The Lensbury Club
Date added: 01/05/17
The Lensbury Club is a 4* Hotel and premium leisure club nestled on the banks of the River Thames. The club is host to a number of facilities including a hotel, gardens, gym and over 100 exercise classes. The catering facilities on site provide a vital rolling service that covers everything from banqueting to a fine dining restaurant and events catering. As a modern forward thinking facility The Lensbury holds value in new technologies and ecological catering solutions, which led them to the decision to convert the old production gas kitchen to an induction and electric kitchen.
The purpose of the project was to save energy, reduce the carbon footprint and to move from gas cooking to induction and electric, which only uses energy when cooking. Previously the large gas salamander would be running from around 6am - 11pm due to the requirements of a continuous service. Mr Ivor Turner, Hotel General Manager at The Lensbury wanted to cut both the running cost and heat levels in the kitchen to make it more comfortable for the staff and to become more energy efficient.
Executive Chef Gerald Quadros said: “The restaurant kitchen (another restaurant kitchen on site) went all induction and electric when installed 2 years previously. The key factor in switching this kitchen to induction and electric as well was cleaner fuel and an effort to go green.”
Gerald added “the diversity in our menu range includes conferencing menus, trolley menus, private dining, fine banqueting and corporate clients, along with everything from canapés to sports dinners for the rugby teams staying during the Six Nations.”
The facility had initially received competitive quotes from other kitchen houses and decided to work with Willis Jenkins due to their knowledge of industry leading equipment brands and the level of aftercare support that was provided. After agreeing the equipment specification with the Executive Head Chef to fall within budget, the project started off with 3 days of enabling works, predominately new 3 phase electrical supplies to the site from the 10th-12th January 2017. Once complete, equipment Installation then took place between 16th-19th January 2017. A key challenge for Willis Jenkins was keeping the new equipment within the existing footprint and canopy spacing, but the technical abilities of the team shone through.
Gerald Quadros continues: “The kitchen and enabling project teams worked very well together. Once we agreed the cost and layout it was really seamless and was all done while the kitchen was still operating. The project was well managed between ourselves and Willis Jenkins; this was due to executing the kitchen installation in two halves to reduce disruption and all within 4 days. We experienced good management, good planning and very good results all round as well as exceptionally well managed health and safety.”
After the new install, the facilities department realised they had issues servicing some of the existing equipment so at the request of the client, Willis Jenkins relocated two 20 grid combination ovens and a multi-cook pressure pan and reconfigured the electrical, waste and water supplies to a layout to suit the sites access requirements. This has resulted in a safer and larger space for maintenance.
Ivor Turner, Hotel General Manager commented: “The new installation has improved the environment of the kitchen by 200% as it has gone from being a hot house to producing little heat at all, which is great for the kitchen staff. Residual heat has been reduced phenomenally, there is much more space and we now have cleaner lines as the cooking suite now sits flush.”
The equipment installed within the new electric and induction based facility includes two 15 litre electric fryers, a 25 litre electric fryer, an oil filtration system, an ambient 400mm unit, a 400mm electric ribbed griddle, a 400mm electric smooth griddle, two 800mm 4 ring induction hobs, an electric solid top and oven, an ambient 800mm unit, a 150 litre indirect electric boiling kettle, a 20 grid 1/1 combination oven and two electric rise and fall salamanders on a bespoke table with worktop and drawers under as well as new 3 phase electrical supplies, isolation points and other waste and water enabling works.
In addition to the above, part of the project included the separate pastry area. Installation and enabling works included two new 3 phase supplies, water and waste, a 10 grid 2/1 combination oven with dedicated stand and a twin front to back heavy duty table mounted induction hob.
Two manufacturers offered a warranty package of 5 years no quibble on induction equipment, which was part of the chef’s initial brief and requirements.
