With more than 100,000 cups of tea and coffee served every year, this is an area which is often taken for granted. So when agreeing a new five year partnership with hospitality and event caterers Harbour & Jones Events, Church House Conference Centre wanted to make sure that the guest’s culinary experience started right at the beginning of their visit.
The team carried out a series of blind tastings of both tea and coffee from which Volcano Coffee and Tregothnan Tea were chosen. Volcano Coffee Works is a leading specialty coffee roaster based in South London and the ancient Tregothnan estate in Cornwall was the first to grow and supply tea in the British Isles.
To support staff at Church House Conference Centre, Harbour & Jones Events will provide on-going training schemes. As part of this, front of house staff will undergo Tea Artist Training, to help bring out the tea lover in everyone by teaching about the different leaves used, optimal brewing times and what really makes the perfect cup of tea. They will also be working with graduates from RADA on a programme to ensure front of house staff really are the best in the business. The course gets staff to think about the words they use, the way they use them and body language, and the impact that has on delegates.
Robin Parker, General Manager at Church House Conference Centre, comments: “Working with Harbour & Jones Events will enhance delegate experience at Church House Conference Centre. We have built a reputation based on first class service – one of our key selling points. We have a long term strategy to improve our hospitality offering and the introduction of new tea and coffee is just the first step. We are already working on plans for exciting catering concepts which will be launched in due course. The training offered by Harbour & Jones Events will also help us maintain our reputation as one of the most renowned venues in London for high standards of customer service.”
Patrick Harbour, Owner and Director of Harbour & Jones Events, comments: “Tea and coffee really is the bread and butter for a conference centre so it’s important to make sure it is the best tea and coffee available on the market. At Harbour & Jones Events we love good food and exceptional service. Our menus comprise of the best British ingredients and we aim to support British suppliers wherever possible. Our training aims to provide staff with skills needed for their jobs while also enthusing them about food and excellence in service and hospitality.”
Church House will be the largest venue in the prestigious Harbour & Jones Events venue collection which also includes 41 Portland Place, RSA House, The London Stock Exchange, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Cutty Sark. At Church House Conference Centre, Harbour & Jones Events will offer a wide array of services including day delegate packages, events catering, private dinners, award ceremonies and gala dinners across the venue’s 19 event spaces.
