Elizabeth House Residence is part of the prestigious Cambridge Education Group, a true institution in the UK.
Since 1952 it has been known for its high levels of training and service offered in a welcoming and comfortable environment where students can cultivate their potential as far as possible. A simple yet winning philosophy which has attracted thousands of students in fifty years of history. Extensive availability of areas for study and relaxing, 230 rooms and catering services available 7 days a week make the Elizabeth House campus the ideal place in which to live and study.

The requirement
 

• The Residence needed to develop the catering service within the existing structure to meet the demands of students with widely differing dietary needs and habits from every part of the globe.
• Not only broad and diversified menus. The equipment required also has to guarantee high productivity and speed in preparing meals, as well as low energy consumption to limit running costs.  The main objective was to improve quality and create an innovative and creative environment in which to work.
• Given the multicultural student body it was necessary to offer a broad and differentiated menu for students and staff, ranging from pasta dishes to traditional Asian recipes. As well as the bar and the breakfast area, the kitchen also has to meet the demands of as many as 700 covers a day.
• The work team had to take into account a series of critical architectural features including the pillars of the building positioned at critical points of the kitchen. It was also necessary to create a separate structure for use by students during the home economics courses.

The solution

• In 2012 the company HK was chosen to monitor the design and supply of equipment suited to the expected quality standards.
• Renovation work began in 2014 and took place parallel to visits by the designers to the Ambach factory to see and feel the quality of the products to be installed.
• HK chose the Ambach System 700 DS line, the perfect solution for solving the problem of the load-bearing columns of the structure right in the middle of the kitchen. The 700 line allows cleaning from both sides, facilitating operations enormously.
• The first IQ900 in the UK was installed in Elizabeth House. The multipurpose bratt pan is the ideal solution for structures such as canteens which have to handle a large number of covers in a short time and confined spaces while maintaining a constant level of quality.
• The kitchen, completely cutom-designed, includes electrical equipment, induction hobs, a fryer and a plancha to reduce electrical consumption and related running costs.
• The investments incurred fully met the expectations of the client and the new kitchen has become an innovative and extremely functional space.
• The joint work amongst architects, chefs and technicians was carried out with the aim of listening to the client to fully understand their needs and objectives. Through dialogue, meetings and a constant exchange of ideas among all parties involved in the project, Elizabeth House reopened three months earlier than the estimated date and today boasts a catering service with the same high level as the training courses it offers.