Returning for a second year to recognise individuals and businesses who have gone above and beyond to place mental health at the forefront of their organisational values, The Burnt Chef Project announces the return of its hugely successful ‘Hospitality’s Mental Health Heroes Awards’.

The Burnt Chef Project champions mental health support within the industry, reducing the stigma around mental health in the hospitality industry on a global stage.  Since 2019, the not-for-profit organisation has created dedicated support services and fundraisers for the topic that has made good mental health in hospitality a priority.

Now, The Burnt Chef Project is looking for those individuals and businesses who have joined them in prioritising well-being and mental health in their ‘Mental Health Heroes’ 2025 awards. Featuring nine unique categories, encouraging nominations from like-minded people and businesses, the awards look to recognise those who have taken exceptional steps in the past twelve months to champion wellbeing and mental health support in their organisation or the wider industry.

Seven award categories are open for nominations:

• Best Mental Health in the Workplace Strategy
• Most Inspiring Leader
• Most Inspiring Wellbeing Champion/Peer
• Unsung Hero
• Inspirational Story
• Outstanding Impact in Catering Education
• Ambassador of the Year Award 2024

Nominations are open until 21st February 2025, with the shortlist announced at the end of April. Final judging will take place in May by a panel of hospitality experts and those working in the sector of mental health and wellbeing. The winners of each category will then be announced in a fun and exciting evening of celebration in the first week of June 2025. Each finalist will be recognised with an exclusive ‘Mental Health Hero’ badge, as well as a fun-filled awards ceremony that provides the opportunity to share the experience with the wider hospitality community.

Kris Hall, CEO and Founder of The Burnt Chef Project comments:

“As a sector built on people, hospitality thrives when its teams are supported, valued, and empowered. The Mental Health Heroes Awards shine a light on those individuals and businesses who are breaking down stigmas and championing mental health as a core value. It’s an honour to celebrate their dedication and inspire others to follow suit, helping to create a healthier, more sustainable future for our industry.”

To find out more and to nominate an individual or business, please visit www.theburntchefawards.com.

To find out more about the work done by The Burnt Chef Project, please visit www.theburntchefproject.com.

Aqua Power™ Technology is the latest pot washing innovation from Nordisk Clean Solutions (Nor:disk). Aqua Power is based on Granule Technology™ but takes out the granules, and instead cleverly balances water flow, pressure, and shape to achieve a blasting cleaning effect. The technology produces up to triple the wash power and performs twice as good as currently leading brands that rely on the industry-common spinning arm technology, according to wash tests carried out by the inhouse laboratory.

The very first model with Aqua Power™ Technology is the C6 Aqua Power, which premiered with the opening of Sirha Lyon on January 23, 2025.

Contrary to the industry standard, Aqua Power Technology wash system is made up of several parameters which together create the optimal washing conditions. The wash pump and wash tank are paired with fixed wash arms and specially shaped nozzles, which together create a blasting cleaning power. By securely fixating the items to be washed a specially designed stainless-steel basket, the system harnesses the full wash power, which cancels the need to pre-wash for the majority of the daily wash load.

Aqua Power Technology is tailored specifically to the private sector of commercial kitchens to offer them a solution to lay off wasteful and time-consuming pre-washing, and become more productive, profitable, and sustainable.

C6 Aqua Power is designed to be easy to use and maintain, to meet the sector’s particular challenges with low staff retention and ever-changing crews.

“Aqua Power Technology offers a struggling customer group a great solution to speed up flow and cut overhead costs. We are confident that the C6 Aqua Power will become a well-known and beloved companion for many kitchens in the commercial kitchen scene in the years to come.”

– Mattias Johansson, CCO Nordisk Clean Solutions

Taking out the need to pre-soak and scrub utensils saves time and effort for the kitchens, increasing both productivity and profitability. It’s also much more sustainable, and can save up to 10,500 kWh, 280,000 litres of water, and 390 litres of chemicals per year compared to washing manually in sinks*.

“Our vision statement reads ‘save the planet, one drop at a time’ and that’s the journey we are on. To save more drops, we must help more kitchens. Over the last 5 years we have launched several strategic additions to our portfolio, all with the core purpose of saving more water.”

– Mikael Samuelsson, CEO Nordisk Clean Solutions

The stainless-steel Pro Wash Basket – which is included with standard delivery of the C6 Aqua Power and was developed parallel to the pot washer – and is a further development of four existing baskets and accessories from the existing Nor:disk accessory portfolio, now all built into one. It offers unique productivity and flexibility thanks to the built-in folding support grids and the detachable utensils holder. The Pro Wash Basket supports up to 6 GN 1/1, 65 mm deep, or 2 GN 2/1 up to 100 mm, or 12 GN 1/4, 1/6, 1/9 and a multitude of similar items.* The savings calculations are based on a sample site preparing 1,000 hot meals per day and 300 operational days per year. The comparison features manual washing in sinks compared to washing in C6 Aqua Power: 50% Short, 50% Normal wash cycle.

Product highlights:

• High performance pot and pan washer
• Simplified minimalistic user interface to facilitate easy operation and avoid lengthy operator training
• Control panel in eye-level
• Two efficient pot wash programs – 2 min, 30 sec / 4 min
• All wash programmes comply with the hygiene guidelines of the EN 17735:2023 standard.
• Wash and rinse temperatures displayed in operator panel
• Integrated USB port for easy export of HACCP log files
• Specially design stainless steel basket with capacity to load a wide range of different kitchen utensils
• Maximum capacity per wash cycle: 6 GN1/1 or GN 1/2 65 mm depth or 3 GN1/1 or GN 1/2 up to 200 mm depth, and 3 GN1/1 or GN 1/2 up to 65 mm depth, or similar in other pots.
• Maximum capacity per hour: 144 GN 1/1 or similar in other pots
• List price: £17,000

Brief technical specification:

• Frontloaded ware washer with rotating wash basket
• Outer dimensions (H x W x D) 1,736/2,079 (± 25) x 1,025 x 957/1,317 mm
• Loading volume 220 litres (ø 700 mm x H 570 mm)
• Sound pressure level < 70 dB (A)
• Standard delivery: 3ph, 400-415V, 50Hz, 16.5kW, 32A. Steam reduction Type AB airgap according to EN1717. Integrated dosing with peristaltic pumps for rinse aid and liquid detergent. USB port for easy export of HACCP logs. Pro Wash Basket (1 pc). Scraper (1 pc)
• Options: voltage, EcoExchanger (combined steam reduction and heat exchanger ), GD Link (energy optimization system preparation), Marine Edition for use in nautical settings, additional accessories.

Introduction offer & additional information

The launch is accompanied by an attractive introduction offer – contact UK & Ireland Country Sales Manager, Keith Broadway at + 44 (0) 788 064 8055 or keith.broadway@nordiskclean.com for more information.

Situated in London’s esteemed St James’s District, Claro, an Eastern Mediterranean fine-dining restaurant, kitted out on new Adande drawers.

The open kitchen next to the bar reveals the three fridge-only cassette drawers. Used to store vegetables, salad, special sauces, and meat. The Adande drawer used for meat storage is placed underneath a Robata grill, improving workflow efficiency. The culinary team loves the drawers instead of cabinets as they get to see a full clear view of all their ingredients in front of them, which is much easier and helpful for their workflow.

Adande team: Do you find it helpful to have all your ingredients visible and easily accessible with our drawers?

Head Chef Shadi Issawy: “Yes! You do feel as if there is a risk of a temperature increase with all of your ingredients exposed by having the drawer open. But the Adande technology ensures the patented insulated container, holds the cold, so the temperature is retained. It’s great when constantly grabbing ingredients in a hot kitchen.”

Discover the full testimonial and more on the Adande website: https://adande.co.uk/claro-london-with-adande/

On 20^th December 2024 Inox Fabrications acquired Cass Fabrication, a fellow Lancastrian company who specialised in fabrication, counters and bars. All Cass customer accounts will be transferred over to Inox Fabrications with immediate effect.

In an open letter to customers and employees, Lee Preston, MD at Blackburn-based Inox Fabrications said, “Whilst we do not envisage or foresee any problems there will be a period of transition while the transfer of administration is completed, and noted we’re already in the process of amalgamating the Cass team into Inox.”

Commenting on the purchase, Lee said, “It was evident after our initial discussions that Cass would be a strong addition to Inox. I felt the acquisition would bring great opportunity and allow us to grow our offerings across all facets of the business, from Fabrication and Bar Systems to Counters and Kitchen Ventilation.”

This second acquisition rounds off a busy few years for the Inox team. At the beginning of 2022 they acquired The Canopy Company. At the end of the same year they invested in new heavy-duty equipment, replacing an old Co2 laser for a state-of-the-art fibre optic model, as well as upgrading their on-site nitrogen generator and installing a new demand-based air compressor.

In early 2023 Inox began a company-wide digital transformation. 65” screens were installed across the workshop and all staff were given individual tablets, as the company worked towards becoming a “paperless” shopfloor. This was followed by the huge challenge of upgrading their folding machines, again replacing old equipment with new hybrid servo-driven models. By the end of 2023, the majority of all Inox’s core machines and technology had been upgraded.

In April 2024, after 19 years, Inox moved half a mile down the road. “Space had always been an issue for us, and this was compounded when we upgraded our equipment”, said Lee. “As a result, our manufacturing became faster, and our processes more efficient. The ventilation side of the business had also seen continuous year on year growth, and we were quickly running out of physical space, ultimately resulting in us moving to a much bigger and more modern site.

“Today we find ourselves in a very different place to where we were three years ago. We now employ 40 members of staff, with a combined floor space of 33,000 sq ft across two sites. Another goal was to restart apprenticeships to bring in new talent into our workforce. Today 10% of our current staff are on an apprenticeship programme. In addition to this we also have a T Level student from Blackburn College.

“2025 marks our 20^th anniversary. I’m very much looking forward to celebrating our achievements and excited to see what the future holds.”

It’s been well documented that we’re currently grappling with a significant shortage of gas engineers in the UK, a challenge that is expected to intensify through 2025.

This shortage is driven by a combination of an aging workforce, increasing demand for gas-related services, and the evolving landscape of energy transition.

Despite governmental initiatives to phase out fossil fuel boilers, gas engineers remain essential, especially in the commercial catering industry.

The scope of the shortage

Even as we move towards greener energy solutions, the need for qualified professionals to manage existing gas infrastructure and facilitate the transition to alternative heating systems remains high.

Also, the UK’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 involves a significant shift towards renewable energy sources, including the adoption of heat pumps as a low-carbon alternative to gas boilers.

However, this transition is hindered by a shortage of trained installers, with at least 27,000 additional gas engineers needed by 2028 to meet government installation targets.

The shortage of gas engineers presents both challenges and opportunities. For those considering a career in this field, the current landscape offers a promising path with job security and growth potential.

The ongoing demand for gas-related services, coupled with the need for skilled professionals to lead the transition to renewable energy solutions, underscores the critical role gas engineers will play in our future.

Exclusive offer for ceda members

As part of Back 2 Work Group Limited’s Associate membership with ceda, we are offering all members an exclusive 10% off all paid gas courses.

This includes our managed learning programme for new entrants to the Gas industry, and other Gas-related training courses.

As well as this, we also offer a funded Commercial Catering Equipment Technician apprenticeship, which is available for anyone of any age, and is either fully or partially funded by the ESFA (Education & Skills Funding Agency), making it a cost-effective and highly suitable recruitment solution.

At ECTA (part of the The B2W Group), we specialise in providing domestic and commercial gas engineering apprenticeships for employers to utilise as a cost-effective solution to the shortage of gas engineers.

Upcoming Course Dates

Domestic Gas Engineer Apprenticeship – Feb 24th, March 24th & June 23^rd 2025
Commercial Catering Equipment Technician – April 21st, May 12th & July 21^st 2025

Welcome to ignite, by ceda.

ceda represents over 125 companies across the UK. And each and every ceda member is a specialist. Design specialists, project specialists and equipment specialists. All exclusively serving the foodservice, catering and hospitality industry.

Quite rightly, we’re massively proud of what our members create. And so ignite is their showcase. In each issue we feature amazing projects and installations for organisations of all sizes up and down the UK and beyond.

Every year at our annual conference we honour the best of our members’ projects with the ceda Grand Prix Awards. In this special edition of ignite we celebrate the 2024 award entries…

Blue Seal Commercial pizza ovens are traditional Italian style, including traditional stone base deck ovens, as well as our newly introduced forced air electric conveyor ovens, perfect for cooking delicious deep-base or thin based pizzas. Designed for everyday professional use, these powerful electric ovens cook at high temperatures to ensure fast service and great cooking results. The Blue Seal pizza ovens are a fantastic alternative to wood burner stoves or gas ovens, which are higher maintenance and require more specialist and costly extraction systems, to take away smoke and fumes. Our deck ovens accommodate 4 x 12” pizzas per deck, they are compact, versatile and very operator friendly. The Conveyor ovens will accommodate up to 45cm diameter pizza and will produce 50 x 30-35cm pizza /hr. These fast efficient ovens are ideal for take away or traditional restaurants.

Blue Seal offer single deck and twin deck ovens, for which a single can be stacked onto the twin deck very easily creating a triple deck, maximising the output from the floor space. This can also be done with the conveyor oven, up to x3 ovens high, massively increasing production rates from the same footprint. The Blue Seal oven chambers, all function independently allowing the pizza chef to control temperatures and bake more types/sizes of pizzas at once, therefore reducing serving times for busy restaurants.

The fact that the deck ovens are only single phase power supply makes them very versatile and suitable for dark kitchen takeaway sites and certain mobile kitchen operations, that may have limited power supplies. Due to the electric power supply, the ease of installation is simplified as there are no complex regulations regarding interlocks/ ventilation and extraction requirements, as associated with gas powered or solid fuel type ovens. The ovens can also be used in professional temporary and portable kitchens, as long as there is adequate air circulation and any vented heat/steam can be dissipated into the atmosphere or directed outside, to maintain healthy & comfortable HSE working environment tolerances.

We appreciate that restaurants need un-compromised, consistent quality results from the equipment they use. That is Why Blue Seal Pizza ovens use accurate thermostatic temperature control, eco-compatible material for thermal insulation and high quality refractory stones which provide excellent heat retention.

To complement our exemplary pizza oven models, we have introduced chain driven fixed head spiral mixers to our portfolio, for dough production in traditional operations. These come in single or two speed options, both having 30 litre stainless steel bowls accommodating 20kg dough production.

These ovens & mixers compliment the rest of the Blue Seal product range very nicely, maintaining the power/performance and reliability, expected from our brand.

Take a look at our pizza range here.

Call 0121 327 5575 for more information or visit www.blue-seal.co.uk

Rational UK, is pleased to announce the release of their latest customer reference story videos, showcasing how the Rational iCombi Pro combi-steamer has helped Ciaran McLarnon to grow his business from strength to strength. The video is now available to view on RATIONAL TV.

Ciaran McLarnon, the founder and owner of The Focacceria and The Hundredth Monkey Bakery, is redefining the art of bread-making and Italian-inspired cuisine in Northern Ireland.

Operating from a unique space in a furniture store cafe, The Focacceria specialises in Italian-style sandwiches made on freshly baked focaccia and schiacciata, with highlights including their best selling Chicken Parm sandwich or their take on a meatball sub, all crafted with Irish ingredients. Ciaran’s philosophy revolves around combining local produce with Italian culinary techniques, creating elevated dishes that resonate with his customers.

Central to his operation is the Rational iCombi Pro, an innovative cooking system that streamlines processes and maintains consistency, allowing Ciaran to experiment and perfect his bread recipes. From award-winning bagels to crispy baked chips, the iCombi Pro’s precision has been key to scaling its operations and ensuring a high standard of quality. Its ability to bake, steam, and roast efficiently has reduced energy costs and eliminated the need for traditional equipment.

“The iCombi Pro has been completely invaluable to me,” says Ciaran. “Every part of our prep and service gets the iCombi Pro treatment to some degree, and it’s sped everything up, made it easier, and more enjoyable.“

Ciaran envisions expanding his concept to multiple cities and countries, leveraging Rational technology to ensure consistency across different locations. His ultimate goal includes establishing a wholesale bakery powered entirely by Rational equipment, setting new standards for sustainability and efficiency in baking.

With a focus on flavour, quality, and technology, The Focacceria is shaping the future of artisanal bread and Italian cuisine for Belfast locals.

Discover Ciaran‘s journey, now available for viewing on RATIONAL TV: visit rational-online.tv