text: Promoted: LACA Exhibitor Spotlight
  If you are going to the LACA Main Event and Exhibition, here are some of the companies who will be exhibiting. Make sure you check them out – but if you're not attending, you can find their contact details and what they're up to at the event below…
  Feeding children is so essential to their learning and wellbeing, and in a busy school kitchen environment, it goes without saying that caterers rely on their equipment to effectively operate. We recently conducted research which shows that half of kitchen workers say they need more reliable equipment to run a practical and efficient kitchen, especially with almost two thirds (62%) dealing with equipment breakdowns on a fortnightly basis.[1]
  Not only are equipment breakdowns stressful, but they are also costly and, in fact, preventable. One of the top causes of combi-oven breakdowns is a build-up of limescale. Unfiltered water can cause limescale to form inside the oven, heating rods and other sensitive components, causing the equipment to wear more quickly.
  If limescale builds, equipment must be cleaned extensively, and more energy will be required to reach optimum temperatures. Ultimately, this increases daily running costs, potentially causing operational and financial problems for caterers.
  It's clear that across the catering industry, operators are focused on avoiding unnecessary outgoings, with 45% say cost saving opportunities most influence their future business strategy[2]. Our research has also revealed that 51% of hospitality providers believe investing in quality equipment and maintenance schedules is most important to help future proof their business.[3]
  BRITA Managed Services can relieve the pressure by supporting you and your team with preventative maintenance. By offering bespoke packages tailored to your organisation's needs, from, monitoring your filter usage and carrying out essential filter exchanges, to training and reporting, you can rely on your equipment to have a longer life span and deliver a smooth service when you need it most.
  Come and visit us at LACA Main Event to find out more! We'll be at stand M60, showcasing our latest products and giveaways.
  www.brita.co.uk/catering
  [1] Research is from 3GEM for BRITA Professional conducted with 500 kitchen professionals (November 2020)
  [2] Research is from 3GEM for BRITA Professional conducted with 500 hospitality businesses (March 2021)
  [3] Research is from 3GEM for BRITA Professional conducted with 500 hospitality businesses (March 2021)
  End-to-End Solutions For Catering Compliance & Efficiency
  With changing regulatory requirements and evolving demands from students, one of the biggest challenges in any education catering operation is maintaining compliance and food safety in an efficient and cost-effective way.
  Our end-to-end solutions help local authorities and schools overcome their catering challenges. They drive efficiencies, navigate increasingly complex food safety legislation and – by removing cash from the canteen queue – reduce the potential bullying too.
  Improve student experience with a solution that gets them enjoying your meals, faster. Our cashless catering system streamlines mealtimes, improves take up of free school meals and helps manage individual dietary requirements, with secure ID management built-in. With features like pre-ordering, menu scheduling and meal deals, you can give students and parents better visibility of their food choices.
  Saffron catering management software helps you deliver nutritious, allergen aware and planet-smart food. Removing paper processes from your kitchen can cut costs by 70%. Our cloud software and Check app, bring all elements of your catering operation together, from purchasing and nutritional information, to pricing and reporting. This complete view drives efficiency supports compliance and enhances visibility.
  A mobile pre-order app for school catering which supports schools and academies to reduce food waste and manage lunchtimes more efficiently and safely. Students or parents can order meals in advance, which means the kitchen only needs to prepare the meals required - minimising waste and drives sustainability, whilst supporting accurate management and ordering of stock too.
  www.civica.com/education
  Crown Foods are proud to have been in the foodservice industry for over 40 years and is a trusted, family run business that is made up of a team of people who are passionate about food, their customers and the growth of the education sector.
  We are at the forefront of bringing innovative products that children love to eat. Being recognised by great organisations such as LACA and BFFF over the years makes this family business very honoured. We offer 'Choice & a Partnership' to our customers by providing Protein, Vegan, Gluten Free, Sustainable, MSC, Red Tractor, Not Fried, healthy, tasty, award winning, schools-compliant and innovative options. We offer a range that is individually quick frozen and portion controlled so that caterers benefit from consistency, easy plating and reduced wastage.
  We pride ourselves on innovation and with quality being at the forefront of our development. We continue to evolve with our range that is supplied into schools, understanding all aspects of the industry and the changing marketplace, this is key to us providing solutions for the challenges that face this sector.
  We strive to provide a partnership with our customers; together we are committed to changing food culture, making healthy, high quality meals accessible and appetising. Our market leading flavour infused lines and MSC Gluten Free Bubble Fish options give caterers a real point of difference on menus. We also have our incredibly flavoursome and fresh Asian snack boxes, WAT KITHCEN, which are ambient instant rice or noodle street food snack which are ideal for grab and go options. Flavours include; Chicken Teriyaki with Noodles, Chicken Chilli & Thai Basil with Noodles or Chicken Sweet & Sour with Rice.
  Visit us at the LACA, Stand 18 where we are showcasing some NEW plant based and innovative centre of plate options.
  www.crownfoods.co.uk
  01590 677616
  Facebook: @crownfoodsltd | Twitter: @SimplyatCrown | Linked In: Crown Foods Ltd | Instagram: simply_crown_foods
  Hobart is launching a new series of live and interactive cooking webinars, hosted by development chef Greg Crump, to help dealers working in education understand and explore the manufacturers' range of high-quality cooking equipment in more depth.
  Features, benefits, trends and fantastic food are the key pillars of the new series, which has been designed to be accessible, fun and fast paced. The demo theatre at Hobart's Peterborough HQ has been transformed into a studio, with cameras covering every angle of the stage, allowing dealer teams to get up close to the Hobart cooking range without ever leaving their desks.
  Dealer teams are urged to sign up today by visiting: www.hobartuk.com/live.
  The programme of demonstrations comes in the wake of independent dealer insight carried out by Hobart.
  Over two-thirds of dealers are demanding more demonstrations, with 30% (the majority share) opting for online product training.
  One-in-four dealers are also keen to explore products in depth via live product demonstrations and virtual showrooms.
  Product Manager Cooking and Food Prep, Hobart UK Equipment Division, John Stewart, comments, "Hobart are no strangers to delivering engaging online learning; during the worst of the pandemic, we created a series of 45-minute webinars, where we could take our traditional face to face training sessions – previously one of our most valuable customer resources – and repackage them into an enhanced, bite-sized product, perfect for inspiring our busy sales partners. This new series takes things up a notch, and places the emphasis on our formidable cooking range, with chef Greg ready to show viewers how to get the very best from the equipment. The sessions will be interactive, fun, fast paced and will showcase some brilliant cooking. I urge dealer teams to sign up today!"
  This year McCain will be celebrating all things homegrown with their Simply Range on stand M19 at LACA. Find out how McCain can help you to build a healthier menu and celebrate your regional dishes without compromising on taste. McCain's development chef will be celebrating all regions of the United Kingdom with regional tapas from each corner of the country.
  Enjoy some delicious Leek, Bacon & Cheese Croquettes from Wales and Cromer Crab Cakes from East Anglia, both made with McCain's Simply Mash. Or try our mini Cornish Pasties from the South West made with Simply Dice.
  All of McCain's Simply products are made using British grown potatoes and are sustainably sourced. The UKs largest buyer of British potatoes working with over 250 UK growers, McCain GB has had a zero waste policy since 2017 so by buying McCain you can be more planet friendly with your menu.
  McCain will make it easy to cater healthy options for school children with their Simply range.
  Take a look at the full range on the McCain Foodservice website.
  Birds Eye partners with foodservice experts at Zest Food Partners.
  Birds Eye announces it is working with Zest Food Partners to help grow its foodservice business Birds Eye Foodservice announces it is working with Zest Food Partners to help grow its range of products in the foodservice market.
  Kelly Burke, Commercial Director, Zest Food Partners said, "The team at Zest are delighted to be working with Birds Eye. It is such an iconic brand with an impressive portfolio of products that are trusted for their quality and great taste. There's a huge opportunity for the Green Cuisine range in foodservice and we're excited to be part of this journey and add to its success."
  07763 868924
  www.birdseye-foodservice.co.uk
  At Proper Cornish, for over 30 years, we have been lovingly hand crafting and supplying a range of high-quality Cornish pasties and quality machine made savoury pastry products to the food service, retail and wholesale markets.
  Our products are made in the heart of Cornwall in our BRC (AA certified) state of the art bakery using, where possible, local ingredients which are freshly prepared in-house.
  We cater for meat-eaters, vegans and vegetarians and offer a wide range of delicious pasties and savoury pastries including sausage rolls, slices, turnovers and patties including a range of school compliant products.
  Our products are the ultimate 'food on the go' solution and are ideal for independent retailers, hospitals, pubs, cafes and tourist attractions, as well as schools and universities.
  We are a Food for Life supplier and our range of products for education comply with the school foods standards nutritional guidelines, are under 300 calories and are free from artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.
  Our products are supplied across the UK and beyond, either direct or via a well-established wholesale network and are sold under the Proper Cornish brand. A range of branding solutions is also available (such as heater cabinets, posters, flyers, shelf edge labels, pasty bags and branded aprons) as well as bespoke branding options. Our products are supplied uncooked frozen, so customers can bake them fresh instore every day to encounter the freshly baked experience time and time again.
  We love creating new products which are often unique to the market. Our team of talented development chefs keep themselves up to date with emerging trends and flavour innovations to ensure that we continue to develop new and exciting products.
  Tilda continues its aim to educate, inspire and provide school children with veg powered recipes at LACA: Main Event.
  LACA attendees can stop by stand M21 to learn about Tilda's commitment to transforming school meals by helping caterers deliver healthy and nutritious meals for kids. Tilda partnered with ITV and Veg Power, a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring kids are eating enough vegetables, for their 'Eat Them to Defeat Them' campaign and they're ready to help school caterers revamp their menus. With recipes like: Bone Chilling Carrot Biryani, Spine Tingling Tomato & Spinach Pilaf and Blood Curdling Broccoli Stir-Fry, these nutritious hot dishes were created with both children and caterers in mind.
  Visitors to stand M21 will be able to see these recipes cooked live by Tilda chefs; Luke Dalley, Simon Hall and Harv Deol, showcasing their ease for caterers and the all-important nutrition they hold for children. With complimentary Tilda tote bags packed with recipe cards and goodies, Tilda will make sure school menu planning has never been easier. The Tilda stand will also feature a Lucky Dip with a Love2Shop giveaway - and the chance to win a £50 voucher!
  As part of Tilda's ongoing charity work, the brand continues its partnership with Mary's Meals, a charity committed to providing meals to the most vulnerable children in our communities. Their admirable and resilient work has now ensured that a huge 2 million children are fed around the world! And for every LACA sign up, Tilda will double the donation to Mary's Meals - enabling extra meals for underprivileged children.
  With an arsenal of nutritious school recipes, giveaways, live cook-alongs and everything a school caterer may need to build a delicious menu, Tilda is excited to welcome visitors to stand M21 at LACA: Main Event!​