Equipment Essentials: It's just so cool!

A busy pub chef swears by his VariCool system.

The Harbour Inn at Southwold, owned and managed by Colin and Katie Fraser, serves food seven days a week throughout the year. The kitchen team, led by head chef Mal Blyth, produces five or six specials every day using fresh local produce.

"Our kitchen is relatively small, but we pride ourselves on being well-equipped, to ensure that our staff are happy, the quality of our food is always good and we can provide excellent customer service, even at peak times," says Colin.

"On busy days it is not unusual for us to serve more than 350 meals in a two-and-a-half hour period and so we are always looking for ways to work smarter. Planning menus and organising the kitchen team and space effectively is what makes us so successful."

The pub uses an Adande VariCool unit, which has four independently controlled drawers, each capable of operating at any temperature between -20ºC to +15ºC. This offers flexibility between chilled, frozen and ambient storage, so that, for example, a drawer used as a fridge in the morning can become a freezer in the afternoon and back to a fridge in the evening.

Obvious benefits​

The VariCool also has a data-logging facility which allows information to be downloaded straight into the pub's computer system, as part of its due diligence reporting. The VariCool unit was recommended to the couple by David Forster of Four Star Refrigeration in Lowestoft, who knew of the system developed by local company Adande and could see its obvious benefits for the Harbour Inn.

"Prior to investing in the VariCool we had a stainless steel table in its place and relied purely on a three-door freezer unit and our cold room for cold storage," says Mal Blyth. "As a result we spent a great deal of time running around to get what we needed - wasting resources and time.

"At the beginning of service we now load up the VariCool with the items we are most likely to need - raw meat, pre-prepared meals, sandwich fillings and dairy products - so they are close to hand and stored at the perfect temperature," he adds.

"VariCool enables us to split everything up so we have no worries about cross-contamination and food hygiene, and at the end of the day the drawer liners can be fully removed for cleaning. The stainless steel surface also means that we haven't had to compromise on preparation space".

Data logging​

Although the investment was a major decision for a small business, Colin is confident the unit has already paid for itself.

"Staff costs have been reduced because we no longer need an additional commis chef to run around fetching things and we are definitely saving on electricity costs," he says. "The unit has enabled us to speed up service times and keep our customers happy by delivering more meals in busy periods."

The VariCool system allows Mal Blyth to line up all the ingredients beforehand to make preparation run smoothly.​