Caterer & Hotelkeeper articles from November 2003

Caterer & Hotelkeeper archives from November 2003

CONTRACT CATERING NEWS.
November 6, 2003... Scolarest lands Cornish school deal Scolarest has started its first school-catering contract in Cornwall at Camborne School and Community College. The five-year deal is worth a total of [pounds sterling]920,000. Scolarest began this term,...

shorts.(beer offerings)
November 6, 2003... Oak-aged beer launched Scottish brewery Innis & Gunn celebrated the London launch of its new oak-aged beer with a particularly glitzy dinner at the Ivy. Among the guests were Brit Art sensation Tracey Emin and the team behind Showroom...

notice board.(appointments, moves)
November 6, 2003... people On the move Knut Wylde, has been promoted from deputy front-of-house manager to front-of-house manager at the Savoy hotel in London. Red Snapper Events, the catering and events company, has a new head chef - Stefan Ludwig. He...

OVER ; TO YOU.(Disability Discrimination Act )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Are next year's changes to the Disability Discrimination Act too complicated to understand and implement? Hotels don't seem to be taking it on board but it's not that it's too complex, I just don't think it's being presented properly. I...

Canine customers.(dog-friendly hotels)(Directory)
November 6, 2003... Dogs in hotels? Has the industry gone barking mad? Deputy hotels editor Karl Cushing and Gillian Drummond in the USA are on the scent The subject of dog-friendly hotels has been in the news again recently after the introduction of a new...

24 Hours.(managing director Frederic Vidal)(Les Thermes Marins de Monte Carlo spa)(Interview)
November 6, 2003... frederic vidal Frederic Vidal is managing director of the Les Thermes Marins de Monte Carlo spa, part of the Societe des Bains de Mer group of hotels and restaurants throughout Monaco I get up at about 6.30am. The family always has...

Monaco's space race.(limited hotel space)
November 6, 2003... It's usually warm and sunny and filled with wealthy people, but trying to get a hotel room in Monaco is becoming increasingly difficult. So what's the principality doing to expand its offering? Monaco may be the playground of the rich and...

Here for the beer?(offering a beer list in restaurants)
November 6, 2003... There's a beer revolution going on and restaurants need to play a part - by offering a beer list alongside the wine list So 2004 is the Year of Beer with Food - at least according to the latest Good Beer Guide. In a bid to boost flagging...

Low-temperature meat cookery.
November 6, 2003... Masterclass Low-temperature cooking isn't a new process, but it's the way John Campbell, executive head chef of the Vineyard at Stockcross in Newbury, Berkshire, prefers to cook his meat. Food writer Michael Raffael finds out why this...

table talk.(news briefs)
November 6, 2003... One more reason for wanting a Lamborghini TV viewers will watch Gary Rhodes waxing lyrical about his latest culinary creation with a sense of queasy unease after the spiketastically gifted chef's shocking revelation at last week's Gordon...

Consortia to add members for next yeara.("finest" and "most luxurious" hotels named)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The Pride of Britain and Small Luxury Hotels of the World consortia have revealed the hotels they think are the "finest" and "most luxurious" for 2004. Pride of Britain has added four properties to its 2004 list - Glenmorangie House in the...

menuwatch.(Library and Print Room at Matfen Hall)(Restaurant Review)
November 6, 2003... matfen hall Using meat from the farm across the road offers head chef Craig McMeeken ultimate traceability at his two-AA-rosette restaurant in Northumberland The official launch last month of British Meat's campaign to encourage the...

Barbie world.(World Barbecue Championships )
November 6, 2003... There's a lot more to barbecuing than burnt sausages and undercooked chicken drumsticks. The recent World Barbecue Championships showed just how serious and skilful it can be Just beyond me are four Vikings. Next to them is a woman dressed...

Brewpub is a labour of love.(Oakham Ales)(Peterborough pub)
November 6, 2003... Peterborough's old labour exchange now houses what is claimed to be Europe's biggest brewpub, which dwarfs its rivals in more ways than one I'm sitting in a brewpub in Peterborough drinking Old Tosspot. Not quite my usual venue. Or my...

Global report.(hotels)
November 6, 2003... North America Sheraton North Charleston hotel deal goes through US-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts has completed the sale of its 296-bedroom Sheraton North Charleston hotel in South Carolina to North Carolina-based property company...

Business award for WSH.(caterer Wilson Storey Halliday)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Independent caterer Wilson Storey Halliday has won the Sage Business Award for the fastest growing business of 2003 for businesses with 100 or more employees. Turnover at the Berkshire contract caterer rose 32% from [pounds sterling]34m in 2001...

Last supper.(chef Marcus Ashenford)
November 6, 2003... Football's very much the theme for MARCUS ASHENFORD's Last Supper, which also features a blend of cider, snail buns and floater coffees WHAT'S ON THE MENU? Beluga and blinis, sauted foie gras, roasted scallops (extra-large,...

Rhodes in the Tower.(Gary Rhodes opens restaurant)(Rhodes Twenty Four)(partners with Restaurant Associates)
November 6, 2003... Just when you thought Gary Rhodes had cut himself off from the UK dining scene - and (shock, horror) ditched his infamous spiky locks - up he pops again, opening a restaurant in London's Square Mile. Joanna Wood and Ben Walker report Gary...

Caterers face new EU regulations on waste cooking oil.(European Union)
November 6, 2003... BY BEN WALKER Caterers will have to find alternative uses for waste cooking oil from next year when it will become illegal to sell it for animal feed. New European Union regulations due to be introduced next October will prohibit...

Dixon swaps Pheasant Inn for the Snooty Fox.(chef Clive Dixon)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... By Angela Frewin Clive Dixon is quitting as chef-patron of the Pheasant Inn in Cambridgeshire to buy a property in Northamptonshire with his business partner and front-of-house manager David Hennigan. They are moving to the Snooty Fox...

Ducasse takes Spoon to Hong Kong.(chef Alain Ducasse opens fifth restaurant)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Nine-Michelin-starred French chef Alain Ducasse has opened his fifth Spoon restaurant, this time in the InterContinental Hong Kong hotel. Spoon by Alain Ducasse, which has been two years in the creation, replaces the former Plume...

New law makes it compulsory to show prices for soft drinks.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Pubs and restaurants will have to display clearly the prices of soft drinks from 2 March next year under the Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003. Trading standards officers will be making spot checks from that date. Initial...

Mellors scoops a second accolade.(Mellors Catering Services )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Mellors Catering Services has been recognised as the fastest growing inner-city contract caterer for the second year running. The Southport firm is the only food service provider in the Inner City 100, the annual index of the fastest growing...

Love leaves Leamington Spa after just two years.(Steve Love)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Warwickshire chef Steve Love (right) has put his restaurant, Love's, on the market two years after opening its doors in Leamington Spa. Love, the 1997 winner of the Roux Scholarship, told Caterer that he had been aiming to stay at the...

'Hotel design must boost its finances'.(hotel design awards)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... By SAMANTHA McCLARY Hotel design is useless if it doesn't bring in money. So said Tanya Geller, vice-president of acquisitions and developments (Europe) at property owner Strategic Hotel Capital, speaking at the European Hotel Design...

Wheelchair user puts disabled-friendly venues on the web.(restaurants, pubs, snack bars)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... A wheelchair user has set up a free website listing almost 3,000 accessible pubs, restaurants and snack bars in England and Wales. Multiple sclerosis sufferer Mary Dixon and her family compiled the list, published on www.yourlevelbest.com,...

RAC hands out accolades in new list of awards.(hotel awards)(Royal Automobile Club)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The RAC has awarded Gold Ribbon status to nearly 80 hotels in its 2003-04 hotels and guest accommodation awards for the UK and Ireland. Of the 79 hotels granted the accolade for "superlative standards of customer care, service and...

MGM to bring Las Vegas to Olympia?(Olympia Two exhibition centre)(MGM Mirage Inc.)(casino planned)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... London's Olympia Two exhibition centre could be converted into a Las Vegas-style casino with restaurants, bars and shops if the proposed deregulation of the UK's gaming laws goes ahead. The centre's owner, the Earls Court and Olympia Group,...

Ramada in capital venture.(hotel opens in London's Docklands)(Hilton to open Canary Wharf hotel)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Ramada's 224-bedroom hotel in London's Docklands opens on Saturday (8 November), two days before the start of World Travel Market at ExCel. The [pounds sterling]18.5m waterside hotel offers 153 rooms and 71 suites. There are 56 family...

Sternlicht to quit top post at Starwood.(Barry Sternlicht)(Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc.)(InterContinental Hotels Group and Queens Moat Houses PLC appointments)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... By KARL CUSHING Barry Sternlicht, the man who has overseen the rise of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is to step down as the chain's chief executive officer and chairman to take up the post of executive chairman. Sternlicht, who will...

Hilton moves close to deal on Waldorf hotel.(Hilton Group PLC)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Hilton Group is poised to take control of London's Waldorf hotel within the next few weeks. Sources said the company was in the final stages of negotiations with the Waldorf's owner, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), and that a decision...

Cable & Wireless and Hilton in [pounds sterling]5.9m deal.(Cable & Wireless Communications PLC)(Hilton International Co.)(managed hosting contract)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Hotel chain Hilton International has awarded a three-year, $10m ([pounds sterling]5.9m) managed hosting contract to telecoms provider Cable & Wireless in a bid to ramp up its e-commerce strategy and increase the percentage of its bookings made...

Stuart Neame quits family firm.(Shepherd Neame Ltd.)(brewery)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Stuart Neame resigned last week as vice-chairman of family-owned brewer and pub operator Shepherd Neame, which he joined in 1972. Press reports suggested he was critical of the profitability of the company under his cousin, chairman Bobby...

Breg could go in Hilton shake-up.(Stefan Breg)(Hilton UK & Ireland)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Stefan Breg, director of food and beverage at Hilton UK & Ireland, could leave the company as the group rearranges its F&B operations. The future of Breg and three other employees on Hilton's Food Innovation Team is hanging in the balance...

Loiseau's wife puts her husband's story in print.(Bernard Loiseau, My Husband)(chef committed suicide)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Dominique Loiseau, widow of French chef Bernard Loiseau, has published a book: Bernard Loiseau, My Husband, confronting the unanswered questions surrounding her husband's suicide earlier this year. Loiseau, owner of the...

Government to crack down on fast-food litter.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Fast-food operators of all sizes in England could soon have to conduct daily litter patrols under Government proposals to clean up the growing tide of rubbish dropped by their customers. The Keep Britain Tidy group claims fast-food litter...

Rhodes wants to go all the way to the Admiralty.(chef Gary Rhodes looks a Restaurant Associates' restaurant)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Chef Gary Rhodes has confirmed that he has been in talks with Restaurant Associates, the fine-dining arm of Compass, about extending their liaison beyond Rhodes Twenty Four. Rhodes told Caterer that further talks had taken place regarding...

Poor show by hotels in Europe.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Europe has topped consultant PKF's Country Trends 2003 survey as the worst-performing continent in terms of hotel trading. Revenue per available room (revpar) fell by 5.1% to g75.91 ([pounds sterling]51.91) across hotels in Europe in the 12...

Zuma brings in smoking ban.(London Japanese restaurant)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... London Japanese restaurant Zuma asked diners to stub out their cigarettes for good yesterday (on Bonfire Night) after canvassing customer views throughout the summer and autumn. Chef and co-owner Rainer Becker commented: "Fine nuances of taste...

competition round-up.(chefs win awards)(hospitality awards)
November 6, 2003... Glenapp castle's Tristan Welch named as Ramsay Scholar for 2003 The 24-year-old head chef from Glenapp Castle in Ballantrae, Ayrshire, has been named Gordon Ramsay Scholar for 2003. Tristan Welch, who won through to last week's final...

Hotels move to private market.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The publicly listed hotels sector looks set to get smaller as more groups consider going private. Industry experts are predicting a jump to the private market following the announcement last week that Jarvis Hotels chairman John Jarvis and...

School cook wins chance to feed hotel guests.(Margaret Campbell)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... A school cook so impressed judges of the School Chef of the Year competition that she was given the opportunity to try out her menu at a local hotel. Margaret Campbell, who runs the kitchen at Oakley Cross Primary School, won the County...

Hospitality not ready as DDA compliance deadline approaches.(Disability Discrimination Act )
November 6, 2003... By mark Lewis Minister for Disabled People Maria Eagle this week warned the hospitality sector to brace itself for "noise, light and heat" in 2004, as companies realised the urgent need to comply with changes to the Disability...

Will smoking move point the way?(smoking ban in restaurants)(Editorial)
November 6, 2003... Diners at Zuma in London will never again enjoy the pleasure of ending a meal with a coffee and a cigarette. The acclaimed Japanese restaurant introduced a no-smoking policy this week, after months of canvassing diners; its owners say the fug...

Reader diary.(Eve McLelland)(La Tasca restaurant partner)
November 6, 2003... a funny thing happened on the way to work This really happened. Imagine waking up thinking the alarm reads 4pm when actually it's 4am. You leap out of bed worried that you're not going to make your 5pm shift on time and you rush out the...

Raisins to be cheerful!(chefs participate in California Raisins culinary competition)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... When chefs from across Compass Group were asked to submit recipes for entry to the California Raisins culinary competition, they never guessed they were about to embark on a trip to remember. Five chefs from Compass subsidiaries Scolarest,...

We should welcome consumers who want to know what they're eating.(Letter to the Editor)
November 6, 2003... Forbes Mutch says that the "Origin of the species can only go so far" (Caterer, 23 October, page 5), but the issue of traceability goes a lot deeper than labelling on menus. For years, food manufacturers have been getting away with whatever...

On the market.(Steelite plates)(Vitality@Work vending machines)(interiors shop Bazaar Trading Co. catalogue)(M&J Seafoods)(Canapeum canapes)
November 6, 2003... Solar is a new ripple-effect design used in a 53-piece collection from Steelite, ranging from plates to salt and pepper pots. The pieces are all made from Steelite's patented albalite material, which the company claims combines the translucency...

Faces&Places.(London restaurant Destino opens)(TV chef Lesley Waters tours school catering facility)(Whitbread Hotels opens Manchester site)(student chef Paul Gamble wins award)
November 6, 2003... Street celebrations for opening of Destino A street party greeted the launch of London's latest restaurant, Destino. Braving the cold just off Regent Street were the London School of Samba, Brazilian dancers and stilt walkers. Anyone...

salary watch.(executive chefs)
November 6, 2003... executive chefs The budget hotel sector is continuing to show growth in all areas of the country and salary levels have increased accordingly, making it harder for employers to attract quality staff. There have also been small salary...

Global report.
November 13, 2003... EUROPE Brussels Crowne Plaza goes to Pandox Spanish hotel group NH Hoteles has sold its 356-bedroom Crowne Plaza hotel in Brussels to Swedish group Pandox for g31.8m ([pounds sterling]21.7m). NH acquired the hotel in July 2000 through...

OVER; TO YOU.(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Should vending machines that stock sugary snacks be withdrawn from schools? Yes they should. Kids are always going to be tempted to buy crisps and fizzy drinks. When I was a child I went to a village school and we had this fantastic old...

French impressions.
November 13, 2003... Caterer recently took a party of British chefs to France to experience for themselves the country's reputation as the home of fine cuisine. Amanda Afiya and Fiona Sims report There's a rumour going around that France's culinary crown is...

City slickers.
November 13, 2003... Co-founder David Orr calls City Inn "a weekend hobby that got out of control". Now the hotel chain is very much in control of its ambitious expansion plans Things are on the up for the City Inn hotel chain. With city centre hotels in...

Who's who... NH Hoteles.
November 13, 2003... Fast-growing group NHHoteles doesn't have a property in the UK, but with hotels in 17 countries it's one of Europe's major players. Karl Cushing looks at what makes the Spanish company tick Q So, in a nutshell, who is NHHoteles? A...

Academy rewards.
November 13, 2003... The three top scorers in this year's Academy of Culinary Arts' Awards of Excellence were treated to a working tour of two of the world's tourism hot spots. We follow the trio as they go behind the scenes at luxury hotels in Bangkok and...

Acorn Awards.
November 13, 2003... Last year at St David's Hotel & Spa, in Cardiff, Caterer & Hotelkeeper presented 30 people under the age of 30 with Acorn Awards in recognition of their commitment and devotion to the hospitality industry. Now we're looking for more Last...

INSURING AGAINST ACCIDENTS.
November 13, 2003... John Davies, development director for hospitality and leisure at Alexander Forbes Corporate Risk Solutions, outlines the steps you should take to avoid minor accidents to staff and how to act when guests become a major insurance headache ...

Undiscovered countries.
November 13, 2003... As the cuisines of the East have been absorbed into the British mainstream, it's time to look for new sources of culinary inspiration. South America and North Africa are poised to influence British cooking, and suppliers have the ingredients at...

CHRIS COSTARD.
November 13, 2003... Chris Costard is guest services manager at the Cambridge Garden House Moat House hotel, giving the guests a warm welcome and sometimes a bit of local knowledge I used to play for Wycombe Wanderers in the seventies before they became a...

Feeding the 5,000 (or more).
November 13, 2003... Mike Dawson is in charge of organising the catering firms at ExCel, London's Docklands exhibition centre, tailoring the offer according to which of the wide variety of shows is being held I sometimes think I'm a mathematician rather than a...

Man in the Moo meets his match.
November 13, 2003... Chef Damian Allsop has abandoned London and moved to Barcelona to head up the pastry section at new restaurant Moo, where each dessert will have a challenging wine match on the menu Selecting a pudding wine can be a pig. If the wine's too...

Good to see you - keep in touch.
November 13, 2003... We haven't seen much of our Minister for Tourism since he took office last June, and we certainly haven't heard a lot about his strategies for the future of the industry. It was a relief, therefore, to see Richard Caborn stand up in London last...

table talk.
November 13, 2003... The (nearly) naked chef with plenty of pluck The chef at a flagship London store was plucked like a Christmas turkey last week to the astonishment of passers-by. As part of Austin Reed's innovative series of live window displays on Regent...

DONE DEALS.(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Black Horse has a new owner The Black Horse Inn in Kirklington, North Yorkshire, has been sold to experienced licensees Simon Oakley and Linsey Buckley off an asking price of [pounds sterling]225,000. Previous owner Audrey Richardson sold...

Restaurant openings.
November 13, 2003... Beluga Restaurant & Bar, Manchester Manchester's Beluga Restaurant & Bar is housed in a Grade II-listed building first built as a tax office and then converted to Citrus Bar. The new venture will house a bar and brasserie at street level...

Second Floor.
November 13, 2003... Yorkshire chef Robert Craggs is serving up modern classics at Harvey Nichols's sixth fine-dining restaurant, in Manchester. Just don't tell him it's in Lancashire It has to be good to tempt a born-and-bred Yorkshire boy into defecting...

Last supper.
November 13, 2003... Wordsworth country, one or two choice bits of food from around the world and some serious wine are on Bruce Poole's wish list for his final feast OK Bruce, what's on the menu? Joselito acorn-fed Iberian ham carved by Jose Gomez, its...

Marlon's master plan.
November 13, 2003... Marlon Abela, son of contract catering giant Albert Abela, has a plan and it's a bold one: to create a global, Michelin-starred restaurant group and become a significant player in the London restaurant scene Few people, even in the...

Everson Hewett hosts Christmas lights party.(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Austin's, the new cafe-bar at clothing store Austin Reed in London, plays host to a VIP party tonight (13 November) to celebrate the switching on of the Regent Street Christmas lights by pop singer Daniel Bedingfield. Contract caterer...

Thompson takes over kitchen at Winteringham.(chef Robert Thompson)(Winteringham Fields restaurant)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Robert Thompson is to become head chef at Annie and Germain Schwab's Winteringham Fields restaurant. The Schwabs claim 21-year-old Thompson will be the youngest chef in Britain to lead a two-Michelin-starred kitchen when he takes up the...

FSA to get tough on vending and token schemes in schools.(Food Standards Agency)(encourage unhealthy food choices)
November 13, 2003... The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is considering tough new measures to help improve children's diet and fitness. In a dual strategy, the agency is looking at a ban on school vending machines that stock sweets and crisps and schemes that...

Senior staff changes at RFH.(Rocco Forte Hotels)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Rocco Forte Hotels (RFH) has announced a number of senior level personnel moves, including the departure of David Pantin, managing director for the UK and Russia. Pantin joined Sir Rocco Forte's RFH group in 1999, but his connection with...

Former army chefs launch recruitment agency for healthcare.(North East Chefs Recruitment)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Two former Army chefs have identified a gap in the healthcare market and set up a catering recruitment company. Lee Coutts and Bill Johnston, co-founders of North East Chefs Recruitment, which opened for business in Darlington this week,...

LHM to concentrate on expanding Alias brand.(hotel group)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Hotel group LHM is dividing into two companies as it prepares to expand its chain of Alias hotels. Chairman and joint managing director Nicholas Dickinson said LHM was spinning its four Luxury Family hotels off into a stand-alone company...

Roux Scholarship marks first 21 years.(meet at Gleneagles restaurant)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Two weeks ago the Roux Scholarship celebrated its 21st birthday, and its elite club of scholars, together with founders Michel and Albert Roux and a few of the competition's judges, had a bit of a ceilidh up in Scotland. Where? At Gleneagles,...

M&C eyes Le Meridien's foreign hotels portfolio.(Millennium & Copthorne Hotels PLC)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... John Wilson, chief executive officer of the 91-strong hotel operator Millennium & Copthorne, has reaffirmed the company's interest in the Le Meridien hotel group. Wilson used the publication of the firm's latest figures to confirm that M&C...

Space Catering will show you much more of the industry.(catering equipment supplier plans saucy calendar)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Space Catering, the Gloucester catering equipment supplier, is planning a saucy calendar of catering industry personalities to launch its website in the New Year. Managing director Mike Mellor said the idea was creating a stir and he hoped...

Punch Taverns buys Pubmaster estate.(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Pubmaster succumbed to rival Punch Taverns for [pounds sterling]1.193b last week in a takeover deal which will elevate Punch to be the largest pub operator in the UK. It announced its acquisition of Pubmaster's 3,110 leased and tenanted...

Scottish workers want to eat well and relax.
November 13, 2003... Scottish workers want healthier food and they want to eat it in fun, relaxing environments, according to the latest research conducted for contract catering firm Azure. The Glasgow company commissioned a study of 1,000 workers from a wide...

Top suppliers take a bow at the first Catering Update Excellence Awards.(food and drinks supply industry)(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... The great and the good of the food and drinks supply industry gathered at London's Landmark hotel last week for the inaugural Catering Update Excellence in Food and Drink Awards. The awards, run in association with sponsor 3663, were...

Music awards keep Edinburgh's hoteliers happy.(MTV Europe )(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Some [pounds sterling]1.5m-worth of hotel rooms was sold in Edinburgh last Thursday as many of the world's biggest pop stars descended on the city for the MTV Europe music awards. According to preliminary findings from Scottish Enterprise...

Review OFTHEREVIEWS.(restaurants)
November 13, 2003... 8 November Gillian Glover on the first Roux scholar, Andrew Fairlie, and his cooking at Gleneagles for the 21st anniversary dinner of the Roux Scholarship (see opposite) A ballotine of Shetland salmon with crab hollandaise began a...

Schools chef competition moves towards the finals.(Brief Article)
November 13, 2003... Regional heats of the 10th School Chef of the Year competition will reach a climax over next few weeks. So far, half of the regional heats have taken place, leaving four more to complete selections for the finals in March next year. ...