It’s that time of the year again when Christmas menus start appearing in restaurants and decorations are making their way onto shop shelves. The truth is, Christmas is fast approaching and for all you eager home bakers out there, the time to start your cake preparation is now.

No Christmas feast is complete without a traditional Christmas fruit cake taking pride of the table amongst the other desserts and nibbles. This traditional pudding is the staple sweet treat that everyone will be asking for over the festive period so it is imperative to get it right. To guarantee yours is flavoursome, it is a good idea to make the cake well in advance of the big day, as it will need up to 12 weeks to mature and be ‘fed’ with your finest liquor. We have put together a simple, yet traditional, recipe and highlighted all of the essential equipment to ensure your guests are happy this Christmas.

With National chocolate week coming up on the 13th-19th October, it is the perfect opportunity to introduce this indulgent ingredient into a variety of dishes on your menu. Chocolate expert Thierry Dumouchel, offers up his advice and explains how using the right equipment and method, is key to a successful chocolate based dish.

Having trained at the renowned food college in Rouen, France and worked in Paris, London, Sydney and Tokyo before opening his own patisserie, chocolaterie and boulangerie in Leeds, Thierry Dumouchel knows a thing or two about chocolate. As one of only a few ambassadors for both Barry Callebaut and Cointreau, Thierry truly understands what makes this ingredient great.

I’m sure I’m not the only person with a childhood memory of being taken to a “posh” restaurant.

Part of my favourite “experience” of eating out was when the waiters performed the art of cooking the food at the table before serving it. The sizzling plate of hot meat was enough to turn heads and produced a theatre that’s not often seen these days.

Nisbets Next Day Catering Equipment has an extensive product range which covers everything the professional chef needs in the kitchens, from the clothing they wear to catering appliance they require to serve up their signature dishes.

Showcasing over 3,000 of our best selling products, at trade prices, are the Nisbets stores. In the UK, Nisbets has six stores located in the cities of London, Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol which are all easily accessible via the transport links.

Visiting a Nisbets store is a great way to take full advantage of our friendly and knowledgeable staff who are on hand to deal with any queries you may have. We even have a wealth of in store services to cater for you and your business. Whether you would like to take advantage of our call and collect service, watch a product demonstration or have your chef knives sharpened and/or engraved, Nisbets can cater for you. For more in-store services on offer, visit a store page near you.