen if free schools and academies are not subject to the same standards on nutrition.

Steve Quinn, managing director of Cucina Restaurants, catering for 37 schools around the UK, 18 of which are academies, said:
“In my experience, the worse standards are in those schools that have not been market tested since the standards were introduced, not academies and free schools who largely have recently appointed caterers and new schools to work in. Wasteful practices creep in which can be removed by private companies saving schools money and improving food at the same time. The views expressed by Jamie are somewhat surprising and we would urge him to come visit and see food standards in the academies we serve, before making sweeping statements like this.”

Steve Quinn insisted that not only has Cucina embraced the guidelines they have exceeded them in many areas too. He said:
“We don’t and will not put the reputation of our company on the line in order to improve profitability. The nutritional standards are our base guidelines and we exceeded them long before we had to when they came into effect in September 2007.” He added;

“For example, all our food is prepared from scratch in our kitchens daily and we use ‘stealthy eating principles to hide goodness in food kids love to eat. All our meat is red tractor and our fish from sustainable sources.

There will never be a return to the days of Turkey Twizzlers because, thanks to Jamie and hard work by professionals across the whole school catering sector, attitudes have significantly changed among not only school staff and operators, but also students themselves. I see no evidence of standards slipping at any school or academy, we need a level playing field for anyone in school catering. One rule for one type of educational establishment should be one rule for all.”

For 12 days after November 28th, students will find a number of nutritious, but still delicious Christmas dishes waiting for them in their school canteens. These will include Christmas baguettes jam packed with prime slices of Norfolk turkey, chipolata sausage, sage and onion stuffing and cranberry mayo, Christmas themed Wellington made with pork, stuffing and cranberries, festively wrapped up in puffed pastry. There will also be 12 days of decorative desserts including traditional favourites like mince pie and some new and improved puddings like snowball brownies.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said: 

“At Cucina it is important that we make nutritious meals that the kids will actually enjoy eating and by making the dishes themed it adds extra fun to lunchtimes at school. It’s especially important to get the school pupils eating healthily around the Christmas period, because at this time of year many people indulge in foods that aren’t necessarily good for them, but at Cucina we can make sure that the food consumed at school is.”

Overall pupils will get to try 14 different delicious Christmas dishes at lunch time in Cucina’s school restaurants during the 12 days of Christmas. The final days of the school term will see traditional Christmas meals presented at the 37 schools.

Pudsey shaped cakes, cookies, themed buns and special pizza were on offer at Cucina Restaurants at schools and academies up and down the Country last Friday. Staff got into the spirit of things with costumes and a party atmosphere raising £1,500 for Children In Need which was doubled by the catering company, creating an overall total of £3000.

Thirty Seven schools across England were eating healthily last week and raising money in aid of Pudsey. In all, 50,000 schoolchildren in schools in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, London, Manchester, Middlesex, Northamptonshire and Surrey helped to raise the cash in fun food initiatives for Children in Need.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said: “This was a great team effort and we are delighted that Cucina could assist the schools in raising money for such a worthwhile charity through fun and interactive events involving our food service. Our cheque contributed to the record total of more than £26 million raised for Children In Need this year.”

Cucina Restaurants Ltd. serves fresh food to 50,000 pupils at 37 contracts up and down the country and is committed to providing quality, healthy meals at all schools. The School Food Trust has just chosen a case study about how it does this for its web site.

“My main concern is if people are trying to make a profit, it becomes the priority over nutrition and children’s well-being. We think a private company would be making money on behalf of schools but not putting it back into them.”

Now, I can understand where this Head Teacher is coming from. She wants to safeguard what’s most important about school dinners – providing daily food that is good for her pupils.

But this worries me too, because there are probably many other educational leaders in secondary schools who think like she does, promoting naïve views which betray a lack of basic business knowledge.

Business success hinges on many factors, but the two most basic are: profits coming in (mentioned in Ms Sinclair Hoare’s comments) and provision of quality goods or services going out (ignored by Ms Sinclair Hoare).

If you’re doing things right, the second factor will look after the first. And if you want an incredibly simple understanding of our success formula, this is it!

If Julia St Clair Hoare were to look at Cucina, she would see a private company that is doing a great deal to improve young people’s nutrition, alongside their understanding and appreciation of good food.

Last week I was with Sam my co-Director and we were looking at a piece about Cucina in The Times Educational Supplement from back when we first started, just on 6 years ago. The article talked about what made us tick as a company; making good food delicious to eat, putting the fun back into food, educating kids about food.’

In those days we had just one contract. Today we have 37 contracts and around 50,000 customers. But we still have the same vision. And that’s what pleases me most of all about our success. We have a vision, we put it before everything and we let it drive our profitability.

Put all this another way: We’re still bang on message. Everything we set out to do, we’re doing. And we’re doing it better now than we ever have.

In the current business climate, you’d be mad not to think there may be difficult times on the horizon. But I am confident that the heart of our company culture which sustains our growth now will do exactly that in the future.

Till next time,

Steve

What I love most about Christmas is that people are afforded plenty of time to enjoy good food together. And that goes for students at school too, which is why I’m so thrilled with our new Christmas Menus theme which we’re just about to start in all our schools. We always do something special for Christmas, but this is our biggest and best idea so far.

This year all our school restaurants will experience The 12 days of Christmas. There will be 3 different Christmas items on the menu every day till the end of term, with – you guessed it – the day 12 menu on the last day of each school’s term.

We’ve developed the spec, written the menus for all the teams, made the food, photographed it. The packs have gone out to the teams with exact instructions on what to do. All they need to do now is make the food and serve it!

As well as the standard range of food options, the menus such items as: Christmas Wellington, Brie and Cranberry Ciabata, Turkey Meatball Sub, Snowball Brownie, Chocolate Orange Trifle and of course…mince pies. Please go and check out the full menu: on.fb.me/sZ8l8C

We’ll have plenty of pics and reports of the festive action next week, so I hope you can come back and visit our ‘Cucina news section’.

Till next time,

Steve

The catering experts decided to prepare some spooky surprises for students and staff at Teddington School as a Halloween treat.

When customers reached the food counters on Monday 31st October they were offered the chance to try some truly gruesome cauldron concoctions, such as BBQ rib cages with fried maggots rice, boiled and burnt corn on the cob, roasted pumpkin salad with candied pumpkin seeds and even witches potato fingers. They also got the chance to try some frightful but delicious desserts like chocolate brownie headstones and scary spider web waffles with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Serving up the Halloween specials were a gang of other worldly characters including vampires and corpse brides. There was even a caged gorilla who took centre stage in the canteen, which had been transformed into a spooky grave yard, where leftover cardboard boxes had been recycled into headstones.

Steve Quinn, managing Director of Cucina said: “It’s important to us to make healthy food fun and it’s even better when it’s themed. Both our customer and chefs had great fun with the Halloween menu introduced as a special treat for the day”.

Head Chef, Andy Shrek, from Teddington School in Middlesex commented: “We had a very successful day which was enjoyed as much by the staff as it was by the students! All the catering staff had great fun dressing up and decorating the canteen”.

Cucina prepared Halloween treats at all of its 37 school restaurants up and down the country.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/top-banana-recipe-cards/id390996200?mt=8

The first thing you’ll probably notice is that we’ve designed the App with one main objective in mind – to get kids into the kitchen. Or in fact, anybody who lacks confidence or experience creating and serving food for their families and friends.

Our ongoing quest is to bring to current generations of young people a love of good food – preparing it, cooking it, serving it and enjoying it with others. That’s very much what this App is about.

Many of the recipes on the App’s cards are from Cucina’s actual school menus, which means that kids can have a go at creating some of the dishes they enjoy at school.

The idea is for people to start at ‘Assemble’ section and then work through the  ‘Cook’ and ‘Impress’ sections when they’ve had some success. The easiest recipes require hardly any actual expertise and can almost be worked out from the pictures. Then once people have experienced some success in following the cards, they can go on to the new ‘Special’ recipe section.

We’ve also included some ‘celebration’ recipes in the update – birthday party ideas and that kind of thing. The App takes you through everything from start to finish. So you take your phone to the shop, and just tick off the ingredients as you pick them up. The recipes have been written to serve 4 people, but we’ve added some functionality to  let you change the quantities; if you want to cook for twelve, you just  put your number in and it will multiply the ingredients up for you!

You can also create your own recipes, take pictures and send them in to Ian, our head chef (chef@cucina.co.uk). Ian will take a look at your recipe and give some constructive comments on it, with any suggestions to improve the dish.

We’ve seen quite a few kids download the App so far, and we’re getting the word out through whole-school and year group assemblies. We’ve had good feedback so far, and we know the long-term success of the App is how people talk about it and use it. Our Twitter feed is built into the App, as are email templates to tell your friends about it.

As with all such ‘cutting edge’ ventures, ‘Top Banana’ is very much a work in progress, with its development shaped by those who use it. We’re already working on an Android version, which we are sure, will bring it to many more young people.

I’d love to hear your views on Top Banana, so please get the free download and let me know your thoughts – or send us your latest brilliant creation!

Till next time,

Steve

When the Head Teacher of one of our schools arrived on the floor recently, he seemed quite blown away by the fact that he was standing there talking to the MD of the company. He wasn’t expecting that. Many of our new schools don’t expect me or the other Directors to have such a hands-on approach. But our presence in every new school is absolutely vital to the way we work and the way we grow as a company.

When Cucina first takes over at a school, the incumbent team has a real mountain to climb. They must start making food from scratch when they’re used to buying it in. And they must produce three times as much food as they did before, working three times as hard as they did before, all for the same money. That’s a real pain barrier to go through. And I need to be there to help them through it.

Sometimes it takes a while for the penny to drop, but before long the team realises that there’s no hierarchy with us, or standing on ceremony. To put it another way, we’re task-oriented, rather than role-oriented. If something needs doing, somebody will do it, and that somebody may well be me. When we ask people to work harder to make more food or serve more customers, we’re not making them do it in isolation. We are all doing this for the benefit of the kids. It’s the effort of team, and we’re all a part of that, me as much as anyone else.

Then when the wheels are in motion, the team begins to see what it’s doing for customers on a daily basis. Feedback starts rolling in and people begin to understand the Cucina way. They start believing in it. And they start to enjoy delivering it. At this point I can start to take a step back.

This is a process and it can’t be hurried. And it can’t be achieved with 50 openings a year.

Let me use another analogy. Many companies will go into a new contract and start with the new team at a floor 1, aiming to eventually get them up through 2,3, and 4 to finish at floor 5. But while they’re still at level 2, along comes the next opening and so this one never gets above level 2 – better than where they started, but nowhere near the potential.

Our approach on the other hand, is stay with a team till they’re at floor 5, by which time the team responsible for service has the tools and training to deliver, long after we are gone.

Doing it this way is the more painful path. And it does put limitations on the rate at which you can grow. Which is why so many companies choose not to follow it. But it’s essential for us, and it’s the reason we only ever open the number of contracts we can handle. As that clever Mr Shakespeare once put it: “Wisely and slow, they stumble who run fast.”

Till next time,

Steve

Version 2 of Cucina’s ‘Top Banana Recipe Cards’ app has not only been developed to keep up to date with the changing technologies of Apple, but to keep up with the wants and needs of their customers too.

The initial idea of ‘top banana recipe cards’ was to help young school leavers and university students cook simple, healthy, wholesome meals and originally hit the shelves as a series of ‘top trump’ cards in 2009. With the launch of applications for the iPhone the catering experts followed suit and developed the cards into an app, making
the cards more modern and convenient for their young users.

The new version still organises the recipes into three levels to accommodate for all cooking abilities and then
colour codes them to show light bites (green), main meals (blue) and desserts (red), each with step-by-step guides and shopping list, but now users are able to link to facebook and the Cucina team.

In a bid to stay in touch with what their customers want, Cucina have developed the app to allow young cooks to take pictures of their recipe successes and post them on the popular social media site facebook, allowing them to impress friends with their culinary skills and even be rated out of ten by the Cucina team. The link to facebook has also been incorporated to allow the catering company to gain feedback from their customers, helping them to improve their products.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said: “Cucina’s philosophy is to make meals fun and help students to broaden their knowledge and appreciation of good food, prepared well, on a budget. Our iPhone app puts the student in control and is in response to the fantastic feedback we’ve had from students and parents, who appreciate the extra support it gives their children who are often cooking and planning meals for the first time on their own.”

Version 2 of the App has become even cleverer, allowing people to choose different skill levels and providing them with a shopping list that can be accessed wherever their iPhone or iPad is. We want to get kids cooking and give them the knowledge in steps to help them on their way to becoming master chefs!”

New features of the app include a link to facebook, sharing capabilities with the catering team and the ability to change the serving number on recipes to suit the number that is being cooked for.

The app is available as a FREE download from the iTunes App Store by searching for ‘Top Banana Recipe Cards’.

Early on Tuesday morning we cracked open the bubbly for the year’s top performing school restaurant team (Teddington School in Middlesex), waving them off in their stretch limo for a day of fun and excitement at Thorpe Park and then to a meal in their favourite restaurant. Meanwhile, we donned the chefs’ whites and went into the kitchen all ready for a hard day’s work cooking and serving food to the school community!

The ‘we’ in this instance included me as MD, my secretary from the office, all of our area managers, our Exec. Chefs and Sam – my fellow Director. We were all there, every one of the team, getting stuck in. We also told the students to keep their eyes out for a special celebrity chef, who turned out to be Richard Weekes – the school’s Head Teacher!

‘Back to the Floor’ is the culmination of our Cucina ‘restaurant of the week’ awards – a competition designed to drive and recognise peak performance. Regular awards include such things as ‘most complete health and safety records’, best after school trolley’, ’best breakfast display’ and so on.

Each weekly winner is judged by photographic and other evidence and  given 10 points and a small prize, with the runner-up scoring 5 points. At the end of the year, the restaurant with the most points gets ‘Restaurant of the Year’. Top of the pole this year was Teddington School. One of the day’s highlights was the Cucina ‘Fruit and Veg’ Quiz. The winner was a Year 8 boy who tied with the Head of Food Tech – both getting 20 questions right out of a possible 22! How impressive was that?

These were not easy questions; you had to recognised the taste and texture of courgettes, star fruit, purple cauliflower, scotch bonnet chillies, horse radish, papaya and many others too. Both winners were presented with a whole boxed pizza!

It was inspiring to see Head Teacher Richard Weeks working so hard on the salad counter and looking like he was loving it too. I was impressed that he took this time out of his busy day, and I was doubly delighted by his comments. Richard told me that he was ‘bowled over’ by the quality of food served, remarking that it was better than most restaurants. There’s absolutely no doubt that he’s right about that, too.

We’ve had wonderful feedback from the day. Among other things, we were able to try out a few of the concepts that are going to be introduced onto the menu very soon.
There are just so many benefits of doing an exercise like this. We get to reward a brilliantly-performing catering team, we get the chance to go ‘back to the floor’ and we get to stay in touch with the reality of life ‘on the floor’, having a fun day with the students into the bargain.

One other thought about this day – it was a reminder – if ever it were needed – that relationships and goodwill are the real engine-room of our success. As the Aussies are so fond of saying: ‘It’s all good!”

Till next time,

Steve

Isn’t there such a lot of negative opinion these days about the quality of education provision in secondary schools? My day-to-day work puts me in close contact with schools, and I know for a fact that in so many ways, today’s students get a much better deal academically than we ever did.

This was brought home to me during a recent meeting with a Head Teacher. While we were talking I noticed a large chart on the wall of his office; a diagram with 3 intersecting circles and student names in the different areas. Apparently, this was to help his teaching staff identify students who were – or were not – on course to achieve A-C grades in the core curriculum areas.

It made me think about how outcomes are managed now compared with when I was at school. Things were much more basic in my time; we had our mock exams, we got our predicted grades, then we did the real exams. Some of us did slightly better than predicted, some did slightly worse. But that was it. There was no active management of our results.

This wall chart told me so much. It was like the school was convening the war-room; developing strategies aimed at improving people’s futures.

This pro-active management of grades is much more in line with running a business. And as with any good business, you look at poor performance areas, and you focus on making them better. What this means is that the school truly does provide education for all, not just those predestined to succeed.

And so I ask – why on earth is this managed approach not being applied to school food across the board?

Better eating contributes massively to improved school achievement and the future well-being of young people – this is a thoroughly-researched, well-documented fact. But 90% of schools are still overlooking it!

Many schools still offer a rubbish product and hold up their hands in horror when the punters do not buy. Typical uptake of free school meal entitlement is around 50%. So what about the other half? Why are they still staying away? It’s not about the price. If it was, the uptake would be around 100%.

At Cucina we actively manage the uptake of healthy school food, which is how we achieve an average 60% uptake across all our schools against a national average of 35%.

We adopt a retail mentality; school students are our customers and we are there to serve their requirements. We provide an attractive environment, a range of attractive choices, fast, efficient service and food that is delicious.

In the old days of secondary education, academic results were hit-and-miss. Just about everything depended on the calibre of the student and the calibre of the teacher. If you had a good Maths department, for example, you got better average results in Maths. With school dinners it was also the luck of the draw. You waited at the serving hatch, the bell went, and you got choice A or choice B.

Academically, a revolution has taken place; results are carefully managed, and students reap the benefit.

It’s high time school food caught up.

Till next time,

Steve

Cucina Restaurants won the contract for Southfield School for Girls in Kettering, Northants back in 2006, a few months after startup. It quickly increased school meal uptake at the school from 10% to 65%. These levels have been maintained ever since, a fact that the School Food Trust felt was worthy of note and including as a published ‘best practice’ type of case study on its website recently.

One of the secrets Managing Director of Cucina, Steve Quinn, reveals is: “We don’t see ourselves as a school meals company, we see ourselves as a good food company. I wanted the dining experience and food to be at the same high standard that you would expect in good restaurants”. He adds; “In many ways the kids are the harshest of food critics but the most supportive, once you get things right.”

The case study contains lots of tips for schools, academies and colleges reviewing their school food provision and talks about ‘stealthy eating’.

The constant high standards and ‘can do’ attitudes of the Teddington School’s catering team won them the ‘Cucina’s Restaurant of the Year’ award. This resulted in VIP treatment and a fun day out whilst the management from the school’s catering company Cucina got to work.

Senior members of the management team arrived at the school at 6.00 am, ready to begin sweeping floors, cleaning tables and preparing meals. The winners, who also earned themselves a lie in, were able to watch the process when they arrived at the later time of 9am, after which they departed in their limo for an adventurous day out at Thorpe Park. They also received a certificate of achievement and champagne.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said:
“This initiative is important to both our high standards and as a reward for achieving them. It is also a great chance for us to refresh our thinking! As a result we have been able to receive first hand reactions to our menus, and also to make small changes to improve the fantastic work that goes on at all of the Cucina catered restaurants around the country.

Most of the senior management team began their working life in a kitchen similar to the one at Teddington. We arrived at 6.30am to ensure we didn’t let the pupils down and really enjoyed our day speaking with the students and teachers and preparing and clearing the dining area. Sweeping floors and cleaning requires the same level of care as preparing fantastic food in the kitchens. I know this, as I did both again today!

Thanks to everyone, colleagues, staff and pupils for making the day such a success and congratulations to the team at Teddington.”

Cucina’s professional and innovative approach includes appointing a Head Chef to oversee service and offering an educational food service which links the classroom to the kitchen.

Not long ago, we signed with an Oxford bakery called Brown Sugar, who now bake all our breads for us, as well as providing all of our flour.

I mention this because it’s a nice follow-up to all those things I’ve been saying about ‘locally-sourced’ and the problems associated with food inflation.

With food inflation as it is, bread is one of the products that’s gone right through the roof, price-wise.

But by sourcing our own bread, we are now cutting out the middleman and offering good value to our supplier. We pay the bakery a fair rate and offer them a good route to market, in exchange for which they agree to keep delivery and handling charges down to a fair level. Results all round, you might say.

This kind of approach has to be way forward, and we’re always on the lookout for similar arrangements with our suppliers. In fact, it’s a key aspect of our planning.

On the bus!

Many of you have been asking us for updates on the Cucina bus. Well, I’m delighted to report that we’re making great progress with it. The actual vehicle is a classic 1967 ‘split-screen’ VW Microbus (which those in the know refer to as a ‘splitty’).

After being stripped down to its bare metal, our microbus has now had its first coat of spray. It will have many more coats after this – this is a painstaking process – but it will look simply fantastic when its paintwork is buffed up to a show shine.

Now this is kind of hard to believe, but when that bus was stripped right back, we couldn’t spot one single bit of filler anywhere on the bodywork. Which means that the coachwork of this particular 1967 ‘splitty’ is in absolutely pristine condition.

After spraying, the bus will head back into the garage for its engine, gearbox, brakes, wiring loom and steering. Then it will be new windows and seals to ensure everything is watertight, after which there will be a complete interior refit: carpets, seats, cupboards and speakers.

When the custom classics and retro people have finished and the vehicle has its Cucina signage, it will be ready to be taxed, MOT’d and driven away.

I really am looking forward to seeing our bus when it’s finished. It will look absolutely gorgeous, with a deliciously authentic Italiano/California retro feel, reflecting the original Cucina 1966 brand. There’s nothing much cooler than that. I’m sure the kids will think so too. Which is all a part of what we’re on about – keeping food fashionable, funky and a whole load of fun.

But what are we actually going to do with our magnificent vehicle, you ask? Well, Ian will be taking round all of our schools where it will play an ongoing and important part at summer barbeques, fruit and veg competitions, demos and all the rest. In fact, you name the Cucina event and our bus will most likely be there – so do keep and eye out for it!

Till next time,

Steve

Try and get your head around this: The head teacher and the governing body of Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend have given their backing to a path along the A48 – a route which, every lunchtime, takes 200 students out of school and into the local McDonalds.

So while companies, food organisations and government bodies are working hard to keep the Jamie Oliver flame burning by offering delicious, nutritious food to young people every day, this school seems to be virtually condoning a daily diet of junk food for its students.

OK, of course there is a safety issue here. If students are at risk from traffic on a busy road, of course they must be protected. But at what cost, if the school cannot keep them in its own restaurant at lunchtime? The key issue is not the condoning of the pathway, it is about the food the school is offering its students.

By now, most of us have the message loud and clear: Eat at McDonalds every day and you will put yourself at serious risk of obesity, heart disease and insulin-resistance. (Despite recent gestures towards healthier options, McD’s menus are relatively high in fat, sugar and calories, and relatively low in fibre and nutrients).

But surely we don’t need to push these arguments any more do we? I thought education in this country had turned a corner and that all schools had healthy eating high on the agenda. Evidently not.

But even with the most enlightened views on healthy eating, schools will never succeed in just telling students what to eat and where to eat it. If youngsters think the food at their school is ‘pants’, of course they’ll trot down the path to Maccas. And actually, I wouldn’t want to stop them.

Surprised to hear me say that? You shouldn’t be. At Cucina we’ve always been adamant that coercion is not the way forward. The ‘outraged of Brigend’ brigade need to keep that in mind before they go tearing up any pathways from schools to fast-food outlets.

At Cucina we know the winning formula and we’re proving it works every single day. It’s this:

Produce good, wholesome healthy food, but make it yummy too!

Not rocket science maybe, but it takes dedicated hard work and commitment to achieve. Our consumers are not just school kids to us. They are customers, and we respect their right to choose. If you give them food they like, they will choose to eat it.

This belief at the absolute heart of our business brand, it’s the secret to our success, and it’s how we’ve manage to achieve 40%-80% turnarounds in the uptake of school dinners in all the schools we operate in.

Schools whose students are choosing McD’s over their own restaurants must sit down and answer some serious questions – the most important one being: how can we influence their food choices?

After that they must take a detailed look at the food and service they currently offer, asking why their students are rejecting it in such numbers. That’s the planning stage for another yellow-brick road – the one that will lead students into their own school restaurant.

Till next time,

Steve

Dom Turner, a former pupil at Esher High School in Surrey, has started his first year’s training with Cucina Head Chef Andy Wilcock. Dominic, who lives in Cobham in Surrey, travels on his moped to work at Cucina’s restaurant at Teddington School in Middlesex, where Andy is guiding Dom through an NVQ in Catering.

Dom, 16, had work experience with Cucina Executive Head Chef Ian Morgan whilst in Year 10 at Esher High School and then continued cooking at Wildwood Italian restaurant in Cobham after completing his GCSE’s.

Dom’s daily routine involves taking his scooter to work from 7am to 4pm, following in the tyre tracks of scooter nut Ian Morgan. Dom is currently preparing sandwiches, cooking meats and pastas and assisting our Executive Chef with menu production as a Commis Chef, part of his on-the-job training.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said:
“We are really pleased to be giving career opportunities to the pupils at our Schools and Academies. We have contracts at 10 Academies now up and down the country, so it seems fitting to establish our own Academy where pupils who have enjoyed our fresh food over a number of years can enhance their culinary skills with on-the job training at one of our restaurants. Dom is a great example of someone who has sometimes struggled to find his passion at School but has now found what he wants to do. He has always had a passion for cooking and we are more than happy to harness this at Cucina, to help Dom’s dreams come to life. Well done Dom, we look forward to seeing you grow within the Cucina team. We aim to roll out further Academy opportunities within our 30 restaurants nationwide, with Harefield Academy in Middlesex being particularly interested.”

Dom, whose passion for catering grew from an early age as his Dad owned pubs and hotels, added:
“I am over the moon to have had this opportunity with Cucina and very grateful to Steve Quinn, Sam, Andy, Ian and all the Cucina team. My aspirations at Cucina are to get as much experience in every part of the kitchen. I dream of being a top chef and have set a target of having my own restaurant in ten years. I could get that dream by working with Cucina and getting as much experience as possible. Cooking is like a hobby for me, as I enjoy it so much I don’t see it as work. Every time I am on my scooter to work in the morning, I think about what I am going to learn next and how I can get quicker at what I do. I feel very special being at the start of Cucina’s Academy and hope that other people can do this as well; it’s really good to be supported by Cucina.”

Andy Wilcock added:
“Dom is learning how important every part of the team here is. Everyone in the kitchen is as important as everyone else – if Dom gets these values instilled he’ll never have a problem for the rest of his life.”

Take the much-beloved local corner shop. Sometimes people think that when they do their grocery shopping there, they are supporting local producers. But if they took a closer look at the shelves and the provenance of the food on them, they’d often find that it comes from quite a bit further afield.

When people use their local shop, they may well be supporting their local community. But the ironic thing is that in doing so, there’s a good chance that they are not actually supporting local producers at all.

When we started out, we wanted to do just that and so we made strenuous efforts to buy as close as we could to particular schools. But it really did prove a difficult thing to do. Take locally-bought carrots, for instance. We found these were typically being brought in from Holland and other parts of Europe. And much of the fruit that was purchased locally actually came from outside the UK.

That’s when we had a bit of a rethink. We changed our approach and our policy to match, deciding to go through a regional and a national supplier while still stipulating that we wanted our vegetables and fruit to be UK-grown.

The result? Even though our supplies may not have been locally purchased, they were certainly a lot more local than the Dutch carrots that we had been buying two years previously.

And so sometimes it’s good to take a step back and work out the best way to locally-source. If you’re looking for lower food miles, you’ll often find it best to go through a national supplier. That way you can trace the products right back to where they are actually grown or raised.

That said, there are indeed some things that you can buy very locally – milk, cheese, bread, honeys, jams and relishes for instance. But whilst there is a good local supply of condiments and dairy produce, meats are not so straightforward. And from a price perspective, it is just not always possible to buy from local producers. British bacon, for instance, is 2 or 3 times as expensive as Danish bacon.

And then of course, you need to take quality into account. In some cases, food that is locally sourced is just not as good quality as that produced further afield. Compromises can only go so far, and our quality benchmarks are absolute.

Buying for purely conscientious reasons certainly does not guarantee that we will end up with the best product. For example, we spent the whole of last summer trying to find a Fairtrade coffee which actually tasted good. It was hard, time-consuming work, but we did eventually find one – a great-tasting Vista bean – 100% Arabica.

We have a strong ethical policy and we know we must always act in accordance with our principles. But we also know we can’t blindly follow these at the expense of taste and quality.

‘Locally sourced’ is an excellent thing to aim for, but like so much in the food game, it’s a complex, many-sided issue. What was it that a philosopher said? Something like: ‘To every complex problem there is a simple solution. And it is always wrong.’

Till next time,

Steve

Yes, we are in tough financial times, but sensible restaurateurs should be able to economise without having to lower the standard of the food they offer, or the value they deliver to customers.

We need to think about the way we use our skills and resources as experts, to find different ways of sourcing and putting quality ingredients onto the menu. This is often much harder than it sounds and it’s why a lot of people just don’t bother doing it. After all, it’s much easier to buy foods in or purchase supplies in pre-prepared packets.

At Cucina, we find that there are some contexts where ‘cheaper’ certainly does not mean ‘inferior’. The use of pomace (later pressed) oil over virgin olive oil(early pressed) for example, can bring appreciable savings with little or no difference to the taste or quality of the food.

Another challenge for restaurateurs is the ballooning rate of food inflation, currently running at between 7 and 10 percent. We always aim to take a sustainable hit and shield the customer where we can.
When we get an extra tariff, we usually wait until September to pass that onto our customer, but even then it will only be the typical 3 percent or 4 percent rise that everybody expects each year.

Economising is also to do with what you produce, how much you produce and how much you waste. It’s about your portion sizes, as well as how much you serve and how much you sell. And recognising that on some dishes you make more margin than you do on others.

Rather than remove the items you don’t make as much on, you should still aim to keep those in your shop, so that if somebody buys 2 items– a high margin and a low margin, you’ve still achieved what you need to achieve.

Too many restaurant owners take those loss-leaders off the menu, forgetting that they may be what drags the customers in the first place.

A Cucina example here would be our Fish and Chips on a Friday. This dish makes a much lower margin than say Lasagne on a Monday or some of the other dishes. But it’s the Fish and Chips that draws people in. It’s one of our signatures, and we want to go on being proud of it.

Keeping Fish and Chips on the menu just means working on the margin of other dishes so that we can keep delivering what the client is expecting of us. Some would say: ‘No – we can’t afford fresh fish. Let’s go to a bought-in battered or breaded version. We’ll stick that in the oven and serve it up’. But that’s not what I would recognise as fish and chips.

Our version is at least the same standard you’d expect from the fish shop round the corner. But we’re still sensible with it, looking carefully at our fresh fish option. We now use Pollock – Gordon Ramsay’s favourite fish. This is a sustainable species and every bit as delicious as the Cod that we used to use.

All of which means that we are able to put on fish, chips, mushy peas and tomato ketchup for just 2 pounds. Special batter with a tasty ingredient for a bit of extra ‘crisp’ helps ensure that our food is just as good, if not better, than the fish and chips which costs you five or six pounds down at the corner fish and chip shop.

The only thing we can’t promise you is old newspaper to serve it up in. That’s progress for you!

Till next time,

Steve

The TOP FOUR Tips which will help get candidates through the forthcoming exams are:

1. Eat Slow release carbohydrates that give controlled energy release helping candidates to keep concentration levels up right through the exam.

Why not try… healthy breakfast cereals, muesli bars (the best quality ones), wholemeal bread, basmati rice & pasta.

2.Try Omega 3 minerals, if taken regularly these essential fatty acids can help combat stress and improve memory retention.

Why not try… a grilled tuna steak for tea or a salmon pasta salad which will have your slow release carbohydrates as well or may be a smoked salmon & cream cheese bagel. For non fish lovers, vegetarian alternatives such as hemp seed or flax seed can be easily mixed into a salad or through freshly baked bread which we serve in the dining rooms.

3. Munch on Super foods with naturally high levels of antioxidants & minerals. They keep immune systems in tip top form and raring to go into that exam to give you the best results!

Why not try… a wide range of items include oranges, mushrooms, tomatoes, strawberries, pomegranates, pineapple, papaya & blueberries which are all super foods.

4. Top up your liquids. It is essential to keep your body properly hydrated and before entering an exam this is especially important to help maintain concentration levels. However, NOT with high caffeine or sugar drinks because even though they give a temporary lift, they will have worn off long before the end of the exam, leaving you on a low, which is far worse!

Why not try… drinks containing no added sugar, ideal to keep you hydrated.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina added;
“Everyone knows that a balanced diet is essential to stay healthy, this is especially important at exam times. Memory retention and concentration building food is important to combat exam stress, nerves and extra strain on the body at this key time”

Cucina restaurants are also creating grab and go lunch bag crammed with the foods best for exam success which are available to take into the exam halls.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina;
“We’ve put together a range of deals specifically designed to be easy and help students perform better in their crucial exams”. He added; “We’ve made staff available to give more food advice when needed and would wish anyone with exams this Summer the very best of luck. Eating and drinking sensibly really can help boost exam success!”

Cucina serves fresh food to over 25,000 pupils at 30 contracts up and down the country and is committed to providing quality, healthy meals at all schools.

Remember last year when we were told a glass of wine with our evening meal was good for us? And now we have some experts telling us that a glass of wine is NOT good for us. So who are we supposed to believe?

My advice is simple – take all such advice with a pinch of salt. And speaking of salt, yes it is OK, and yes, I do use it. Not at the table, but certainly to add flavour and taste when I cook.

‘Everything in moderation’ is the way many of us learnt to eat, and I think that it will always be the right way.

Take fats for instance. With all the talk, you could be forgiven for thinking that all fats are bad for you, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, some fats, like those in milk, are extremely good for you. And all of us need at least some fat in our diet. What we do have to watch out for is consuming too much saturated fat.

Eating too much of anything is not good, and fat is no exception. Foods high in fat are also high in energy. If we don’t burn that off with exercise, we put on weight, which raises the risk of health problems in the future.

Biscuits, butter, cheese and meat all contain saturated fat and we do need to watch how much we consume of these foods. Against this, the fats contained in oily fish, avocados, nuts and olive oil are unsaturated fats and they can, believe it or not, actually help lower blood cholesterol.

So what advice should you take to stay healthy? I think my simple ‘moderation’ rule is the best one to keep in mind. Too much of anything is going to be bad for you, but life is for living, and there’s no harm in allowing yourself a little of what you love. And yes -that includes chocolate too!

Till next time,

Steve

I don’t think it matters whether you are a Royalist or not – this Royal Wedding is a fabulous opportunity for us to get together as a nation and celebrate our British culture and history. Us Brits are famous for a healthy ability to knock ourselves, but you know, sometimes I think we’re just a little bit too good at putting ourselves down.

You’ve heard all the lines: The Royal family is a drain on our economy, blah, blah blah. Well, everyone’s entitled to their view. But let’s not forget that there’s actually a huge amount that we British should be proud of. International interest in the Royal Wedding is massive – they say the TV audience will be one of the biggest ever. Just think of the boost that will give our nation.

Street parties are a time-honoured way for us to celebrate together, and I’m sure that our Cucina parties will bring staff and students together in a real spirit of fun and pride in ourselves. (As well as being a nice way to prepare for a chilled-out day off on Friday!)

We’ll be presenting a specially prepared party menu on the day with all sorts of delicious and traditional zany items like royal toast and pineapples on sticks, as well as sumptuous slices of Royal Wedding Cake.

So come on then, folks! Let’s have your suggestions about the music. Classical? Modern? Or just something rousing and patriotic? Click the link below and have your say:

Till next time,

Steve

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=110609838988462&topic=304

Till next time,

Steve

What has happened to school lunches?

Dear Richard,

I know that you are a busy man, but I feel compelled to write to complain about the quality of the school lunches at Teddington School.

Up until the start of this term, my children had considered the lunches at school to be dreadful and insisted on packed lunches. Although this required some work from me, they could be produced at very low cost and everyone was happy. They had something to eat and the money saved went into the Household Adult Wine Fund.

Now we are in the rather awkward situation where my children think the lunches are great and want them every day. Roast dinners, burgers, Tex Mex – nothing but variety and superlatives. Not only is my wife’s reputation as a fine cook being steadily undermined but, even worse, this will increase pocket outgoings by around £120 per month. The extra 20 minutes in bed in the morning is no gain when you consider the loss to the Wine Fund.

I really don’t know what the world is coming to. In my day, it was accepted that school food was dreadful and it never did me any harm (apart from the normal problems that everyone has with food phobias and nightmares). If we carry getting soft like this, the next thing we’ll do is to make schools light, airy, clean and smart places to learn in! Then where will we be!

I am wondering whether there might be a solution where you could program the children’s lunch cards to only dispense gruel? That might help guide them back to the ham sandwich option… just a thought.

p.s. When do you launch the Governor Lunch Card?

The UK is a predominantly service-led economy and has been for too many years. We now import 60%-70% of our foodstuffs. That’s far too high, when you consider that nobody is producing enough for those suppliers.

What we’ve got to do now is look to the land and think about producing much more of our own food. At Cucina, for example, we’re now thinking about establishing relationships with pig-farmers so that we can start making our own bacon. And with dairies too, to start getting our own yoghurt, milk and cheese supplies.

This ‘vertical integration’ approach – becoming your own supplier – will have to be seriously considered by many companies if they want to safeguard supply and also have more control over it.

I can see a lot of the large companies creating these kinds of links with suppliers. A bit like the M&S idea of giving people a fair price, and not trying to squeeze them too much. You get a quality product, and in return you have a happy supplier.

And there are other things we can do too, like choosing Fairtrade products, excluding ‘at-risk’ fish species and using local, seasonally available ingredients.

There isn’t any easy or short-term solution to any major crisis, I guess, but the food industry as a whole needs to do lots of creative thinking. If you’ve got some ideas on this one, I’d love you to go to the Cucina Facebook Page and share them there:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cucina-Restaurants/110609838988462

Till next time,

Steve

Shoeburyness High School in Essex and Bexleyheath School in Kent are receiving restaurant quality food delivered by catering expert Cucina. The three year contracts will make fresh food available to the 1,700 pupils at Shoeburyness High School and the 2,000 pupils at Bexleyheath School. Daily sales figures have increased by an average of 23% per day at Bexleyheath School and 14% per cent per day at Shoeburyness High School.

Catering expert Cucina has also announced their latest range of healthy spring menus, which are now available across all of their 29 restaurants across England. They include tricolore salad with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and olives, mandarin and gingerbread upside down pudding with vanilla ice cream, as well as the new range of designer pizzas and focaccia containing hidden courgettes and carrots.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said:
“It’s great to have happy clients who can see sales shooting up already. Cucina’s new spring menus are tasty, fun and fresh and are proving successful across our restaurants. Our ‘stealthy eating’ approach has helped us more than double the uptake of school dinners in our restaurants across England. It has also enabled our partner schools to significantly reduce their catering costs.”

Mike Headon, Bexleyheath School Business Manager, said:
“The quality of food Cucina produce is excellent and we are very satisfied with the all round provision, including the high quality of the service. Cucina has really made a difference – within a couple of weeks of Cucina starting, the Cucina team were given a letter by a pupil to say thank you.”

Vanessa Morrison, Office Manager at Bexleyheath School, added:
“The food Cucina produce is brilliant and always fresh – you can tell it’s made fresh. I have not experienced this quality of food in a school before. The service is really colourful, eye-catching and displayed interestingly. The pupils are picking up on Cucina’s ideas, like American diners, birthday parties and Valentine’s Day – far more are having lunches there than ever before. The pupils are really impressed and it’s nice to see them enjoying their food.”

Kathleen Hodgson, Bursar for Shoeburyness High School, said:
“The food choice Cucina provide is VERY good and the atmosphere in the Cucina restaurant is excellent. Already, everyone has been supportive of the quality of the food Cucina delivers.”

Cucina Restaurants Ltd serves fresh food to over 25,000 pupils at 29 contracts up and down the country and is committed to providing quality, healthy meals at all schools.

If you’re about my vintage (give or take!) you’ll remember those classic TV ads like the OXO series. Remember the mums, dads and kids all seated around the family meal table? Dad carving up the roast, Mum dishing out the veg, and everybody tucking in to a wholesome meal together.

A few years ago I conducted some research involving 600 or so London secondary students. The results helped us build a detailed picture of what these kids were eating and when they were eating it – every day for a complete week, early morning to bed time.

It confirmed what I guess we already knew – that the landscape had changed. Massively. What a totally different world it had become, many families without even a dining table, let alone a dining room.

No-one’s to blame for that – it’s just how things have evolved. In the Oxo advert days, most British families were living OK on one income, with Mum spending most of her day in the kitchen, preparing and serving wholesome family meals.

Today, most parents would find it just about impossible to run a household on a single wage. Both partners work because the mortgage must be paid. So for the majority of families, that act of sitting down together around a family table is a non-starter.

In many homes now it’s more of a ‘grab what you can where you can’ approach, along the lines of throwing a pizza in the oven, or a slice of bread into the toaster. And look at us now, as a nation. Bigger, fatter and far less healthy than we’ve ever been.

That’s a bleak picture I’ve painted, so you might be asking why it is I’m so upbeat about the future.

It’s because of what my teams see day in and day out, in UK schools where we’re working. Young people choosing and enjoying great food. Talking about it. And taking their experience of our school menus and recipes into their homes to tell their parents.

Masterchef, Jamie Oliver and all those TV chefs are helping to create a real ‘it’s cool to cook’ vibe which encourages kids to download apps like Cucina’s Top Banana and have a go at cooking in their own homes.

So picture this then…. Kids putting meals they’ve cooked in front of their parents! Do you see my earlier point about the poet? Kids can show the way back. For me, that’s our hope, and it really does make me excited and positive about the future.

Steve

Staff and students at Arthur Mellows Village School in Peterborough have already been given a Royal nod when Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex opened the final phase of building work to include a new learning block and the restaurant, completing the school’s buildings.

Mike Sandeman, Head of College and Steve Quinn, Managing Director and Owner of Cucina Restaurants Ltd. who run the catering services at the school were lucky enough to show the Duchess around the restaurant and kitchens. The Countess was introduced to students Ryan Lenton and Emma Child,who explained about the Bistro Evenings run in the school restaurant with Cucina. Nicola Evans-Reid and Rosie Reynolds both Year 8 students also introduced Cucina staff and spoke generally about healthy school dinners. The Countess spent time talking to both staff and students.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director and Owner of Cucina, commented:
“The Countess was really interested in what we were doing here to make a difference. She commented on how it seemed so different from when she was at school. She was engaged, interested in how the kids feel, the benefits of good food to education, fresh ingredients, clean kitchens – and impressed with the facilities and attitudes of Cucina here at Arthur Mellows. She was also surprised by the low costs and said it looks expensive but seems all fresh and value for money too.”

He added; “Will Katy and Will use Cucina? We are hoping, along with thousands of other catering organisations to get THE phonecall.”

Andy who looks after Cucina’s catering contract at Teddington School, had a battle on his hands to compete. He said;
“Everything went wrong, from having no minibus and having to drive my car all the way to Luxembourg, the hotel not being ready so sleeping in the car, working nearly 72 hrs without sleeping and having our van key snap in the lock so towed on and off the ferry to name but a few incidents, but I can safely say its been one of the best experiences of my life!”

Steve Quinn, Managing Director and Owner of Cucina, added:
“We wanted to make it possible for Andy to go to the Culinary World Cup because it is important our chefs compete with the best. Students in schools and colleges are often even more demanding than clients in top Michelin restaurants because they have to eat in the same place every day.

We are so proud of Andy and his Silver Medal win!”

The Soil Association congratulated Cucina Restaurants Ltd. and the school on their award which now allows Cucina to display the Food for Life logo on its menus.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director and owner of Cucina, commented:
“Southfield is now one of the only Secondary Schools in the Country to have gained the Food for Life bronze catering mark and we have done so without compromising our menu offer despite the huge increase in the cost of buying British Bacon and Chicken particularly. All of our meat is Farm Assured, all fish is from sustainable stocks, some of our products are organic, we make good use of seasonal products, reduce food miles and we source some products locally allowing us to use the Bronze Mark logo. Good news all round!

We relish the opportunity at Southfield to share what we know about food with students and staff. We believe passionately that food has a vital role in our wellbeing and successes and are delighted that our food and menus are being so wholeheartedly embraced by over two thirds of the School.

We are also pleased that good, fresh food served with flair is demonstrating that student numbers can increase the eating of healthy, well balanced school meals.”

Lynda Lorentzen, Bursar for Southfield School for Girls Specialist Sports College, added:
“The girls’ behaviour has improved because they are eating better quality food at break time and at lunch and a more balanced diet. The standard of food at Southfield now wouldn’t be out of place in a restaurant and all the fresh fruit and vegetables on offer ensure that the girls get the nutrients they need.”

Steve Quinn, Managing Director and Owner of Cucina, said:

“Typically I am supporting clients up and down the country, but recently whilst in the office, I received a complaint email on my desk. Initially I was very concerned but after reading the first few lines, in actual fact I was rolling around in laughter and was reassured that we were actually doing very well with the food menu at Teddington School. The sales are continuing to grow from strength to strength and we are in fact contemplating offering the letter’s author a consultancy position in our customer complaints department. A fantastic email! Very funny!”

The full text of the amusing email, from a quality manager at an oil company, to the headteacher Mr Richard Weeks, is printed below.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SCHOOL LUNCHES?

Dear Richard,

I know that you are a busy man, but I feel compelled to write to complain about the quality of the school lunches at Teddington School. Up until the start of this term, my children had considered the lunches at school to be dreadful and insisted on packed lunches. Although this required some work from me, they could be produced at very low cost and everyone was happy. They had something to eat and the money saved went into the Household Adult Wine Fund.

Now we are in the rather awkward situation where my children think the lunches are great and want them every day. Roast dinners, burgers, Tex Mex – nothing but variety and superlatives. Not only is my wife’s reputation as a fine cook being steadily undermined but, even worse, this will increase pocket outgoings by around £120 per month. The extra 20 minutes in bed in the morning is no gain when you consider the loss to the Wine Fund.

I really don’t know what the world is coming to. In my day, it was accepted that school food was dreadful and it never did me any harm (apart from the normal problems that everyone has with food phobias and nightmares). If we carry getting soft like this, the next thing we’ll do is to make schools light, airy, clean and smart places to learn in! Then where will we be!
I am wondering whether there might be a solution where you could program the children’s lunch cards to only dispense gruel? That might help guide them back to the ham sandwich option… just a thought.

p.s. When do you launch the Governor Lunch Card?

Jeremy Law, Deputy Headteacher at Teddington School, added:

“We have just moved into a state-of-the-art school facility and it had to be matched with the best food service that we can provide, whilst also providing good value for our students. With a well trained, high quality chef running the kitchen, we were expecting consistently high quality food that does not run out before the last students get through a very short lunch serve – we have not been disappointed. We have had so much positive feedback about the food, which staff and students have shared with us, but also with the Cucina staff. The staff members that have transferred over to Cucina are visibly proud of what they are serving and it shows in their faces and in their interactions with the students. We also welcome more emails from other happy parents who are delighted that their children are eating nutritional food whilst at school.”

But note, the ‘right things in place’. That’s the crucial bit, and so often the stumbling block, too. Because if you don’t have the investment of effort and resources needed to do things properly, the whole Jamie Oliver message will fall in a heap, as we’ve seen time after time.

Any organisation that is serious about taking up Jamie’s challenge must rethink what it understands by the term ‘school dinners’. For me, school catering has always been about serving quality, affordable restaurant food to customers – whatever age those customers might be. And the only way to meet and maintain high standards like this is to make sure there is a talented, creative chef in charge of each and every kitchen.

Just recently our guys have been demonstrating how creative and talented they really are! Andy Wilcock, one of our head chefs carried away a silver at the recent Culinary World Cup, then teamed up with Ian Morgan (Executive Head Chef) and Daniel Boniface (Group Chef, Cambridge) to win triple gold medals in the blue-ribbon Salon Culinaire event.  In all, they took 3 Gold Medals, 2 Silvers, 2 Bronze and 2 Best in Class – against the best cooking talent the world has to offer.

I’m not really one for crowing too much, but when our guys pitch themselves against the best chefs in the industry like this – and then come out on top – it gives people a bit of a clue about the quality of food our customers are eating every single school day.

Steve

It was such a thrill for us to see Cucina head chef Andy Wilcox take silver at the recent Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg, an event which showcases outstanding cooking talent from around the world.

Andy was competing as part of the ‘Craft Guild of Chefs’ team and wowed the judges with his sumptuous 5-course gourmet menu.

Andy’s award followed up our triple gold-medal win in last year’s blue-ribbon Salon Culinaire competition at London’s Hotel Olympia.

Andy, Executive Head Chef Ian Morgan and Group Chef for Cambridge Daniel Boniface produced a menu that was voted ‘best in show’. Ian also won a silver (no golds were awarded) in the ‘Chef at Salon’ for his roasted Cambridgeshire wood pigeon, wild mushroom risotto and jus du vieux lié.

In this competition, our guys were up against top chefs from around the world and they showed that they really can mix it with the best in the business.

Andy Wilcox’s medal-winning Culinary World Cup menu:

Molden-cured Sea Trout & Crab Roulade, Marinated Cucumber and Lobster Essence Jelly
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Foie Gras & Duck Terrine, Red Cabbage Marmalade
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Hot Smoked Eel, Celeriac Gratin, Pickled Apple Chutney and a Horseradish Foam
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Roasted Loin of Roe-Buck Deer wrapped in a Watercress Mousse, Pancetta & Thyme Rosti, Mushroom Faggot and a Burgundy Jus
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Ginger & White Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry & Black Pepper Ice-Cream

Catering expert Cucina has made more than 1,000 family-sized Christmas puddings which will provide 10,000 portions of pudding for pupils, as well as full-sized Christmas puddings which are available for parents and staff to take home for their Christmas dinners.

Cucina has been selling fresh Christmas puddings which are made with the more traditional sultanas, raisins and currants, but also include fresh apple and carrots and are accompanied with homemade Brandy butter. Cucina’s top chefs have developed the winning recipe which is being sold at all of Cucina’s 28 restaurants.

Cucina Executive Head Chef Ian Morgan said:
“We’ve added a bag of lucky coins to the Christmas pudding this year for good luck for 2011, so not only is this probably the best Christmas pudding in the world it will bring you luck as well. These traditional and delicious Christmas puddings continue to be popular on the Christmas party menus at our many restaurants.”

All food is made from scratch in Cucina’s kitchens with chef theatre, ranging from homemade breads, fresh soups, delicious yoghurts, wholesome sandwiches and salads to fresh pizzas baked in professional pizza ovens. Cucina even makes their own tomato ketchup and mango chutney and are constantly updating their menus incorporating stealthy eating and fresh ingredients to keep pupils and staff happy at all restaurants.

The bakery van, which is based at Queens’ School in Bushey near Watford, transports the delicious food straight from the central kitchen to another service point at the opposite end of the site.

The 1,675 students at Queens’ School are already benefitting from the super-fresh food that Cucina serves; the bakery van is another way of ensuring that the students eat fresh and healthy food throughout their day. The menu includes the ever popular chocolate brownies which are packed with beetroot. Cucina has found innovative ways of disguising vegetables in food served across all of its restaurants throughout the UK, which they refer to as ‘stealthy eating’.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said:
“The nature of the site at Queens’ School meant that we had to think outside the box to deliver fresh food to the other side of the site, which is across a public road. The mini van is a green and safe way of delivering fresh food. We are careful not to leave chocolate brownies overnight in the van!”

Caroline Pearce, Business Manager at Queens’ School, added:
“The Cucina van is a fun and ingenious way of getting food between our two sites safely, ensuring the food is delivered hot and fresh. It is the sort of innovative idea we have come to expect from Cucina, who are always willing to go that extra step to enhance their service.”

With a typical ‘fresh thinking’ approach, Cucina, which now caters at 32 restaurants up and down the country, serves fresh food to nearly 30,000 pupils. Cucina emphasises fresh and locally sourced food and also helps the students understand the importance of food provenance. The new app is designed to take these skills into life beyond school.

Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said:

“Cucina’s philosophy is to make meals fun and help students to broaden their knowledge and appreciation of good food, prepared well, on a budget.

The new iPhone app puts the student in control and is in response to the fantastic feedback we had after we presented school leavers with our ‘Top Banana’ cards designed as recipe cards with a bit of fun in mind!

The new app brings these cards bang up to date and can be accessed wherever their iPhone or iPad is by budding Nigellas or Jamie Olivers. We know how important it is to deliver good and affordable meals for every pocket, everywhere!”

Jackie Lees, now in the first year at Manchester University said:

“We were given Top Banana cards when I left Cucina meals and I’ve been able to download the app onto my iPhone. Cool! I’ve already tried the Strawberry Shortbreads and making my own pizza dough. My friends were well impressed. They did the washing up for me and want me to do more cooking which is really great!”

Recipes are at three levels ‘assemble’, ‘cook’ and ‘impress’. They are also colour coded to Green – mainly healthy snacks, starters or light bites, Blue – more substantial meals like lunch or tea and Red – mainly naughty but nice desserts and puddings. Ingredients are widely available, nutritional and ‘value’ selected. Each recipe has step-by-step easy-to-follow instructions and is photographed so that students can copy the recipe when serving.

The app is available as a FREE download from the iTunes App Store by searching for ‘Top Banana Recipe Cards’.