S & M claim to provide "the world’s number one comfort food" - the perfect pick me up for the crew and staff working in the mud and rain of Glastonbury 2007!

We’ve had a huge increase in demand for temporary kitchens for open-air rock shows," says CKS’s Mark Kingston. "Lots of them are being used to feed the VIPs and performers who, I guess, want something special to keep them going.   

"At Glastonbury S & M were feeding the staff and crew, but the same rules applied: whatever the conditions, food safety is paramount." 

CKS supplied a specially modified kitchen, fitted with a big, 24-grid combi oven and a large griddle. Capable of producing hundreds of meals in short order, and with plenty of room for two or three chefs to work comfortably, the kitchen was also equipped with features such as an extraction canopy, fridge, stainless steel table, double bowl sink unit, fly killer and everything you’d want to find in a commercial kitchen - even when it’s in the middle of a field.
"Because the kitchen was totally self contained, S&M could be sure that they were complying fully with food safety regulations," explains Mark Kingston of CKS.

In the event, despite the muddy Glastonbury conditions, the kitchen functioned faultlessly. "The job went extremely smoothly - in fact, you could say the kitchen’s performance was awesome!" says Mark Kingston. "S & M were so pleased they booked our kitchens for several more events."
CKS kitchens have also performed at rock events held at venues as diverse as The Love Box, in Mile End, and the O2 Arena.

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists. The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division. For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

Container Kitchen Systems’ temporary modules keep patients fed during refurbishment

It is now recognised that hospital food plays an important part in patient care. Fresh, well cooked and nicely presented food encourages patients to eat well and get the nutrients they need to recover from surgery and serious illness. It can even decrease the amount of time they need to spend in hospital.

Hospital catering is going through major changes with moves towards offering more flexible menu options, 24 hour catering and the raising of nutritional standards. So hospitals are now taking a new look at their catering facilities and making plans for the refurbishment necessary to meet new objectives.

Staff are often resistant when it comes to refurbishment and managers are nervous about possible disruptions to the running and routine of the hospital catering system. But these fears are unnecessary, explains Mark Kingston of Container Kitchen Systems.

"We can supply temporary kitchen modules that mirror the old kitchen so that working practices don’t need to be changed dramatically during the refurbishment period," says Mark. "On the other hand some people like to try out new equipment in their temporary kitchen, for example to get used to what will be in the new kitchen. Either way we put in exactly what the customer wants."

CKS also offers a complete refurbishment package. As well as supplying temporary kitchens for use during refurbishment CKS can actually do the refurbishment work. This simplifies the overall management of the project, since it cuts down on the number of contractors involved.

The kitchen modules are delivered fully equipped and ready-to-use, and are easy to install and quick to commission. Their modular design means they can be linked together or even stacked one on top of another, depending on space limitations. Once connected to a mains electrical supply they are ready to use.

Food hygiene is an added pressure. No preparation is subject to more rigorous hygiene legislation than in hospital catering. But CKS temporary kitchens meet all the latest regulations to further ease the transition.

CKS has a wide variety of temporary kitchens and facilities, from all-in-one ready-fitted kitchens that can be delivered and working in a day or two, through to specialist units such as storage rooms, refrigerated and freezer coldrooms, self-service facilities, temporary dining areas and washroom facilities.

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists. The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division. For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

Summer is all about big outside events from society and celebrity weddings and birthdays, fund-raising garden parties, sporting events through to over-nighters such as music festivals. One thing all these need is catering on a big scale, often in places where there are no conventional kitchens.

The British are following the lead of the Americans and increasingly looking for interesting and unusual locations for weddings such as the beach, woodland, or other romantic sites. Container Kitchen Systems is finding that this has upped the number of enquires about their smallest kitchen module.

This 2.8m x 3.8m kitchen is a versatile multi-purpose unit capable of producing over 200 meals per session. The cabin has a serving hatch and enough space for two chefs to work comfortably. All the CKS kitchens are fully equipped with the very latest in cooking technology and can be fitted out to comply with customers’ special requests.

"We realise that in many cases chefs like to use their favourite equipment - and if that’s what they want then that’s what we’ll put in the kitchen," says Mark Kingston of CKS. "Just because it’s temporary we don’t believe anyone should have to compromise their catering operation or make do with second best."

Last summer CKS modules were performing alongside such greats as The Who and the Arctic Monkeys at Glastonbury. They’ve also been seen calling the shots at Wimbledon Tennis Championships and flying high at the Farnborough Air Show. For these very large operations the modules can be linked to form a co-ordinated complex with weatherproof access to a building such as a temporary stage or existing dining facilities.

The site must be accessible by road and ideally any gateways should be no less than 3 metres in width. But for sites where access width is limited CKS can ‘crane’ in the modules and it’s quite surprising just how the company can manoeuvre these modules into the most awkward of spaces.
CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists. The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division. For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

Container Kitchen Systems (CKS) aims to make sure that during refurbishment or during peak busy periods establishments don’t fall short when it comes to cold storage. CKS can deliver and install the temporary cold store modules at extremely short notice. They can be delivered and up and running within a few hours of ordering.

The smallest stores measure 3.6m x 2.96m and are available in either refrigerated or freezer versions. They are equipped with four-tier racks to maximise storage space and external plant to allow ease of temperature monitoring. The larger stores are 6.1m x 2.96m. All have flexible layouts and can act as stand alone units or can be linked to other kitchen facilities.

CKS refrigerated stores offer excellent chilled temperature control of +2 to -2 °C, or -18 to -22 °C for the freezer stores. High quality insulation ensures energy efficient operation and all the internal services are wipe-clean for superior hygiene standards. Mobile racking makes it quick and easy to transfer food in and out of the unit. Both refrigerated and freezer versions use single-phase power and are supplied complete with strip curtains.

All the cold stores are fully equipped and ready to use, complying with current Food and Hygiene Regulations. For specialist needs CKS can tailor the units to meet each customer’s requirements. As well as the cold stores CKS supplies a large range of temporary kitchen modules for short-term or long-term placement.

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists. The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division. For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

Some people just don’t believe how easy it can be to get a temporary kitchen delivered and up and running. But Container Kitchen Systems’ (CKS) modular kitchens are simple to manoeuvre into the tightest of spaces. The company is taking advantage of the website YouTube to post up a video of one of its ‘medium’ sized kitchens being manhandled into position for the Brighton 2007 RAC rally.

The Container Kitchen Systems new fully interactive website www.cksltd.co.uk contains a load of features to guide both new and existing clients through making choices and understanding just what a temporary kitchen can offer.

Temporary kitchens are used in a huge variety of settings from refurbishment upgrades in care homes to rock festivals where catering has to be done on a massive scale. The CKS website explains simply what sort of modules are suited to different environments. For those who want to get an idea of the cost of a kitchen before committing CKS has an online quote facility that allows users to browse through the database and select units and get a quote.

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists. The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division. For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

Conference Centres are busy places designed so that delegates can get down to business without having to be troubled with the day’s arrangements. Everything has to run smoothly and on time. Bookings are taken months if not years in advance so if there is a problem that threatens the scheduling of events a solution has to be found that will not inconvenience users or incur cancellations.

Putteridge Bury Conference Centre , part of the University of Bedfordshire , was up against just such a predicament in May 2007 when it had problems with the gas supply to its main catering facilities. Putteridge Bury is a converted neo-Elizabethan mansion built in 1911 in the style of Chequers. Set in picturesque parkland Putteridge Bury Conference Centre hosts conferences, corporate and social events, wedding receptions, civil ceremonies and Christmas parties.

“To carry out essential repairs the gas supply had to be cut off for eight weeks,” says Ciro Ascione, Putteridge Bury Operations Manager. “We had important bookings lined up and so had to look at a way of staying open. We decided a temporary kitchen was going to be the answer and consulted Container Kitchen Systems on the feasibility of hiring one of their kitchen modules to tide us over.”

“Initially we expected a whole lot of inconvenience, the idea of closing the kitchen and the staff having to get used to a temporary kitchen, new equipment and a different layout wasn’t very appealing,” explained Ciro. “But we were surprised at how easily the whole operation went. We had to arrange an extra electrical supply but CKS advised us every step of the way, took care of the temporary gas supply and everything else to get the kitchen up and running. ”

 ”We discussed our requirements with CKS and found the standard large kitchen was fitted with all the catering equipment we needed. We didn’t have to ask for any extras. The chefs and other catering staff found working in the CKS kitchen absolutely fine - no problems.”

The CKS large kitchen module used at Putteridge Bury measures 8.6m x 2.85m and is designed for large-scale catering use. It has sufficient workspace for up six chefs and the equipment included a six burner gas oven range, salamander gas grill, 1800mm electric hot cupboard, double bowl single drainer sink, three stainless steel tables, extraction system and non-slip safety flooring.

The kitchen staff put the CKS module through its paces straight away. Altogether it was in use for 40 days during which time staff prepared and cooked approximately 100 meals per day. In addition there were three major marquee events of over 200 guests - The Save the Children Charity Ball in May, plus the Business without Borders Conference and the annual University of Bedfordshire Summer Ball, both in June.

Putteridge Bury is well known for the excellence of its function menus. A typical menu consists of smoked salmon and crab parcels on grated fresh beetroot, rugola, little gems and lemon vinaigrette starter, a main course of baked breast of guinea fowl, wild and woodland mushrooms and rosemary roast potatoes with a dessert of limoncello and amaretti torte with crème fraiche quenelles.

The catering equipment in the CKS kitchen enabled staff at Putteridge Bury to continue with the usual high quality menus throughout May and June without having to compromise on food standards at all or think of alternatives while operating from the temporary kitchen.

“If we ever needed a temporary kitchen again we’d certainly use CKS,” says Ciro. “The whole operation was a lot less stressful than I imagined it would be, we kept open, honoured our bookings and the staff remained smiling!”

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists. The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division. For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk .

Temporary staff are often recruited in December to cope with the surge in bookings for parties, functions and general seasonal good cheer.   But it’s a fact of life that most kitchens can’t be expanded so easily to cope with the Christmas rush.

In these situations, hiring a complete temporary kitchen is the simplest way of adding space and boosting kitchen output.  Yet many caterers fight shy of taking the temporary option over the holiday period, because they worry about disrupting routine.

Temporary kitchens specialist CKS has tackled this issue with special ‘Christmas kitchens’ geared to the yearly holiday routine.  The kitchens can be delivered and installed in hours, with all equipment already in place.  And crucially, they can be designed and laid out around a caterer’s holiday-season menu, dedicated specifically to the roasts and puddings and fixed menus of Christmas dinners or seasonal banquets - something that can’t easily be done with a fixed kitchen.

The units can also be tailored to suit the staff’s expertise, even down to using familiar equipment so that no training is needed.  Temporary staff can move in and start cooking Christmas menus immediately.

The seasonal pressure can lead not only to kitchen congestion, but equipment breakdown as well.  For such emergencies, CKS has a limited supply of ‘Christmas crisis’ kitchens that are poised for fast delivery.

The CKS range includes production kitchens, prep kitchens, dishwasher units, and a variety of storage rooms, including refrigerated and freezer coldrooms.  They also offer a full range of ’standalone’ catering equipment to supplement an existing kitchen.

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists.  The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division.  For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

If you’re a caterer, facilities manager or foodservice consultant and you need a temporary kitchen, the chances are you’ll want an idea of cost before you progress too far. But up till now getting even an initial quote has taken time.

The new CKS website offers an online ‘quote me’ feature - all the user does is fill in a quick form and hit the button, and the site automatically generates a ‘ballpark’ quote. It means you can get a quick figure fast, without spending precious hours. Once you’ve made a decision, you can go back to the quote and finalize it to get a precise figure.

CKS (Container Kitchen Systems) is the temporary catering facilities specialist. The updated website puts examples of the company’s entire selection of temporary cabin kitchens and equipment online. The new site - www.cksltd.co.uk - includes a host of automated features that can provide instant answers for both new and existing CKS clients.

Central to the relaunched site is the optional, free and confidential registration for users. By registering not only can you automatically obtain and save quotes for purchase or hire of items, you can also check your own accounts online. You don’t need to be a CKS customer to register, and the quotes will be stored for future visits so that you can retrieve and adjust them.

You can now find information on various categories of temporary kitchen - for care homes, for events or for standard kitchen refurbishment, say - and download relevant information, advice, sample kitchen layouts and factsheets on each sector. For example, tips on how to prepare your site for delivery of a temporary kitchen, or installation of dining room modules. Meanwhile, a detailed Questions & Answers section advises caterers on setting up temporary systems, from site surveys to allocating services.

All available types of temporary kitchens can now be viewed online - not just the ones ready to supply, but those you can design to your own specification.

“Our goal has been to make the website responsive to particular market sectors”, says Mark Kingston. “In particular, it can speed up planning and costing for catering managers and consultants. For example, you can now quickly factor in the costs for the temporary-kitchen element of a refurbishment.

“The new website will give you a ballpark figure for costs, estimates, etc, in a matter of moments”, he points out. “Traditional methods make it time-consuming to arrange a quotation for temporary kitchens, because even by phone or email you usually have to bat it back and forth with a supplier until you assemble what you need.”

Finally, the entire CKS website is now ‘RSS feed-enabled’, allowing you to keep track of new additions without having to revisit it and without having to subscribe to email updates. You can even specify to be alerted only when the website is updated to include a type of facility or equipment you are interested in.

CKS has a wide variety of temporary kitchens and facilities, from all-in-one ready-fitted kitchens that can be delivered and working in a day or two, through to specialist units such as storage rooms, refrigerated and freezer coldrooms, self-service facilities, temporary dining areas and washroom facilities.

The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division. For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

“We’ve had a huge increase in demand for temporary kitchens for these open-air rock shows,” says CKS’s Mark Kingston.  ”Lots of them are being used to feed the VIPs and performers who, I guess, want something better than the soggy veggie pies us punters put up with!”

CKS can discuss the specialist requirements of some of the festival chefs (and their customers) before delivering the kitchen so that everything is exactly right.  The typical festival kitchen will be fitted out with the very latest kitchen technology  - from combi steamers to high-performance air conditioning.

“We can supply a kitchen to feed anything from 60 to 6,000 or even more,” says Mark Kingston.  ”As long as we can link up to services, then we’re cooking.  Quite often its necessary to bring our own power and water.”

The standard small 3.8m CKS kitchen includes a serving hatch and sufficient space for two chefs to work comfortably. Capable of producing up to 200 meals per session the kitchen includes a six burner gas oven range, Salamander gas grill, double basket gas fryer, extraction canopy, upright fridge, stainless steel table, hot cupboard, double bowl sink unit, fly killer and lots of other trimmings – and – for festivals CKS put in whatever specialist kit is requested.

If you want to catch a CKS kitchen strutting its stuff this summer then visit than the daddy of all modern festivals - Glastonbury.

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists.  The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division.  For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.

Temporary kitchen specialist Container Kitchen Systems (CKS) says it has noticed a difference: In many cases hospital caterers who have not used temporary facilities before are stunned to find that they are far more sophisticated than they’d expected - often just as good as the new kitchens they are having installed.

This is a good reason for being adventurous and (ha ha) ‘impatient’ to get the latest features when choosing facilities to tide you over during a refurbishment, argues CKS managing director Mark Kingston.

“By their nature, the best catering staff are not just loyal and long serving, but also uneasy about working with new equipment”, he says.  ”They’ll happily try out new foods and recipes, but usually only with their existing equipment.”

So, many healthcare catering managers ask us for a temporary kitchen that’s as much like the old one as possible.  They worry about not disrupting the catering while the existing premises are refreshed or rebuilt.

“However, if you are planning a new kitchen - or even just a refurb - then there’s a real plus in your temporary one being as advanced as possible.  Firstly, staff know it’s temporary, so they are more understanding and flexible about it.  Secondly, both the temporary kitchen and your staff can give you extra ideas as you rebuild, and you can test new layouts, equipment or working practices”.

Doing it this way, he argues, is the best way of trying out the most advanced equipment, to see how it can help menu quality, working practice and costs.

Another major worry in healthcare catering is the growing demand for hygiene legislation.  This is something that it’s easy to handle with CKS’s temporary kitchens, which automatically meets the very latest regulations.

CKS has a wide variety of temporary kitchens and facilities, from all-in-one ready-fitted kitchens that can be delivered and working in a day or two, through to specialist units such as storage rooms, refrigerated and freezer coldrooms, self-service facilities, temporary dining areas and washroom facilities.

CKS is one of the UK’s leading temporary kitchen specialists.  The company also offers a professional kitchen installation service and operates a catering equipment maintenance division.  For more information, brochures and details, contact Container Kitchen Systems direct, by phone on 0845 812 0800, email sales@cksltd.co.uk or on the web at www.cksltd.co.uk.