A recipe for success

The perfect flooring solution used by Cornwall’s finest chefs in the county’s top professional kitchens.

We’ve long been fans of the amazing resin-bound drives from Oltco, which not only look fantastic but are incredibly low-maintenance too – a guaranteed way to become the envy of all your neighbours. What I didn’t know much about, however, until recently, was how this technology is being applied in some of the top kitchens, not just throughout Cornwall but worldwide. In fact, it turns out that in the professional catering industry, resin is the fastest growing industrial product on the market, a craze imported from the US, where it has already taken the nation by storm.

“Our sleek new flooring from Oltco is the ultimate finishing touch.”

The traditional system used on professional kitchen floors is vinyl, which will easily split or warp, for example, if a knife or hot pan is dropped – something that happens a lot in some kitchens! – which then allows water to get underneath the flooring and lift it up. Equally, vinyl is much more susceptible to changes in temperature, causing cracking and stretching – again, not ideal in a kitchen environment. By its nature, it also has seams which – you’ve guessed it – are another potential source of weakness.

Resin flooring, on the contrary, is much more practical, easy to clean and hygienic, with a surface that helps to repel bacteria. What’s more it’s seamless and anti-slip, making it perfect for the commercial kitchen. Indeed, it’s so good that it caught the eye of acclaimed chef Paul Ainsworth, who has utilised it in the kitchen of his celebrated No 6 restaurant in Padstow.

Being well-respected for using the finest, locally-sourced ingredients in his cooking, and being meticulous in his preparation, it’s only logical that Paul would apply the same ethos to his kitchen and tools – a state-of-the-art setup, befitting his Michelin star, in which to cook up his latest culinary masterpieces.

Sure, choice of flooring is not exactly the most exciting part of a chef’s job, but as with all things you start with the foundations and then build upwards!

We caught up with Paul, to get his thoughts. “A kitchen is a high-pressure environment, a constant hive of activity – everything needs to perform at its very best, from the chefs themselves to the floor they walk on. Our sleek new resin flooring from Oltco is the ultimate finishing touch.”

Paul is not the only star in catering to fall for Oltco’s charms. Pavilion, an artisan bakery that has already proved a roaring success across London, is bringing its delicious Sri Lankan-inspired sourdough breads and fresh coffee to Newquay. Look out for the fantastic new bakery, the entrance of which features Oltco’s stunning resin polyurethane screed flooring.

So, here’s some food for thought: the next time you head to your favourite restaurant or café, tucking into the catch of the day, just remember that the quality local produce and Cornish craftsmanship behind the experience may not be exclusively limited to what is served on your plate.