H&J Harbour & Jones

Fabulous Fiftieth at Forbes House

Thursday March 4^th 2010

Last month H&J were asked to cater for a smart 50th birthday party for the Executive Chairman of J Walter Thompson at Forbes House, a stunning Georgian house set in lovely grounds in the heart of Belgravia.  With nearly 200 high-profile guests invited we needed to pull out all the stops to impress and with Gary McKechnie in charge of food and Dean Jacobsen running the front of house nobody was disappointed.

The evening commenced with a champagne reception served with a selection of exciting canapés including guinea fowl and sun-blushed tomato brochettes, tuna tartar with lime, chilli and Cornish sea salt, and marinated beef fillet with mango and pawpaw salsa.  Later in the evening, hearty bowl food was handed round with guests offered a choice of mini bangers and mash, vegetable Thai green curry or hake goujons with skinny chips.  Finally the sweet treats at the end of the night were warm chocolate brownies and mini meringues kisses with cream.  The delicious food was complemented by wines from the Forbes House list and we sent 200 happy satisfied guests into the night after a very successful party.

Three New Wins for H&J

Monday February 22^nd 2010

The sales team were very busy at the end of last year and so 2010 has started with a bang for H&J with three new jobs all beginning within 3 months.

JM Finn & Co is a privately owned investment management company, based in Coleman Street, EC2. With previous catering operated in-house, Harbour & Jones started their contract at the beginning of December 2009 with the aim of improving the quality and service of their busy hospitality rooms. Current turnover is £178,000.

British Standards Institution (BSI) Group is the world’s first national standards body, offering training, product testing and independent certification of management systems. Based on Chiswick High Road, Harbour & Jones took over the previous contract held by Compass on 4th January 2010 courtesy of Stern Consultancy Ltd. Harbour & Jones operate the staff restaurant for around 700 people on site alongside BSI’s hospitality facilities, improving sales and service. Current turnover is £500,000.

Medical Defence Union is a not-for-profit organisation, established in 1885, which defends the professional reputations of medical staff.  Based in Blackfriars Road with 300 people onsite, Harbour & Jones are providing a full hospitality service and staff trolley from 1st February 2010. Current turnover is £250,000.

Movers and Shakers!

Thursday February 11^th 2010

There have been a few changes at Harbour & Jones recently; promotions, an exciting new appointment and a reorganisation of certain roles to better reflect our current mix of Business &Industry and Concession catering.

Our newest recruit, Sarah Tester, is to head up the B&I sales team, working with Nathan Jones to continue to build up business in this sector.  Sarah has many years experience in the contract catering world having spent the majority of her career with Sutcliffe Catering and Baxter and Platts in both operational and selling positions.  More recently Sarah has been Head of Service for Catering at Carillion Facilities Management, gaining expertise in a number of business disciplines that has helped her gain a significant insight into the “other side” of the contracting fence.  Commenting on her appointment as sales director Sarah said, “I’m very excited to be joining such a dynamic company and am hugely looking forward to working with the team to develop the business in this challenging market.”

Meanwhile sales dynamo Sally Main, who has recently returned from maternity leave, takes up a fresh challenge as director of the newly formed venues and events sales team.  Sally has been with H&J for 4 years in both operational and sales roles and her latest promotion recognises her hard work, talent and commitment to the company.

Also promoted is Gary McKechnie who becomes our Director of Food, moving up from his previous role as company chef for hospitality.  Gary joined H&J a year ago and has consistently impressed with both his food and his ability to lead and manage other team members.  He and his team will be responsible for developing strategies to implement the H&J food style and to continue to drive up standards across the business.