Frying tonight? Don’t need to!

Rational helps Latimer’s Seafood Deli and Café get fish and chips – and scones and jam – on the menu

Latimer’s Seafood Deli and Café is between Newcastle and Sunderland right on the north east coastline of England.  It has a seafood counter packed with over 100 different fish varieties, not just the nation’s favourites, cod, haddock and salmon but all sorts of fresh, local, sustainable fish, shellfish and their own in-house smoked fishes.

Although based on the old-style fish shop values of the catch coming straight from the boat to the counter, Latimer’s is a relatively new business. Originally it was a family owned garage and petrol station before Robert Latimer, who was born in the house at the back of the shop, set up the present day Latimer’s about 12 years ago. Recently Robert and his wife Ailsa expanded the business and opened a café on the same site.

“We wanted to do more than sell just wet fish and our ready to eat range,” explains Ailsa. “The idea was to take advantage of the fantastic fresh fish we have on the fish counter and serve wholesome and tasty cooked fish dishes alongside other café essentials such as bacon rolls, good coffee, proper homemade cakes and scones.”

Starting up from scratch meant that the Robert and Ailsa had to think carefully about the choice of kitchen equipment. Space was limited and they didn’t want the hassle of a frying range and the associated ventilation.

“We went to a Rational CookingLive to see the SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency in action and were bowled over by it. It’s an awesome bit of kit. Although it’s a big investment we knew straightaway that it would do everything we need it to – we wouldn’t need to buy any other piece of cooking equipment. Basically it’s a kitchen in a box.”

The Rational SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency can replace 40-50% of all conventional cooking appliances, such as ovens, hot air units, tilting pans, boilers, steamers or grills. It minimises consumption of energy, saves space, reduces waste and guarantees top quality food every time.

The new Rational was installed at Latimer’s in December 2012 and Ailsa and Rob haven’t looked back.

“We use it for 80 per cent of our menu in the café,” says Ailsa. “We cook our speciality smoked haddock and leek pasties, “naked” fish and chips and whole Dover sole. We bake homemade scones and pastries and frozen bake-off items and we toast teacakes. We grill bacon and cook chips. It’s brilliant! We put everything in together and there’s no taste transfer. I don’t know how Rational manage it.”

The unit’s Efficient LevelControl takes care of mixed loads, telling the operator what foods can and can’t be cooked together, adjusting the cooking times accordingly and alerting the user when different items are ready.

Obviously a favourite at Latimer’s is fish and chips and Ailsa has come up with a healthy option with the help of the Rational.

“We cook the “naked” fish without batter and it comes out beautifully using the pan fry mode – tender and moist with a delicate flavour. We combine it with high quality oven chips for a traditional but lower fat dish. Monkfish and chips, scallops and chips and whole Dover sole are proving especially popular,” she says.

By choosing the Rational SelfCookingCenter Latimer’s can be sure of consistent quality whoever is doing the cooking. Once staff have told the Rational what’s being cooked, all they need to do is load the shelving, shut the door and push start. The unit does the rest.

“There’s so much more we could do to expand the menu,” says Ailsa. “But it’s early days. At the moment I’m just enjoying how easy the Rational is to use. And to top it all it cleans itself overnight. I just love going down in the morning and finding it sparkling clean and ready for use without me having to lift a finger.”

For more information on Latimer’s visit www.latimers.com