Aspens food and beverage executive Ken Tee and his team laid on a buffet meal for The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams and other guests that included smoked salmon and prawn blinis, stuffed mini brioches, Thai-style chicken spoons with lemongrass and coconut, goat’s cheese tartlets, lemon possets and mini chocolate brownies.
The new Academy building features a state-of-the-art restaurant where Aspens will provide breakfast, morning break, lunchtime and hospitality catering through a new contract worth £500,000 in turnover.
The Academy currently has more than 500 students on roll, but that number is expected to rise to 950.
“It was a privilege for our team to be involved in the celebrations for the opening of the new building, a major event for the Academy, and a particular honour to welcome the Archbishop,” says Aspens Services managing partner John Roe.
“We are delighted to be chosen as the catering provider for All Saints and we are looking forward to delivering great-tasting, freshly-prepared food to all of our customers over many years to come”.
Aspens sources all perishable supplies from farmers and producers within a 25-mile radius of its catering locations with the aim of reducing food miles and boosting local economies. Menus also incorporate organic and Fairtrade produce as standard.
Aspens, which holds contracts in the education and B&I sectors, has received the Soil Association’s Food for Life Gold Catering Mark for its menus, recognising the use of local, seasonal produce as well as organic and Fairtrade items and sustainably-sourced fish.
The caterer also holds the British Standard ISO 14001 for its environmental management systems and the British Hen Welfare Trust Gold ‘Eggsellence’ Award for using only free-range eggs in its menus.