Category Archive

At IMS of Smithfield, we’re very proud to be Quality London Catering Butchers and of the top quality meat and poultry products provided from our state of the art facility in Kings Cross, London. Established in 1970 by Roberto Raggio, IMS of Smithfield was originally based in the famous Smithfield Market overlooking St Bartholomew’s Square. We very quickly outgrew the …

As one of London’s leading wholesale meat suppliers online, we are very happy to announce the extension of this service to the public. In these difficult times where people are unable or hesitant to venture into their local supermarket or butcher’s shop, we have decided to open up the sale of meat online to the public.  What’s more, this range …

Delivery Direct to your Door with our home delivery service To ensure we continue to meet the demand for our products and to service our loyal customer base, we have launched a home delivery service from our store in Kings Cross, London.   We understand the current challenges with supermarket shortages faced by customers and we want to help.  With …

As London butchers and lovers of all things ‘food & drink’ we’re constantly on the look-out for the best of British when it comes to awareness days.  Here’s our research on the upcoming awareness days for 2020 – get involved, have fun and celebrate your love of the British foodie culture. Brew Monday: 20 January On 20 January 2020 join …

One of the things your guests will remember after your wedding is the catering. No matter whether the food was good or bad, it’s something they will take with them to the next wedding, and the next, and the next. So, why not make sure it’s great? Smithfield’s Butchers are here to give you a few catering tips for weddings! …

These days it really can seem as though we have a day for everything but when it comes to food, we have much to celebrate. Across the UK, we have a fantastic food industry with our farmers, food retailers and hospitality providers all making their contribution. Delicious produce, expert cooking and the finest restaurants are definitely worth celebrating. So whether …

London is host to an astonishing variety of restaurants, all looking for exciting and innovative ways in which to attract new customers and keep loyal, existing ones visiting. When your menu is popular and your punters already like the ambience of your restaurant, it can be difficult to find new ways to keep ahead of the numbers game. This is …

London has long been known as a city of multi-cultural dining and taste experiences and the best restaurants in London are known to be amongst the best in the world. Wander the streets for long and you will find one of many superior London restaurants to suit even the most eclectic of tastes. When it comes to halal restaurants, London …

Getting menu pricing right is a key factor in restaurant profit. Every good restaurant manager knows that some food items, for example, fish are more expensive than others but in order to calculate food costs correctly and set menu costs at optimal levels it is important to have a good grasp on both direct and indirect costs and understand how …

There can be no doubt about it; the food service industry relies on customer satisfaction. Whether you manage a restaurant, a hotel or another type of catering service, customer satisfaction is crucial, and with the right staff management great results can be accomplished. There are many elements to customer satisfaction but the one that comes up again and again in …

Restaurant food waste is a problem that nobody in the industry can afford to ignore. According to WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme) 199,100 tonnes of food waste is produced each year by UK restaurants, with very little of this going to either composting or anaerobic digestion. Not only does restaurant food waste have a significant impact on the …

To this day, Lamb still remains a menu favourite with UK diners. With its excellent flavour and tender meat, it?s no surprise that (according to the AHDB) we ate around 70,000 tonnes of this delicious meat in the last year. Many see lamb as a luxury purchase, but there is great variety in the prices of different cuts of lamb. …

From corporate entertainment to family weddings, one of the most important elements of your event will be your choice of catering services. As well as checking that you have access to a menu that will suit you and your guests, you will want to ensure that your caterers have the whole event covered from welcome drinks all the way through …

For all restaurant, hotel and catering managers one of the most important jobs is the creation of a restaurant menu that is both appealing and profitable. The dining consumer can be fickle and it?s vital that, as well as including steady favourites, a menu designer considers new and innovative restaurant menu ideas to keep the diners coming in order to …

2017 is promising to be an interesting year for the hospitality industry. The impact of the EU referendum has been a weak pound, which may well encourage international visitors to our hotels and restaurants. The forecast for growth in the hotel industry is varied with London suffering from too much room availability and other smaller cities, for example Edinburgh, predicting …

Chicken is one of the most versatile meats that can be cooked in a multitude of ways. It has a mild delicate flavour and cooked right can have a soft succulent texture, which just melts in the mouth. It is low in fat and incredibly tasty making it one of the best sources of protein available. This article will provide …

You may have heard of the term halal many times, but not have much idea of what it means unless you?re a Muslim. The word halal comes from an Arabic word which means ?lawful?. The opposite of halal, and therefore unlawful or prohibited, is haram. This is a guide for those with no knowledge, and are using halal meat for …

For any restaurant owner the aim has to be a full house as many times a week as possible. Competition in the hospitality industry is fierce and finding innovative ways to attract customers in your direction is a key element of restaurant success. We have picked out 21 of the top restaurant marketing ideas and food marketing strategies to help …

In this month?s post, we?re going to be looking at cured meats and their origins. There are some great favourites here, ones we enjoy week in week out if we?re a meat lover. Cured meat not only tastes great but also lasts longer, and is a versatile accompaniment to many different dishes, along with a range of different wines. Before …

Today we?re looking at the biggest gripes made by customers regarding restaurant menus. If you see anything you recognise, then you?ll know you?re getting something wrong and you need to change it. There?s nothing wrong with making mistakes, but by rectifying them you can improve your business and have a better relationship with your clientele. No menu on the outside …

In our post this month, we?re going to be looking at the different types of game meat, and focusing on the top 5 eaten in the UK. It?s true that game meats have become increasingly popular, and are so delicious and full of nutritional benefits. Read on as we take a look at the top 5 game meats and why …

Most of us care about what we eat, where it comes from, how it was produced and how healthy, or otherwise, it is to eat. Here, we take a look at how you can incorporate delicious healthy cuts of beef in your diet without taking any health risks. So Many Choices at Mealtimes When it comes to making a choice …

For years, many people have been thinking about beef in all the wrong ways. The benefits and attributes of fish and chicken have been lauded for years on end, while red meat, such as beef, is seen as being entirely detrimental to one?s overall health. These negative aspects of red meat are often exaggerated, misinformed, or just plain wrong. Beef …

Our love affair with chicken meat started some 10,000 years ago. Today, in modern Britain you would be hard-pushed to find a menu without at least one chicken dish, but many people are wary about preparing chicken, as it is a meat that must be handled correctly in order not to spread bacteria. Chicken must be cooked properly and, if …

With limited equipment, enclosed spaces and business to attend to, in office catering can be a challenge. For caterers working to serve up something special in a corporate environment, there are dozens of hurdles and hitches to navigate ? all of which call for more than a little culinary ingenuity and creativity… Office kitchens and fridges are typically small and …

Summer’s coming, which can mean just one thing for meat lovers: It’s barbecue time. Whether you’re catering a relaxed wedding, or a big outdoors event, putting on a sizzling spread which impresses every guest is a great way to keep true carnivores happy. That means investing in your produce, checking up on its provenance and making sure you’re serving halal …

Why do British meat-eaters today consider chicken, pork, lamb and beef to be the ?normal? meats? Across the channel in France, our carnivorous cousins have a much more diverse repertoire when it comes to meat, regularly eating horse, rabbit and all manner of poultry. Even further afield in East Asia, meats including dog are often on the menu, while in …

Little inspires culinary creativity like a brand new ingredient to work with. Whether you’re keen to offer cheaper alternatives in your eatery, or are looking for something new to serve your diners, these 5 unusual cuts are very economical and perfect for innovative menus. Lesser-known cuts of meat are becoming increasingly popular, both on restaurant menus and amongst the foodie …

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the trickiest to perfect. When you’re serving up something that’s ?simply? delicious, you need to get it spot on. Steak is the ultimate challenge for lovers of pared back, perfect food. Get it right and the sheer goodness of the meat will shine through, making your dish a triumph. Get it wrong, and you’ll be …