Top food experts team up for live debate

Other food champions to take to The Stage included Duncan Ackery, chief executive of Searcys 1847, eco-friendly pioneer Arthur Potts Dawson and Rose Prince from The Telegraph newspaper. Topics covered in the debate, supported by Action Against Hunger, included issues such as the credit crunch, rising food prices and how these are to affect the quality of the offering from restaurants and food service operators. Eco-friendly restaurants, the smoking ban and whether restaurants should be compelled to provide nutritional information on their menus were also discussed. Prince commented that restaurants are going to have to learn how to use different cuts of meat and that restaurants that just serve fillets and duck breasts have been warned. Rayner added that he has noticed food such as mackerel becoming more prevalent on menus. It was agreed that the credit crunch would get rid of the 'dead wood' in the industry. Campion believes it is the middle ground restaurants that will suffer, cheaper ones will do well and there are always people who will eat at top end fine dining restaurants. Hamish has noticed that people tend to spend less on wine due to the current economic climate and that restaurants are feeling the pressures of the increase in price as much of it is purchased in euros. Carafes of wine are a good way to engage customers who don't necessarily want to buy a whole bottle. Prince commented that restaurants are going to have to learn how to use different cuts of meat and that restaurants that just serve fillets and duck breasts have been warned. Rayner added that he has noticed food such as mackerel becoming more prevalent on menus. It was agreed that the credit crunch would get rid of the 'dead wood' in the industry. Campion believes it is the middle ground restaurants that will suffer, cheaper ones will do well and there are always people who will eat at top end fine dining restaurants. Hamish has noticed that people tend to spend less on wine due to the current economic climate and that restaurants are feeling the pressures of the increase in price as much of it is purchased in euros. Carafes of wine are a good way to engage customers who don't necessarily want to buy a whole bottle. Action Against Hunger, the humanitarian organisation committed to fighting hunger and malnutrition, has its own stand at the show, promoting its annual Restaurants Against Hunger campaign which has over 500 restaurants on board to support the scheme. The Restaurant Show kicked off on Monday 6 October and finishes today (8 October) at 4pm. Weblink: www.therestaurantshow.co.uk