Behind the gates of Regent’s Park, on leafy grounds in the heart of central London, Regent’s University offers a range of industry leading courses in innovative, future focused subjects.

It is a place with a significant number of international students on the roll, many of them living on campus, which means the university’s catering team must be ready to meet high culinary standards at breakfast, lunch and dinner alike. Properly fuelling hungry brains, as the saying goes, starts at the stomach, and to deliver three nutritious meals per day to its students, this prestigious institution needed an upgraded commercial kitchen

A kitchen that had run out of room

Before the refurbishment, the university’s kitchen was cramped to work in, and much of the equipment needed replacing. Harrison Carr was engaged to design, supply and install a new, streamlined facility to a tight deadline over the university’s summer break, working alongside Invito Design and Wyse2 to deliver on time and to budget.

The bespoke design has been cleverly laid out for optimal functionality and peak labour control, using top-of-the-line commercial equipment and with fabrication finished to exceptional standards. The scheme includes a new HVAC system and a range of high-end cooking equipment suited to large-scale, high-end catering.

Eight weeks, start to finish

The arrival of the new kitchen needed to be perfectly planned. Across the 8-week summer break, the existing kitchen was stripped out for disposal and the new kitchen installed in its place. Working with accomplished project manager Josh Wyse of Wyse2, the team was able to progress seamlessly within the tight schedule. The new kitchen now has space for over 20 kitchen and wait staff to move around with ease, extending and embedding the catering team’s capabilities.

David Chesshire, Blue Seal’s National Accounts Manager, is proud of the result. “Steve, Gavin, and the team at Harrison Carr have the experience necessary to ensure the best outcome on projects like this,” says David. “Combined with the expertise of the others on the project team, it’s this experience that’s so crucial to an effective kitchen build.”

“The key thing whether you’re working in a restaurant or in mass catering is reliability. If I use the ovens as an example, it’s that they’re accurate and they’re reliable. The equipment is also easy to use. It’s all kind of pre-programmed, so as long as you’re using the right programme to cook the right product, you can be sure it’s going to come out exactly the same, every time.”

In the kitchen: the equipment behind the menu

Elevating Regent’s University’s kitchen to a new level of excellence involved the careful choice of products from Blue Seal’s range . The G506D commercial oven range, GP514-LS gas griddle and G596-LS gas chargrill provide the foundation for the new capability, with a CS45E chip scuttle and G47 commercial pasta cooker providing additional capacity across a wide-ranging menu. Profiled infill benches ensure footprint efficiency and a seamless workspace for the kitchen team.

Ready for the academic years ahead

With previous equipment training, this team was up to speed and ready to go with the new gear, and the new kitchen is set to feed the minds of its student population to the highest of standards for the many academic years ahead.

At a glance

• Client: Regent’s University London, Regent’s Park, central London
• Project: Full commercial kitchen strip-out and replacement, including a new HVAC system
• Timeframe: 8 weeks, over the university’s summer break
• Capacity: Space for over 20 kitchen and wait staff
• Service: Three meals per day for a student population that includes many international students living on campus
• Design, supply and installation: Harrison Carr
• Project partners: Invito Design and Wyse2 (project manager Josh Wyse)
• Blue Seal equipment: G506D oven range, GP514-LS gas griddle, G596-LS gas chargrill, CS45E chip scuttle, G47 pasta cooker, plus profiled infill benches

Want to see what Blue Seal can do in your kitchen? Get in touch with our team to find the right commercial cooking equipment for your venue.