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Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a school kitchen that caters for hundreds of pupils and staff every day? Joe Campen, Executive Head Chef at Langley School, spills the beans.

 Across Langley’s Prep site at Taverham Hall and Senior School site in Loddon, Joe’s team is made up of qualified chefs recruited from the catering industry, and together they provide for day pupils, boarders and staff, covering breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 When asked what kind of team they are, Joe said, “We are committed to upskilling our staff and, as a result, every chef across both our sites now holds catering qualifications. I see our role here at Langley as more than just feeding pupils – we are in the perfect position to educate them to make good choices and eat well for life.”

Joe really is passionate about encouraging pupils to eat a rainbow-coloured variety of food. He says, “It’s up to us to make sure they get as many of the vital vitamins, minerals and nutrients as possible, supporting their growth, learning and a healthy lifestyle. Our pupils are great at trying new dishes and getting involved in our monthly pupil-led themed days, including Chinese Street Food, Indian, Mexican, African, American, Spanish and Scottish themes.”

 The Catering team as a whole strives towards providing a healthy and balanced diet for pupils, and Joe tells us how they do that: “We spend more each week on fruit and vegetables than we do on meat, and we try to combine as many vegetables into our main dishes as possible. For example, we use more than 20kg of carrots, onions, tomatoes and garlic in our bolognaise sauce, we grate apples into our sausage roll mix, and our curries contain lots of pureed vegetables. We offer sugar-free options such as our Greek style yoghurt that we make on site and our homemade muesli. We have also reduced our sugar usage by 50% in all our homemade desserts.”

 We also asked Joe what’s popular at the moment. “We have seen vegetarian dishes growing in popularity – here at Langley we offer two vegetarian choices at each meal, including a vegan option. We also offer a selection of salads with different proteins (such as mackerel, egg, ham, tuna) freshly made daily in the compostable ‘window’ boxes, as well as having side salad bowls available at each meal, plus a vast selection of fruit. There is also the option of a filled baked potato for pupils.

 “I would say that our homemade curries are the most popular and we introduce a new one each term, so we have had them from all over the world. The Thai green curry made with fresh lemon grass, ginger and lots of fresh coriander is a favourite, and our Omani Thareed served with flat breads has an amazing depth of flavour. A firm favourite on Friday fish day is the ‘side of salmon with herb crust’.”

 “Going forward, I think we will see more Flexitarians, as people eat less meat for environmental reasons. I’m also sure, as more is known about the importance of diet on the gut microbiome, that we will have more take up of the fermented foods such as Kimchi and the live yoghurt that we serve. We have already increased the number of prebiotic foods in dishes we offer to promote good gut health.”

Founded in 1911, Langley School is set across two campuses, both a short distance from Norwich, Norfolk. A day school for ages 2 to 13 years old, Langley Prep School is based at Taverham Hall in Taverham. Langley Estate in Loddon, with grounds designed by Capability Brown, is home to Langley Senior School, where there is day and boarding provision for ages 10 to 18. www.langleyschool.co.uk

 Contact details

For more information, please contact Kim Cleave via email at kcleave@langleyschool.co.uk

Making the decision to open a business is not one that is taken lightly. Some people spend years dreaming of this moment and even longer putting in the time and effort to achieve their dream. While some people know exactly what they want to do as a business from the word go, there are others who are somewhat unsure.  

Do you use any of your existing skills to create an entrepreneurial venture? Do you opt to learn new skills for the sole purpose of launching yourself into a sector associated with these skills? These are but some of the questions that you might find yourself asking when faced with the prospect of opening a company. 

With this in mind, there are some more generic skills that you should have under your belt when going forth with your business plans and setting a launch date. If you are in this position, you have found yourself in the right place at the right time.  

Detailed below are some of the skills you should have when setting yourself up as a business owner. Whether you are learning the skills for the first time or are looking for ways to refresh your existing ones, read on for more!  

Marketing and Advertising

This is a crucial element to opening a business. Naturally, you want as many people as possible to be aware of your presence, let alone what products or services you are offering. While it appears straightforward when considering how you market yourself and your business offerings to prospective customers, there is undoubtedly an art to it. It is much more than simply plastering your name on physical and virtual boards.  

Advertising your business itself is not the only thing you will need to do. Marketing yourself to prospective employees is another crucial element you will need to consider. What types of things would you want to see as someone who is looking for employment? Ensure you look at your efforts from the perspective of an outsider. This will contribute to the effectiveness of your advertising and make sure that you are as successful as possible.  

Marketing is an ongoing process; you will need to continue marketing your products to customers to not only draw them in but to keep them returning to your company. Take the time to hone these skills and consider taking some classes or courses to get these technical skills up to scratch.  

Analyzing and Comparing of Business Data

Comparing results is a massive part of being a devoted business owner. You constantly compare the results of each month, quarter, and year, to determine what is working within your business and what needs some improvement.  

Much like marketing your company, this can seem straightforward, but there is a lot more to the task than meets the naked eye. Business analytics places a vital role in the success of your business; without it, you would not be able to determine whether your business is thriving. Business data, and data as a whole, can be confusing to unravel, not to mention time-consuming. 

Analyzing business data is also crucial when launching your company. You will need to compare data associated with your chosen sector while scoping out growth opportunities. This is not a skill that ordinary people have and is hard to develop individually.  

Business analytics courses, provided by various organizations, enable you to achieve a business analytics certification while practicing and learning necessary skills associated with making effective business decisions. Whether you choose to attend a business short course yourself or fund another member of your company to attend, the choice is entirely yours. 

Having someone in your business with the knowledge on how best to manage business analysis and associated practices will encourage your success both now and in the future. Business data includes the likes of your finances, which leads us to the next point. 

Financial Literacy

Understanding finances is something that comes naturally to us, to a certain degree. We understand the importance of not spending more than you have and saving money as and where you can. While these valuable skills can be used in the business world, there are more intricate details surrounding finance that you should be aware of. Not to mention a handful of more specific skills alongside that.  

Financial growth is of utmost importance to any business. You cannot launch a business nor continue to grow without the funds to do so. Having an understanding of skills associated with financial management is an ideal way of having the financial literacy required to be a successful business.  

Crucial things to consider include the likes of knowing how to budget appropriately, as well as invoicing appropriate people, and filing your taxes correctly. Determining elements affecting your revenue is also worth knowing. Initially, this will be something that you will complete as a business owner, so ensure you learn the relevant skills as soon as possible. 

Following a period of growth and development as a company, you could hire someone a bit more experienced to manage this part of your business for you.  

Communication 

As a business owner, it goes without saying, but you need to effectively communicate things to those within your business and those outside of it. While some people might be effective communicators anyway, it is worth remembering that the way you communicate will be affected by and depend on various things.  

For example, the way you communicate with any partners within your company will vary drastically from how you speak with prospective and existing customers. Knowing how to tailor your message through the delivery and tone is a skill that you must have.  

Tailoring the ways you communicate based on who you are talking to is not the only thing you must consider when learning or refreshing your communication skills in the workplace. Something that most, if not all, business owners had to do throughout the last twelve months, was knowing how to communicate effectively based on the circumstance. 

With the business world relying heavily on technology to keep things moving throughout the pandemic, there is no doubt that many had to learn how to communicate through video and phone calls rather than in-person meetings and consultations effectively.  

In the technological age that we live in, this undoubtedly seems like something that should come naturally in a business context and beyond but is easier said than done. Taking the time to explain details in a thorough yet calm manner while upholding high levels of communication will minimize the chances of you hitting obstacles in the future, ones caused by miscommunication somewhere down the line.  

While these are a handful of the skills that you will need as a business owner launching a company in 2021, there are various others. Take the time to learn these often necessary skills to give yourself the best possible chance at success. Invest time, money, and effort into learning these things yourself while encouraging others within your business to do the same.  

The more people within your organization who understand how things work, the better. One thing is for sure; putting in the hard work now will ensure your launch goes without a hitch and that you continue to grow and prosper as you move forward!  

We’re thrilled to announce that we are working with the team at Personal Trainer Collective (PT Collective) on their website and upcoming improvements and redesign. PT Collective are experienced in raining and up-skilling new and experienced personal trainers from across the spectrum.

With many years of experience and with many personal trainers already trained through the courses and expertise offered by the company, PT Collective are now in the process of improving, updating and promoting their website as well as some key offerings and courses such as their PT Core course.

As with all website, when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO) there are some key aspects to consider and focus on at the various different stages of these projects. PT Collective is built on a specialised platform, tailored for e-learning and online courses, and so there are some unique, but exciting challenges.

What We Have Been Doing with PT Collective

The ultimate aim of our work with PT Collective is to ensure they are increasingly visible online, with increasing numbers of search terms to be found on Google. We are also of course working with the content and development teams at PT Collective to capture and focus on new and strongly relevant search terms to bring in new users and potential customers for their business.

‘Crawlability’ of Website – Websites can look as fantastic as you like, but without the right factors taken care of, no search engine; Google or otherwise will be able to ‘crawl’ [read and understand] what is on the website both in terms of content and everything else besides.

We are therefore working with the team at PT Collective to ensure the website’s source code (the code upon which the site is built) is packaged properly for Google to understand. We are also ensuring proper optimisation of key SEO factors like:

• Meta data
• Response codes
• Page titles

Key Focuses of the Business – Part of the work we are undertaking also centres around properly and effectively covering the focuses and core offerings of PT Collective as a business. Ultimately, even with the best website in the world, if your core and key offerings are not covered and properly accounted for, the website will never be properly able to provide customers and clients with the information they need.

Understanding the Competitive Landscape – Understanding what your competitors are doing and what is going on online in your industry and the space in which you work is a crucial task when undertaking any digital marketing. It also greatly helps understand what others who you may be competing with are doing and what you can do better. We are therefore working with PT Collective to better understand their industry and those they are competing with.

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a school kitchen that caters for hundreds of pupils and staff every day? Joe Campen, Executive Head Chef at Langley School, spills the beans.

 Across Langley’s Prep site at Taverham Hall and Senior School site in Loddon, Joe’s team is made up of qualified chefs recruited from the catering industry, and together they provide for day pupils, boarders and staff, covering breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 When asked what kind of team they are, Joe said, “We are committed to upskilling our staff and, as a result, every chef across both our sites now holds catering qualifications. I see our role here at Langley as more than just feeding pupils – we are in the perfect position to educate them to make good choices and eat well for life.”

Joe really is passionate about encouraging pupils to eat a rainbow-coloured variety of food. He says, “It’s up to us to make sure they get as many of the vital vitamins, minerals and nutrients as possible, supporting their growth, learning and a healthy lifestyle. Our pupils are great at trying new dishes and getting involved in our monthly pupil-led themed days, including Chinese Street Food, Indian, Mexican, African, American, Spanish and Scottish themes.”

 The Catering team as a whole strives towards providing a healthy and balanced diet for pupils, and Joe tells us how they do that: “We spend more each week on fruit and vegetables than we do on meat, and we try to combine as many vegetables into our main dishes as possible. For example, we use more than 20kg of carrots, onions, tomatoes and garlic in our bolognaise sauce, we grate apples into our sausage roll mix, and our curries contain lots of pureed vegetables. We offer sugar-free options such as our Greek style yoghurt that we make on site and our homemade muesli. We have also reduced our sugar usage by 50% in all our homemade desserts.”

 We also asked Joe what’s popular at the moment. “We have seen vegetarian dishes growing in popularity – here at Langley we offer two vegetarian choices at each meal, including a vegan option. We also offer a selection of salads with different proteins (such as mackerel, egg, ham, tuna) freshly made daily in the compostable ‘window’ boxes, as well as having side salad bowls available at each meal, plus a vast selection of fruit. There is also the option of a filled baked potato for pupils.

 “I would say that our homemade curries are the most popular and we introduce a new one each term, so we have had them from all over the world. The Thai green curry made with fresh lemon grass, ginger and lots of fresh coriander is a favourite, and our Omani Thareed served with flat breads has an amazing depth of flavour. A firm favourite on Friday fish day is the ‘side of salmon with herb crust’.”

 “Going forward, I think we will see more Flexitarians, as people eat less meat for environmental reasons. I’m also sure, as more is known about the importance of diet on the gut microbiome, that we will have more take up of the fermented foods such as Kimchi and the live yoghurt that we serve. We have already increased the number of prebiotic foods in dishes we offer to promote good gut health.”

Founded in 1911, Langley School is set across two campuses, both a short distance from Norwich, Norfolk. A day school for ages 2 to 13 years old, Langley Prep School is based at Taverham Hall in Taverham. Langley Estate in Loddon, with grounds designed by Capability Brown, is home to Langley Senior School, where there is day and boarding provision for ages 10 to 18. www.langleyschool.co.uk

 Contact details

For more information, please contact Kim Cleave via email at kcleave@langleyschool.co.uk