Top five BigHospitality videos of 2012

By Peter Ruddick

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Heston blumenthal Bray berkshire Gordon ramsay

What makes a restaurant world class was one of the questions BigHospitality posed in 2012 - a video with answers from Alain Roux and Heston Blumenthal topped our list of the most-watched videos this year which also included interviews with Mark Hix and MasterChef's Gregg Wallace
What makes a restaurant world class was one of the questions BigHospitality posed in 2012 - a video with answers from Alain Roux and Heston Blumenthal topped our list of the most-watched videos this year which also included interviews with Mark Hix and MasterChef's Gregg Wallace
As another busy year in hospitality draws to a close, BigHospitality is revealing the top five most-watched videos of 2012 - it was the biggest year yet for video on the website and this selection includes new openings, Michelin-star chefs and leading restaurateurs.

Throughout the year we have brought you videos​ exploring industry trends, revealing how to build a better business, showing you a sneak peek at some of the hottest new hospitality venues and giving you exclusive access to the biggest names in restaurants, hotels and pubs and bars.

Now as the new year beckons, the top five list gives you a chance to see the most popular videos again or catch a first viewing before 2012 becomes 2013.

1.     Heston Blumenthal, Alain Roux and Angela Hartnett ponder what makes a restaurant world class

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At number one and the most popular video on site this year​ was our look ahead to the World's 50 Restaurants 2012​ which included interviews with Heston Blumenthal, the three Michelin-star chef behind The Fat Duck, a restaurant which formerly topped the prestigious list.

After a decade of the awards which have honoured a wide variety of gastronomic and restaurant styles, we asked four chefs who have all made the list - Blumenthal, Alain Roux, Angela Hartnett and Ruth Rogers - to give us their take on what makes a world-class restaurant. Richard Vines, Bloomberg critic and the UK & Ireland panel chair for the prize, also gave us his thoughts.

2.     Kitchen equipment: Top chefs reveal their must-have bit of kit

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As well as big name interviews, BigHospitality's videos this year provided hints and tips on how to better your business - from how to improve consistency of restaurant coffee​ and maximising dessert sales​ to the importance of restaurant design.

However one video that made our top five was part of our kitchen equipment feature in February. We asked three chefs - each from a different sector in the industry - to reveal their must-have bit of kit and show us why it was such a vital part of their kitchen.

3.     The 'coolest restaurateur' keeps it simple in his latest opening

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Taking the third spot in our list is an interview with chef, restaurateur and food writer Mark Hix​ filmed before the closure of HIX Belgravia and Mark's Bar at the Thompson Hotels' venue in the capital.

Instead Hix gave us a sneak first look at his newest restaurant - the Tramshed​ - with a menu focusing on just chicken and steak. In a wide-ranging interview, the renowned restaurant owner gave us the inside track on the new opening, explained whether he felt any pressure to be innovative and revealed his thoughts on British produce and chicken - which became one of the hottest trends in the second half of the year.

The video also contains an exclusive chat with the man in charge of the finances in Hix's operations - Ratnesh Bagdai.

4.     A MasterChef judge opens himself up for judging

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In February, Gregg Wallace​ swapped the relative comfort of judging other people's cooking in the many incarnations of the BBC TV cooking phenomenon MasterChef for the much more frightening prospect of being judged himself as he launched his first restaurant - Gregg's Table at the Bermondsey Square Hotel.

Although the restaurant was not universally critically praised, in a video interview with BigHospitality, which was the second most popular of the year,​ Wallace predicted he was setting himself up to be 'attacked' by critics but declared he was not concerned. He also gave us his thoughts on the industry and the impact MasterChef has had on it.

5.     The Retailers' Retailer of the Year 2012 reveals the secrets of her success

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Karen Forrester,​ the UK managing director of American restaurant chain TGI Friday's, has had a very successful year - in March BigHospitality's sister publication M&C Report revealed she had been named Best Individual​ at the 2012 Retailers' Retailer of the Year awards.

Then in July she sat down with BigHospitality for a video interview​ where she not only explained the secrets to her success and how she had turned the business in the UK around but also revealed the brand would be opening 20 new restaurants in three years.

Now Forrester's interview has made it into the top five list of the most watched on site - you can watch her video and all the top five by following the links above.

Best of the rest...

A number of great videos just missed the cut but more than deserve a re-watch as the year draws to a close:

Ashley in Africa​ - ​BigHospitality follows Dinner by Heston Blumenthal head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts on a trip to Kenya with the charity Farm Africa.

Sat Bains at The Restaurant Show 2012​ - The legendary Nottingham chef sat down with BigHospitality in October to talk success secrets, the UK dining scene and future plans.

Good Food Guide​ - Consultant editor Elizabeth Carter, who famously banned the term 'gastropub' from the guide, reveals her thoughts on pub dining today.

To watch all the videos from this year, including interviews with Daniel Clifford, Ufi Ibrahim and John Penrose, click here​ and check back tomorrow when we review the top five pieces of audio of 2012.

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