At the company's annual seminar, held at Butcher's Hall in London last week, joint managing director Rick Holroyd said he expected Holroyd Howe to hit the 100-contract mark within three years, with more business with blue chip companies, multi-site clients and independent schools.

Its training budget has increased from £55,000 last year to £70,000. A new CD and guidebook focusing on customer service has been issued to all sites, which are expected to conduct training courses every week. At the seminar, a team of actors from Erica Harley Associates played out a sketch to demonstrate the importance of customer service.

The numbers of suppliers to Holroyd Howe has increased from 180 to 200 in the past year, when the company spent £6.5m on ingredients.