Ambitious restaurant/outlet uses Precision Refrigeration to guarantee quality
Based in the newly redeveloped Turnmill Building, Albion Clerkenwell is the latest addition to the small group of food and drink destinations established by Prescott & Conran.
The largest Albion to date, it offers a range of dining options suitable for everything from breakfast to dinner. With a menu that combines classic recipes with a modern sensibility, it also includes a Grill Room, a Pie Room and an Oyster Bar, all spread over two floors. Alongside dining, Albion aims to be an everyday resource for its local community. A grocery showcases the finest in British food, including charcuterie and a range of cheeses, while a bakery prepares fresh bread and pastries in-house. Ian Wood, Prescott & Conran executive chef, explains. “We make as much of what we sell here on site as we can, so we have a lot of quality ingredients we need to keep in top condition. Good refrigeration is very important to us.”
Albion has a selection of kitchens, including a bakery, over a number of floors. They were designed, supplied and installed by GLS Foodservice Designs. For the refrigeration and frozen storage Graham Stow, managing director of GLS, chose products from Precision Refrigeration.
“We knew they’d be ideal for this project,” says Graham. “Precision’s products are solidly built, reliable and they look good in public-facing areas.”
With such a broad range of activity, Albion needs a lot of storage capacity. Precision supplied upright freezer cabinets, and a selection of refrigerated and freezer storage counters. Models like the LCU211 freezer are designed so they can be used as preparation tables in locations where space is at a premium, with stainless steel construction providing a hygienic and durable work surface.
Albion also has a compact LSS300 freezer, which offers the same storage capacity as a traditional two-door GN1/1 counter but with a 30% smaller footprint.
Chilled storage is handled by four MCU311 three-door counters, which are used to allow easy access to fresh ingredients in the dynamic environment of a public-facing kitchen. “We’re based right in the middle of London, so it can get busy,” says Ian. “Having everything they need close at hand really helps our chefs and bakers.”
All Precision counters are fully customisable with either doors or heavy-duty drawers, which are removable for easy cleaning. Door and drawer locks are included on all models, providing additional security if required. Precision products use an environmentally-friendly, high performance insulation foam based on renewable vegetable oils, which requires less energy to produce than conventional polyurethane insulation. A simple to use controller allows for precise temperature control, while audio visual temperature alarms are fitted as standard, helping with HACCP compliance.
“This is a large, ambitious project,” says Ian. “There have been plenty of challenges getting to this stage. But the Precision equipment has been rock-solid, we’re very pleased with it!”
For more information check out the Precision website (www.precision-refrigeration.co.uk), or call the company directly on +44 (0)1842 753 994.