Houghton Hall

The Flying Kiwi

Originally from New Zealand, Chris Coughbrough, aka the ‘Flying Kiwi’, is a widely celebrated restaurateur with popular pubs and luxury hotels all across North Norfolk.

He was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from East Anglia’s renowned Eastern Daily Press.
He is also the chair of the North Norfolk Food Festival, which helps provide some of the best local food providers with the chance to reach a wider, national audience.

The Project

Chris’ passion for local food and ingredients is reflected in the Stables Café, which specialises in traditional, seasonal food to go with its quintessentially English setting.

Catering for between 500 and 1000 covers a day, the café is self-serve and doesn’t take bookings, so turn-around has to be fast. To help enhance presentation of the food within a ‘grab-and-go’ system, as well as keeping it fresh and in top condition, Chris and his team chose the quality performance and reliability of Williams Refrigeration.

“The chilled serve display refrigeration we have now with Williams is brilliant because the food and drink is right in front of the customer. The merchandisers are well lit and keep the food as fresh as it can be, coming straight from the garden.”

Alongside the Williams sandwich chiller, the café has two Gem Multidecks, one displaying full meals, such as salads and traditional Ploughmans’, the other with chilled drinks, including cordials presse and juices made from the estate.

“The Williams units have immediately increased customer spend. The customer likes to see the product before they buy it. The bright LED illumination makes the food look great and helps stimulate sales, making them more likely to go for a main meal rather than just a snack.