The Restaurant Show 2014 preview

The show is a one-of-a-kind trade event that caters to those who own, operate or work in restaurants, hotels, dining pubs and catering companies across the country.

It will play host to over 350 exhibitors and offer ideas and networking opportunities to those working in the industry. The event will feature live cookery demonstrations and seminars hosted by hospitality experts and well-known chefs.

Chef patron at The Hand & Flowers Tom Kerridge said: “The Restaurant Show is a really important event in the calendar.  It’s a brilliant opportunity to find the latest innovation and ideas and network with friends and colleagues. 

“I’m really looking forward to taking part again this year as there’s always such a vibrant atmosphere at the show.”

Centre Stage​

The show will host a busy programme of workshops, debates, interviews and cooking demonstrations on the Centre Stage, with important industry figures including Tom Kerridge, Phillip Howard, Brett Graham and Clare Smyth MBE in attendance.

Kerridge will reveal secrets behind his two-Michelin-starred pub The Hand and Flowers and showcase some contemporary British dishes. Howard and Graham will host a master class on getting the best out of game, while Smyth will demonstrate a seafood dish prepared with ingredients from the Scottish coastline.

Other chefs presenting at the show include top pastry chefs Hideko Kawa, previously of The Fat Duck, and Joakim Prat, who worked as head pastry chef at L’Atleier de Joel Robuchon in London and the three-Michelin-starred Can Fabes in Spain.

For a full timetable of events on Centre Stage click here​.

Competitions​

• UK Sugar Championship, Junior Trophy (Monday 6 October)​

The UK’s first sugar championship​; young competitors will have five hours to create a stylish sugar sculpture using pulled sugar craft.

• National Chef of the Year 2014 (Tuesday 7 October)​

Eight chefs will compete in front of a live audience to win one of the UK cooking industry’s most sought after titles.

• Young National Chef of the Year (Tuesday 7 October)​

Chefs aged between 18 and 23 will rise to the challenge in this live final.

• Compass Apprentice, Junior and Senior Chef of the Year (Wednesday 9 October)​

Winners of heats from across the whole of the Compass UK and Ireland business will compete to create dishes that recognise British produce and reflect current food trends, health and well-being.

For more information on the competitions click here.​

Great New Idea​

The Restaurant Show is an event that is well-known for showcasing innovative ideas, and a number of exhibitors choose to launch their products at the event.

These ‘Great New Ideas’ will be highlighted with a blue sticker logo so visitors can easily find the latest inventions from the industry.

Visitors will also be able to vote for their favourite new idea over Twitter using the hashtag #TRSGNI and could win a £250 cash prize.

Great New Ideas at The Restaurant Show this year include Bubble SOSA, which makes edible bubbles, the Evogro indoor plant growing system, for growing herbs and microgreens, and Mollete, a bread with a 30-day shelf life which bakes in under 90 seconds.

OpenTable’s Business Insights​

This year’s show will see OpenTable host three debates between industry experts surrounding the use of technology in the hospitality industry.

• Creating Authenticity with Digital Innovation (Monday 6 October, 11:20am)​

Industry experts discuss creating a unique ‘virtual store front’; including what it should say about a business and which digital elements should not be forgotten. 

• Balancing the Art of Service and Technology (Tuesday 7 October, 1pm)​

This debate will focus on what tools to use to run a business smoothly while still making it feel human, and looks at how top operators put this into practice.

• Mobile Payments, Gifts and Promotions (Wednesday 8 October, 11:20am)​

Which platforms work, and which will only complicate things? A panel discusses which payment and promotion tools best help a business.

First time exhibitors​

The Restaurant Show 2014 will host over 350 exhibitors with a wide-range of products and services, and a number of these will be showcasing at the event for the first time.

New faces include: British Premium Meats, First Data, Nicoccino, Thames Water, Royal Air Force, Logs Direct, Exclusive Ranges, Norseland, and Sweet Karma.

For more information on all aspects of The Restaurant Show, visit: www.therestaurantshow.co.uk​.