St. Margaret’s School Cooks Up Success with RATIONAL Equipment
Available to view on RATIONAL TV.
St Margaret’s School is an independent co-educational boarding and day school located in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Alongside day places, the school offers boarding options for pupils from Year 7 and is set in 60 acres of picturesque countryside. The bustling catering facility serves 150 staff and 730 students daily. With a compact kitchen, they rely on the Rational iVario advanced bratt pan and the iCombi combi-steamer equipment to provide flexibility and efficiency in their culinary operations.
In addition to several models of iCombi Pro combi steamers, the school has recently opted for the iVario Pro L, featuring the pressure cooking option. “For me, as the General Manager of Catering, I’m looking at how I can keep developing my kitchen. Space is at a premium, so having flexible equipment on site allows me to maximise the usage of my space,” says John Bantawa, Chef and Catering Manager.
St Margaret’s has seen significant growth in recent years, necessitating an expansion of its catering services. To meet the diverse needs of its student body and various events, the school has invested in state-of-the-art Rational cooking equipment.
“We deal with everything from breakfast, lunch, dinner, hospitality, and events for the school PTA to outside events like weddings and everything else in between. We’ve got a huge cultural diversity, which means we need to be able to cook in many ways,” explains John Bantawa.
The iProduction Manager function in their iCombi Pro cooking systems has proven particularly useful. This feature helps operators manage complex production runs intelligently and flexibly, allowing for simultaneous cooking of different products. “We can set each individual shelf for different timers and products, so we can maintain much greater control. By doing that, I know my team will be consistent with the quality of food produced,” John notes. “If I could give advice to anyone considering an iCombi Pro, I would say go for it. It makes such a difference to how you cook and the energy you use. For us, it’s the wow effect.”
Before committing to the iVario Pro advanced bratt pan, the school took advantage of the six-week trial currently available, which offers operators a no-risk evaluation with no obligation to purchase. John shares, “We did the six-week trial, set up the iVario, and ran it to its full potential; it was amazing. We received feedback like, ‘the food’s changed,’ ‘this is better,’ and ‘this looks fresher.’ Pretty much three weeks into our trial, we decided to stick with this piece of equipment. The relationship with our Rational representative was incredibly responsive.”
“My favourite feature of the iVario has to be cooking under pressure. It has massively reduced cooking times for me, meaning I’m not constantly stirring the stew or turning that piece of meat. I know when the timer goes off, it’s going to be ready.”
St Margaret’s is committed to further enhancing its catering capabilities and is considering adding more iCombi Pro units and iVario cooking systems to its kitchen. These investments will enable the school to better accommodate its growing student population and offer a wider variety of culinary options.
Are you ready to take your kitchen to the next level? Book a free consultation visit with an expert Rational sales manager to discuss your kitchen goals: RATIONAL AG (rational-online.com) or call: 01582 480 388.
