The outstanding menu development work undertaken by Lindley Venue Catering to improve the quality of food available on sports stadia concourses (recently featured in H&CNews) has been acknowledged with a trio of awards being presented to the specialist sports stadia catering division of The Lindley Group.
The MIDAS 2012 Sports and Leisure Category Award
The MIDAS Awards recognise and reward the creative talents of menu development managers and group executive chefs within the multi-unit and chain restaurant sectors of the foodservice industry.
Gary Bates, The Lindley Group’s Creative Director, and Lindley’s Development Chef team won the MIDAS 2012 Sports and Leisure Category Award, with the judges acknowledging their work and holistic approach in continually evolving and improving the foodservice offer across the business, from fine dining menus right through to the packaging for ‘grab and go’ food.
In particular, MIDAS’s team of mystery diners and judges praised Lindley Venue Catering’s new portfolio of public concourse branded retail concepts which include Frank’s Original New York Streetdogs®, The Pie Factory®, Flaming Good Burger® and Henry’s Chicken® kiosks – all serving premium quality products developed by the team.
The judging panel was also impressed with the development of new match-day products, such as hot pork torn sandwiches, home made hot pots and curries, and pizzas in the shape of a football pitch (rather than a slice); and with the caterer’s use of the latest retail packaging – fibre pulp trays made of 100% renewable resource, cool to the touch when taken from a microwave or oven, and compostable.
The British Pie Awards 2012
And two of Lindley’s new premium pie recipes have also achieved gold and silver award standard in the Football Pie Category of this year’s British Pie Awards – sponsored by H&CNews’ Football Pie League and organised by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association.
The British Pie Awards attracted over 900 entries and fierce competition this year, yet the bespoke quality pies sold by The Pie Factory® emerged to collect two awards. The Lindley Bombay Vegetable Pie, seasonal vegetables in a spicy curry sauce, picked up a gold award and the Lindley Chicken Balti Pie received a silver award in the Football Pie category.
Developed in partnership with an artisan baker, all of the pies sold by The Pie Factory® are free from artificial flavours and preservatives, and they have a leaner, higher-quality meat content.
Gary Bates, The Lindley Group’s Creative Director, commented:
“We’re delighted that the menu development work we have been undertaking has been recognised with these prestigious industry awards.
“Stadia public catering has long been Lindley’s core business and, with our substantial experience in this marketplace, we believe that we are in the best position to lead the field when it comes to enhancing the food experience of sports fans around the country.
“The quality and innovation that we have seen in branded retail food outlets on the high street, in mainstream visitor attractions and within other leisure venues hasn’t, until now, been evident in sports stadia, and the aim of our new foodservice retail brands is to raise the bar in terms of quality, customer service and, ultimately, spend per head in stadia market.”
For more information: www.thelindleygroup.com
And for information on the MIDAS Awards and winners, visit: www.midasawards.co.uk/