The Talbot - Knightwick, Worcestershire
The Talbot at Knightwick is a Grade II listed traditional coaching inn which has been a well-known gathering point within the local community since the 15th century. Independently owned and managed by the Clift family for over 30 years, The Talbot is an award winning quintessential British pub with rooms located on the picturesque banks of the River Teme, with an ethos of keeping things simple and being authentic and excellent in everything they do.
In 2019 the pub was devastated by flooding due to being situated on the natural flood plain of the River Teme and as a result a complete refurbishment of the property including a new bar and commercial kitchen was required to get the business up and running again.
Due to the position of the pub and the inevitability that the river would burst its banks and flood the property again, insurers NFU decided to put a criterion in place that required the business to put together a plan of action to minimise future potential flood damage to the building and the property within. It was at this time when The Clift’s Surveyor engaged Target Catering Equipment as professional consultants for help and advice on carrying out the project.
PROJECT BRIEF
The aim was to design a flood resilient bar and commercial kitchen to replace the existing ones. The pub kitchen however did not house typical commercial kitchen equipment but had evolved over many years from using wood and coal solid fuel cooking stoves, to a Farmhouse style kitchen incorporating multi-oven oil fired AGA and LPG gas fired equipment.
The kitchen equipment and layout would need to facilitate a traditional British hearty pub food menu, which focused on using only the freshest ingredients from suppliers in the local community and produce gathered from their very own kitchen garden and allotment.
With the previous running costs of oil and LPG gas fired equipment within the kitchen at a high and a three-phase electrical power supply available at the property, Target suggested this would also be an ideal opportunity to consider ways in which the pub could improve its energy efficiency and minimise ongoing running costs.
Owner and Chef Annie was initially reluctant to replace the much-loved inefficient AGA which she favoured for her unique cooking techniques and recipes that made the Talbot what it was to date, however agreed and decided, based on Target’s recommendations that it would be best to proceed with an all-electric commercial kitchen design incorporating the very latest commercial induction cooking technology.
THE PROCESS
Target’s commercial kitchen design team worked together with the owner/chef, surveyor and management and prepared a design for a completely mobile and modular commercial kitchen which could easily be disconnected and moved safely out of reach of the flood water via enlarged kitchen access doors, prior to a known flood risk situation, meeting the criteria of the insurers and the client’s operational needs.
The kitchen was situated across two levels within one section of the property which subsequently made up the upper kitchen area and lower kitchen area. The lower kitchen was designed with two prep areas favoured by Steve Thorley, Annie’s right hand man and operations manager, with dedicated prep sinks and Gram refrigerated counters, Robotcoupe prep machines and a floor standing planetary mixer. A starters/desserts section complete with Houno CombiSlim 10 grid combination oven, bespoke Target solid top induction stove, Lincat Opus 800 fryer and hot cupboard with heated gantry. A main cookline with another Houno CombiSlim 10 grid combination oven, bespoke Target solid top induction suite, Lincat Opus 800 fryers and chip scuttle and service pass with Lincat hot cupboard with heated gantry, two stacked microwaves and Gram refrigerated counter with gantry over.
As the cooklines were designed to be made up using all electric catering equipment, there would be no harmful by-products of combustion, as with gas cooking equipment, which would normally need to be removed using an expensive gas interlocked balanced exhaust and tempered mechanical supply air ventilation system. Instead, two Britania kitchen ventilation canopies exhausting at low level through an external wall could be used, keeping kitchen ventilation system costs to a minimum, not to mention being simple and easy to keep clean.
In the upper kitchen area was a new pot wash area, consisting of dirties drop off and clearing station with double bowl dish wash inlet tabling complete with spray arm and lever arm taps, a Meiko Gio pass through dishwasher, outlet tabling and four tier stainless steel drying/storage racking. In order to minimise the risk of blocked drain issues the dishwash system was to be fitted with a drain maintenance system including a GreasePak bio enzyme dosing module and BioCeptor FOG interceptor and treatment unit. Mechline Basix handsfree handwashing facilities were also located around the kitchen and at the entrance/exit points of the kitchen in accordance with Covid-19 health and safety operational guidelines to ensure sufficient handwashing facilities would be available to anyone entering the kitchen space.
The front of house bar area incorporated Lincat IMC Bartender modular bar units and bespoke stainless-steel fabrication from Target along with a Hoshizaki ice machine and Classeq glass washer for a dedicated glass washing facility. By using modular bar units again in the event of a flood these could be uplifted and moved to safety to ensure minimal damage.
Once the layout designs and equipment specification had been approved, all the necessary mechanical and electrical service drawings were prepared and provided to suit the proposed kitchen and bar layouts. Contractors could then set to work installing all new services. The point was made to make sure all electrical connection points were made at high level well above the historic and most recent flood levels, noted as the highest so far. All electrics were installed to the very latest IET regulations providing personal protection from electric shock.
With the existing walls and floors suffering from flood damage, Target recommended new wall and flooring finishes that would be resistant to future flooding. Following the difficult task of preparing the building’s sub floors, new Altro resin coved floors and Altro white rock hygienic panels were installed, making for an easy to clean sterile kitchen environment that would minimise the potential for water damage in the future.
Once the kitchen shell was complete with the mechanical and electrical services installed, it was just a case of installing the equipment which could be easily rolled into position and plugged in ready to go.
THE END RESULT
Owner and chef Annie was nervous about using the new technology, however soon warmed to it following on-site training provided by equipment manufacturer’s development chefs for each individual pieces of cooking equipment. The fear of cooking using induction was soon overcome when it was used to cook her mother’s much loved porridge recipe just as she had done for years under her mother’s discerning eye on her old faithful AGA that the Target solid top induction replaced.
The handover was completed and despite facing so many obstacles, the Talbot was once again after such devastation, ready, willing, and able to return to the new normal hospitality industry following the lifting of the 2nd Covid-19 lockdown on the 2nd of December 2020.
The Bell Inn - Selsley, Stroud
16th Century grade two listed Cotswold inn, The Bell Inn, located in the quaint village of Selsley, is a fine example of a typical traditional Cotswold pub with rooms. Serving up real ales, locally sourced food and seasonal game on a daily basis.
COMMERCIAL KITCHEN DESIGN & PLANNING
In April 2017 Chef Proprietor Mark Payne decided that it was time to upgrade the existing small kitchen by building an extension and converting all gas appliances to electric. Mark approached Target Catering Equipment, as local Carbon Trust Accredited Suppliers, to work with him on the project to design and deliver a sustainable kitchen that could meet all his needs.
The kitchen cookline was designed to encorporate the very latest Target TR-E+ Range complete with induction hobs and induction plancha, Unox 5 grid combination oven and Lincat electric fryer. The huge potential energy savings that could be made when compared to the existing gas appliances was apparent and therefore warranted a Carbon Trust Green Business Funding application to be made.
Following an Energy Saving Assessment completed by Target and the review of the application by the Carbon Trust, the Bell Inn Green Busniess Funding application was successful and they were granted £4,129.50 which would help offset the expenditure for the energy efficient equipment.
INSTALLATION
Whilst the kitchen renovation was being completed Mark wanted the pub to remain fully operational so a temporary kitchen was hired for 2 weeks while the major building work took place. The kitchen doubled in size by removing a central wall and a new backwards facing kitchen extraction canopy was manufactured and installed by Target.
The ventilation canopy incorporated smaller twin fans to help reduce noise in the kitchen, this also provided a natural stack ventilation system. Consequently the fans now do not need to be operational all the time, helping to provide a quieter working environment for the kitchen brigade.
By repositioning and converting the cold room and freezers, large cold rooms were formed and the pastry section completely changed to become a dishwashing area with Classeq pass through dishwasher. Existing sinks and tabling were joined together to create a more streamlined operation whilst keeping costs down.
The pastry section is now located away from the busy main cookline with its own table and induction hobs. It also benefits from its own Turbofan® covection oven with steam injection.
An island for prep was formed to take sous vide and vac pac machines, microwaves and salad bar with existing counter fridges and fitted with bespoke Target 2 tier gantries complete with power feed from above.
COMPLETE KITCHEN REFURBISHMENT
Following completion of the kitchen renovation the Bell Inn continues to grow from strength to strength and has subsequently been recognised in the 2018 Michelin Guide, 2017 Good Food Guide (Waitrose), been awarded with 2 AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence and received a 5 star hygiene rating by environmental health and a 4 Star AA quality inspected rating .
Mark and the team at The Bell are excited for the future of their business, and are looking forward to all of the opportunities their investment will bring.
Bonny Inn - Salesbury, Lancashire
PROFESSIONAL INDUCTION STOVE COMPLETES ISLAND INSTALL
Designed and manufactured to be millimetre perfect in order to fit into the kitchen, the Target, energy efficient professional induction stove is the latest addition at The Bonny Inn, chosen by Micheal Heathcote to complete his new central island kitchen design.
The island induction cooker incorporates two mirror finished planchas and slide controlled induction solid top for multiple pan use along with round and square induction coils for stock pot cooking.
Integrated under the induction cooktop is a Blue Seal E31D4 convection oven which fits snuggly alongside Target's remotely mounted induction generators. Positioned for optimum cooling of the induction cooktops the remotely positioned generators allows extra space for useful adjustable storage space under for pots and pans.
An overhead rise and fall salamander grill compliments the cookline and pass having automatic plate detection and hot holding capacity as well as fast action grilling capability.
The professional induction stove has its own built in electrical distribution system which only requires one connection to incoming 3 phase mains power making installation quick and easy for the team of Target engineers.
A combination oven, charcoal oven and grill alongside FriFri fryers and Merrychef accelerated cooking system, compliments the cookline, providing this small but perfectly formed kitchen with a wide range of cooking systems to produce high quality output to cater for every taste at this well renowned hostelry.
For further information about Target's professional induction cooking range pelase call 01452 410447.
Kingham Plough - Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
Commercial Kitchen Transformed by Target
Located in the Oxfordshire village of Kingham, near Chipping Norton, the Kingham Plough has achieved a happy balance between a 'proper' pub and an exceptional dining room. Since opening in 2007, Chef Proprietor Emily Watkins and her husband Miles Lampson have followed their ethos that provenance is the key to great food and they continue to source only the best local ingredients, both for the kitchen and bar.
Their succes is reflected in their numerous awards. This year alone the kingham Plough has been awarded their prestigious third AA Rosette, been placed 72nd in the top 100 restaurants in the National Restaurant Awards, have won the Oxfordshire Dining Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide for the second year running, and continue to be recommended in the Michelin and AA guides amongst many others.
In addition to the dining pub, they have six comfortable bedrooms upstairs for customers to really make the most out of their Cotswolds experience.
As a family-run pub, the Kingham Plough is both child-friendly and dog-friendly, maintaining a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that is comfortable, friendly and inclusive. It is everything that an exceptional Cotswolds dining pub with rooms should be.
ABOUT EMILY WATKINS
Executive chef Emily Watkins has put everything into building her business and career as a chef, working tirelessly to produce delicious dishes, developing her own style of modern British cuisine.
Over the years Emily has featured on numerous TV productions including The Hairy Bikers, Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food, whilst also regulalry appearing in the local, national and international press.
In 2014 Emily competed in the BBC's Great British Menu, winning with her fish course. Following this Emily was selected to cook her winning dish for war veterans at St Paul's Cathedral in a banquet commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and has since returned to the show as a veteran judge for the South West Region.
COMMERCIAL KITCHEN DESIGN PROCESS
After the whirlwind of being heavily in the limelite as a prestigious chef, Emily Watkins and husband Miles Lampson decided it was time to invest in their business and improve their dated kitchen by introducing an energy efficient, eco friendly, erganomically designed commercial kitchen.
Emily needed a company to help turn her ideas into reality, having previously worked with Target Catering Equipment, based in Gloucester, she got back in contact and asked Target's design team to work with her to transform her kitchen.
PROJECT BRIEF
The old kitchen at the Kingham Plough was poorly designed, highly unproductive and inefficient, using LPG bottled gas which produced a lot of waste heat that the ventilation system could not cope with, especially during the summer months making the kitchen unbearable at times for staff.
Equipment was being left on for most of the day and not turned off because it was difficult to reignite, resulting in high utility bills. The antiquated equipment was also costing a lot to keep running through engineers's service call outs to replace failed thermocouples and to clear blocked gas jets.
Multiple pots and pans were being used that required regular de-carbonising as did all the equipment, as the excessively high temperatures burned on all debris and spills to the cooking equipment and utensils. This again costing the company money.
Being in a traditional Cotswold building the kitchen suffered with uneven floors and walls, causing surface finishes to deteriorate over time. These were to be made good and compliant with Health and Safety regulations, smooth, impervious and easy to keep clean.
With a three phase electrical supply available Emily made the obvious decision of opting for an all electric kitchen. It was now down to Target to design and specify equipment that would meet her needs, which was to include an energy efficient Target bespoke commercial induction range.
COMMERCIAL CATERING EQUIPMENT
Target's design team and Emily looked at how they could improve work flow and productivity and create a better ambience for their kitchen brigade.
The main cookline being transformed with a Target bespoke induction range able to cope with large stock pots and also small multiple pan cooking with a double plancha. Combined with a 10 grid Lincat combination oven would speed up cooking process times, reduce waste heat and minimise energy costs.
Along with the main cookline range Emily decided thata bespoke island induction cooking suite would be ideal for the pastry section. This would be accessible from both sides of the kitchen and once again improve workflow.
Target's design team also recommended other equipment which was specifically desgined to reduce energy consumption. Fosters Eco range of fridges and blast chillers were specified and Target used their stainless steel fabrication facility to customise the units in order to meet Emily's demanding and site specific requirements.
With a new hot pass, a Target fast action salamander grill, and the Winterhaulter, energy efficient heat recovery dishwashing system, despite some earlier misgivings about all the new technology being introduced into the kitchen, staff were soon enjoying the kitchen's transformation.
COMPLETE KITCHEN INSTALLATION
With the complete commercial kitchen refurbishment scheduled for a 2 week turnaround, involving installation of new catering equipment, new Altro resin floors and PVC wall cladding, a new electrical distribution system, extension to the ventilation canopy along with building work to accomodate new storage areas and cold room, the Target team had their work cut out. However, with careful planning and attention to detail the refurbishment was completed 3 days ahead of scheduled handover, allowing Emily and her team plenty of time to prepare for the official re-opening just before the busy Cheltenham race week.
The hard work and planning from Emily and the Target team continues to pay dividends, as the Kingham Plough has recently been awarded 2 stars by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, the kitchen is running more efficiently, energy costs are down and staff morale is up!
WHAT EMILY WATKINS HAS TO SAY ABOUT TARGET
"I chose Target because they were able to totally work with me from beginning to end, from the initial chat stages through the whole design process, creating exactly what we needed."
Emily Watkins - Chef Proprietor of Kingham Plough
The Royal Oak - Tetbury
TARGET PUTS INDUCTION COOKING AT THE HEART OF A REJUVENATED COTSWOLD HOSTELRY
There's something satisfying about bringing a much loved, but long neglected, Cotswold pub back to life. When two people decided to rejuvenate the Royal Oak at Tetbury, Gloucestershire, their vision centred on turning a run-down 'drinking hole' into a real ale, food and accommodation led community pub. Making an impossibly small kitchen work for their chefs to produce great home cooked food demanded a special kitchen contractor with experience, ingenuity and attention to detail. That's when Target Catering Equipment got involved.
Cotswolds based Chris York and Kate Lewis love challenges. Not content with careers in the music business and marketing, the Tetbury couple took on a labour of love to bring The Royal Oak, a much loved (but terribly run-down) Cotswolds hostelry, back to life. If ever a phoenix was going to rise this was it, due to the pub's condition after several year's neglect. With a big part of Chris and Kate's vision being the transformation of the former wet-led pub into a culinary hotspot, the kitchen was always going to be at the heart of the project.
The existing "kitchen" was little more than a lean-to afterthought on the end of the run-down building. Nevertheless, seeing its potential prompted Chris and Kate to approach Gloucester based Target Catering Equipment. Then, as part of the pub's redevelopment, the "magic" began - under the watchful eyes of the owners and executive chef, Al Fricker, whose lengthy CV includes work for non-other than the governor of The Bank of England!
Al takes up the story. From the start, it's a tale of how a seasoned catering professional's reservations turned into unbounded admiration for the craft and service standards of the Target team. Target's work began with the inspired creativity of lead designer Nicola Pedrette as she completely rethought the "impossibility" of The Royal Oak's kitchen space.
VERY PLEASED WITH WHAT TARGET ACHIEVED
"I'll be honest and say that I had reservations from the start," admits Fricker. That's no reflection on David Pedrette and his team, but the kitchen was a nightmare. When I first got involved, I was really surprised by the lack of space. Then I realised how they'd thought out the design and as I saw each component fit into place, I gradually came to like it. More than that actually; I'm very pleased with what Target achieved - and so are Chris and Kate.
Al keeps referring to Target's knowledge and can-do attitude as he recalls their work. "As a kitchen contractor, David stands out for combining two things: his considerable knowledge and the way that if he says he'll do something he just does it. No chasing, no reminders, it just gets done to a very high standard when he says he'll do it."
Knowledge and punctuality came with ingenuity too, as Target conjured much needed extra storage from nowhere - including clever maximisation of wall storage, set clear of the kitchen walls for easy cleaning. However, Fricker's favourite demonstration of their ingenuity is the way they used "dead space" in the kitchen's attic for a modular self-assembly fridge unit that could be assembled in a space where no other free-standing unit would fit.
NO DOUBTS ABOUT INDUCTION COOKING
At the heart of the kitchen is Target's induction cooking range - a logical decision given that a new electrical supply was in the brief. Executive chef Fricker isn't the first experienced chef that Target Catering has introduced to induction cooking. Like others before him, he had reservations...
"My initial misgivings, " he concedes, " about the induction cooking line's ability to give enough heat, proved unfounded. We've had three chefs working here together and we all noticed how much cleaner and cooler this kitchen is. We haven't got before and after fuel costs to compare, but the spec for the induction range promises excellent future performance. Chris and Kate were keen to go electric because it's better for the environment as well as being cost effective!"
UNEXPECTED BENEFITS
As well as the environmental, energy consumption, cleanliness and temperature advantages of the commercial induction range, the new kitchen's biggest benefit is simply that it has transformed an "impossible" space into a working kitchen to support Chris and Kate's culinary vision for The Royal Oak. Al Fricker elaborates: "I've worked in lots of kitchens but few as difficult as this. David's team turned the impossible into the "doable". Without that, the new Royal Oak simply wouldn't have been able to deliver when Chris and Kate decided we could officially reopen in August 2013."
The pub's executive chef goes on to explain another, less obvious, benefit of working with Target: "David," he explains, "is very well connected. He's been a valuable source of introductions to local catering networks, including local organic food sources, as he strives to get everything just perfect. As well as understanding design, fabrication, specification and kitchen installation, David loves good food and understood our passion for getting food right. Then he put his heart into the project to create the heart of the pub. That's pure gold on a project like this."
RECOMMENDATIONS AHEAD FOR TARGET
Asked whether he'd recommend Target Catering Al Fricker answers unhesitatingly: "Definitely. I'll be doing so shortly when I speak with another consultant involved with different aspects of the pub's development. In fact, I'd go so far as saying Target Catering Equipment is probably the most consistent delivery-based supplier, I've ever worked with for kitchen fitting in the UK." That's praise indeed from a chef whose career has involved the culinary stratosphere of several UK three-star Michelin kitchens as well as consultancy across Europe.
It's a sentiment shared by pub owners Chris York and Kate Lewis, as their hard work finally comes together, and the transformed Royal Oak opens its doors (and new kitchen) to guests.
THEY’VE HELPED OUR VISION COME TRUE
Kate sums everything up: "We hope the local community and visitors to Tetbury will come and enjoy a warm welcome in a creative, fun and friendly freehouse with a wonderful kitchen at its heart. What we've achieved in our pub kitchen wouldn't have been possible without the support, ingenuity, patience and contacts that Target Catering Equipment brought. Just like a great pub that you stumble upon and make your own, they're a wonderful find that has helped our vision come true and sets us up for a successful future."