Foster Peninsular blast chiller and freezer

KINGHAM PLOUGH

Case study

Chef Proprietor, Emily Watkins, launched the ‘Green Project’ to fully refurbish her kitchen at the Kingham Plough in Oxfordshire

When Chef Proprietor, Emily Watkins, launched the ‘Green Project’ to fully refurbish her kitchen at the Kingham Plough in Oxfordshire, the outstanding environmental credentials of the Foster EcoPro Ultra Coldstore range caught her eye.

Watkins’ “Green Project” idea was simple; to provide more usable kitchen space, and complete an environmentally focused build with a kitchen running as efficiently as possible.

Watkins’ former kitchen was first installed in 2008, but the growing popularity of the restaurant meant three chefs working in a tight space, efficiency gave way to necessity, and Waktins realised it made better business sense to invest in a well thought-out working space. Foster dealer, Target Catering Equipment, worked with Watkins and chose Foster products to provide back-ofhouse refrigeration.

Chef Proprietor Emily Watkins
professional kitchen environment with chef cooking

Ultra efficiency

The kitchens at the Chipping Norton venue were designed by Emily Watkins to be as environmentally friendly as possible, installing three award winning Foster EcoPro G2 refrigerators, and a Foster EcoPro Ultra coldstore into the new space.

What-is-more the redesign has been carefully considered to ensure it is efficient from an environmental and economic point of view, so that it supports part of Emily Watkins’ “Green Project” to make the Kingham Plough as sustainable to run as possible.

Emily Watkins said: “The redesign was put in place to give the kitchen team twice the space to cook in, extra shelving, storage and more prep areas. By moving the former walk-in coldstore and replacing it with a new Foster EcoPro Ultra coldstore, the team have also created a secondary cook space for pastry and larder sections.”

“The kitchen refurbishment has carefully incorporated the need for lower energy usage – for helping the environment and lowering energy consumption – by including induction hobs, water conserving dishwashers and energy saving refrigeration.”

The Coldroom

The EcoPro Ultra from Foster Coldstores on this install is located outside and features a pitched roof to help withstand the demanding and changeable weather in the UK.

The coldroom has a wealth of features designed to save energy, and overall running costs, including an insulated strip curtain, which acts as a thermal barrier between the external temperature and the internal cooled temperature when the door is opened. The thermal curtain has vision panels so users can still see into and out of the coldstore, to avoid collisions.

The EcoPro Ultra also includes a low energy micro channel condenser unit with an electronic controller to optimise the running pattern of the unit, low energy evaporators and door closure assist to help close the door in the final stage of shutting – the last 30 degrees, ensuring doors are not left partially open after deliveries, again reducing energy consumption.

chef coming out of coldroom

Related case studies

Bocuse d'Or Team UK

Bocuse d'Or Team UK

"We want to be the best as Team UK and we want to align ourselves with a refrigeration company that does that."

Morston Hall

Morston Hall

"I just feel Foster are built differently, and it’s built to last and that’s so important for us chefs in the kitchen."

Lympstone Manor

Lympstone Manor

Michael Caines, Michelin Star Holder, Chef Patron of Lympstone Manor in Devon, shares his experience as a proud owner of a full range of Foster equipment!

BMW

BMW

When choosing refrigeration equipment for a sizeable staff catering operation at their new flagship Design and Innovation Centre in Munich, the decision for BMW was simple.

Benedicts

Benedicts

“For a restaurant, refrigeration is huge, because you can’t do your daily job without it so for me, to get the best is hugely important and that’s why Foster is the one for me.”

Restaurant 'Story'

Restaurant 'Story'

Sellers said it is the quality of the Foster brand which made the Norfolk-based company the obvious choice at Story

The Waterside Inn

The Waterside Inn

"Essentially I looked for the same thing in my refrigeration equipment as I always do for my cooking ingredients: Quality.”

The Hand and Flowers

The Hand and Flowers

“I obviously recognised Foster as being a manufacturer of premium equipment, but it was actually the people I first bought into."

RAF Odiham

RAF Odiham

“We need to have kit that we can rely on. Foster’s fridges, freezers and blast chillers are something that we use in our kitchen on a day-to-day basis.