REFLECTIONS OF CONFERENCELACA Conference 2007

realityFROM HERE TO

Challenge toGovernmentTaken from opening address at the LACAConference 2007

“I challenge the government today onbehalf of all LACA members: if you arereally serious about the health of thenation and Every Child Matters and wantreal results to reduce obesity, and don’t letus forget about those that areundernourished, THEN FUND THE SERVICEPROPERLY.

6p a child will not support an increase in food costs, an increase in labour costs,the upgrading of kitchens, the purchase of more light and heavy equipment, trainstaff and so on. Government took £400 million out in 1980 even the new PrimeMinister in his old job would need to concoct quite an amazing financial jugglingact to convince tax payers that £240m today can buy the same as £400m 25years ago.

Until 1980 we WERE a welfare service with 75% of all children taking a schoolmeal, you now expect us to be a welfare service again with a trading businessunit infrastructure cut to the bone during competitive tendering. I would urgeGordon Brown to face reality and consider having a standard cost for a free schoolmeal country wide, and funding every school/authority to the value of thatentitlement.

IF he doesn’t like the idea of FREE SCHOOL meals for all, then consider a heavymeal allowance so those parents on tax credit that have fallen out of the Freeschool meal criteria can afford to let their child have a school meal. There are anumber of options, talk to those that have to deliver the service- US! Also do something about legislating to control the content of packed lunches.There have never been so many entrepreneurial pupils in secondary schools, ifthey don’t like the food we will be offering then they will circumnavigate thesystem and bring in their own food, remember those bringing sandwiches paynothing towards the service. But expect somewhere to sit and someone to clearup after them.”

Irene CarrollLACA chair (2006-2007)

Nestlé FoodServices, proud sponsors of the LACA Conference Newsletter

“To use Irene’s words – what a year!

Irene has carried out her role as the

National Chairman of LACA with dignity

and aplomb.

She has represented the membership at

many varied events during her year of

office and has acted as advocate, as

ambassador or indeed as adversary when

needed throughout the United Kingdom.

She leaves a legacy of improved working

relationships with the School Food Trust

and an increased regard for LACA within

the industry and market sector.

She stays to lead the project team on the

review of LACA which will take place over

the coming months.

May I ask you to join with me in thanking

Irene for being our Chairman, for leading

this the 2007 National Conference and for

being Irene.”

Irene Carroll handing over office toSandra Russell

Thanks to Irene

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:32 Page 1

PRUE LEITHDespite the grim reading provided by brand new surveys showing school meal uptake hascontinued to drop, School Food Trust chairman Prue Leith urges caterers to stick with thechanges being introduced to improve the health and nutrition of the nation’s schoolchildren.“I suppose we could look at the figures and be demoralised, but I urge you not to. It’s notas though we can pretend change wasn’t needed, though it’s true sales have been hit.“But we do have cause to be optimistic. It’s not as though the only successes are beingseen in places like leafy Cheltenham. There are many secondary schools saying there areways to make it work.”

JACKIE SCHNEIDER As a parent of children in Merton, Jackie Schneider found short lunch breaks meanteverything was done under intense time pressure, the atmosphere in dining rooms wasvery noisy, the conditions were messy, the tables often wet or dirty, and pupils spent toomuch time queuing only to be rushed to finish their food by lunchtime supervisors.Head teachers acknowledged the problem but had other priorities so she formed MertonParents for Better Food in Schools and challenged the children with competitions to comeup with workable solutions.Among the simplest and best suggestions submitted by children was the abolition of thetraditional separation of packed lunch children from those having school dinners.

PROFESSOR DEREK COLQUHOUNThe man charged with evaluating Hull City Council’s three-year free school meals project,which has just ended, fears the health, nutrition and behaviour benefits he has monitoredcould quickly be lost.The meals will still be heavily subsidised, costing primary children £1.10 a day – makingthem the cheapest in England according to the recent LACA national school meals survey.“The trouble is that even at the subsidised rate our studies show that more than 30% ofparents say they are not prepared to pay,” says Professor Colquhoun.

What some of our speakers said at this year’s LACA conference

LACA school meals survey

One of the key findings of a new national survey is that school meal numbers havedropped in over 75% of local authorities.In secondary schools, decreases of over 30% are still being reported, particularly whereschools have removed vending machines. The average decline in secondary school meals is17% since 2004. Despite a £240 million investment by the Government to transform schoolmeals, most local authorities say they are struggling to cover the costs involved in makingthe improvements required by the new regulations.The figures show 91% of local authorities report they are either breaking even (26%) or indeficit (65%). Few are now making any surplus at all.

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:32 Page 2

What the judges said….

“As the Culinary team captain for the Craft Guild with 17 years of internationalcompetitive experience and the recent recipient of the 2007 Craft Guild of Chefsßcompetition chef of the year award, it always inspires me to see craft skills beingdisplayed. In this inaugural event there was a real feel of excitement and anticipationfrom the competitors as they spent time arranging and perfecting their displays, thesupport that the competitors enjoyed from colleagues alike was also evident aseverybody wanted to get a look at the exhibits before they were judged. After somepersuasion to clear the area we got down to Judging. I have to say its always nicewhen judging, to have difficult decisions to make when picking a winner, this paystestimony to the excellent standards that were on display. The tray garnishes showedartistry, the canapés would have graced any 5 star hotel and finally the cakes were ofsuch a high quality they assured me of the creativity and excellent quality of thepeople working in the local authority sector. This event should go from strength tostrength and become one of the highlights of the competitive calendar.”Andy Twells, Culinary Team Captain, Craft Guild of Chefs

“As an inaugural competition and having judged many different competitions fromdiffering sectors of our business I thought the standard in the Finishing Touches staticdisplay was excellent. The competitors took part with great professionalism andenthusiasm. I hope I can be considered to judge next year and to see the eventflourish. Many thanks for the opportunity.”Shaun Hill, 3663 Exective Chef

This year for the first time, LACA ran a static display at the conference toshowcase the craft skills of school chefs. Sponsored by Schwartz for Chef and 3663, the four classes were judged by the Craft Guild of Chefs.

Sponsored by:

Decorated Celebration Cake

Liz Peat, Warwickshire County CaterersGOLD, Best in show

Decorated Novelty Cake

Vicky Scott, Compass plc ScolarestGOLD

Cold Canapés

Paul Smith, Scolarest (Secondaries North)GOLD

Tray Garnishes

Linda Chapman, Notts County Council School CateringBRONZE

Promoting culinary talent

In association with the Craft Guild of Chefs

“I am delighted to be involved with LACA in introducing this new culinary skillscompetition. It gives me great pleasure to see the standards that people can achieveand goes to show that local authority caterers have a great depth of skills within theirindustry. it’s great to see these skills coming to the fore – congratulations to allcompetitors.”Steve Love, Concept development chefSchwartz for Chef

View all entries on the LACA website www.laca.co.uk

Best in Class

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:32 Page 3

LACA Awards for Excellence 2007

Since their inception in 1997, the LACA Awards for Excellence have been used to rewardindividuals and teams who have made a difference within the education catering sector.

And the winners are…

LACA CATERING MANAGEMENT TEAM OF THE YEAR 2007, SPONSORED BY

WINNER: NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCILThe winning team have clearly demonstrated that actively working on and subsequentlyimplementing new ideas, that are more than just the school meal itself, can result in financial gainand increased numbers – overcoming the national downward trend of earlier years. This team givethat ‘extra bit’ which is reflected in their approach to both their work and their results. SHORTLISTED NOMINEES:NORTH TYNESIDE CATERING SERVICESOUTH TYNESIDE COUNCIL

LACA SPECIALIST CATERING TEAM OF THE YEAR 2007, SPONSORED BY

WINNER: ASHGATE CROFT SCHOOL, DERBYSHIREA clear winner – built on the personal commitment of the catering team who live and breathe thewhole school approach.The extra curricular activities the staff have undertaken - such as the Makaton training and becomingmembers of the Vegetarian Society - have enabled them to build relationships with the wider schoolsociety and thereby contribute at every level to the health, wellbeing and education of the students.SHORTLISTED NOMINEES:HERTFORDSHIRE CATERING SERVICE LANCHESTER SCHOOL, SOLIHULL CATERING SERVICE

LACA PRIMARY SCHOOL CATERING TEAM OF THE YEAR 2007, SPONSORED BY

WINNER: ST LUKE’S RC PRIMARY SCHOOL, SALFORDThe winning entry has fulfilled all of the award criteria with high marks, and has also demonstrated a real commitment and involvement with children, parents and school staff. Service in this school isdelivered with a great sense of fun whilst working within all required guidelines.SHORTLISTED NOMINEES:ST DUNSTAN’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, SURREY COUNTY COUNCILST WILFRED’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

LACA SECONDARY SCHOOL CATERING TEAM OF THE YEAR 2007, SPONSORED BY

WINNER: LYNDON SCHOOL, SOLIHULLEverything about this entrant shouts “A Winning Team” right down to the letters from the School HeadBoy and Head Girl which were included as part of the submission.If it is about going that extra mile - then this team has done it tenfold.SHORTLISTED NOMINEES:HOMEWOOD SCHOOL AND SIXTH FORM COLLEGE, SCOLARESTJARROW SCHOOL, SOUTH TYNESIDE CATERING SERVICE

LACA Education Catering Marketing Award 2007, sponsored by AVL Consultancy

WINNER: NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCILThey formed a food improvement team to upgrade the 30,000 meals per day that they provide. Theydemonstrated the advantage of school meals over packed lunches and made excellent use of localsuppliers. They turned round a drop in meal numbers in primary schools in 2006 to an increase in 2007.SHORTLISTED NOMINEES:NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL (RUNNER UP)WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (HIGHLY COMMENDED)DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCILHERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COINCIL

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:32 Page 4

THE NAN BERGER MEMORIAL AWARD 2007, SPONSORED BY

WINNER: SUFFOLK COUNTY CATERING TRAINING TEAMThe winning entry has displayed courage at a time when there is greatpressure on finances in local authority catering. A management reorganisation enabled revisions totheir approach to training with increased resources dedicated to quality and training in-house.The Management have noted a complete change of perception of the status of the employees’ whosee themselves as invaluable members of the school community. Other benefits include improved retention of staff and pro-active succession planning.SHORTLISTED NOMINEES:EDINBURGH CATERING SERVICETAMESIDE MBC PRIMARY SCHOOL TRAINING TEAM

ROGER DAVIS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2007, SPONSORED BY

WINNER: SANDRA RUSSELLNominated for her tireless and often unsung labours for LACA, she never brings her achievements toanyone’s notice, and most people have no idea of the time commitment she makes to LACA.She displays an astute sense of people management, and the fact that she is able to spend so muchtime carrying out work for LACA while her paid job continues to flourish through the turbulent timesof late, shows clearly how she has motivated her management team.

LACA OUTSTANDING SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2007

WINNER: E & R MOFFATThe winning company of the LACA Outstanding Supplier of the Year 2007 is known to manyAuthorities for the quality of its products and for its customer service. Finding the company completelyin tune with customer needs comments from supporting authorities include:“The customer service offered to us has been second to none with their helpful advice and support.As a catering equipment supplier they have always consulted with us and been willing to customisetheir products according to our service needs and requirements”“In the last year or two I seen this company make huge advances. They’ve given us excellent advice,they’ve been pro-active and they’ve especially been innovative”.“They’ve been pro-active and flexible and helped us to develop and deliver some remarkableprojects”.

LACA CHAIRMAN’S AWARD 2007

WINNER: TREVOR SUTTON OF NESTLÉ FOODSERVICES This year has proved extremely difficult, as there have been so many people, companies and suppliersthat have gone the extra mile to support LACA during this demanding year. However, one person shone through, this person’s energy, commitment and drive to support LACA hasbeen evident from the beginning as is his passionate belief on the provision of school meals and thestaff who provide them. When the School Chef of the Year needed a new sponsor it was he that persuaded his company tosponsor the event and has successfully got them to continue their sponsorship for which we areextremely grateful. The School Chef if the Year has become a showcase for LACA and we owe much of its success to thisperson. He works closely with LACA representatives to endeavour and to ensure that the regional andNational finals are well run and provide a first class environment for the competitors. He is alwaysthe first person to arrive and the last to go.

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:32 Page 5

The Competition is open to all kitchen-based staff employed by organisations

that are full members of LACA and are involved with the daily preparation of

school meals.

This annual competition puts the preparation, cooking, creativity and

presentation skills of school chefs to the test with each entrant required to

produce, in just one and a half hours, a healthy balanced two- course meal

comprising of a main course and dessert that would appeal to eleven year

olds in school. Winning School Chef of the Year is one if the greatest titles a

school cook can achieve.

This year’s winner, Lynnette Tinney was present at the LACA national

conference and exhibition and was presented with a special award and

bottle of champagne at the pre-conference dinner.

For more information on SCOTY 2008, please email:scoty@dewberryredpoint.co.ukREGISTRATION DEADLINE 1ST NOVEMBER 2007

School Chef of the Yearcompetition 2008

“The standard of this competition was so high in 2007, I was really very

impressed. School Chefs play such an important role in our schools and I

would hate to see this tradition die. They have so little money to play with

when costing their dishes that you can do nothing but admire the food that

they produce, as the quality is truly outstanding. I am really looking forward

to more, more, more of the same fantastic food in 2008.”

John Burton-Race, celebrity chef, SCOTY 2007

David Field,Managing Director,Nestlé FoodServices,comments on hiscommitment to LACA andto driving growth in theEducation Catering sector:

“The changing landscape of the provision of food acrossthe education arena has delivered both challenges andopportunity to the industry. Having attended the recentLACA Conference and Exhibition, it’s clear that all of us –up and down the supply chain – have responded withenergy and resourcefulness in making sure that schoolmeals work – for pupils, for parents, for health, for localauthorities and within budget.

The future of both the nation’s health and prosperityof the hospitality industry, lies with today’s schoolpupil. And, it’s our job to get it right for them. As an inspiring growth partner, Nestlé FoodServices isdedicated to working - and continuing to work -alongside our LACA partners to help move the sectorin the right direction and drive growth.

We are proud of the long and successful associationwith the Local Authority Caterers’ Association,exemplified by our role as host of the prestigious‘School Chef of the Year’, competition.

Firmly embracing a holistic approach to the educationsector, our commitment extends from school, tocollege and catering professional through our supportof Springboard’s FutureChef, and with our ownrenowned Nestlé Toque d’Or, shortly to enter its 20thyear - supporting future rising stars in the industry.

With testing times still ahead, in our role as aninspiring growth partner, Nestlé FoodServices iscommitted to working with the industry and LACA, tocontinue to drive growth and safeguard the educationcatering sector for the future.”

Lynette Tinney, winner of 2007 "School Chef of the Year"

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:32 Page 6

A word from the new ChairHello… for the past nine years I have been fortunate - as Chair ofLACA’s Training and Development Group – to manage the AnnualConference and Exhibition.

Year on year we have sought to improve and enlarge the event so thatit can bring increased benefits to our Members – including

• Opening the exhibition to day visitors• Moving the AGM to the event - to enable more Members to

attend this important meeting whilst resulting in the benefit ofgreater networking opportunities on the Wednesday pre-evening

• Re-introducing a ‘celebration of SCOTY’ – the finals of which havebeen held earlier in the year

• Introducing the Innovation Zone - allowing new concepts andproducts to be showcased outside the normal exhibition space

• and from this year Members have been able to show theircatering skills in the new static display area – Finishing Touches

It is really important to celebrate the success within our industry and each year the LACA Awards for Excellence are atribute to the hard work and efforts undertaken by colleagues throughout the land.

This newsletter is testament to the skills of Members and to the winners of the LACA Awards. Join me in congratulatingall who participated!

2007 was a year of superlatives

• The largest number of delegates• The largest number of exhibitors• The largest number of visitors to the exhibition• The largest number of entries for the LACA Awards for almost ten years• Over thirty new concepts and products in the Innovation zone for the second year• Over double the anticipated entries for the first Finishing Touches….

I must offer huge thanks to our sponsors, partners, exhibitors and to colleagues without whom success would beunachievable.

I am humbled as I become National Chair at the diversity of skill and commitment within our industry and hope that youhave all enjoyed this small step back to the atmosphere of the 2007 Conference and Exhibition

David Field,Managing Director,Nestlé FoodServices,comments on hiscommitment to LACA andto driving growth in theEducation Catering sector:

Lynette Tinney, winner of 2007 "School Chef of the Year"

Partners with LACA

Sandra Russell LACA Chair (2007/2008)

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:33 Page 7

DESIGNED AND PRODUCED BY DEWBERRY REDPOINT, APEX HOUSE, LONDON ROAD, NORTHFLEET, KENT, DA11 9JA

Dates for your diary

LACA National School Meals Weeks 200715-19 October 2007

LACA Awards for Excellence 2008Deadline for entries

20 April 2008Gala dinner: 10 July 2008

LACA National Conference & Exhibition 20089-11 July 2008

LACA AGM9 July 2008

Finishing Touches static display class10 July 2008

LACA National Conference & Exhibition 20098-10 July 2009

LACA newsletter 07 17/9/07 12:33 Page 8