The company beat Harbour & Jones in the final stage of the pitch and will keep the Church House account for another five years.

The win continues a long-running relationship, which started when Kudos’ parent company, Crown Group, announced Church House as its first ever contract 17 years ago.

As part of its pitch, Kudos held tastings at the venues of two other clients, Gibson Hall and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, focusing on locally-sourced British produce.

Kudos Hospitality managing director Jon Pryce said: “Kudos has had a successful, long-running relationship with Church House and will continue to raise the bar, and provide a high level of hospitality service at the venue.”

On another note, the procedure for those working with children is causing confusion for school caterers, industry figures have warned.

The Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Act, which came into effect last month, means that employees and volunteers working in schools are now required to take an “enhanced” Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check.

The law also means that, as of next November, employees and volunteers working in schools must register with the new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), where they will be assessed using data gathered by the CRB.

Only ISA-approved persons will be able to undertake regulated activity, involving “frequent or intensive contact” with children. Employers that employ an unregistered person could be imprisoned or fined up to £5,000.