______________________________________________________________________________________ 21.7.10 AMBERFIELD OPEN DAY JUNE 2010 Independent Schools Catering Consultancy were delighted to help out at Amberfield's Open Morning on Saturday 19th June 2010. The theme of the day was 'Food Glorious Food' and parents were encouraged to visit the Dining Room to meet Chris Stanley from ISCC who has been supporting the catering team for the Summer term. Amberfield School is one of our newest clients and we are very pleased with the progress that has been made by Debbie Adams, Chef Manager and her team. For the full story click on the photo or for support with your culinary development email Chris by clicking here chris.stanley@iscc.co.uk or call 01743 240377 ______________________________________________________________________________________ 14.5.10 ISBA CONFERENCE HARROGATE MAY 2010 Chris, Simon, Lizzie and Jane of ISCC would like to thank all the Bursars who visited our stand at the Harrogate International Centre. We would in particular like to say a very big public thank you to all our Clients for recommending our services to colleagues; we truly value and appreciate your support and business. We are currently collating the considerable number of requests for contact that we received and will be in touch soon to arrange appointments. If you did mean to catch up with us but missed the opportunity then do please either drop Simon an email on simon.pollard@iscc.co.uk or call 01743 240377 ______________________________________________________________________________________ 17.5.10 Vegetarian Society Recipes The Vegetarian Society have produced a free catering booklet for school caterers. The booklet contains 50 vegetarian recipes designed to be school age pupil friendly using inexpensive ingredients as well as being healthy and imaginative. This can be viewed online by clicking on the logo opposite. For a free paper copy or a CD-ROM email education@vegsoc.org Don't forget that it is National Vegetarian Week from 23rd to 29th May so this booklet could prove to be invaluable! ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 31.03.10 ISCC remain at the leading edge through ongoing development with sector specific recognised industry bodies. ISCC is pleased to announce that Lizzie Fowell, Senior Consultant recently attended a training workshop run by the Boarding Schools' Association which provided an invaluable overview of the Ofsted Boarding Inspection model. Lizzie Fowell said of the course: "I recently attended the BSA's one-day seminar 'Preparing for a Boarding Inspection'. In particular, I found the session on standards and outcomes very valuable. The course covered the Children Act 2004, 'Every Child Matters', evidence gathering and the lessons which can be learnt from previous inspections, as well as providing a useful background to the topics which are currently the main focus of Inspectors." Click the picture to read the full article. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 19.03.10 ISCC help pupils at Channing School to bring healthy eating to life. Independent Schools Catering Consultancy Chef and Partner Chris Stanley launched a series of interactive live food demonstrations with the pupils at Channing School. Is this something that your pupils at school would enjoy and benefit from? Please contact Chris on 07943 422888 for further information. Click the picture to read the full article. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 03.01.10 ISBA Bulletin ISCC was delighted to be asked by the ISBA to provide catering benchmark information for use in their December 2009 members bulletin. Please click on the graph logo to view the full version of the information supplied. We have also produced an easy to complete ready-reckoner - you just need to inset your pupil numbers and trading days and your total cost of catering is self calculated. Please click HERE to email us for this Excel workbook. ISCC can provide formal benchmarking exercises to reassure Bursars and Governors that the cost of catering at school is in line with industry best practice parameters. Please contact Simon for further information and project fees. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 31.12.09 SUSTAINABLE HOSPITALITY As more and more Independent Schools look to reduce their carbon footprint and overheads why not gain professional knowledge from catering industry experts at this special half day seminar which runs alongside Hotelympia in February 2010. The cost is £125.....but just how quickly can this cost be recuperated? Click on the light bulb for further information. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 18.12.09 Chris and Simon are delighted to announce the arrival of Elisabeth Fowell to the ISCC team as Senior Consultant. Liz joins Independent Schools Catering Consultancy from CaterLink (a division of BaxterStorey) where she was Sales Director for the last nine years. Liz brings considerable industry senior management experience and many Bursars may remember Liz (formally Humberstone) from her time at Sodexo in Independent School sales. Simon Pollard comments "I am delighted that Liz has joined ISCC bringing with her considerable expertise and experience. ISCC are determined to be recognised as the leading industry catering consultants in the Independent School sector and Liz will certainly help us further in building this reputation. I wish Liz a very happy and successful time at ISCC" ______________________________________________________________________________________ 14.12.09 Simon and Chris would like to wish all our Clients, friends and visitors to our website a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to catching up in 2010.... ______________________________________________________________________________________ 7.12.09 Hotelympia - 28th February to 4th March 2010 at Excel in London You can now register via the ISCC website to gain free entry to Hotelympia (normal entrance price £30): click here to register Discover more new ideas and innovations for your business at Hotelympia 2010. Network with friends, colleagues and over 1000 exhibiting companies. Enjoy the buzz of the world-class culinary competition, Le Salon Culinaire International de Londres, incorporating Live Theatre, Salon Display and La Parade des Chefs. Sample exciting new delicacies in the Speciality and Regional Food Pavilion and explore the latest coffee innovations at the World of Coffee. Attend CPD accredited lectures and seminars at The Design Link and learn from the brand new Sustainable Futures Seminars. Simon and the ISCC team will be at the exibition and hope to see you there. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 02.06.09 Many thanks to all who visited our stand at the ISBA Annual Conference in Torquay.   We are delighted with the level of interest shown and the positive feedback that we received from both Clients and prospects.   We have a busy time ahead of us catching up with the many Bursars who requested a meeting. If you did want to arrange a meeting but didn't get the chance to visit us then please do call Simon on either 07943 422999 or 01743 240377 or drop us an email on simon.pollard@iscc.co.uk   Many thanks again and we look forward to either seeing you soon or if not then hopefully meeting up again in Harrogate next May!!

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06.05.09

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA ADVICE

With one Independent School already closed as a result of confirmed cases of Swine Flu it is of paramount importance that a plan of action for your catering staff is in place.

Click on the picture to download a plan kindly supplied to ISCC by Pabulum
(http://www.pabulum-catering.co.uk/)

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05.05.09

Want your pupils to be growing, cooking and eating fresh, seasonal, local & organic food and visiting the farms where their food is produced?

Join the Food for Life Partnership!

Awards for schools
Learn how to transform your school food culture using the Food for Life action framework and win awards for your achievements.

Benefits of joining:

• - Free introduction pack
• - Posters, recipe cards, and DVD's
• - Guidance from our advice lines
• - Cooking, growing & farm links resources
• - Invitations to regional workshops
• - Listing in our online schools database
• - Chance to be selected as a Flagship School

Click on the link below for more details....

www.foodforlife.org.uk

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12.12.08

The 'Hospitality Show 2009' is being held at the NEC in Birmingham from 19th to 21st January 2009. Entry is free if you register early by clicking on the logo above.

There are some interesting seminars this year which we believe will be of particular interest to the Independent School sector these being:

Beating food inflation without compromising quality or brand and Source for all Seasons; the benefits of Seasonal Menus

There are also over 250 exhibitors, the Salon Culinaire live theater Competition and La Parade des Chefs

See you there !!

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11.12.08

ISBA Conference 2009 RIVIERA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, TORQUAY

Chris and Simon are once again delighted to have been allocated a stand at the ISBA Annual Conference in Torquay next May. We very muck look forward to meeting many new and familiar faces.

Our presence has grown significantly in the marketplace this year with us gaining more than thirty new Clients.

Our projects, with schools who provide their own catering, have included relaunching food service offers, introducing new exciting menus, conducting onsite culinary training, 'hand-holding' during recruitment exercises and designing new kitchens and dining rooms.

We have also succesfully supported out-sourced schools through their catering tender exercises.

We are very grateful to all of our Clients for their business and wish them, and everyone who visits our website, a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

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2.12.08




Work-related injuries and ill health in the catering industry

There has been an increase in the rate of reported major and over-3-day injuries in the catering industry from 1999/2000 to 2007/08. In 2007/08 there were 65.8 reported major injuries per 100,000 employees and 230.1 reported over-3-day injuries per 100,000 employees.

Relative to other industries, a higher proportion of reported injuries in the industry were caused by contact with harmful substances, electricity and exposure to fire.

In 2007/08 the prevalence rate of self-reported work-related ill-health in catering industry was lower than for all industries (1.8 % people working in the last year, vs. 3.4% for all industries).

THOR surveillance scheme data, 2005-2007, indicates the incidence rate of dermatitis was higher in the catering industry than all industries.

In 2007/08 an estimated 0.73 days were lost per worker through work-related ill health or injury in the hotels and restaurants group. This is lower than the rate for all industries.

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21.11.08



Carbon Trust Interest Free Loans

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12.05.08

ISBA Conference 2008

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10.03.08

EASTER TRIVIA - DID YOU KNOW?


Easter is early this year. Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).
This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) that is rare.

Here's the interesting information. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts:

1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

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Hotelympia - 17th to 21st February 2008 at Excel in London

You can now register to gain free entry to Hotelympia (normal entrance price £30) via:

https://www.hotelympia.com/page.cfm/Action=PreReg/PreRegID=1/t=m

Discover more new ideas and innovations for your business at Hotelympia 2008. Network with friends, colleagues and over 1000 exhibiting companies. Enjoy the buzz of the world-class culinary competition, Le Salon Culinaire International de Londres, incorporating Live Theatre, Salon Display and La Parade des Chefs.

Sample exciting new delicacies in the Speciality and Regional Food Pavilion and explore the latest coffee innovations at the World of Coffee.

Attend CPD accredited lectures and seminars at The Design Link and learn from the brand new Sustainable Futures Seminars.

Visit Hotelympia 2008 and bring your passion for the industry to life!

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23.10.07

'Educate for Life' update

Having now received the cost of providing the daily lunches to the 80 children in the new school (Bal Vidhya) built by 'Educate for Life' in India ISCC have given a commitment to raise £1,000 to cover the full cost of these meals plus the introduction of a kitchen garden and the planting of fruit trees. Watch this space for fund raising activities.

If you would like to help or join us in raising money then please drop an email to Simon at simon.pollard@iscc.co.uk

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01.10.07
‘Best Places to Work in Hospitality Award 2008’
Do you run a successful operation and treat your staff well? Are your team at school more than just work colleagues; perhaps you are all friends outside of work? Do you really enjoy coming into school every morning to work together to prepare and serve food for the pupils? Do you have a great relationship with your customers and the school?
Do you want your staff and the school to be recognised for this achievement?..then get your entry in for the Caterer and Hotelkeeper Best Places to Work in Hospitality Awards 2008.
ISCC suggest that you enter the ‘Individual Unit’ category.
2008 Award Categories

• Hotel chains with 1-10 sites
• Hotel chains with 11 or more sites
• Restaurant or bar chains with 1-10 sites
• Restaurant or bar chains with 11 or more sites
• Contract catering companies
• Public sector
• Individual unit
• Hospitality supplier company

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01.10.07
ISCC have teamed up with UK student charity workers Ed and Ash who run ‘Education for Life’. The aim of the charity is to provide education to children in deprived countries.
Their work since starting the charity has been phenomenal and they are now in the process of building their first eco-friendly school in the Uttar Pradesh region of India.
Their aim over the longer term is to also set up small workshops and cottage industries for adults of the community to help fund the upkeep of the school, aiding local economy as well as the school.
This really is a very down to earth charity with very few administrative overheads so virtually all money donated goes directly to their projects.

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01.10.07
Independent Schools Catering Consultancy has been launched today and Simon Pollard and Chris Stanley welcome you all to our new website.
The purpose of ISCC is to support in-house catering operations exclusively with the Independent School sector as well as providing tender consultancy packages.
Chris Stanley said of the new launch.....
“We are delighted to be offering hands-on culinary and managerial support to a sector of the catering and hospitality industry that we believe is unrecognised and unsupported. All too often focus from the support and press organisations are directed at hotels, fine dining restaurants and contract caterers.
My personal aim is to heighten the profile of Independent School catering. No longer will our work be the catering sectors best kept secret.”
Chris Stanley; Partner ISCC and ex Executive Chef at Sevenoaks School and Sir John Cass Business School in London.

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Interested in the affect your home and kitchen has on carbon emissions?

Need to know what next years inflation rates will be?

Find all the advice you need right here. Simply scroll and click the links below...

'click here' to add a helpful new link

We are often asked about the best hand sanitisers for pupils to use prior to entering the servery area to help reduce the spread of germs.

There are a number of products on the market but we prefer the Germstar dispenser as it automatically dispenses a measured dose simply by placing a hand under the dome.

The dome can either be wall mounted or it sits on it's own frame giving you ultimate flexibility.

Please follow the link below for further details.

www.germstarhygiene.co.uk

In the UK we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food every year, roughly a third of everything we buy. Most of this is avoidable and could have been eaten if only we had planned, stored and managed it better.

Click the '1/3rd of the food we buy is wasted' logo to see the full report recentlyproduced by WRAP and the Love Food Hate Waste logo for helpful tips on how to reduce your food waste.

Find the cheapest petrol near you...

Financial Terms Glossary

FAIR TRADE STATUS

Have you ever thought about registering your school as a 'Fairtrade School'?

The Fairtrade Foundation run a scheme whereby your whole school can participate in a scheme that encourages and promotes the use of Fairtrade produce. Click on the link for more information.

www.fairtrade.org.uk/schools

Why become a Fairtrade School?

1. Because it's only fair that the people who produce what we eat, wear and use should get paid enough to live on and a chance to improve their lives

2. And no-one has to do it alone – this website signposts local and national organisations that are keen to inspire, offer support, and provide you with information

Fairtrade...for the whole school

1. means the school gets local and national recognition

2. supports lots of other initiatives (such as Eco-Schools, International Schools and Healthy Schools

3. contributes to making the world a fairer place

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Budget inflation rates for 09

At budget compilation time we often best guess what we believe the rate of inflation is going to be for next year either based on what we used this year or what we hear or see on the television or radio.

It is very important that we endeavor to reflect the correct inflation level in our budget as just being one percent out can lead to a quite considerable overspend.

As you can imagine there really is a lot of financial science behind the predictions and we should be using two separate rates, one for inflating our food costs and one for our labour costs.

Our food costs should increase by the rate known as the CPI (Consumer Price Indices) This index, provided by the Governments National Statistics Department measures the average price increases of consumer goods which includes food goods but excludes mortgage rate increases. The ALL ITEMS RPI, (ALL ITEMS Retail Price Index) also provided by National Statistics, includes both consumer goods increases and mortgage increases and therefore is more relevant to salary and wage inflationary increases. (Not to be confused with the normal RPI which is in essence the same as the CPI). The information provided by the Office for National Statistics does also give a third option which is RPI excluding mortgage rate increases and it is this figure that is sometimes used as an accurate barometer.

The most up to date statistics can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=868

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Carbon Calculator

How often do we hear about our carbon footprint and how we should be endevouring to make it neutral ?

Until now it has been difficult to actually work out the amount of carbon we produce. However the Government have recently launched this fabulous new website that makes it simple to calculate a very accurate carbon footprint.

Have a go using your home as a benchmark and then why not try calculating the carbon footprint in your kitchen at work.

Cross reference areas that seem high with the ISCC 'Energy Saving Management' and 'Environmental Management' Reference Papers to help reduce your footprint - hopefully one day to neutral.

Having introduced the initiatives detailed in the two reference papers try reentering your new details and see how much difference you have made!

Click HERE to calculate your carbon foot print

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