A huge number of visitors attended this year's Bournemouth Hotel and Catering Show on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th March. 2860 buyers, caterers and industry experts descended upon the Bournemouth International Centre to discover and sample thousands of high quality products and to meet hundreds of producers and suppliers.
Top chefs Silvena Rowe, Ed Baines, Shaun Hill and Cyrus Todiwala MBE were amongst the attendees who visited the stands showcasing the latest products and regional food and drink produce. Each year the Show attracts visitors interested in selecting the very best foods, equipment and services for their businesses, and meeting new suppliers to get an invaluable outlook on the industry.

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The increasing cost of food and too many mid-market eateries is expected to lead to a high number of business failures later this year according to an industry analyst.
An unfortunate combination of the credit crunch, smoking ban, increased energy and food prices and a reduction consumer spending as the UK economy slows down, looks set to hit restaurant margins hard.
Peter Backman, managing director of Horizons, commented: "Since the smoking ban many pubs have switched their focus from the sale of drink to food, meaning they are now competing with high street restaurants. This has led to an over-capacity of outlets in the mid-spend sector.

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The troubled Laurel Pub Group has been split into two new businesses after it was placed in administration at the end of March.
The two businesses, Bay Restaurant Group and Town & City Pub Company have purchased 293 units from Laurel, comprising of 132 restaurants and 162 pubs and bars.
Bay Restaurants will consist of 84 Slug & Lettuce, 24 Ha Ha bar & grill sites and 24 pipeline sites. It will also combine with the 85 La Tasca restaurants under Laurel's control. The new restaurant company will be, according to Bay Restaurants, the fourth largest casual dining operator in the UK.

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A new report has revealed that three quarters of the nation (74%) believe the ultimate indulgence of having breakfast in bed is on the way out and will be completely extinct within the next decade. The study by budget hotel chain, Travelodge, showed that 40% of adults could not remember the last time they were treated to breakfast between the sheets; whilst one in five Brits have never experienced this luxury in their lives.
The main reasons given by respondents as to why they no longer experience the pleasure of a leisurely breakfast in bed are listed below:
1. Lack of time (36%)
2. Breakfast should be eaten at the table (24%)
3. Crumbs in the bed (18%)
4. It feels lazy (9%)
5. It’s not romantic (2%)

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Internet users are backing a campaign to have Alistair Darling barred from every pub in Britain, as the backlash over the chancellor's decision to raise taxes on alcohol in the Budget continues. The Utopia bar in Edinburgh kick started the campaign by putting up a poster in its window which read: "Barred. We hereby give notice that Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is barred from this pub until further notice".

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Restaurateurs have been advised to resist taking reprisals on critics through the courts after a libel claim against an Irish newspaper was thrown out on appeal last month.
Caroline Workman criticised the quality of the food and drink and staff at Goodfellas Restaurant & Pizzeria in Belfast in an Irish News review eight years ago.
Owner Ciaran Convery claimed Ms workman's article, which portrayed his staff as "unhelpful", his cola as "flat", and his chicken Marsala as "so sweet as to be inedible", was a "hatchet job" and issued libel proceedings. A jury at Belfast High Court agreed with his lawyer's claim that the review was defamatory, damaging and hurtful, and awarded damages of €25,000.

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The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has defended the role and contribution immigrants have played in staffing within the hospitality industry, after a negative report on immigration by the House of Lords.
A House of Lords' report released at the beginning of the month suggested immigration has had modest or no effect on the economic well-being of Britons.
It added that competition from immigrants has had a negative impact on the low paid, and a negative impact on training for UK workers, with peers advising the Government to apply a limit on immigration.

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A POOLE restaurant has been making headlines around the world with its innovative "pay what you think it's worth" policy when eating out.
Poole's Penn Central, has introduced its "Priceless" menu In February, which allows customers to decide their own bill based upon how good they thought the meal was.
This has not only resulted in restaurant been packed out on Wednesday and Thursday nights ever since, but the idea has captured attention around the world.
A South American TV channel Globo TV were recently filming at the restaurant to find out about more about the Idea, with their show due to go out to an audience of over 50 million people.
Media interest from as far as Hong Kong and Taiwan,Spain, Italy and Ireland have also been captivated by this original "pay your own price" concept.

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The licensed sector has attacked the Chancellor's decision to increase taxes on alcohol, at a time when the on-trade is suffering from record closures.
The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) condemned the across-the-board duty increases saying that they would hit pubs and consumers hard both this year and for the next four years. Nick Bish, ALMR's chief executive, said: "The Budget proves that the Chancellor doesn't give a XXXX for Britain's local pubs. "Britain's pubs needed a tonic from the Chancellor. But he's produced a toxic Budget for the industry instead. "The government had again failed to distinguish between the vast majority of responsible operators and consumers, on the one hand, and the irresponsible minority on the other - hitting them both, equally hard, instead. "In particular, the Budget failed to address the crucial issue of below-cost selling by major supermarkets which, unlike pubs, can afford to absorb some of the duty increases announced this afternoon."

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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is to launch a 12-week consultation on the possible nationwide rollout of a "scores on the doors" scheme which will grade restaurants on hygiene levels.
The move follows a pilot scheme which has been running in Scotland since November 2006.
The Agency will consult on two possible schemes:
• A four tiered system, with three stars and a fail rating
• A three tier scheme with 'Pass' or 'Improvement Required' certificates being issued, alongside a fail rating – as per the scheme which has been piloted in Scotland
FSA chair Dame Deirdre Hutton said: 'Scores on the doors is an important step in empowering consumers to make informed choices about the food they eat. The pilot schemes have provided valuable data to inform the decision of the Board and I would like to extend the Agency's thanks to all of the local authorities who implemented and maintained these and other scores on the doors schemes.
Our data shows that the introduction of a single nationwide scheme is clearly supported by all stakeholders and we will work with local authorities and food businesses across the country to put this in place.'

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UK hotels are unlikely to experience a meltdown in 2008 or 2009 according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
The consultancy firm have produced ‘Hospitality Directions: UK Hotel Forecast’ and suggests that although change is coming and there will be fallout from the current global financial uncertainty and economic slowdown, hotels are relatively well placed to cope.
Robert Milburn, partner and UK leader of Hospitality and Leisure, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, believes there are still opportunities to grow revenues for hotels.

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A new hard-hitting report ‘Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic’ launched last month by the BMA calls on the government to show leadership and implement a full range of effective control policies that will reduce the burden of alcohol misuse.

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