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Some of the leading players in public sector catering were given the opportunity to learn about how the future of catering equipment is developing and how new ideas and technologies will be able help tackle some of the challenges that catering teams face in the years ahead.

But before they got to see this and find out more, the group landed in Venice from Heathrow where they enjoyed some of the sights that draw up to 6m tourists annually to the 3 sq mile historic city centre. A visit to the Rialto bridge was followed by lunch at a small restaurant where the food was prepared, unsurprisingly, using Unox equipment.

In the afternoon the guests enjoyed a cruise of the canals that included a stop at the famous Venetian island of Murano, which is considered the world’s most prestigious glassmaking centre and has a history going back 700 years. After that the final leg of the boat journey delivered everyone back on dry land where a coach was waiting to take them to Padua.

The following day was a packed itinerary that allowed the group to understand the background to the company, its development, its product range, and how it is preparing for the future challenges catering faces.

These challenges include smaller kitchens, demand for faster turnaround, greener operating standards, less food waste, and shortages of skilled staff. In a demonstration kitchen Unox development chef Alberto de Lorenzis and colleague Claudio talked about the different ovens while preparing food in them.

The Unox oven range takes in combis (CHEFTOP), speed-ovens (SPEED.Pro) and baking ovens (BAKERTOP) in sizes that run from countertop to floor-to-ceiling. Alberto told the group that ovens were the core product of the company and its area of expertise.

However, he did also put a new Unox product through its paces after explaining how the contradiction in terms that is the EVEREO ‘hot fridge’ works.

It is a currently unique piece of equipment that preserves cooked food at service temperature for days, using a combination of precisely accurate temperature and atmospheric control. It claims to save energy, cut service time, cut food waste, support a kitchen-less restaurant, and save on labour costs.

Alberto said that the equipment had been put through rigorous testing and had met all food safety standards. “It allows you to preserve cooked food at a temperature that is hot enough to stop any bacterial growth and without the quality of the food deteriorating for up to at least 72 hours.”

He said that food was still in good condition even after that point, but Unox did not want to encourage kitchen teams to be serving food that old. After lunch the group toured the manufacturing, innovation and logistics sites within Unox City to see how everything they had been told worked in practice.

The evening meal was enjoyed in Rivoluzione Pizza where the pizzas are 50cm long by 25cm wide and served on elevated boards the length of the table. The following day was an opportunity to see the beautiful city centre of Padua, explore its fresh food market, and enjoy lunch at Café Pedrocchi, famous as the ‘café without doors’.

A legendary meeting spot for intellectuals, students, and locals in the 19th century, it earned its reputation by never closing its doors to patrons for over 80 years 1831 until 1916. Those in the group that made the trip from March 23-25 were:

• Philip Shelley, senior operational and policy manager for soft FM at NHS England
• Charlotte Fairall, founder of charity Sophie’s Legacy
• Neel Radia, chair of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC)
• Iain Robertson, chair of the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) at time of the trip
• Nick Vadis, chief culinary officer at Foodbuy Culinary Solutions
• Neil Porter, business director of The School Food People (formerly LACA)
• John Holden, chair of the Professional Association of Catering Education
• Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, co-founder of Natasha Allergy Research Foundation
• Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, co-founder of Natasha Allergy Research Foundation
• George Havercroft, national sales manager for the public sector at Nisbets
• Ben Ross, European segment development leader - contract catering at Unox UK
• Archie Clarke, public sector market development specialist at Unox UK
• Rob Edwards, public sector marketing development specialist, at Unox UK
• Stuart Barnett, advertising director for Public Sector Catering
• David Foad, editor of Public Sector Catering