Hospitality professionals are invited to experience an exclusive Rational live culinary masterclass featuring renowned chefs Alain Roux and Michael Nizzero of The Waterside Inn, one of the UK’s most celebrated dining destinations.

Taking place on Tuesday 3 November 2026 between 10.30 – 12.30, at Easthampstead Park, Wokingham, the event will offer guests a rare opportunity to see two accomplished chefs demonstrate the techniques, creativity and precision behind some of their most celebrated dishes.

During the live session, Alain and Michael will prepare Salmon Coulibiac, a signature Roux family favourite, alongside a beautifully crafted soufflé. Attendees will gain first-hand insight into the skills and attention to detail required to produce exceptional fine dining results while discovering how modern kitchen technology can support consistency and efficiency in professional kitchens.

The demonstration will showcase the capabilities of Rational’s iCombi Pro and iVario cooking systems, highlighting how chefs can achieve outstanding culinary results while optimising kitchen workflows and productivity.

Designed as an interactive experience, the event will provide opportunities for guests to engage directly with Alain and Michael, ask questions and exchange ideas with fellow hospitality professionals.

Register at www.rational-online.com/en_gb/lp/exclusive-culinary-experience/

Foster and Gamko are introducing KORE by Foster Gamko, a new range of commercial refrigeration designed to bring performance, reliability and expertise to customers seeking a simplified range of essential equipment.

As refrigeration is the cornerstone of every professional kitchen and bar, KORE by Foster Gamko provides dependable equipment for the everyday demands of hospitality. The range includes single-door cabinets, two and three-door counters, and blast chillers in 5, 6 and 10 level capacities.

Combining practical design with dependable performance, the range features a stainless steel finish throughout, giving it a sleek look that will fit in with any modern kitchen.

It’s not all about looks, though. The entire KORE by Foster Gamko range is designed with energy-efficiency in mind. It helps keep energy use under control, with the single-door refrigeration cabinet using 1.12 kWh of electricity over a 24-hour period and an annual energy consumption of 408 kWh, while the one-door freezer cabinet has an annual energy consumption of 1,760 kWh.

With that in mind, freezer models can save an estimated £236 per year in energy, while refrigeration models can save up to £57 per year, compared to some other more typical models in the market with a worse energy grade.

Efficient kitchen service is also at the forefront of the design, with practical details that help equipment fit more easily into the kitchen and support smoother day-to-day workflow. Cabinets are sized to fit through standard doors, helping businesses replace or upgrade refrigeration without unnecessary disruption to their operations.

The range has also been designed with the people using it in mind. Self-closing doors on cabinets help keep cold air in and reduce the chance of doors being left open during a busy service, while the blast chillers feature an interactive touchscreen designed to make operation clear and straightforward. Together, these details help staff spend less time managing equipment and more time getting on with service.

KORE by Foster Gamko brings together dependable performance, food safe design and practical pricing, giving hospitality businesses a straightforward refrigeration solution built around the demands of every day service.

Backed by the experience and expertise of Foster and Gamko, KORE makes reliable commercial refrigeration more accessible without compromising on the features that help a busy kitchen run efficiently.

The cabinets have also been designed with practicality in mind. Their dimensions make it easier to get equipment through standard doorways, helping businesses replace or install refrigeration without major changes to their premises or unnecessary disruption to kitchen operations.

For operators, that means less time worrying about whether new equipment will physically fit through the door and more time getting on with running their business.

Trusted expertise, made more accessible

KORE by Foster Gamko brings the experience and expertise of an established commercial refrigeration business to a new offering.

The aim is not to compromise on the things that matter. Instead, KORE by Foster Gamko provides a practical way for hospitality businesses to access dependable commercial refrigeration at a more practical price point.

Customer experience

KORE was designed with the every day demands of a traditional hospitality setting in mind. Local, family-owned hotel Briarfield’s asked for help with challenges they faced: This is what they told us ‘With rising food and operating costs, reliability and long-term value are important factors when choosing equipment. The team need something that can support a busy kitchen while helping to protect the quality of its fresh ingredients’. The hotel had previously used Foster refrigeration and valued its reliability and low maintenance requirements, so the new KORE by Foster Gamko range was a natural fit in their kitchen. See what they said following installtion of the new KORE Briarfields Hotel Chooses KORE Commercial Refrigeration

Family-owned business marks eight decades of technological expertise, international growth and long-term partnerships

Eight decades in an ever-changing industry is no small achievement. Since its foundation in 1946, MKN has evolved from a regional equipment manufacturer into one of the leading global providers of premium professional cooking technology. Today, customers in around 100 countries rely on solutions developed and manufactured in Wolfenbüttel.

“When I look back on MKN’s 80-year history, I am filled with pride and gratitude,” says CEO Georg Weber. “I am proud of what we have built together, and deeply grateful to everyone who has shaped this success story over generations and made it possible.”

Weber describes the company’s development as a journey “from the regional league to the Champions League”. What began as a locally rooted business has developed step by step into an internationally successful company. Consistent and strategic international expansion has been a key part of this journey. At the same time, MKN has retained its identity as an independent family business, built on continuity, reliability and a strong sense of responsibility.

This development has not been driven by short-term market trends, but by continuous research and development, technological expertise and a commitment to delivering tangible value to professional kitchens with every new product generation. MKN also maintains a strong focus on customer needs – from productivity and process reliability to energy efficiency and reducing the workload for kitchen teams.

Today, MKN’s portfolio ranges from multifunctional high-tech solutions such as FlexiChef®, FlexiCombi® and SpaceCombi®, to its modular premium OPTIMA® cooking technology and customised MasterLine cooking suites. The range is complemented by digital solutions such as MKN Connected Kitchen, which intelligently connects appliance lines and helps optimise kitchen processes.

MKN’s focus on innovation has been recognised through numerous national and international awards. In 2025, the company received the Red Dot Design Award for its new modular premium cooking technology, OPTIMA®. More recently, MKN was honoured with the international Safety Award from ISSA for its active FrySafe® safety feature, which reduces the risk of deep-fat fryer fires. Both awards reflect MKN’s commitment to combining technological expertise with practical benefits for professional kitchens.

The company’s close relationship with the professional culinary sector has also been a defining feature of MKN for decades. As a long-standing partner of major national and international culinary competitions, MKN will once again be Exclusive Partner of the IKA/Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart in 2028, when chefs from around the world gather to compete, national teams and young culinary talents will rely on professional cooking technology made in Wolfenbüttel.

Alongside its technological development, MKN continues to invest in its Wolfenbüttel headquarters. Investments running into the tens of millions of euros in recent years have supported state-of-the-art manufacturing and welding technologies, highly automated production processes, the MKN Campus and, most recently, a new IT Centre. Development, production and core corporate functions remain concentrated at the company’s headquarters.

“The past must be a springboard, not a sofa,” says Weber. “Our industry is in the midst of a major transition. A shortage of skilled staff, rising demands for efficiency and sustainability, and increasing digitalisation are transforming professional kitchens worldwide. This is precisely how we see our mission: developing technologies that support people, simplify processes and create real value for our customers.”

For MKN, its 80th anniversary is about more than reflecting on the journey so far. It is a confirmation of the path the company has taken and an opportunity to look ahead and help shape the future of professional kitchens. With technological expertise, continuous innovation and enduring partnerships, the family-owned business is well positioned to continue its development for decades to come.

The Leasing & Finance Division of ITW’s Food Equipment Group is launching a 36-month interest free package, exclusive to dealers, to help them provide their customers with the best possible equipment while keeping cash flow alive and kicking as a seasonal surge in footfall approaches.      

The new 36-month deal is available exclusively on Hobart’s Chef’sCombi – a simple and powerful oven that strips away unnecessary functionality to focus on what matters most to chefs: consistent cooking quality, an intuitive and responsive operating system and easy maintenance. Dealers can use the new offer to sell in the manufacturer’s cooking innovation while also offering applicants the chance to claim VAT back upfront alongside capital allowances on the asset in the first year of purchase.

As if that wasn’t enough – those taking out the combi finance plan can also apply for a two-month payment holiday*, allowing them to procure the versatile machine in time for the seasonal rush, but put repayments on pause until 2027!

Paul Godfrey, Head of Cooking, Hobart UK Equipment Division said: “With an important seasonal opportunity approaching for many operators, this new 36-month interest-free finance package is a way for dealers to help their customers get a serious high volume cooking workhorse – one that has been meticulously designed by chefs for chefs – into the kitchen today but manage the repayments later down the line in a more sustainable manner”.

Bill Perry, Sales Director, Hobart UK Equipment Division added: “Taking a deal like this not only helps operators protect margins and preserve cash flow – dealers can use this to drive more sales at an equally important time for their own businesses. This is the longest interest-free deal we have ever offered; twin that with an optional payment holiday, and it makes for a in incredibly compelling offer.”

To find out more, visit www.hobartuk.com/chefscombi

Turbofan Combi steamers offer the ultimate in convenience, versatility and control, enabling you to deliver a wide range of foods to the highest standards without the need for large appliances.

From bread and pizza, through seafood, meats and vegetables to dessert, Turbofan Combi provides convection, steam or combination convection/steam cooking, with a Choice, of manual or touch screen models.

• Choice of 7 models – 5 Touch Screen and 3 manual
• 7kW – 14.5kW heating power
• 70mm tray spacing
• 5, 7 ,10 ,17 or 20 tray capacity
• GN 1/1 or 600mm x 400mm trays
• Range of accessories and options

Contact your account manager at Blue Seal for more details.

A limited-edition Hobart A200 is up for grabs, marking the launch of NHS England’s new Power of 4, Powered by all campaign.

Hobart is giving away an exclusive limited edition A200 mixer to one deserving NHS kitchen. The initiative marks the launch of NHS England’s new ‘Power of 4, Powered by all’ campaign which focuses on placing patients at the heart of healthcare food services.

The British made mixer has been hand finished in signature blue Power of 4, Powered by all colourway and branding. Healthcare kitchens can visit: www.hobartuk.com/pof4, where any site working for, or on behalf of NHS England can leave a few details and be in with a chance of winning the exclusive one-of-a-kind mixer.  One kitchen will be picked at random and revealed to the wider NHS catering community during the NHS Chef of the Year finals on 8th October. Before that, the mixer will be on show in its exclusive colourway at Healthcare Catering Live! on 22nd September, when the campaign officially launches.

Built and hand finished at Hobart’s North Devon facility, the mixer is a genuine working machine rather than a display piece; the same model chefs around the world rely on every day. One hard-working brigade will be able to put it to use daily, helping provide good food that supports patient recovery and the principles of the new campaign.

Power of 4, Powered by all is all about collaboration; aligning the skill and expertise of NHS catering, nursing and dietetics teams, while adding a critical fourth pillar that makes patients an active partner in their own recovery process.

The central ethos of the new campaign is that when patients are involved in menu conversations, food and drink steering groups, feedback mechanisms and service redesign, the resulting improvements are practical, meaningful and sustainable.

Phillip Shelley, Senior Operational Manager & National Lead for Food, NHS England said: “Hobart have proven themselves as true champions of NHS catering for many years now and so it seems only fitting that we partner with them for this exclusive giveaway, celebrating the launch of Power of 4, Powered by all and providing one hard working kitchen with this beautiful, iconic British made mixer, hand finished in our campaign colours. I can’t wait to see it on show, and I urge our hard-working NHS catering teams, who I know from first-hand experience take great pride in enhancing the patient experience, to enter and win this brilliant piece of kit!”

Launching on 22nd September 2026, NHS kitchens can visit: www.hobartuk.com/pof4 for the chance to bring the exclusive and iconic mixer home.

Hobart, redefining innovation to make kitchen life easier and more productive.

Hoshizaki UK is improving its infrastructure, thanks to the opening of its Dublin warehouse in Ireland.

Boasting capacity to hold up to 150 refrigeration and ice maker units, the new site provides an invaluable connection point from the manufacturing facilities in Telford, enabling faster deliveries across Ireland— including next-day delivery to local areas. Nationwide delivery is offered with a maximum turnaround time of 48 hours, with same-day delivery also available in select regions for an additional fee.

This development reflects Hoshizaki’s increased commitment to the Northern Irish and Irish markets, reinforcing the company’s dedication to supporting customers across all sectors. In addition to hospitality, the Dublin facility strengthens service to Healthcare, Education, the Care Sector, and Food-to-Go, ensuring each market receives quality products within acceptable timeframes and without compromising food hygiene or safety.

Simon Frost, Director Hoshizaki UK & Ireland, highlights the importance of the launch:
“Refrigeration and ice makers are some of the only pieces of kitchen equipment used 24/7, so their importance cannot be understated. When operators are looking to upgrade kit, they often need fast delivery—exactly what the Dublin warehouse enables us to achieve.
This investment demonstrates our commitment to exceeding customer expectations and supporting growth across every market we serve, reinforcing Hoshizaki as a leading supplier of refrigeration and ice makers.”

The facility also strengthens Hoshizaki’s technical support structure, with ongoing engineer training led by Andy Norton – the Service Manager at Hoshizaki UK, ensuring faster, more reactive service responses and superior technical expertise across the region.

The Dublin warehouse will formally join Hoshizaki’s distribution network supported by JMC Haulage.

For more information on Hoshizaki, please visit www.hoshizaki.com

For enquiries about the facility, please contact Graeme Johnstone, Account Manager Scotland & Ireland by emailing Graeme.johnstone@hoshizaki.uk

New industry wide campaign calls on businesses and individuals to help protect free, around the clock mental health support for hospitality professionals

The Burnt Chef Project is calling on the hospitality industry to take collective responsibility for protecting the mental health support available to its people through its new fundraising campaign, Hold The Line.

The rolling campaign brings together hospitality businesses, professionals, suppliers and the wider public to help ensure that whenever somebody reaches out for help, a real person is there to answer.

Hold The Line has an initial fundraising target of £200,000 to help sustain The Burnt Chef Project’s free, confidential mental health support during the first 12 months of the campaign.

Available 24 hours a day, the service can connect hospitality professionals with therapy and counselling, mental health coaching, immediate emotional support and signposting, multilingual assistance and practical wellbeing guidance.

There is no waiting list, no referral and no cost to the person asking for help.

The Burnt Chef Project has already supported more than 9,500 people, with its work reaching 184 countries. However, with four in five hospitality professionals reporting that they have experienced at least one mental health issue during their career, the organisation says protecting access to support must become a shared priority for the industry.

Kris Hall, Founder of The Burnt Chef Project, said, “For years, we have encouraged people across hospitality to speak up and ask for help. Now we need to make sure the support is there when they do.

“As an industry, we cannot keep saying that people are our greatest asset without helping to protect the services they rely on when things become too much.

“Hold The Line gives everybody a practical way to play their part. That could be an individual giving £3 a month, a business making an annual pledge or a supplier encouraging its network to get involved. Collectively, those contributions help ensure there is a real person ready to answer when somebody says, ‘I’m not okay.’

“Our initial target is £200,000 to support the first 12 months of the campaign. It is ambitious, but if the industry gets behind it, it is absolutely achievable.”

The importance of having support available at the point it is needed is reflected in feedback from those who have already used the service.

One hospitality professional said, “I’ve used the text service recently and can’t tell you how much it helped me through the day, let alone the shift I was on.”

Maidaid has joined Hold The Line as its Headline Partner, making a significant commitment to the campaign and helping The Burnt Chef Project encourage further support from across the hospitality supply chain.

Jag Thandi, CCO at Maidaid, said: “We supply businesses that depend every day on the skill, resilience and commitment of hospitality teams. Supporting their mental health should be part of how our industry looks after its people.

“We chose to become the Headline Partner of Hold The Line because it turns good intentions into practical action. It helps protect a service people can use now, at no cost and without having to wait.

“We are proud to stand alongside The Burnt Chef Project and hope our commitment encourages more businesses from across hospitality and its supply chain to step forward and consider the part they can play.”

Individuals can join Hold The Line through a regular monthly donation from £3 or make a one off contribution. A donation of £140 can help one person access six therapy sessions.

Businesses can become annual Hold The Line Partners by pledging £250, £500, £1,000 or £2,500 a year. Larger partnerships and global collaborations are also available.

Alongside Headline Partner Maidaid Halcyon, businesses already supporting the campaign include Talent Hive and Butcombe Brewing Co and Culinary Association of Wales.

Although created for hospitality, Hold The Line is open to everyone. Customers, communities, partners and organisations outside the industry can all contribute to protecting the people who welcome, serve and create experiences for others every day.

To donate, become a Hold The Line Partner or find out more, visit: www.theburntchefproject.com/holdtheline

Adande was proud to take part in the very first Depot Kitchen Sessions, joining leading chefs and quality brands for a day of live demonstrations, collaboration and learning at the Charvet Premier Ranges depot.

Among the chefs on the day was Luke Selby, a Roux Scholar and National Chef of the Year, whose career has taken in Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons under Raymond Blanc, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Hide, before earning a Michelin star at Evelyn’s Table in Soho, which he ran alongside his brothers. He now serves as Chef Partner at Palé Hall Hotel in North Wales. Also cooking on the day was Joshua Adams, who impressed guests with a series of tasty dishes throughout the sessions.

Chefs worked with Adande’s VCS2 and SVS2 prep counters throughout the day, putting the drawers through their paces in a live kitchen setting. Representing Adande were Northern Sales Manager Sharon and Marketing Strategist Grace, who spent the day taking chefs and visitors through the technology and history behind the drawers.

The event also brought together Unox, showcasing their ovens across the day’s demonstrations, and Udale Speciality Foods, supplying ingredients used by the chefs on the day. The event was hosted by Charvet Premier Ranges, which brought the industry together for what proved a valuable day for the sector.

To find out about future events with Adande Refrigeration, head to adande.co.uk