The Pickled Piglet - Birmingham
INDUCTION COOKING TRANSFORMS RESTAURANT KITCHEN
A Target induction cooking system now takes pride of place in The Pickled Piglet restaurant kitchen after Chef Patron, Mark Rafferty kicked out his old electric radiant plate cooker and replaced it with a bespoke induction range cooker.
With the old radiant plate range consuming vast amounts of electricity and producing lots of heat, which made the kitchen intolerably hot to work in, Mark decided that the best way to cure the problem was with an energy efficient induction cooking system.
With the help of Target Catering Equipment, Mark designed his own induction cooking suite to optimise all the available space within his kitchen. Target's slide top induction, with a single, variable control knob, reproduces the gas and electric radiant plate solid top style of cooking with a graduated heat induction cooking surface.
The Target plancha grill also allows for extra high temperature cooking without the need for pans, this saves on the washing up and the need for extra pans during busy service.
By incorporating two Blue Seal drop down door ovens, with simple to use thermostatic control, manual timers and contra rotating fans for even oven temperatures, underneath the induction cooktop. Mark now has a seamless, powerful induction range which is not only energy efficient but also easy to clean.
For further information about Target's bespoke induction ranges please call 01452 410447.
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."
Kylesku Hotel - Kylesku, Sutherland
COMMERCIAL KITCHEN REFURBISHMENT REPLACES LPG WITH INDUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Set on the shores of Loch Glendhu in the Scottish Highlands is the Kylesku Hotel, a family run, old coaching inn dating back to 1680. A hotel that is passionate about food, locally sourced produce is Kylesku's speciality. With fishing boats landing on the slipway outside the hotel, it's more about 'food metres' than 'food miles'. In addition to the destination restaurant the Kylesku Hotel has 11 bedrooms allowing guests to experience quality food in welcoming, friendly and comfortable surroundings.
COMMERCIAL KITCHEN DESIGN PROCESS
Having purchased the long standing inn, new owners Tanja Lister and Sonya Virechauveix continued to operate the business in its inherited state. After a few months in operation it was clear that the hotel was tired, inefficient and in need of a complete refurbishment, so the search began for a company that could carry out the project. This task was harder than expected for the pair, due to the hotel's remote issolated loation very few would contemplate such a project. However, for Target Catering Equipment who had recently completed a project for Sodexo's Remote Sites Base in Aberdeen continuing further North was not an issue.
Offering the complete service including design, manufacture, supply and installation of a commercial kitchne, meant Target could meet all the owner's needs and following a visit to site to discuss the project and carry out a site survey were subsequently selected to begin the refurbishment process.
PROJECT BRIEF
With the remote location came high running costs. The hotel was relying on LPG gas to run the restaurant's kitchen and the gas bill was averaging at over £600 per month. Becoming more energy efficient and reducing overheads was the only option to ensure the future of the business.
The existing kitchen was small and difficult to operate in resulting in unhappy staff and dissatisfied cutomers. Bespoke fabricated items would be needed in order to meet the specific space requirements and needs for the kitchen.
Working closely with Tanja and Sonia, David Pedrette, Managing Director of Target Catering Equipment designed a suitable commercial kitchen that all would enjoy working in. It was decided that the hotel should upgrade its electrical supply to accomodate the new energy efficient equipment, which would in turn provide savings that would soon outway the initial upgrade costs.
COMMERCIAL CATERING EQUIPMENT
The new commercial catering equipment included within the commercial kitchen specification consisted of; bespoke manufactured stainless steel catering equipment, including sinks, tables, racking, along with a bespoke Target commercial induction cooking suite and other supplied kitchen appliances, and completed with kitchen extraction system to suit.
COMPLETE KITCHEN INSTALLATION
Target's team project managed the install and completed the total kitchen refurbishment in 7 days whilst staying over at the remote site. The installation included installation of mechanical and electrical services, Altro hygienic wall cladding, commercial kitchen flooring and ceilings, along with all catering equipment.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT...
Following the refurbishment Kylesku Hotel was commended in the 2012 Good Hotel Guide and the 2012 Michelin Guide to Eating in Pubs, and has since been awarded 2014 'Scottish Hotel of the Year' by the Good Hotel Guide. The Kylesku Hotel now relies on Scottish hydro power for all its needs and with its state of the art new induction kitchen equipment and kitchen refit, Tanja and Sonia are well equipped for many more busy seasons to come.
WHAT TANJA & SONIA HAS TO SAY ABOUT TARGET
"From start to finish Charlotte, David and the rest of the team were there. We never knew of problems only solutions. Aproject well managed and brilliantly executed!"
"It's been 5 months already! 5 months of improved atmosphere in the kitchen, of improved productivity and much improved cooking!! Thank you all for the great job you did we hope to see you all at some point again!"
Tanja Lister and Sonia Virechauveix - Owners of Kylesku Hotel
The Speech House Hotel - Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
THE SPEECH HOUSE HOTEL ACHIEVES AMBITIOUS GREEN GOALS
It's another business lunchtime in the Speech House Hotel's relaxed bar and delicious meals arrive quickly. Litle do the dinners know that the new commercial induction range supplied and installed by Target underpin their experience. Behind the scenes, in new efficiency, quality, green credentials, safety and profitability, change is even more marked ...
Peter and Gill Hands bought the hotel in 2010 before updating it while carefully retaining the traditions of a much-loved business and cultural hub in the Royal Forest of Dean.
An approach by Business West introduced possible benefits from incentivised investment as a green business. After auditing and recommendations by Business West's Chris Springett, they identified Target Catering Equipment in Gloucester as possible suppliers.
IMPRESSED FROM THE START
Owner Peter Hands commented "From the start, David Pedrette, MD of Target Catering Equipment, impressed us. His responsivness and thorough survey revealed opportunites for energy and other costs savings by replacing our old LPG-gas kitchen - and improved efficiencies through upgraded equipment and layout. After identifying our requirements and suggesting options, Target demonstrated induction cooking at their showroom - including a party-piece where a £50 note remains undamged between a working induction hob and a boiling pan!"
The hotel already had 3-phase electricy that was underutilised in the belief that ease of use and controllability made gas best for cooking. Electrical equipment had never been considered viable - a belief not helped by entrenched staff resistance to change.
THE CHALLENGE
With projected savings verified by Chris Springett, the hotel management team approved Target's proposals and the required investment, supplemented by EU funding for improving energy resource efficiency. With a Green Business grant in place, installation began.
Peter again: "Our old solid top range generated lots of waste radiant heat because it, and our ovens, had to stay on 12-14 hours a day, in and out of service, with energy guzzling electric fans running continuously.
There was also a continously running wall mounted gas grill over our fryers and poor kitchen workflow around mismatched units. And an inefficient hot pass without plating-up space for large functions. Food sometimes went out at less-than-optimal quality, having cooled rapidly before service."
Peter and Gill were impressed by Target's thorough exploration of their requirements before suggesting options and arranging demonstrations. "They knew exactly how to meet our requirements and were always very helpful. As a family business ourselves, we like working with family firms and keeping business local. Having David and Liz and the rest of the Target team just minutes away is reassuring."
WE KNEW WE'D CHOSEN WISELY
"Installation went smoothly," recalls Peter, "and our chefs took to the new induction cooking equipment at once. After finding our feet, a great "coming together" on day two reassured us that we'd chosen wisely. In reality, you expect teething troubles, but to Target's credit there weren't any. The only niggle was a persistently failing oven lamp that the Target team and their supplier handled under warranty.
THE BENEFITS
Descibing a positive experience for the hotel team and its guests, Peter says: "We've got first class equipment and better procedures without compromising quality. Our operation's quality has improved in many ways - from streamlined kitchen workflow and better presented food, to faster service."
There have been financial savings too, with the promise of more to come. As Gill Hands explains: "It's difficult to precisely quantify fuel savings. For this we'd need to know amounts of fuel used, actual like-for-like sales and weather conditions. The unit costs to fuel also increased several times during the year." That said, Gill's comparisons show worthwhile savings between 2011 and 2013 - particularly when rising costs and a long cold winter are considered. The quantifiable benefits clearly reflect moving from gas, efficiencies and energy savings due to the speed and responsiveness of induction cooking, and massively reduced use of the electric ventilation system. As well as the electricity cost, the cost of wastefully extracting already- heated air from the rest of the hotel has fallen too.
"Ambient kitchen temperatures are much lower now and reduced fan use eliminates draughts," adds Peter. "Chefs occasionally describe the kitchen as cold - but I'm sure they'll like it in the summer!"
As for operational improvements, the kitchen team loves the induction ranges flexibility and responsiveness, and easier workflow over newly-levelled worktops. On the commercial induction range, round, square and induction solid top coils replicate the old gas range, cook twice as fast, use half the power and are more controllable. Importantly, less energy is wasted because hobs switch on and off automatically when pans are placed or removed. There are also new electric convection ovens and grills under the main cooktop and a new combination oven on the end of the cookline. Centre stage on the main food prep island goes the new "rise and fall" salamander grill. Because it produces no harmfull by-products of combustion, it didn't have to stay in the old gas grill's less-than-ideal position over the fryers and under the ventilation canopy.
Individually switched lights on the refurbished hot pass keep food and plates at correct temperatures, complementing the new equipment and helping chefs increase the already high food-quality standards for anything from light lunches to functions. As Peter explains: "We can bake potatoes and meringues at different temperatures in the same oven. That's clever!"
GUESTS NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE
Guests are noticing the differences and commenting positively on food quality and service speed to. Whether Peter and Gill are catering for a banquet or those business diners, they're sure induction cooking benefits guests. And though emphasising that they'd never hurry diners, they know increased efficiency enables servicing more covers at busy times.
Happy diners, chafs and owners reflect well on the new kitchen. As well as greater energy efficiency, it's also easier to clean and maintain - with labour saving details such as a moveable wheel mounted cookline.
SAVINGS CAN BE REINVESTED IN GUEST FACILITIES
The reduced ventilation requirements means the old external ventilation ducting can go - improving the hotel's appearance and cutting maintenance costs. What's more, the guests won't have to endure the noise and vibration of the fan needed to meet gas saftey regualtions for dispensing fumes. Along with a planned biomass unit and other energy saving measures around the hotel, it means substaintial savings for reinvestment in guest facilities.
INTO THE FUTURE
Working with Target has cemented bonds between the businesses: Target's done product photography and video filming at Speech House; and businesses collaborated to recycle the old LPG gas stove. After inviting 'bids' from the local community, Lydney Sea Scouts 'won' the equipment for their centre where it will see out its days working for local community groups.
As well as enjoying transformed operations and costs, the Hands are now ambassadors for Target induction cooking equipment and business greening. In April 2013, they even won Green Business of the Year in The Forester's annual Business Awards. No wonder UK hoteliers and overseas delegations come to see the equipment with a view to greening their kitchens.
Would Peter and Gill recommend Target Catering Equipment? "Yes," says Peter. "Our relationship only stengthens and I've referred potential clients to them. We both agree that organisations such as Business West and Gloucestershire First should continue to showcase our success to a wider audience that will benefit from silmilar efficiencies and CO2 reduction wherever food is prepared."