•Working with clients to maintain / improve standards in terms of quality, cost and safety.

•Working with chefs in production by means of demonstration. Developing cost effective menus. Developing training days. Culinary courses – 1:5 day training.

•Setting up HACCP plans.

•Delivering 1day foundation and 3 day intermediate hygiene courses

•Assessing /verifying food Prep & Cooking NVQ candidates level 1,2.and 3 on behalf of various clients and tracking progress.

• Worked with one independent group who were serving up mediocre food and now are on track for a Rosette in one kitchen. The head chef is now introducing seasonal menus – breakfast, lunch and dinner, a limited specials board, training staff, introducing “musee” and “petit four” (all kitchen made) and has increased spend per head even though numbers are less year on, by 22%.

• An independent Hotel Group (2 hotels, 1 3* 45 room, 1 3* Leisure 28 room with Golf Course – both Best Western affiliated and 1 Golf Club 18 hole, Club House, 2 bars, 4 function rooms)
•Poor GP in 2 venues, high turnover staff, poor sales for location. 1 venue food T/O up 36%, turnover lowest in history, new training plans in place, vastly improved food offering across group

•NVQ 1, 2 and 3. Course leader for level 2&3. Designing curriculum wide courses – NVQ 1-3 full and part time, part time leisure courses and on demand 1 – 5 day industry led training courses. was also course leader for NVQ 2 and 3, course co-ordinator for hospitality, Competiition Chef Mentor for Toq d’Or, and Seafood Challenge .

•Banqueting / ODC operation (fine dining ) with £2m food turnover.
•9 venues in addition to approximately 150 out events and public catering events.
•Responsibilities included bottom line, production (food and staffing), health &safety, training, standards and logistics.
•Also instrumental in the Company gaining lucrative Hospitality and Public Catering Contracts

•Working with companies turning around undesirable situations– poor gp, underachievement in sales, poor standards, underperforming personnel ,little awareness of hygiene, health and safety.


•Rockfield Studios - The infamous recording studios – 2 state of the art studios, 1*8 double roomed luxury complex and 1* 11 bed complex providing hotel services for performing bands all included.
•I was the onsite caterer at Rockfield for 5 years providing complete hotel services to Rockfield and to the top Indie Bands / Record Companies and associated touring catering facilities. (Recommendations in NME, Music America, Telegraph, Wwtouring,)
•This period also included a 5 month installation/opening project for AFS in Saudi Arabia (Saudi Aramco)– standardisation, training, planning, IT, menu planning, GP forecasts, etc. (a complete mix of personnel from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi) and a 4 month assignment with NSS Germany.

Troubleshooter for underperforming units – GP, concepts, menu design, turnover ,staff retention, standards – introduced “high street” concepts and was at the forefront to eliminate the drudgery from contact catering. Worked with local colleges, (and now) Springboard and “Workers Forums” to introduce new blood into the industry. Set up NVQ training plans for new recruits

•At the time the forerunner of concepts in Bristol – a 250 Seater restaurant with Live Music, Dancing and Themes every night, at weekends turnig over 2 – 3 times per cover

•Working for NLC ( newly formed to run Wembley Stadium, Conference Centre and Arena).

•It was here that I completed my HND HCIM. •Also worked for Holiday Inns Inc. –( parent company), Head Office, Marketing – Europe, Middle East & Africa under Alistair Stevenson and Pamela Carvell.
•Had first article published in Caterer Hotelkeeper.

Later achieving City & Guiilds 706 1/2/3) and membership of IHCI.
I completed my training working in the Berkeley Court Hotel (5*250 rooms), Burlington Hotel (4*- 750 rooms), Skylon Hotel (3 120 rooms*) and finished at the Greenan Lodge Hotel – a 25 bed multi usage ( 8 conference rooms, 2 bars, 5 function rooms and 2 restaurants) hotel on the outskirts of Belfast.