The MultiTemp range offers caterers a complete solution for storing different food types at their ideal temperature.

Operating from +8°C to -22°C, Jade MultiTemp can be easily adjusted as menus change, helping chefs keep food at its best without the need for multiple dedicated units.

• One unit, multiple temperatures – temperature can be set to suit specific food types, including cheese, meat and ice cream

• Total flexibility – ideal for menu changes, seasonal specials and backup storage should a fridge or freezer break down

• Precise temperature control – intuitive controller with accuracy to within 0.1°C

• WiFi enabled – allows remote monitoring, temperature adjustment and HACCP logging

• Built to Jade standards – easy to clean, durable, with self-closing doors, natural refrigerant and reliable refrigeration performance

There are five Jade MultiTemp models, designed to suit a wide range of kitchen layouts and storage needs. These include a two and a three door counter; a one and two door cabinet; and a one door cabinet featuring two independently controlled half door sections.

Full details on our MultiTemp Jade range can be found at www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk/news/product-launch/williams-jade-multitemp/

Together with The Burnt Chef Project, we recently conducted an industry-wide survey to understand the current state of mental health and wellbeing within the catering equipment industry.

This was with a view to put in place resources, strategies and initiatives that will directly help support colleagues and to break down the stigma of mental health within the sector.

There was an open-minded attitude to the survey which received over 250 submissions. Whilst the survey was anonymous, over 50 participants left details to be contacted with follow up information and to help with further development.

All job roles, across businesses that supply, install, service, maintain and manufacture catering equipment, were invited to take part in the survey through direct emails, social media coverage and collaborating with organisations and industry influencers.

There were 35 questions covering areas including;

• Current Mental Health Status
• Work’s Impact on Mental Health
• Burnout Experience
• Recognition and Openness
• Manager Relationships & Organisational Climate
• Work-Life Balance
• Out-of-Hours Communication & Digital Boundaries
• Awareness of Wellbeing Support
• Leadership Density & Readiness
• Early Career Cohort & Pipeline

The results have been analysed, and some initial findings have been shared to give a snapshot as to the state of the mental health of the industry…

The graphs opposite contain the responses from each of the survey questions. Five of the questions required some personal details to be submitted so we have not shared those results here. Please click on any of the graphs to expand to full view.

Over half of those individuals who completed the survey said that in the month before they completed the survey their mental health was neutral to poor instead of thriving (Q1) and again over half of all respondents said that they agreed that work had a negative impact on their overall mental health (Q3).

There was some positivity in that many more people were happy to raise mental health issues with their manager than weren’t and 70% of respondents gave a positive reflection on how mental health and well-being is approached in their workplace through encouraging open conversations. Individuals did feel though that mental health and well-being was not properly addressed in one-to-one meetings suggesting that stigma about mental health within the workplace still exists and raising mental health concerns would have a negative impact on how their professionalism would be perceived (Q9).

In an Industry that responds to those working 24-7 then perhaps it is not a surprise to see that there is an imbalance between homelife and work as well as out of hours checking of emails and mobiles. While many feel that they don’t need to respond (65%) perhaps it would be worth looking at businesses adopting sector-fit norms instead of rigid rules including urgency labels, “send-later” defaults and team agreements on response windows.

Company Directors & Managing Directors are most likely to always check work emails outside working hours. Office-based Administration staff are the group most likely to never check emails outside hours. Field-based sales and leaders, as well as office-based leaders, show a mix but lean toward frequent checking.

When it comes to awareness of mental health support it was good to see that over 60% of respondents were aware of mental health support systems within their business (Q14) and over 75% knew where to go if they were struggling with their mental health. It is positive to see that support exists in many organisations, but visibility and onboarding reinforcement must improve to reach the unaware.

When it comes to job roles, age and mental health, over 70% of respondents reported that they worked alone sometimes through to always. As an industry that has engineers, sales representatives and other job roles that involve many hours of travelling and working alone this is an area of concern.

When it comes to age demographic, respondents aged 51 + most often rated their mental health as ‘Good’ or ‘Neutral’. In the 41–50 and 31–40 age groups, ‘Poor’ and ‘Neutral’ were most common, while the 21–30 age group was more evenly split between ‘Neutral’, ‘Poor’, and ‘Good’ ratings.

Company Directors & Managing Directors most often rated their mental health as ‘Good’ or ‘Neutral’. Office-based Administration and leaders also leaned toward ‘Good’ or ‘Neutral’. Field-based roles, especially sales and engineers, reported higher proportions of ‘Poor’ or ‘Very Poor’ mental health ratings.

For those individuals who classed themselves as management or leaders as their job role they quite often felt pressure to appear strong or always coping in front of their team (Q25).

In conclusion, the dataset shows a workforce that is functioning, but with one in four sitting in a vulnerable mental health band, more than half reporting burnout symptoms in their current role, and over half saying work negatively affects mental health.

Three dominant themes have been identified from the survey;

• Workload and culture remain the top stressors,
• Managers and leaders want tools, not theory,
• Younger and field-based roles are at higher risk of poor wellbeing.

So, what’s next and what does future support look like?

‘We would like to thank Kris Hall and The Burnt Chef Project for all their help and support in producing this survey and its findings. Also thank you to all of those that took part in the survey. Your input will help to drive meaningful solutions to address the dominant themes from the survey”, says Steve Hemsil, ceda Community Development Manager. “We want to strengthen the communication of wellbeing resources, influence culture change, introduce formal wellbeing policies, ensure colleagues have regular human contact and provide workload and stress management tools.”

“Our future actions are going to need lots of people, and their ideas, time and commitment.” Continues Hemsil. “We are now calling on anyone who is passionate about the subject or has ideas about how we can best support our colleagues to come forward and join the cedaWellbeing Working Group. We want to hear all and any ideas!

“We hope to meet early in the New Year to prioritise actions and begin our work of better supporting the mental health of the industry.”

Anyone with ideas or is interested in joining the cedaWellbeing Working Group should contact Steve Hemsil directly on 07476 719 151 or email steve@ceda.co.uk.

In the meantime, if you need help with your mental health and wellbeing then please take a look at the resources currently available on the cedaWellbeing web page: ceda.co.uk/ceda-wellbeing/

If you, or anyone you know, is in a mental health crisis, please contact the Samaritans on 116 123.

Save £60 on Panasonic Microwaves – Plus Free Microsave Liner

To support dealer partners supplying energy-efficient, high-performance microwave solutions into foodservice, Regale is running a limited-time promotion across two Panasonic commercial microwave models.

Panasonic NE-1864
£519 | Save £60 (11.5%)
PLUS FREE Papaya Microsave Liner
The latest replacement for the NE-1853, offering dealers a strong, value-led upgrade path.

For a limited time, every NE-1864 includes a FREE Papaya Microsave Cavity Liner, adding a clear, practical benefit to take to market.

Panasonic NE-1878
£539 | Save £60 (11.1%)
A high-powered, durable commercial microwave designed for demanding professional kitchens, ideal for dealers supplying high-volume operations.

Discounted Papaya Microsave Cavity Liner just £39 when purchased complete with the NE-1878 oven.
Added value: Microsave
Microsave liners help operators:

• Protect the microwave cavity
• Reduce cleaning time and downtime
• Extend equipment life

A full range of Microsave liners is available to suit Panasonic and other leading commercial microwave models at www.microsave.co.uk

Availability
Promotion available for a limited time, while stocks last.

For pricing, availability or to reserve stock, please contact Regale – microwaves@regale.co.uk or call 01329 285 518

Lilibet’s: A very British fantasy brought to life in Mayfair

Lilibet’s invites you to imagine what might have been if fate hadn’t intervened and a young Queen Elizabeth II, born at No. 17 Bruton Street, had instead inherited her grandparent’s home, hosted cocktail parties and society events, and regaled friends with stories of her travels. Inspired by Mayfair’s heritage, Lilibet’s is timeless, elegant and a little bit of fun with treasured keepsakes from faraway places layered alongside recent pieces to create a truly memorable dining experience.

Every dish is served with finesse, and with seasonality and sustainability in mind. Ross Shonhan explains, “We’re a seafood restaurant on an island that has some of the best seafood in the world,” so their offerings are sourced “from Scotland… and when the weather is turbulent there… from Devon and Cornwall.” All their vegetables, beef and pork are also sourced locally from small farms.

Ross Shonhan modestly introduces himself as a restaurateur and cook who began his career 30 years ago washing dishes in a butcher’s shop in Australia. But Ross’s love for food has taken him from working as Executive Chef at Nobu in Dallas, to Zuma London, and on to create the iconic Bone Daddies. Since then, Ross has gained global respect as a restaurateur and now, with Lilibet’s, we can clearly see his passion lies in creating unique and memorable experiences for his guests.

When asked why he chose Precision refrigeration equipment for Lilibet’s, Ross confessed, “When I started building my own restaurants, I had a lot of bad experiences… budgetary constraints… second hand [equipment]…. and had other brands of refrigeration, and I realised quite quickly the pain outstripped any short-term financial benefits. I heard of Precision, probably 10 years ago, it was put to me that they were the best… so I started buying Precision and the honest answer is I’ve not spec’d anything else since.”

Ross has built the kitchen at Lilibet’s for his chefs that he never built for himself, with products that have been on his wish list for years. For example, Precision Refrigeration’s wall cabinets and variable temperature drawers have always been thought of as “a bit of a luxury.” From a cook’s point of view, the HWU211 wall cabinets are “quite practical, [keeping] everything refrigerated at high level and [increasing] refrigeration capacity without increasing your footprint.”

As well as the VUBC121 stacked variable temperature drawers, the kitchen has MCU211 and MCU311 counter refrigerators in thoughtfully considered configurations of doors and banks of three drawers to ensure maximum efficiency in each section. “Those things can make a big difference to how good it is for the team to work in that environment,” says Ross, “and in this day and age kitchens have to be good places to work.”

Precision’s refrigeration solutions also play a key role front of house in enhancing the guest experience, with BBS1850 upright chillers for water, BBS900 bottle coolers behind the bar, as well as GFS600 frosters to ensure martinis and champagne are served in perfectly frosted glassware, and dedicated freezers for ice blocks for Lilibet’s signature cocktails.

The original house at 17 Bruton Street was unfortunately demolished and converted into an office block in the 1930s, so Ross worked with the landlord to transform it into a proper restaurant space. He explains, “I had to design it far in advance of even contemplating building it and worked with an independent kitchen design firm called CKP. They weren’t wedded to any brands and could give me great solutions to the problems that I had. They’d always recommended Precision historically, and did for this project, but,” he admits, “it wasn’t really a question. We knew we were going with Precision.” Ross sang the praises of CKP, who, in his opinion, went “above and beyond” for Lilibet’s.

For more details about the refrigeration featured, please visit www.precision-refrigeration.com or give us a call on +44 (0)1842 753994

When it comes to innovation in professional cooking technology, MKN continues to set the benchmark. The MKN FlexiChef® is a true all-in-one solution designed to revolutionise kitchen operations by combining flexibility, speed, and sustainability – all in one compact, intelligent system.

At the heart of its success lies SpaceClean®, the world’s first and only fully automated cleaning system for multifunctional pans. With a simple touch of a button, SpaceClean® delivers a fully integrated, hands-free wash cycle that eliminates the need for manual scrubbing. Using minimal water, the system completes a full intermediate clean in just two minutes, allowing operators to switch between cooking processes faster and more hygienically than ever before.

For busy kitchens, this innovation represents a significant leap in efficiency. Whether roasting, boiling, deep-frying, or high-speed cooking, the FlexiChef® adapts instantly to multiple cooking methods, reducing both downtime and labour. Combined with MKN’s intuitive MagicPilot® touchscreen interface, operators benefit from easy, repeatable results and the ability to run multiple cooking programmes throughout service.

Beyond performance, the environmental credentials are impressive. SpaceClean® reduces water usage by up to 40% compared to conventional manual cleaning, while energy-efficient design helps lower running costs – a crucial advantage as operators continue to focus on sustainability and cost control.

Already trusted by chefs and foodservice professionals across the UK and Europe, the FlexiChef® is proving to be a game-changer for those seeking smarter, cleaner, and more productive kitchens.

For more information or to book a demonstration, visit www.mkn.com or contact your local MKN dealer to experience the future of multifunctional cooking.

On Thursday 22nd January 2026 Parts Town UK’s Training Division will host their very first webinar alongside leading water filter manufacturer BRITA. 

Hear from Parts Town UK Training Centre Manager, Scott Barnfield and BRITA UK Manager, Chris Fay as they share insights and updates you won’t want to miss.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend the event to keep up to date with what’s happening at Parts Town UK and BRITA!

What to expect?

• Learn about upcoming industry training courses from Parts Town UK
• Discover BRITA’s latest products and offers
• Enjoy an interactive session with live Q&A
• Plus, prizes to be won on the day! All attendees will be put into a prize draw to be in with a chance of winning a Tool Kit and BRITA iQ Meter.

Event Details:

Date: Thursday 22nd January 2025
Time: 10am – 10.30am
Where: Online
Secure your spot: Click here to book your place

Retigo UK is kicking off 2026 with the launch of a new chef-led podcast.

The Mad Chef is by chefs, for chefs. Led by Retigo UK Culinary Consultant, Samuel Ashton, the monthly episodes provide raw chef chat, discussing the realities of working in a commercial kitchen – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Alongside Sam are fellow chefs Chris Beavis and Jordan Quantrell. Each with their own background, experiences and stories to tell about the real life of a chef, the trio have a no-filter approach to the podcast.

As well as the kitchen chat, the team are aiming to hit the road for site visits and to meet guest chefs across the UK, with the aim of showcasing the full capabilities of the Retigo combi oven range.

Explaining the concept of The Mad Chef podcast, Retigo UK Managing Director, Aneta Juroskova said, “We’ve been supporting service engineers across the industry via our WOW Training for some time now. About 12 months ago we started discussing how we could develop something similar for chefs, whilst also raising brand awareness amongst the chef community.

“We wanted to understand more about how chefs operate and so we visited several customers and Retigo users and spoke to them about the challenges they face in the kitchen. We then employed Sam, our Culinary Consultant, who has taught us a lot about chefs, their behaviours and how they work. The next step was deciding what to do with all the information we had gathered and how to present it. We knew, if executed correctly, we could have something unique to offer chefs, and so The Mad Chef was born.”

“It’s about graft, laughs and good taste”, says Sam. “Chefs don’t want a sleek, shiny marketing brochure or fancy sales pitches; they want no-nonsense talk, hands-on experience and the word of other chefs. The Mad Chef is about giving chefs just that; an honest chat, a chance to use the Retigo ovens and see what the Retigo brand is all about for themselves. It’s about collaboration, sharing ideas, trends and innovation. It’s about chef recognition.”

Aneta concludes, “We started working on this project last February and it’s been non-stop since! I must say that Sam and the boys have done a great job so far. We can’t wait to release the first episode this week and start engaging with the chef community. Follow TMC and stay tuned!”

The first episode goes out on Sunday 18^th January 2026.

Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1FLdd9GKaQe0VvJYLhprEJ

This is a visualised podcast and can be watched on YouTube: @themadchefuk

The Mad Chef has its own profile on multiple platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify. You can find out more about the podcast and the three chef presenters on the website: themadchef.co.uk

Northcote, the luxury hotel located in the scenic Ribble Valley and boasting a Michelin-starred restaurant has upgraded its complement of Electrolux Professional Skyline combi ovens to the latest model. January will see Obsession 26 commence, with a medley of World Class chefs set to put the new ovens and full Electrolux Professional kitchen through its paces.

‘Although our previous ovens still deliver for us and move on within the Northcote operation, we’re delighted to transition to the latest Skyline models. We’ll continue to benefit from their performance but now with improved efficiency. It’s a timely upgrade as they will be in situ ahead of Obsession 2026, which will see all our guest chefs put them through their paces’ – Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Chef Patron-Director, Northcote

With the new Skyline combi oven, experience smarter cleaning with up to 33% less water and 22% less detergent compared to previous models (based on 10 GN1/1).

Thanks to the new wash cycles, you’ll save up to 33% on water, 43% on detergent, and 25% on energy — delivering powerful performance with significantly lower operating costs. *

*Based on Internal test done in Electrolux Professional Laboratory comparing actual SkyLine 20 GN1/1 electric Combi Oven with boiler vs the previous version.

Visit the website to discover more – www.electroluxprofessional.com/gb/commercial-kitchen-equipment/skyline-combi-oven/

Our ovens have become more technically accurate with temperature control, and better insulated for heat efficiency, with the trend to move toward electric power over gas for lowering carbon footprint and future proofing the kitchen. The demand for quality pizza offering has definitely increased, with many businesses adding this to their existing restaurant or take away menu.

We offer compact 45cm belt conveyor ovens and single/ twin deck pizza ovens. We only offer electric options as this is the future requirement, especially if trying to comply with the TM65 carbon footprint initiative.

The conveyor ovens are forced air, so this de- skills & simplifies the operation for the customer, lowering the requirement for experienced pizza chefs, maintaining consistency and volume output.  Both our deck ovens and conveyor ovens can be stacked up to three units high, enabling maximum output from the same footprint, in a busy kitchen/takeaway. The dough quality and production is essential to the quality of the end result, so with the increased availability of fantastic ready-made frozen dough balls or even pre-formed pizza bases from millers and food production companies, this helps operators produce quality product, with reduced preparation time and minimised wastage.

We do also have dedicated spiral dough mixers and new heated pizza press to complement our ovens, for traditional style concepts that prefer to produce their own dough or special bread recipes. Our mixers are a very simple operation one or two speed, adjustable cut,  with fixed head and bowls. They have heavy-duty, high-performance dough hooks and motors, aiding the production of fantastic silky pizza & bread dough.

As mentioned previously, staffing pressures can be relieved by producing machines that are easy to operate, taking the skill out of the baking process for the operator, helping reduce the number of skilled staff to provide the same high quality product. Quality ingredients can be purchased/ frozen and used on demand, reducing the need for more staff to produce the raw product and minimising wastage.  Machines that are versatile and can be used to cook./bake other restaurant items, such as garlic breads/ cheesy Nachos/ crock dishes for tapas style cooking of fast cook product, such as garlic prawns etc.. can reduce the amount of other equipment required in the kitchen concept for the owner, again maximising the food production output.

For Power/ Performance/ Reliability / Efficiency and Sustainability, buy Blue Seal!

For catering equipment maintenance companies, efficiency is everything. From urgent breakdowns to planned compliance checks, every job requires clear communication between field engineers and office teams. Yet in many businesses, outdated processes create barriers that cost time, money, and customer satisfaction.

Service Geeni, a ceda Associate Member, provides FSM (Field Service Management) software that connects engineers in the field with office staff in real time, reducing paperwork, and ensuring SLAs are consistently met.

Why Communication Matters

In a busy catering equipment maintenance company, the office team acts as mission control. They receive customer calls, book jobs, schedule engineers, and keep clients updated. Engineers, meanwhile, are on the front line – travelling between sites, diagnosing faults, and carrying out repairs.

Without seamless communication, things can quickly go wrong:

• Engineers arriving late because of schedule changes they didn’t see.
• Jobs delayed because office staff didn’t know parts were missing.
• Customers frustrated by lack of updates.
• SLAs missed due to admin bottlenecks.

It’s not that teams aren’t working hard – it’s that information isn’t flowing smoothly between them.

“We speak to equipment maintenance companies every week who tell us the same story,” explains Steven Lindsay, Senior Software Sales Consultant. “Their engineers are skilled and their office teams are dedicated, but poor communication slows everything down. That’s exactly the issue our platform solves.”

From Paperwork to Real-Time Updates

Traditionally, engineers carried job sheets that needed to be filled out manually and returned to the office. Office teams would then type up notes, update systems, and contact customers. This process created delays, duplication, and inevitable human error.

FSM software replaces these manual steps with a real-time digital workflow. Engineers access job details on the mobile app, log progress as they go, and upload photos or notes instantly. Office staff see updates as they happen, without chasing phone calls or waiting for paperwork to come back.

This streamlined approach means:

• No delays between job completion and office updates.
• Accurate records for compliance and reporting.
• Fewer admin hours spent re-typing handwritten notes.
• Customers kept informed with timely updates.

Keeping Everyone in Sync

The impact of connected communication goes beyond reducing paperwork. For catering equipment maintenance companies, it transforms the way field and office teams work together.

• Instant job updates: Engineers can see new or rescheduled jobs immediately, reducing wasted journeys.
• Progress tracking: Office staff can view job status in real time, making it easy to answer customer queries without phoning engineers.
• Parts management: If a job requires a part, the engineer can flag it instantly, triggering the office to order stock and re-schedule efficiently.
• SLA monitoring: With all information centralised, managers can see which jobs are on track and where intervention is needed to stay compliant.

Better for Engineers, Better for Customers

For engineers, the benefit is clear: less time chasing paperwork and more time doing the work they’re trained for. Having job details, asset history, and instructions at their fingertips helps them complete tasks faster and more accurately.

For customers, the improvement is equally valuable: jobs completed on time, fewer delays, and a professional, consistent service.

“When communication improves, first-time fix rates go up and SLA performance improves,” says Adrian Clark, Key Account Director. “It’s a win-win – engineers are happier, and customers notice the difference.”

Real-World Impact

The benefits of real-time communication aren’t just theoretical. Service Geeni customers are already seeing measurable improvements. One FSM customer slashed office paperwork by 84% in just six months by moving from manual job sheets to digital updates.

For catering equipment maintenance companies, the impact would be very similar — less admin for office staff, engineers spending more time on the tools, and faster, clearer updates for customers.

Looking Ahead

As catering equipment becomes more complex and customer expectations rise, the pressure on maintenance companies will only increase. Clear, real-time communication is no longer a “nice to have” – it’s essential for staying competitive.

Service Geeni’s focus is on giving ceda members the tools to meet these demands: helping engineers and office staff work as one team, connected through a single, easy-to-use platform.

Learn More

To find out how Service Geeni FSM software can help your catering equipment maintenance company improve communication, reduce paperwork, and hit SLAs consistently:

Book a demo with Service Geeni