This has been very successful time for Kent’s Catering Team. Not only have they won the highly sought-after Street Food Award at the 2022 U Dine Awards. But 11 of their food outlets have been presented with an Elite Food Hygiene Award too!
Here’s some more detail about each of these fantastic achievements from our catering team:
Street Food Award at U Dine Awards 2022
The awards, held at the University of Birmingham on Thursday 16 June, celebrate and recognise excellence across the university hospitality sector and are supported by the Institute of Hospitality (IoH). The awards were hosted by celebrity chef Brian Turner CBE.
The Street Food Award is an accolade which recognises on-trend, innovative street food operators. The University of Kent was presented with the award for their adaptable and dynamic street food van – The Street Kitchen.
Since its launch, The Street Kitchen has become a much-loved food destination amongst staff and students, serving delicious, grab-and-go meals at low-cost prices. The menu changes every week, meaning customers never grow bored of eating the same dishes week in week out.
Over the years, The Street Kitchen has cooked up a variety of dishes from across the globe, including South African bunny chow, Jamaican jerk chicken, Italian arancini balls, and Korean chicken burgers.
The Street Kitchen team work incredibly hard to appeal to the student demographic, keep on top of food trends, produce exciting plant-based options, and provide customers with a mouth-watering street food experience.
Keith Williams, Head of Trading, said: “It’s fantastic the University of Kent has won this award, and quite an achievement given the calibre of the competition. It’s brilliant to see the hard work, creativity, and innovation from Street Kitchen chef, Sam Ranger, recognised by the sector.
Sam will join other U Dine award winners on a 3-day insight tour into the hidden gems of Tuscany and its regional cuisine. Expect to see some incredible Italian dishes on the Street Kitchen’s menu soon!”
The three other shortlisted contenders for the Street Food Award included Newcastle University, The University of Leeds, and The University of Nottingham.
Elite Food Hygiene Awards
11 of Kent’s food outlets have been presented with an Elite Food Hygiene Award.
Scores on the Doors hands out ‘Elite’ awards to businesses who have demonstrated real consistency and care in the field of food hygiene – achieving three consecutive five-star ratings for ‘very good’ food hygiene.
The Scores on the Doors Food Hygiene Rating System helps customers choose where to eat or shop by providing clear information about a businesses’ hygiene standards.
Food Hygiene Ratings are determined at routine inspections carried out by Environmental Health Officers from the local council. The hygiene standards found on these inspections are rated to show how closely the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law.
Businesses who have achieved ‘Elite’ status have maintained years of exemplary hygiene standards, ensuring food is properly handled, kitchen and dining areas are clean, and food safety records are kept up to date.
David Jordan, Safety and Compliance Adviser, proudly presented Elite Food Hygiene Awards to the following outlets:
- Rutherford Dining Hall
- Bag It
- Create Café
- The Street Kitchen
- Hut 8
- Origins
- Darwin Kitchen
- Gulbenkian Café
- J’s Tea Bar
- Dolche Vita
- Mungo’s
David Jordan said, “To achieve Elite hygiene status in 11 of our catering outlets has been one of the proudest moments of my career. Over 72% of UK businesses hold a five-star hygiene rating, but only 12% have been presented with an Elite Food Hygiene Award.”
It can take more than four years to build up three sets of consecutive five-star hygiene ratings. The catering team are hopeful that both K-Bar and Sibson Café will achieve Elite status when they receive enough inspections to be eligible. Both outlets currently hold two consecutive five-star hygiene rating awards.