Precision Refrigeration chills out at prestigious Derby College development.
Staying cool under pressure is a key skill that chefs learning their craft need to develop. For the catering and hospitality students training at Derby College, there could be no better example of that than the suite of equipment installed by Precision Refrigeration.
September 2009 saw the opening of new purpose-built £2.5m catering facilities at Derby, one of the largest further education colleges in the UK. The catering department is just part of the new Roundhouse campus on Pride Park in the city centre, a flagship development for Derby College.
The Grade II-listed Roundhouse with its associated buildings has the capacity for 170 full and part time catering and hospitality students.
Along with the training operation, which includes a working restaurant trading as the Engine Shed, the development has two commercial food operations – the Roundhouse Restaurant and the Grab & Go food-court style, quick service operation.
To ensure that ingredients are stored in peak condition, and the thousands of snacks and meals served each week meet the highest possible standards of quality and freshness, the college has installed equipment from Precision Refrigeration across the catering facilities on the Roundhouse Site.
The 15 fridges and freezers were commissioned through Chesterfield-based Catering Projects Group, which worked with Derby College specifying all catering equipment for the Pride Park development.
Tony Bates, Estates Operations Manager for Derby College, worked with David Main from Catering Projects Group. Tony says: “As well as service periods in the restaurants, there is constant training and tuition taking place with students. The ingredients have to be kept fresh until they’re ready for use, and the dishes they prepare have to be kept in peak condition so tutors can evaluate them, as well as for customers at the Engine Shed.”
Tony adds: “At the same time as the Roundhouse development opened, we changed our contract caterers. So it was even more important that the equipment installed was efficient and reliable, to ensure that there was no impact on service during the changeover.”
The main Roundhouse Restaurant trades from 8am to 8pm every day, and can serve up to 1000 customers a day. In addition, the industrial architecture makes it a prestigious function venue, with up to 450 guests dining at such events, which take place through the week and at weekends.
“There is a heavy workload at the Roundhouse, and again service and presentation standards are important,” says Tony. “For function catering, refrigeration is very important when hundreds of guest need to be served three or more courses.” Chilled dishes such as starters and desserts can be prepared before service.
The Grab & Go restaurant in the Stephenson Building is used by students and staff from the college for snack-style meals such as jacket potatoes and paninis. “The food and service has to be quick, efficient and to a high standard,” says Tony, “Ready made food, such as paninis and desserts, has to be kept in perfect condition.”
For more information on Derby College visit www.derby-college.ac.uk. For more information on the Catering Projects Group call 08445 4585002 or visit www.cateringprojectsgroup.com
To contact Precision Refrigeration contact 01842 753 99, email sales@precision-refrigeration.co.uk or visit www.precision-refrigeration.co.uk
Copy ends
Notes to editors:
Across the Pride Park campus, fifteen models from Precision Equipment have been installed. They include:
· One HCU 211 two door refrigerated gastronorm bench counter with 300 litre/ 10.5 cu.ft. capacity
· Five MPT 601 single door fridges, an upright single section gastronorm cabinet with 600 litre/ 21 cu.ft. capacity;
· Three MPT1401 two-door fridges, an upright double section gastronorm cabinet with 1400 litre/ 45 cu.ft. capacity
· Three LPT 1401 two-door freezers, an upright double section gastronorm cabinet with1400 litre/ 45 cu.ft. capacity
· Three LPT 601 single door freezers, an upright single section gastronorm cabinet with 600 llitre/ 21 cu.ft. capacity
Precision’s durable all stainless steel Gastronorm Cabinets are designed to provide caterers with cost effective and reliable refrigerated storage solutions. Key features include a simple ergonomically designed stainless steel pull handle which gives access to a Gastronorm shelving system, while a audio visual temperature alarms come as standard, along with HACCP capability.
The self-contained top mounted refrigeration system can easily be removed for servicing whilst the “Pod” mounted evaporator leaves the interior storage space free of any machinery. Defrost is automatic and the energy-saving ‘waste heat’ vaporiser system eliminates the need for a drain.