World Food Life

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CONTENTS Government extends takeaway

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services provision for restaurants and cafés Restaurants, cafés and pubs have been given automatic freedoms to provide takeaway services for another year, without having to seek planning permission.

Children missing meals during pandemic

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Nearly two million children have skipped meals this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to think tank The Social Market Foundation (SMF). Findings from its Measuring and mitigating child hunger in the UK report were released in December....

London’s Chinatown

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campaigns aim to promote community feel London’s Chinatown launched a series of campaigns over the last few months to help restore confidence in the area.

Full of eastern promise ‘Esnaf’ is a Turkish word meaning ‘guild’ or ‘corporation’, and you’ll find many ‘Esnaf Lokantesi’ in Turkey - a casual, cafeteria-style restaurant providing traditional Turkish dishes to tradesmen. Charlotte Street in London’s Fitzrovia now has its own iteration of this Turkish concept, in the form of restaurant Pide Oven’s new ‘Esnaf’-style menus, which launched at the beginning of December.

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EDITORIAL

'SURVIVAL' WAS THE NAME OF THE GAME FOR 2020 Everyone working in and connected to the hospitality industry knows what a challenging year it has been. The one key mantra was how to get through this difficult time.

'Survival' was the name of the game for 2020.

Sadly, many businesses couldn't survive this battle with this pandemic and had no choice but to give up. Millions have been lost, those with an eye on the stats would say hospitality was hit hard with massive job losses. We also mourn those people

from hospitality who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

We are also saddened to see that many talented and creative people from the culinary professions couldn't remain within the hospitality industry to showcase their potential to the full.

With several vaccines for the coronavirus on the horizon, we just hope talented and creative culinary professionals will return to the hospitality industry and persevere with their careers.

MOVING WITH THE TIMES We have made some slight adjustments to our editorial policy. Tastes are changing and food is constantly evolving. With demands from our readers to cover a diverse range of cuisine and food emerging on the British food scene, we have transformed our regular food magazine to cover all types of cuisine.

So, from now on it will be published as World Food Life, reflecting the changing food habits around us.

We will still give prominence to specialist cuisine such as Eastern, Oriental, Thai, Turkish and Middle

Eastern, but we will also be covering the changing taste buds of the British public.

We are also pleased to welcome our new group of contributors to make these changes happen and we will also continue to champion a healthy eating agenda, the latest foods trends and lifestyle changes.

Veganuary has inspired and supported more than one million people over the last few years. We are delighted to share Top Five Trends of Veganuary in 2021 for our readers.

SEASONS GREETINGS

We would like to wish all our readers, subscribers, advertisers and well-wishers the very best of the festive season and wish them a very happy and prosperous 2021.

Cover photo: Courtesy of Lu Ban Restaurant, Liverpool

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Government extends takeaway services provision for restaurants and cafés 2021 but has now been extended by another year. The Government said it will also consider whether to make these reforms permanent.

The freedoms introduced in March and now extended mean pubs and restaurants can focus on selling food

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick

Restaurants, cafés and pubs have been given automatic freedoms to provide takeaway services for another year, without having to seek planning permission, The government announcement, made in mid-November by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, follows on from a similar move in March, at the height of the UK’s first lockdown.

‘Automatic freedoms’ mean that businesses wanting to provide takeaway services do not have to seek planning permission; this was originally set to last until March

With rules changing all the time, here’s a round-up of some of the latest regulations for pubs and restaurants in the UK. England is split into three tiers, with rules varying depending on which tier your business is located in. ● In Tier 1, hospitality businesses selling food or drink for consumption on their premises are required to provide table service only and for premises that serve alcohol, they must close between 11pm and 5am.

They must also stop taking orders after 10pm. ● In Tier 2, pubs and bars must close, unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals and those hospitality businesses selling food or drink for consumption on their premises are required to: provide table service only, in premises which sell alcohol.

Businesses must also close between 11pm and 5am and stop taking orders after 10pm. ● In Tier 3, hospitality settings,

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takeaways if they choose to, while being able to return to operating as a pub or restaurant when current rules permit them to open again as normal.

In July, the government also made it easier for businesses and communities to host markets and stalls, and this such as bars (including shisha venues), pubs, cafes and restaurants are closed – they are permitted to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.

This advice for Wales is due to be reviewed on 17 December. ● Currently, restaurants, bars and public houses, including within members’ clubs, must close at 6pm. Food delivery and takeaway can continue and businesses which only provided food for consumption on their premises can now provide takeaway food after 6pm.

Scotland is following a five-level system from 0 to 4. Pubs and restaurants in Level 2 can only serve alcohol indoors with main meals, those in Level 3 can remain open but cannot sell alcohol inside or outside, while those in Level 4 areas must remain closed.

In Northern Ireland, a two-week lockdown ended on 11 December, enabling restaurants, cafes and hotels to trade, although they must close by 11pm each day.

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SPECIAL FEATURE option has also been extended for the whole of next year. The government said it will consider whether to make these reforms permanent too.

With regards to obtaining an outdoor seating licence for alfresco dining, when restrictions eased over the summer, UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls the government made the process simpler and reduced licence application costs. It is also keeping this under review.

“We’ve taken decisive action since the beginning of the

pandemic to support our pubs, restaurants, cafes and markets,” said Jenrick. “Making it easier for them to provide takeaways has helped these businesses to adapt and helped sustain many through an unbelievably difficult year. It will also be a boost for their customers who can now look forward to continuing to enjoy meals at home from their favourite restaurants. As these reforms have made such a difference, I will be considering making them permanent.”

Trade association UKHospitality also welcomed the news.

Its chief executive, Kate Nicholls, said: “The ability to provide takeaway services was a valuable lifeline for many hospitality venues, not just during the lockdown but in the days of reduced and restricted trade, too. The extension will undoubtedly help many. For pubs, restaurants and cafes to operate as takeaways gives them a previously untapped revenue stream and a much better chance to survive what will be a tough winter. It will help avoid waste and allow businesses to retain a valuable link with their customers and communities.”

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FEATURE

Children missing meals during pandemic Rashford earlier this year. This called on the Government to extend free school meals to children from low-income families during school holidays in England.

Aveek Bhattacharya, chief economist at Social Market Foundation said: “The stark evidence in this report shows that the challenge of food insecurity and child hunger is even greater and more urgent than many observers had thought and feared. The idea of a single child going short of food is heartbreaking but our evidence shows that almost 2 million children have been in that awful situation this year.”

Community spirit The food industry, such as restaurants, cafes and takeaways, made a huge effort to feed NHS frontline workers at the start of the pandemic; now they are turning their attention to child hunger. Many restaurants offered free hot meals or packed lunches over the October half-term, in response to Rashford’s campaign, and some are hoping to continue to run a similar initiative over Christmas.

Maryam’s Kitchen in Ealing for example, which specialises in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine, closed its doors to paying customers for one week over half-term in order to provide meals for children.

It supplied hot packed lunches, with each pack featuring a daily-changing hot dish, such as chicken curry and rice, vegetable pasta or beef stew, alongside a piece of fruit, a bottle of juice or water and a healthy sweet treat such as a slice of banana bread. It was able to expand from a very limited menu to providing the above as a result of donations, raising nearly £5000 in four days and serving more than 500 portions in five days.

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early two million children have skipped meals this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to think tank The Social Market Foundation (SMF). Findings from its Measuring and mitigating child hunger in the UK report released in December, and which surveyed 1,000 parents, show that almost one in six families (16%), said children had to skip meals, make do with smaller portions or go a day without food between March and September.

Child hunger has been increasingly in the spotlight in recent months, following a high-profile campaign launched by Premier League footballer Marcus

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FEATURE

“We are running the same initiative over Christmas,” explains the restaurant’s marketing manager Azin Jafari.

“We are working with Educare Family Support Services Ealing to provide all the puddings for their Christmas hampers. We will also be providing Christmas tray bakes consisting of a Persian twist on Christmas dinner. These are uncooked and can be popped in the oven, or frozen and enjoyed on Christmas Day. We are handing these out to the families we helped in the first initiative.”

Jafari says the reaction was unbelievable, with the entire community banding together and hundreds of requests to volunteer to help. She says it was particularly important to back the initiative as Maryam's Kitchen is a community driven business.

“Maryam's ethos has always been to spread kindness through her cooking and so we felt it was simply something we must take part in,” says Jafari. “The families we served were so wonderful and grateful, and all of them told us a number of times how much of a difference we made to them. We received so many cards and artwork from those children to whom we made a difference to in that week.”

Indian restaurant Mumtaz Leeds, meanwhile, also provided meals to children over half term and to the community at large during the first lockdown. The restaurant says that while it would like to continue to provide meals over the festive period, with Leeds currently on the Government’s Tier 3 list - and therefore subject to the strictest coronavirus restrictions, it’s a difficult situation to be in.

“There has been no Government guidance, no date set for the easing of restrictions, so at present we have no idea what’s going on, we have to wait and see when we can open”, says Asad Arif, customer and business relations manager at Mumtaz Leeds.

“When we previously gave out free meals, we could afford it at that stage,” he explains. “Our position was that whilst we can do something to help, we will. The reaction from customers has been very supportive, we’ve received many kind letters.”

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VEGAN NEWS EATING

‘No Deal Brexit’ could see hike in fruit and vegetable prices Following a healthy diet could prove to be more challenging in the new year, with research highlighting that new trade tariffs in the event of a “no deal Brexit” would increase the price of fruit and vegetables in the UK. Analysis of ongoing research from charity The Food Foundation and global research programme Sustainable & Healthy Food Systems (SHEFS), points to how the price of fruit and vegetables in the UK could increase by an average of 4% from 1 January 2021. Prices for some products could rise by even more, with the research showing that tomatoes, for example, would become 9% more expensive.

In terms of costs to families

looking to follow a healthy diet, the research says the trade tariffs would result in an increase of up to £28 a year to a family of four’s (two adults and two children) fruit and vegetable bill. If families increased their consumption to the recommended five-a-day, this would cost £65 per year more for a family of four under a ‘No Deal’ scenario.

The SHEFS is led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Alan Dangour, professor of food and nutrition for global health, LSHTM, and director of the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, said: "These new analyses show that under a ‘no deal Brexit’ it could become

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even more expensive in the UK to eat a healthy diet. The UK is heavily reliant on fruit and vegetables from the EU and the government’s inability to define a post-Brexit deal is putting the nutritional health of the nation at risk."

Dr Soledad Cuevas, also from LSHTM, added: "This is the first time the newly published UK general tariffs are used to estimate the potential impact of Brexit on the cost of fruit and veg imports. Although it’s hard to know how much of these cost increases will be passed on to consumers, these preliminary results are worrying, both for consumers and for producers."

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NEWS

Cobra Beer Launches

Kebab, and the Michelin starred Dominic Chapman’s rich and flavoursome Braised Ox Cheeks recipe.

The Chefs featured in the cookery book include Rohit Ghai (Kutir), Jude Sangsida (Foley’s), Anirudh Arora (Hankies), Karunesh Khanna (Tamarind), Atul Kochhar (Sindhu) , Rajinder Pandey (Mint Leaf), Dominic Chapman (The Beehive), Veysei Yavuz (Gokyuzu), Gavin Man (Royal China), Batuhan Kaya (Kibele), Poonam Ball (Madhu’s) , Vivek Singh (The Cinnamon Group), Minal Patel (Prashad), Sameer Taneja (Benares), Maz Demir (Skewd Kitchen), Parminder Singh (Roti Chai), Nikhil Mahale (Farzi Café), Jihad El Eid (Abd El Wahab), Peter Joseph (Kahani), Chad Rahman (Chez Mumtaj), Surjan ‘Jolly’ Singh (Chourangi), Manoj Vasaikar (Indian Zing), Shabir Hussain (Akbars), Surender Mohan (Jamavar), and Cyrus Todiwala (Café Spice).

The Cookbook was launched earlier this year via an online event, hosted by Cobra Beer and attended by The Chefs from the cookbook, representatives from Sony TV, as well as attendees from the industry and press. It was released during the second UK lockdown, when consumers are unable to dine out at their favourite restaurants.

The Chef Cookbook is perfect for those spending more time at home and who want to try their hand at recreating dishes from some of the industry’s most recognised chefs and restaurants.

The Chef Cookbook is free for all to download and use and includes links to YouTube tutorials so consumers can follow along at home. You can explore the cookbook here: https://www.setindia.com/the-chef-ebook/

Virtual Cookbook Following the success of the Sony TV series The Chef, Cobra Beer has launched its first ever virtual cookbook, with recipes from twenty-five industry renowned chefs, featuring a range of cuisines, including Indian, Thai, Chinese, Lebanese, Turkish and British.

The Chef Cookbook showcases the signature work of famous Chefs such as the Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar, who shares his recipe for Grilled Cauliflower Korma, packed with aromatic spices; Vivek Singh, a Master of Indian fine dining, who shares his recipe for Roast Rump and Grilled Aubergine; the Turkish delights of Maz Demir, with his taste bud-tingling Ocean

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NEWS

TRAVELS WITH YOUR FOOD With travel restrictions to most global destinations still in force, WFL took a culinary journey around London to check out the capital’s latest food trends.

If you like big, bold flavours, West Africa fits the bill.

Its cuisine is cooking up a storm in the UK, particularly in London which has recently seen its fair share of West African restaurant openings. Chuku’s, which describes itself as ‘the world’s first Nigerian tapas restaurant based in London’, opened in Tottenham last year, while Brixton-based Chisuru opened a permanent space in September, having made the leap from a supper club. British Nigerian restaurateur Aji Akokomi is the latest to join the line, having opened Akoko in Fitzrovia at the tail end of September.

The restaurant, whose head chef is MasterChef: The Professionals finalist William JM Chilila, was three years in the making, and was born from Akokomi’s desire to celebrate the flavours of west Africa.

“I generally love to entertain and impress my guests with good food, but most importantly, my desire is to offer my take on west African hospitality,” he says.

Aji Akokomi

“Everything we do at Akoko is inspired by the traditions, art and culture of West Africa. Our desire is to celebrate west African cuisine and deliver on the unique flavours from the region.”

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NEWS It will certainly get your taste buds tingling. West African cuisine is defined by its use of dried fish, shrimps and prawns as a key condiment, alongside fermented seeds such as melon seeds and locust beans, concentrated bouillons, hot pepper and spices.

“Umami (a savoury flavour) and peppers are dominant in the cuisine as well as sourness from tomatoes, lemons and limes,” explains Akokomi. “Hearty soups, stews and sauces are very prevalent. The use of dried seafood and fermented seeds provide a powerhouse of umami flavour to most west African dishes.”

Dishes on offer at Akoko include smoked rice cooked in sweet pepper and umami stock served with braised goat, grilled plantain with cashew cream and spiced peanuts and barbecued quail with mustard seeds.

Dan Anton (l) and Zaw Mahesh. Photo : Kathrin Werner

From Africa to south-east Asia Myanmar (also known as Burma) may not immediately come to mind when thinking of a south-east Asian

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destination. But as the country only opened up to tourism less than a decade ago after years of selfimposed isolation, it’s a relatively untouched destination when compared to nearby Thailand or Malaysia for example. Of course, with current travel restrictions, a visit may be some way off, but you

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NEWS

can still enjoy the food at Laphet, which means pickled or fermented tea in Burmese.

The restaurant, located in London’s Shoreditch is one of only a handful of Burmese eateries in the UK, according to its founder, Dan Anton.

The concept started as a pop-up, before opening in its current form in 2018, a decision fuelled by the Western love for Asian food. Its head chef is Burmese-born Zaw Mahesh.

“Burmese cuisine provides a new take on Asian food - many dishes are very new to the western palate, with a combination of sweet and savoury flavours,” he says. “One of our topselling dishes is Laphet Thohk, a pickled tea leaf salad.”

Much of the menu on offer features some pickling elements, with ingredients air freighted from Burma, while the style of cuisine has a lot of emphasis on slow cooking, rather than the flash frying you might associate with other Asian cuisine.

“The flavours are more complex than

you might expect and it leans heavily on a savoury taste,” adds Anton.

During the UK’s initial lockdown, Lahpet closed for a few weeks before reinventing itself with an online shop, selling meal kits so people could recreate authentic Burmese dishes at home, alongside pantry items such as tamarind sauce. Anton has plans to revive the supper club concept, this time exploring regional flavours of Burma.

North West China Chinese street food restaurant Murger Han has not one but three outlets in London, the latest of which opened in September, near Fenchurch Street. It showcases Xi’an cuisine from northwest China, which has picked up a dedicated following in the capital in recent years (see our interview on page 24 with Xi’an Impression founder Zhang Chao) and which

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shows no sign of abating. For Murger Han founder and head chef Bin Li, Xi’an cuisine offers diners a distinctly alternative take on Chinese food.

“It is very different because firstly we do not grow rice so we use more noodles than other Chinese cuisines and ours are almost always thicker and longer than other regions,” says Li. “We also use a lot of lamb which you do not see as much in other regions. We use heavy

flavours and hardly ever use sugar, in contrast our taste is rich, spicy

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NEWS

Looking forward to 2021 2020 has been a year like no other. We’ve all spent more time outdoors - fuelled by the fact that there is a lower chance of transmitting Covid19 outdoors and Government regulations on who and where we can meet (mostly outdoors).

So perhaps it’s hardly surprising that some of the key trends to emerge from supermarket Waitrose’s 2021 Food and Drink report involve the great outdoors. Its findings show that UK-wide social media interest in the art of foraging is up 89% on the year, while al fresco eating is set to stay with winter barbecues on the rise.

The report looked at the ways that the pandemic has shaped and shifted the way people cook, eat and drink.

Other findings included ‘cooking is the new commute’, with three-quarters saying cooking dinner now provides the break between working time and home life and online shopping levels continuing to rise. Research found that a quarter of respondents bought food online for the first time this year, with the highest uptake being among people under 35.

Buying British is also set to stay, bolstered by growing awareness over provenance and farming standards from overseas and a desire to support the nation’s farmers.The supermarket also noted that cupboard essentials from Asia are the fastest growing of its ‘Cooks’ Ingredients’ range, with figures for Chinese rice vinegar, mirin rice wine and Japanese rice vinegar all on the up.

The report is based on a OnePoll research of 2000 people across Britain, with research supported by insights from Waitrose food, drink and retail experts, as well as from Waitrose shoppers, alongside purchase sales data.

and savoury with some sourness. We also tend to have our own dish as opposed to the sharing styles you see with dim sum.”

Expect flavours such as Sichuan pepper, cumin, coriander seeds, star anise, cloves, chilli, spring onion, garlic, ginger soy and black rice vinegar. The restaurant’s namesake - the ‘Murger’ is a pan-baked flatbread filled with a choice of shredded pork belly or beef with peppers and cumin, both slow-cooked for over 12 hours in more than 20 spices and seasonings. Li says the restaurant’s claypot dishes are very popular too, with customers particularly interested in the history behind them.

“The concept developed from the poor who stood in temples with broken bits of terracotta and the community would donate food; the temples would then cook the donations and the poor would eat a nourishing meal,” he says.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

London’s Chinatown campaigns aim to promote community feel 14

London’s Chinatown launched a series of campaigns over the last few months to help restore confidence in the area.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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s coronavirus restrictions eased in June, it introduced the #LoveChinatown campaign, which blended activities both physically and digitally, giving support to restaurants and celebrating the diversity of Chinatown’s offering. Diners could enjoy alfresco seating and send wishes and messages of goodwill in the form of a virtual sky lantern floating

on a digital screen, for all to see in Chinatown.

In August, many restaurants operated the Government ‘Eat out to Help Out’ scheme.

According to Julia Wilkinson, head of group restaurant strategy at Shaftesbury, which owns large sections of Chinatown, many tenants reported how successful the scheme was and she says there is a notable desire for the government to expand the initiative.

“It opened-up many of our tenants to new audiences and we’ve also had reports on how social media channels have grown significantly,” added Wilkinson. “Chinatown London is about community and we recognised very early on the importance of ensuring it existed virtually as well as physically to ensure we maintained a sense of connection.”

Another campaign, which debuted in September, saw the area decorated with multicoloured lanterns, replacing the traditional red lanterns that have been hanging there for over 40 years. Chinatown restaurateurs, members of the London Chinatown Chinese Association and The China Exchange, a Chinese culture organisation, signed the lanterns as a show of support.

The aim was to show a nod to the rainbow of hope thanking the work of NHS staff and key workers throughout the pandemic, with positive messages of hope from tenants, community figures and visitors.

“The pandemic has brought the

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community together, Chinatown has always benefited from a diverse and close-knit community, and many of our tenants have been sharing their experiences with each other to help learn and support each other,” said Wilkinson.

During the second lockdown, a number of Chinese restaurants were offering delivery. These included Taiwanese Fried Chicken shop Good Friend Chicken, Singaporean and Malaysian eatery Rasa Sayang and Chinese restaurants Four Seasons and Bun House, among others.

Wilkinson said for this second lockdown, ‘our tenants have been more prepared and many more have opted to stay open to provide their offering with delivery and takeaway services’.

She added that by nurturing and growing connections, being transparent with activities, and importantly health and safety procedures, Chinatown hopes to continue to inspire people to revisit safely and follow guidelines.

Chinatown has some more exciting activities to come which will be focused on ‘community’ and ensuring it continues to support the tenants, celebrates diversity and safely welcomes people back to the area. The al fresco dining area created for the #LoveChinatown campaign at Newport Place will be reinstated as soon as lockdown restrictions ease. Shaftesbury aims for the outdoor communal seating to be in place at least until spring 2021, depending on government guidelines, which will support tenants that have had to reduce restaurant capacity for social distancing measures.

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Adapting to Covid p o t e h t m Tips f ro

table service for those establishments serving alcohol, restrictions on group size and a 10pm closure across the board.

With more restrictions in place for the foreseeable future, it’s anybody’s guess what the impact will be on the restaurant and food industry. But If there is one thing the sector is known for - other than its reputation for long, unsocial hours, it is resilience. Being in the midst of a pandemic has prompted those in the sector to innovate and reinvent existing models - and all at speed, from transforming seating arrangements, to operating a dark kitchen to inventing a new product offering.

For the restaurant and food industry, 2020 has thus far been a case of lots of downs and very few ups. Many establishments were staring closure in the face with the sudden onset of lockdown in March.

While the easing of measures over the summer brought respite for some, keeping up with the ever-changing Government guidelines has been a challenge in itself.

First there were blanket closures in late March when the UK went into lockdown, then restaurants were able to reopen on 4 July, as long as they were Covid-secure.

Fast forward a couple of months, and restaurants had to reconsider operations once again, with a legal requirement for

Seating and social media Malaysian chef/owner Mandy Yin reopened her North London laksa eatery, Sambal Shiok in July, for takeaway/delivery only, when previously there was no takeaway option as the restaurant was too busy with in-house diners. In light of the second lockdown, it appears to have been a wise decision.

“There will not be a viable dine-in proposition at my restaurant until physical distancing requirements have stopped,” she says. “Our floor space is just about big enough for a few of us to be working in it, so we

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FEATURE converted the old dining area into a storage area for disposable packaging to service our new takeaway business. We are now working with the usual delivery companies who take a big cut from our sales in commission, but something is better than nothing.”

Yin also adjusted opening hours, taking into account shifts in footfall and to adapt to her new working conditions. The restaurant is currently open four nights a week, which also gives the small skeleton team a two-day weekend off every week.

“Our shorter opening hours also mean that we can still operate if one person has to self-isolate or cannot work for whatever reason,” says Yin. To take part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August, the government-backed initiative that gave diners a 50% discount off a meal (capped at £10 per person), Sambal Shiok introduced outdoor seating, similar to what you would expect at a street food market or hawker centre in south east Asia. Yin expects that the outdoor seating will become less useful when the temperature drops or in rainy

weather, at which point she says she will have to focus on growing the takeaway/delivery side.

Since reopening, Yin also sells a large range of the restaurant’s sauces and laksa pastes online, together with meal kits for nationwide delivery.

The aim is to bring her products to her customers wherever they are in the country, as she can no longer count on people travelling to enjoy her food. She’s also spending more time on social media, engaging with customers to get their feedback.

What Yin misses most, however, is the live interaction with her customers, creating an atmosphere where they felt comfortable and at home.

“Our small space was colourful and buzzy with happy customers and I miss this aspect a lot,” she says.

“While the outdoor dining reflects what you would find at street markets in Asia, its success is very weather dependent and the customer interaction is far less than it was. I am now running the business for the benefit of our local community and most of all to keep my handful of staff employed for as long as possible.”

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Dark kitchen delivery With the majority of people spending all of their time at home during lockdown, it’s not surprising that takeaway numbers have soared in recent months. Data released in August from Kantar showed that after

initial declines at the start of the March lockdown, the takeaway market returned to, and in the first two weeks of July, exceeded its pre-Covid high. Such figures make the idea of a ‘dark kitchen’ - those kitchens with no actual service but which exist to cater for the delivery market only, an enticing option.

It’s a model used by Finchley-based Indian Chilli Tuk Tuk, run by husband and wife team Deepak and Amisha Lall. The delivery and takeaway business was started in 2015, expanding to a second, delivery-only site near Kings Cross in September.

“Our model was built with the aim of expansion and having established ourselves in Finchley, we now are in the process of reaching out to more people and sharing our food with them,” says Amisha Lall. “A lot of

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what we do is very heavily process driven, and that gives us consistency in our flavours. Kings Cross is such an iconic location - setting up a shop front would have been cost prohibitive, therefore a dark kitchen seemed to make the most economic

sense. There is a lot of flexibility offered with these kinds of kitchens that work to our advantage.”

As Lall explains, typically dark kitchens can offer the format of either shift-based or full-time occupancy, and you pay accordingly. Generally,

she says, the kitchens are set up very well with a lot of the equipment needed to run an operation.

“It’s always great to find a dark kitchen where you pay one fixed amount to cover all aspects, from rent to utilities to waste collection to business rates,” says Lall. “This is so important for easily tracking spending, not to mention the time you save on the administration side of managing monthly bills and contract setups.”

Of course, there are aspects that would not suit everyone. These include minimal customer interaction and missing what Lall describes as ‘the openness that comes with a shop front’.

“From a financial perspective dark kitchens tend to thrive in markets which are driven by online food aggregators,” she adds. “However the commission costs are very high and this can impact your margins significantly.”

In with the new Japanese canteen-style Tokyo Diner, which opened in London’s West End in 1992, regularly serves around 300 meals a day. It’s a different story today, though, as it wasn’t able to reopen following the first lockdown. Its tiny premises aren’t able to sustain social distancing, making it a challenge to keep both staff and customers safe.

“As anyone who has visited Tokyo Diner will know, we have made the most of our tiny premises by recreating the authentic cheek-by-jowl seating that is typical in densely populated Japanese cities,” says owner Richard Hills.

“Looking at what we needed to do to maintain social distancing, it was pretty obvious to us that it couldn’t be done safely and profitably – maybe one, but not both.”

Hills turned to online orders and delivery, but around an entirely new concept rather than the restaurant’s existing menu. Enter ‘Fakey Cakey,’ a savoury cake that Tokyo Diner chef Gaya-san had previously made for Hills’ birthday. The cakes, which are all hand-crafted with layers of shari (Japanese seasoned rice) and fresh vegetables as well as decorations, are available in 11 different flavours, featuring a range of meats, tofu, salmon, sashimi, asparagus and mixed vegetable tempura.

“We launched Fakey Cakey in order to try to save our business and to save jobs so that the team we've built up since 1992 can continue working together,” says Hills.

He adds that initial feedback following the soft launch in September has been good, but as Fakey Cakeys are sold at a premium price (from £100 to £150), it’s still early days for this new product launch.

“These times are uncertain for everyone,” he says. “Now that people are so restricted in eating out, we just hope that they will want to find new ways to celebrate at home or in the workplace."

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PRODUCT NEWS

Easy to fit door arm is set to help reduce spread of virus in restaurant settings addition, the arm contains a special anti-viral additive, which is designed to add a layer of protection. “I’m very passionate that we need to support and try to kick start our own manufacturing industry in the UK at such a difficult time.”

The AV Arm Pull Handle is available through the Euro Moulding 3D Solutions website https://www.em3ds.com

Hospitality businesses including hotels and restaurants will be looking at new ways to keep customers and employees safe from viruses this winter including Covid-19. A new door opener is set to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus as well as other common viral infections such as colds and flu, frequently spread by touching surfaces.

In the UK the average number of sick days per business for minor illnesses such as colds, flus, coughs and diarrhea is 38.5 according to data from the Office of National Statistics.The impact of Covid-19 on people’s health plus the essential self-isolation period even for people who may not have the virus, means that sickness figures this year are likely to rise.UK Health and Safety law requires that employers do ‘what is reasonably practicable’ to protect their staff and members of the public and carry out risk assessments to ensure they comply with the latest guidelines. These guidelines apply not just to traditional workplaces but also to staff working from home. Bristol businessman and entrepreneur Jeff Cox has come up with an intuitive solution to help ensure environments such as workplaces and restaurants are safer for employees and visitors alike.

His new door opener is a sturdy attachment designed specifically for use in high-traffic situations wherever they occur.Called the ‘AV Arm Pull Handle’, the new product is so intuitive to use that people readily accept it as part of the door furniture and automatically use their forearm on the pull handle, rather than their hand to open the door.

Jeff runs a small, high-specification, serviced office environment in Warmley, Bristol and also manages a 3D printing company and a small design studio, working for exacting environments such as automotive and aerospace. He came up with the idea for the AV Arm Pull Handle after implementing very careful social distancing and anti-viral measures for his own office business.

He explains, “We went through a thorough testing process and at least six different prototypes, then subjected the arm to over three times the amount of stress that was required to meet minimum standards. In

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NEWS

UK Food industry urged to reduce calories by 2024 The UK government has urged restaurants, takeaways and ready meal providers to reduce the number of calories in their food by 20% before 2024, in an effort to tackle obesity.

Clinical obesity is rising in the UK and is also leading Britons to suffer from various associated health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

Public Health England have provided a list of targets for hospitality business owners to strive for. But health groups have argued these measures don’t go far enough and that the targets should be mandatory. A report commissioned

by Public Health England (PHE) has revealed that by reducing sugar from fizzy drinks, the government has helped protect children from obesity.

There has also been progress when it comes to reducing calories in cereal, yoghurt and ice cream. However, PHE also revealed that progress across other food groups has been slower. Others argue that by making the program voluntary, it risks it being largely ignored by some manufacturers within the food industry.

Defending the government’s measures, health minister Jo Churchill said, "On sugar reduction, particularly in products like breakfast cereals, yogurts and ice cream, we have achieved some muchneeded progress. This will make it easier for everyone to make healthier choices, but it's clear more can be done.”

She went on to say, "Covid-19 has highlighted obesity and how important it is to tackle it. Our recent announcement of the obesity strategy includes worldleading measures, such as a TV watershed for advertising food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar, and consulting on how we can introduce a ban online. If more action is needed to support individuals to lead a healthy life, we will go further to help them."

Graham MacGregor, who is the chairman of Action on Sugar, also felt like the government need to go further, saying, "Apart from the sugary drinks levy, it's abundantly clear that the Government's voluntary sugar reduction programme is simply not working, after reporting a dismal 0.1% reduction in sugar between 2018 and 2019.”

510

Calories

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He continued, "Food and drink companies that want to do the right thing are crying out for a level playing field, which can only be achieved by setting mandatory targets for calorie and sugar reduction. The soft drinks levy has shown that this approach is both best for business, and best for everyone's health, including people from more disadvantaged groups."

Making the calorie reduction mandatory would help tackle obesity in the UK. It would also allow companies to indeed be on a ‘level playing field’, as all would need to abide by the same rules, rather than cherry-pick the ones that suit them.

While beneficial, the move also raises questions about consumer choice when ordering food. Adults should have the right to eat whatever they choose, regardless of how healthy or unhealthy the ingredients may be.

Children may not understand the difference, so making such a rule mandatory on products intended for them makes sense.

The problem is, unless marketing campaigns specifically target children, how is anyone to say what unhealthy snacks are for any age group? All food can be consumed by all ages and enforcing laws based targeting by demographics does nothing to create consistency across the industry.

Finally, the move could cause irreparable damage to restaurants and manufacturers who offer particular food types. Reducing their menus to eliminate unhealthy food options or changing recipes altogether could risk some businesses going out of business. Many actually rely on this food to exist.

Some items are simply unhealthy and are designed to be an occasional treat, where moderation is advised. The items they produce could be their main selling point. While reducing sugar and calories from these items may help tackle obesity, it could also leave many people without jobs in the long run.

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NEWS

Taste of Thailand Fans of Thai food will be able to recreate authentic dishes in their own kitchen, with the launch of a range of eight Thai sauces and noodle meal kits.

The Grab Thai Go range, founded by Thai entrepreneur Preeya Choojan, features four noodle meal kits and four cooking sauces, and includes two vegan-friendly options.

Home cooks can choose from aromatic green or turmeric yellow curry noodle kits, a sweet and sour tom yum noodle-soup meal kit or a tangy pad thai version. Four stir-fry cooking sauces include cashew nut, turmeric red curry, roasted sweet chilli and sweet basil flavours.

The range, which features seasonal ingredients, aims to minimise the cooking process, with little preparation required meat, seafood, fish or vegetables can be added, with a meal ready within 15 minutes. The meals can also be customised to individual tastes, with the kits providing items such as separate portions of chilli, so cooks can add as little or as much heat as

they want. The brand hopes the kits will appeal to both novice and more experimental home chefs.

And in keeping with the Thai tradition of eating meals with friends and family, the kits and sauces have been designed with sharing in mind.

To ensure authenticity, kits are

made by a Thailand-based team and the packaging has been designed to be eco-friendly too.

The trays and lids are reusable, and the trays are also biodegradable. Made from sugar cane, they can be disposed of on compost heaps, while all other elements can be recycled.

Just Eat to create a thousand jobs with added benefits Online food delivery platform Just Eat has announced it will adopt an ‘agency model’ with its couriers, which it says will lead to the creation of at least 1,000 new positions at the business and increased job security.

Under this agency model, Just Eat will pay its couriers on an hourly basis, instead of per job. This will give them the opportunity to access improved working conditions, as they will be entitled to benefits such as holiday and sickness pay, for example. Under the new model, couriers will also receive Just Eat-

branded clothing and e-bikes or emopeds.

Couriers working in central London will be the first to trial this new way of working, with the scheme set to roll out to other UK cities such as Birmingham in the new year. Couriers can also opt to work independently. Just East expects the new roles created to be a mix of full-time, part-time and zero hour contracts.

Andrew Kenny, UK managing director for Just Eat UK, said: “As the market leader in online food delivery, we believe it is our

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responsibility to offer couriers a wide range of working options and benefits. From our experience in other European markets, we know many couriers value the benefits and protections our new model offers and, with the use of electric vehicles, this will also help us build a sustainable future for food delivery in the UK.”

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Zhang Chao

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BUSINESS PROFILE

A lAsting impression

Located directly opposite Arsenal football club’s stadium in North London, tucked behind the far busier Holloway Road, you’ll find the modest-looking Xi’an Impression.

Specialising in north-western Chinese food from Xi’an in Shaanxi province, home of the celebrated army of terracotta warrior sculptures, the restaurant opened just over five years ago.

Founder Zhang Chao is,

unsurprisingly, a diehard Arsenal fan (although he lives in West London) and while the Gunners’ performance in the Premier League has wavered in recent years, it’s a different story for Xi’an Impression.

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Chao was already a seasoned restaurateur in London when Xi’an Impression opened its doors, having previously been involved with Sichuan Folk which opened in 2009 in Hanbury Street, close to Brick Lane and then Sichuan Chef, just off the Earl’s Court Road. Born and brought up in China, Chao came to the UK in 2002 - mainly to learn English, and to complete a master’s degree at Lancaster University,

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BUSINESS PROFILE

following his studies in Chengdu in Sichuan province. His girlfriend at the time was also based in the UK, and Chao recalls how maintaining a long-distance relationship back then resulted in a very expensive phone bill.

It was his love of food though eating rather than creating it, and a desire to meet fellow Chinese students, that moved him away from international business studies towards a career in cuisine.

“I was craving Sichuan food - at that time most of the Chinese restaurants were in London’s Chinatown, and heavily influenced by Cantonese cuisine with its sweet and sour flavours. Sichuan food is all about the taste, in particular careful spicing, with not much emphasis on presentation,” says Chao.

It wasn’t until 2009 that he had enough funds to realise his dream, with the opening of Sichuan Folk with additional finance from

business partners. It’s a model he repeated for Xi’an Impression, opening the restaurant with chef Wei Guirong, who had previously worked with him at Sichuan Folk (Guirong has since left the business and set up her own Xi’an-style eatery, Master Wei, in Holborn). In July 2018, Chao also opened Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles in Spitalfields, which he dubs ‘a larger, more flash’ version of Xi’an Impression.

“It was near my first business in Brick Lane and there is a fairly large, diverse student population so the location worked well - near to Hackney and not far from Islington,” he says.

A winning formula In the last couple of years, Xi’an Impression’s reputation has soared, which Chao puts down to fulfilling Londoners’ fix for Xi’an-style street

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food (spicy and with more emphasis on colours and taste than presentation) and a loyal customer base, with the odd celebrity popping in too. Chao also believes in employing staff for the long term, incentivizing them to stick with the business by offering shares. His other mantra is to stick with what you know and what you do best - the menu at Xi’an Impression has stayed pretty much the same since its inception, and it’s similar to the fare at Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles.

Inevitably, like any other business in the hospitality sector, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a sizeable impact, perhaps more so, acknowledges Chao, because of the Chinese association. Xi'an Impression reopened for in-house dining from 1 September, with Chao deliberately choosing this date so he could opt out of the Government-backed Eat out to Help Out scheme, whereby diners could get a 50% discount

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BUSINESS PROFILE when they ate in at restaurants from Monday to Wednesday throughout August.

“If too many people had come together at the same time, this would have compromised the quality of the food, “ says Chao. “As a small restaurant, I did not want long queues building up.”

The restaurant benefited however from a 30% rise in takeaways during the March lockdown, and as it was already operating a delivery service, Chao says it was a case of adapting to a rise in orders rather than starting from scratch.

“The government helped us with business rates and I also had a personal loan from the bank,” he explains. “I was thinking that by June or July, we would be back to normal, but now I believe it will take a year or two. I have a loyal group of

customers, so once we re-opened, they just came back. Preserving this group of customers is my biggest achievement.”

Spice of life Xian Impression may be tiny seating around 17 inside with a couple of outdoor spots, but the dishes certainly pack a punch. The spicing in its signature Biang Biang noodles - created fresh on site twice a day, is delicate but lingers nicely on the back of the throat, while ‘smacked cucumber’, cooked in a garlic sauce, adds another refreshing tingle. Other popular dishes include cold noodles, potsticker dumplings and pork burgers.

Despite the Covid pandemic still casting a long shadow over the hospitality sector, Chao is looking to the future, and is busy planning not

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one, but two new ventures. The opening of a second Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles (delayed by the pandemic but slated for early next year, possibly in West London) and a new concept - a Chinese vegetarian eatery. Details for this are still under wraps but Chao hopes to bring the same regional touch to this venture as he has achieved with Xi’an Impression.

“Even in these difficult times, there is one constant - people have to eat,” acknowledges Chao. “And If they love your food, they will come back for more and if they don’t go out, they will eat at home. Keep positive, we are all having to adapt to the current situation.”

Xi’an Impression 117 Benwell Road London N7 020 3441 0191

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FEATURE

Starting in tough times

Emma Graveney with husband Tim Photo: Nic Crilly-Hargrave

Japanese restaurant Kibou launched in Cheltenham in 2013. Seven years on, its founder Emma Graveney opened a branch in London’s Battersea. Timing couldn’t be worse - with an anticipated opening of April 2020, and with a UK-wide lockdown imposed at the end of March, the restaurant had to postpone its debut by nearly three months.

Graveney, however, has plenty of experience of diving in at the deep end. She honed her skills in the restaurant/catering industry in the late 1980s, firstly by managing a sandwich round business, and then by taking on an opportunity presented by a friend and business contact. This was to take on a failing restaurant site at the Chelsea Farmers Market, off the King’s Road in London.

“Some of the best times of my life were spent learning the ropes of the

trade at The Chelsea Farmers Market,” she says. “Fortunately youth was on our side back then and we took every fall with a pinch of salt, getting up time and time again, until it became a great success.”

Graveney and her family moved to Cheltenham from London in 2009.

Her idea for Kibou came about from a craving for Japanese food and spotting a gap in the market realising that at the time, there was little, if any, opportunity to try Japanese food in Cheltenham.

“It seemed to me that the town was ready for it and I needed a job so I took a chance and found the smallest site I could find to minimise the risk of failure - 24 seats,” she recalls. “I chose the name ‘Kibou’ because it means ‘hope’ in Japanese.”

Graveney acknowledges that it was a bold move to open a Japanese restaurant with no direct experience of Japan other than, as she puts it,

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‘my personal greed for the food. But for some reason, just as paragliders generally have no fear of heights, I have no fear of opening restaurants, rather dangerous really’.

With little experience of all things Japanese, Graveney did the next best thing - and surrounded herself with chefs and front of house staff who knew all about the country’s cuisine and its traditions. Looking back on her years in Cheltenham and now opening a restaurant in the capital in the midst of not one, but two lockdowns, Graveney’s advice is to keep things simple, stick to what you are good at and never compromise on quality or authenticity.

“Just as we do in Cheltenham, we are trying to create a very neighbourhood and independent feel about the London restaurant, by engaging and embedding ourselves within the local community – with both residents and businesses,” she

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FEATURE says. “This year more than ever has been all about being local, and the surrounding community in which we have found ourselves has been so welcoming to us.”

If 2020 has taught the restaurant industry anything, it's that anything can happen. This is the philosophy embraced by Charlie Menegatos, managing director of Going Greek, a chain of three North London eateries specialising in Mediterranean, Greek-style cuisine. Despite the ongoing situation, Menegatos is ploughing ahead with his plans to open a fourth branch, which will also be located in North London.

“This year has been really hard but there have been positive outcomes; it's made us more resilient and, as a growing business, we've learnt to evolve,” he says. “The public has shown incredible compassion for small businesses and we've built wonderful relationships with local

especially as it coincided with warm weather and trying to keep all of the safety measures in place. Being adaptable is therefore key - as

Menegatos says: “We had to change our ways again and learn how to keep all of our customers happy no matter what.”

Kibou London: Mixing the modern with the traditional Charlie Menegatos

communities. We've had a huge response from the public and our customers have stuck by us during lockdown, supporting us in ways we will be eternally grateful for.”

Menegatos adds that this year has highlighted some steep learning curves, for example, during the ‘Eat Out to Help Out' scheme, he says demand in the restaurants was incredibly tough to keep up with,

Kibou London officially opened its doors in July. The 75-cover restaurant and bar – which has reduced its numbers slightly to enable social distancing, is a cosy yet sleek and modern eatery, with hand-painted artwork on the walls featuring traditional images from Japan, alongside amusing sayings such as ‘Never!!! Eat sushi in more than one bite!!!’

When we visited at lunchtime on a weekday, the place was buzzing, staff were very welcoming and the service was efficient but not overbearing. Covid-19 protocols included temperature checks before being seated and well-spaced out seating. Dishes were generous, from the melt-in-the mouth salmon sashimi, to the beautifully-cooked ‘buta don’ - slow cooked pork belly, pak choi, egg and pickles on top of rice. Starters such as gyoza were served piping hot and crispy; we didn’t try the steaming bowls of ramen but they looked equally delicious.

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The end of traditional restaurant REVIEW

service?

juggernaut Wetherspoons —though it’s been this year which has understandably seen a huge uptake in mobile ordering and paying systems: Wi5, a web-based mobile order & pay solution for hospitality, reported a 500% increase in sign-ups, with a 2000% per cent increase in customergenerated revenue.

Nevertheless, with the influx of QR codes and app ordering systems — not to mention safety measures such as mandatory face masks and visors for staff — the very ground of what constitutes restaurant service starts to shake. So, how are restaurateurs and diners responding to this shift in dining - does the current emphasis on tech offer a multitude of benefits, or, does it erode relationships between staff and customer, indicating a potentially devastating impact on a sector already struggling to stay afloat?

By Helen Salter For many restaurant-goers, good service is one of — if not the — main draw for going out to eat. Oldschool, interactive experiences between waiter and customer are just one way a restaurant can bolster its reputation, with restaurateurs taking pride in maintaining a service which can lead to regional and national recognition. However, in the face of the pandemic, the restaurant industry has had no choice but to implement many operational changes, altering the general state of dining, which we know and love.

One of the most prominent changes restaurants have seen this year is the shift from face-to-face service to QR codes and app ordering systems. Restaurant technology of this sort has been around for many years —the most obvious partaker being pub

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A positive shift for restaurants “It’s a positive shift as long as it allows restaurants who want to stay open to stay open and encourages customers who want to eat out to eat out, and do it safely,” says Londonbased food and drink writer Lucas Oakeley. Indeed, implementing mobile technology can offer a business a number of advantages, such as monitoring customer demand, track and trace functionality, increase in safety and hygiene and giving the customer greater control. In a research study of 1000 diners by digital ordering platform Ordamo, technology solutions such as contactless payment came third in customer’s list of priorities, with 67% of respondents feeling it was safer to order from their phone rather than restaurant staff.

But do these safety advantages outweigh the social cost of losing face-to-face interaction? Mr Mashukur Rahman, who runs Indian restaurant Jhaal in Colchester, still provides a service to his elderly customers: “We provide them with the takeaway menu, because some have said they don’t own a smartphone. I like talking to customers face-to-face - I’m a local guy and 95% of our customers are regular. So, we like having a chat with them. It is a bit different now – people are trying to eat and go home rather than interrupting, so it has changed.”

“We do however have QR codes for the younger generation – it’s so easy for them to scan and take an order,” says Mashukur. “But if you go to my different level of customer - who will come here with their wife, perhaps 50 years old, will want to talk to the owners face-to-face - and this is where the problem is. So, we’re accommodating to both.”

While the central point of newly implemented tech is to help staff avoid close contact with customers — as well as preventing crowds and physical queues from gathering — it’s apparent there is resistance to its role, not only from staff but from diners, too. “I think I’m always going to prefer looking at physical menus and interacting with a real person rather

“On the whole, the influx of

HEALTH technology in restaurants is a positive

Mashukur Rahman than a phone screen because that’s part of the appeal of going to a restaurant for me,” says Lucas. “It’s being somewhere I can escape from the many, many screens in my life.”

For lots of restaurant-goers, entering an establishment is a phone-free haven, a momentary slice of respite where phones are off the table and real-life conversations flourish. Those hoping for a tech-free evening are easily disgruntled, then, by the barriers presented with yet another app download, (provided they own a smartphone), potentially resulting in a dampened dining experience.

“Unpractical and too complicated to be used effectively” “Face-to-face service is crucial for judging guest experience and making all visitors feel welcome - there are so many small details that are only conveyed by direct interaction between waiter and guest,” says the manager of one Soho restaurant, where waiters continue to serve customers. “It allows waiters to set the pace of an evening, and guides diners through any questions they might have. It’s a crucial feature of restaurant service: for the waiting staff to be present, and helpful, but not over-bearing,” the manager says.

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change, however in some cases it can become unpractical and too complicated to be used effectively.

It’s also increasingly important for all team members to be confident with new tech and systems, which can alienate some workers,” the manager says. “I think the uptake in technology involved in hospitality venues will certainly change what we consider ‘traditional’ restaurant service but can never replace it. The importance of waiters in restaurant settings won’t be overlooked.”

It may be argued, crucially, that there is a time and place for a tech-driven dining experience: “If I’m looking for a quick lunch then I’m totally OK with the QR codes and apps McDonald’s had already got that sort of ordering nailed pre-Covid and there are definitely benefits to it,” says Lucas. “Plus, if staff aren’t comfortable coming to tables and taking orders, then I’d rather they’re not forced to do that just for my sake!”

Data protection and breaches Though many tech solutions such as Wi5 require no app downloads or registration, allowing a more frictionless experience, they do present numerous data protection challenges. Before re-opening on July 4th, the government asked all restaurants to collect personal data to assist in track and trace, allowing businesses to store potentially sensitive data. This means commercial exploitation, state databases and data breaches are all at play, posing greater privacy risks for customers.

Ultimately, when it comes to health and safety, reducing physical contact in the casual dining arena remains key to staying in line with government guidelines. Diner reassurance at a time when anxiety levels are high is paramount, not to mention the economic challenges many of us face in tandem. Most customer-facing technology — digital menus, contactfree orders and payment solutions — are specifically designed to shorten

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the time it takes for customers to what it is with your standard credit card HEALTH receive and pay for the bill. Indeed, provider. If you add these costs to the reducing time spent indoors is stress of operating at reduced capacity, preferable in this climate and may, in and it’s clear to see the strain turn, enhance customer confidence; restaurants are under.

Prask Sutton, chief executive and founder of Wi5, claims there's evidence What is the future of showing businesses could save around restaurant service?

17 minutes per order.

This smartphone-driven environment First-class service lies in the spirit of fails to consider, however, how hospitality, and for many shapes not unpredictable phones act when we need only a restaurant’s reputation but also them most, owing to a shaky Internet the reason why so many want to work connection, low storage and a low in the industry. So, what does the future

battery on the brink. “I’ve had a few issues; I don’t have data on my phone, so I rely on Wi-Fi whenever I’m out and about. Frantically attempting to connect to the Internet while scanning a QR code as a line of disgruntled people forms behind you can be a bit of a pain sometimes,” says Lucas. “But that discomfort is only momentary, and I wouldn’t say it detracts from the overall experience.”

Naturally, business owners ought to be eager to fully embrace technology should it bolster a beleaguered sector; any implementable measures which increase sales at a time when profit margin are slim and maintenance costs are rising are welcome. But how easy are they to implement, and is it costeffective? Reports claim tech can cost up to £1000 to set up, with the cost of processing payments more than double

look like for the sector? “This is the way we of doing business now. I believe it’s the new trend, we’ve said goodbyes to menus,” says Mashukur.

“My future plan is every table will have an iPad, and from that you can order your food and pay as well. The only thing we’ll provide is the food and that’s how it’s going to be.

"I’m happy as an owner, because some of the staff, not matter how good they are, they make mistakes. The kids are different – they’re here to eat their food and go – they’re not interested in hearing your life stories, so for them it’s the way forward. It’s a generational argument and it’s going to go that way I think.”

“In business, if you want to go forward you have to keep up with the trends, otherwise you’ll be out of the market,” says Mashukur.

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“I like talking to my elderly customers, they know me by name, and I know them by name, most of them don’t need the menu because I know the order, but the younger generation, they love using tech. I use a smartphone I don’t deny that, however when I go to a restaurant, I want to see the menu, but it’s not going to be there anymore.”

Though technology offers a safer, cleaner alternative to sharing menus and social interaction, the foundations of the restaurant experience go under threat. Will this new-found appetite for mobile tech last longer than the pandemic, and is the digital shift a sustainable one? “I hate to be a pessimist but whether or not it’s a viable long-term solution depends on what restaurants are still left after all ‘this’ is over,” says Lucas. “I’d be lying if I said the prospect of a world filled with restaurants that resemble McDonald’s and Wetherspoons wasn’t utterly depressing.”

With countless independents unable to introduce all of these digital measures, as well as the hundreds of owners smacked with further restrictions and with further lockdowns on the horizon, the already ailing sector faces a perilous winter ahead - with jobs hanging in the balance.

Whether the future of restaurants resembles a technology-driven one, free of the old-school service between staff and customer, is not entirely up to restaurant-goers and owners, says Lucas: “I worry that by making these restrictions necessary, we’ll be phasing out a great deal of businesses and forcing them out of a dining landscape that they’re integral to. The government needs to work harder to protect those people and their businesses. Because restaurants might well survive but I’m not sure if they’ll be the sort of restaurants I’ll actually want to go to.”

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FEATURE

C

ovid-19 has created an uncertain future for many industries. With restrictions changing frequently both in the UK and abroad, and new rules being imposed with very little notice, keeping up with the latest advice is a challenge in itself.

But if there is one certainly in the weeks or months ahead, it is that people will need to continue with social distancing wherever possible and reduce levels of interaction. While this may seem alien to the restaurant industry and its emphasis on service levels (see our feature on page 30), technology, particularly contactless solutions, is going a long way towards offering a solution that works for businesses and diners. So what is possible now and what might the future hold in this area, for both parties?

Many restaurants have already invested in seamless online ordering services and digital menus, meaning customers don't

Getting to grips with technology

have to hold paper versions and can instead view items on their own devices, thus avoiding the potential spread of germs when seated inside a venue. Of course, diners can choose not to visit a restaurant at all should they feel more comfortable dining at home. By using a range of restaurant platforms - such as Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats, they can avoid areas that may become crowded without compromising on their choice of food.

From the restaurant’s point of view, technology can be used for both online and table orders, to help manage staff and also keep them safe by limiting their levels of interaction, and to organise deliveries and takeaways. Other possible applications include live kitchen updates and live wait time updates, as well as the ability for

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restaurants to identify the dietary requirements of each dish; this information can then be shared with customers. “Diners won't have to wait around to collect a meal that isn't ready, nor will they face an inaccurate order that poses a risk to their health if allergies or meal changes are missed,� says Darren Diamond, founder of restaurant management system Crakos.

Much of what is available today though - such as ordering from your table via iPads or using kiosk, still involves some form of contact, and people may increasingly become reluctant to use a screen that may have been touched many times before. Studies from the US suggest that voice assistants for self-service kiosks could be one solution. The technology would be able to process voice orders given via mobile apps or kiosks, for example. A more futuristic idea is the use of robots in the hospitality industry - perhaps to serve food, thus limiting contact even more while still providing a level of service. Robots would not only increase levels of social distancing, but they could also be used to reduce the number of people that are physically in one workplace.

Such a scenario may well be some time away and of course, the cost of uptake may be prohibitive for smaller businesses. So what is working well now? For Birgit Opland, co-owner of Opland Burger & Steak restaurant, which is based in Oslo, Norway, one real benefit of using technology in her business is the ability for customers to pay upfront with minimum levels of contact - even

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when dining in. She has been using an app called Jisp, which offers services including interactive menus, preorder and contact-free payment options.

“The payment side is brilliant – because people have already paid through the app, they are free to go whenever they wish to, they don’t have to sit there and wait for their bill to come,” she says. “And the app allows people to tip waiters too, which is fantastic, meaning they don’t have to handle cash or touch card readers anymore.”

She adds that the business is now also able to upsell more drinks, something that was less frequent prior to using the technology.

“People started ordering drinks that they would normally not order at all; now they have the full menu on their phones, they have the time to sit there and go through all of them,” she says. “They can see how they look in the app, as you can view pictures of each order and videos of how they were made, and then they can place an order at their own pace.”

One downside of implementing technology over human contact could be a perceived lack of service. While Opland believed this might be the case, she says the opposite is true, and service levels have improved.

“You are not standing there waiting for customers to order because you need to run off and take someone else’s order too; rather you are helping them to make the choice if needed and advise them,” she says. “We removed the pressure from people to order quickly.”

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VEGAN TRENDS

Top Five Trends for Veganuary

By Louise Palmer Masterton Stem & Glory In the space of just one year to Nov 2020, Deliveroo reported a 115% increase in demand for plant-based meals. In my hometown of Cambridge, where Stem & Glory was the only vegan place in town in 2017, we now have five all-vegan outlets, including two vegan burger joints. All are busy, which is testament to the popularity of the movement. A movement that surely only those in denial about the unsustainability of animal consumption can ignore or pass off as a ‘fad’.

2021

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VEGAN TRENDS

With Veganuary upon us, it’s a good time to look back at the vegan trends of 2020, and to look ahead to 2021, which many people predict will be even more stratospheric in terms of growth.

2020 was without a doubt the year of plant-based ‘meat’, attracting not only consumer attention, but also large-scale investor attention. The IPO of US brand ‘Beyond Meat’ was the best performing first-day IPO in nearly two decades. The UK brand THIS™ Seedrs campaign was the fastest ever campaign to hit £1.5m+ and closed on £4.5m in a matter of days.

Investors, it seems, are falling over themselves to invest in the plantbased space, and we’re seeing an ever-growing number of vegan and ethical investment firms. I have spoken to a few of them, along with leading vegan chefs, to take a look at where the market is heading.

The plant-based movement has not only grown in popularity, but it’s now well capitalised and poised for even greater growth and market penetration. As a vegan business this is of course great news. And an ethical business with ethical and vegan investors is, of course, the perfect match. This growth in vegan capital comes at a time when consumers are looking to make more ethical and sustainable buying choices, so the synergy between investments and consumer trends accelerates the pace of this revolution.

2020 wasn't only the year of plantbased meat launches, it was also the year that all the major UK supermarkets introduced or expanded their own vegan ranges, and the year that, through sheer demand, all UK food outlets were compelled to have greater plantbased offerings.

As a vegan person however, I do think there is a long way to go, both in terms of quality and quantity. I find myself walking out of most mainstream shops empty handed as I still cannot find what I am looking for. Which for reference is something healthy, super tasty and with attention to balanced nutrition. All too often a vegan offering is still just a bunch of vegan ingredients lumped together with not much thought, and no attention to flavour.

With that in mind, I wonder how many of the plethora of plantbased meat products that are on the

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shelves now will still be there at the end of 2021? Early adopters of these products are no doubt already onto the next thing. So where is it we see new products starting to gain ground, and where do we see vegan products in the UK heading in 2021?

Vegan Seafood Even more of an oxymoron that vegan meat, vegan seafood has become a fast-moving trend all over the world. I was in Amsterdam in the heady days of Feb 2020. We were on a food tour as part of the Global Restaurant Investment Forum and landed at a place called ‘Vegan Junk Food Bar’. Another oxymoron really, as although they do serve a lot of vegan junk (also known as ‘dirty vegan’), it was there I had my first experience of vegan ‘sashimi’.

‘Vegan sashimi’, what sorcery is this?’ I hear you cry. The first thing to note is that it really, really looks like raw fish. I admit I had very low expectations of the first piece I put in my mouth. These however were immediately dispelled. It was quite tasty, served with a sweet soy dip, and very moreish. I am not really a fan of plant-based meat, but I would eat this again.

Aside from my vegan sashimi experience, the vegan seafood movement does seem to be following a similar trajectory to vegan meat, in that seafood junk deep fried scampi, deep fried vegan shrimp, fish burgers, and fish goujons - is popular in both supermarkets and early adopter food outlets. We are however starting to see better quality attempts at vegan salmon, tuna and even caviar, with greater attention to health and natural ingredients.

Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni from Vegan Capital is one of the best

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VEGAN TRENDS

known and most active investors in the plantbased space.

Vegan Capital is an early investor in seafood company ‘Good Catch’ and Sebastiano has observed rapid growth in this area.

Sebastiano also notes that some companies that are still involved in animal seafood are now venturing into plant-based. Nestlé, for example, recently released the first plant-based tuna in Switzerland. It was very positively received by consumers.

These global companies seem to know that the writing is on the wall.

Sebastiano believes a greater focus on health, protein, and healthy fats is a new trend within plant-based, and this echoes our own feelings here at Stem & Glory. As plant-based becomes mainstream, a shift within the sector towards healthier products is a revolution that is happening now. Which is a perfect segue to our next top vegan trends for 2021

Healthier Fake ‘Meat’ We have come a long way in terms of plant-based meat, cheese and seafood replacements, but let's face it, these are all processed, and do not contain the same nutritional profile as their animal counterparts.

Take the vegan sashimi product for example. Raw fish is

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an extremely light and healthy product, high in protein and healthy fat, and very low in carbohydrates.

The plant-based counterpart has a high starch content and is a completely refined and processed product.

What we know about good health is that you need a diet high in natural protein and low in refined carbs, so this is a big challenge to plant-based alternatives. The wake-up call to this is already beginning to happen, and we predict that 2021 will be the year we start to see a trend in the direction of healthier and less processed animal alternatives.

We are putting our energy into a trend which is sneaking in through the back door. Ed Al Subaei, executive Chef at Stem & Glory, is a genius at creating fake ‘meat’ out of vegetables, instead of highly processed ingredients.

For example, he makes a show stopping ‘ham’ from smoked celeriac sheets, and ‘chorizo’ from beetroot.

Using the classic flavours to make the experience, whilst remaining 100% unprocessed.

This is something that struck me way back when I became vegan. It isn't always the meat that is the reason you like a certain dish, it’s a combination of layers of flavour, and if you can create those same layers of flavour from non-animal products, you really can create the same taste sensation.

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VEGAN TRENDS As mentioned above, all too often products are veganised simply by removing the animal products, without much attention to the taste, and in many cases the texture. At Stem & Glory we are in development mode for our new ready meal range which does have a focus on taste and texture, as well as innovative dishes.

The aim is to bring restaurant quality to supermarket shelves and raise the bar on vegan ready meals. We believe that as well as this move towards better quality plant-based ready meals, we will also see a trend towards ready meals in general and grab-and-go foods in a wide variety of settings. A view which is echoed

by Castiglioni who predicts that ‘vegan ready meals will be the new normal, with a much greater variety of unequivocally plant-based options, easy to buy and ready to eat, taking over shelves everywhere, from gas stations to convenience stores’.

Vegan Cheese Vegan cheese is the absolute holy grail at the moment, and the race is on to be the first company that creates a plant-based cheese that has the same taste and texture as dairy cheese. The noise in the plant-based cheese space is getting louder and louder with each passing week. Personally speaking, I feel there is a long way to go, BUT 2021 could see this start to change, as a few brands are now on the verge of creating an authentic product with an engineered cow’s milk.

I checked in on this subject with Reuben Waller from Plant Candi, a well-known vegan chef. He believes ‘the slow demise of the traditional dairy business will provide a marked contrast with the rise of products such as laboratory engineered cow’s milk, which will signal a seismic shift for the vegan cheese market’.

This echoes our view too. Imagine if you could get the full variety of cheese that we have all been brought up on tasting exactly the same as the animal counterpart, but made 100% from plants. What a huge change would come. ‘Not being able to give up cheese’ is given as the number one reason for flexitarians not becoming vegan, so this would be a game changer for the vegan movement. No wonder investors are rapidly diving into this space. An engineered dairy product would also take plant-based cheese back in a natural and unprocessed direction. As I am sure you are aware if you already eat vegan cheese, many have a nasty aftertaste, and all are highly processed.

I’d just like to be a bit of a spoilsport and throw a caution into the plant-based cheese mix: If we achieve engineered cow’s milk and can effectively replicate

We are not the only ones on this path either - Tabitha Brown’s ‘carrot bacon’ video made her a social media sensation this year, with that video going viral and garnering over 12m views.

We believe all eyes will be moving in this direction in 2021 and beyond.

Vegan Ready Meals The supermarket shelves are choc-a-bloc with vegan products. Tesco has a plant-based meat section in the meat aisle, and Asda has a dedicated aisle planned for plant-based.

One gap however appears to be quality ready meals.

Tesco has been ahead of the game here with their Wicked range, which has ready meals as well as products. But for me personally, having sampled the offerings from all the major supermarkets, I am not convinced by taste or quality.

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VEGAN TRENDS

based fashion and materials in the next few years, where demand is currently outgrowing production capacity.

From an investor perspective, Michiel believes now is the time to get in and invest; ‘lots of investors still only look at alternative protein. I expect that to change in the coming year, when more funds and VCs enter the space. The market is ready to be disrupted. I think we are at that point in time where the major players of the future are now being built’.

These are my top five trends to watch for 2021, but to finish I would just like to throw in one overarching trend which will underpin all others; sustainability. To date, plant-based has been labelled, by sole virtue of it being ‘made from plants’, as ‘sustainable’. Is something sustainable just because it is plant-based?

We believe that 2021 will be the year that this comes fully under scrutiny. It isn't enough to be plant-based, tick the sustainability box and be off the hook. We all need to scrutinise our daily lives, and as businesses we have a responsibility to take whatever steps we need to reduce our carbon footprint - packaging, supply chain, ingredients. If we do this audit customers will feel safe knowing they are making ethical and more sustainable buying choices. And as we all know, this in turn will be good for business.

In 2021 sustainability will be the greatest trend of all, with consumers utilising their purchasing power in support of those with truly circular and authentic sustainable credentials.

dairy products from cream to camembert, are we still, from a health perspective, eating dairy? If dairy isn’t good for the human body, surely an engineered product with the exact same nutritional profile also isn't good for human consumption?

I’ll just park that with you.

Vegan Fashion I am a lifelong customer of G-Star.

It’s been extremely exciting to watch this brand develop over the years. Their range ‘Raw for the Oceans’ was making fashion from plastic pulled from the oceans long before the Blue Planet documentary. G-Star has a committment to 100% sustainable cotton, and they use a wide variety of recycled materials in their products. They are an excellent example of how a brand can use their sustainability agenda to grow their market share.

Another great example of an old established brand being ahead of the curve is Dr Martens who boasted that profits were up 70% year-on-year to March 2019 largely due to the success of their new 'vegan' range.

Vegan Dr Martens however, whilst being an excellent hard-wearing product, are made from synthetic and non-biodegradable material. So, whilst they tick the vegan box, their products are not yet sustainable.

But innovation in sustainable vegan leather is happening. Michiel van Deursen from Capital V is one investor interested in the plant-based fashion space.

‘Leather is not sustainable at all, and since the alternative is often plastic, this has brought about a shift now towards plant based and biodegradable vegan ‘leather’. Michiel predicts massive growth in plant-

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REVIEW

TO THE MANOR BORN! If there’s such a thing as a champion of the takeaway trade William Kit ticks all of the boxes.

You could say the business is in his blood, since he first got involved as a young man when his parents had the novel idea of launching a joint Chinese plus Fish and Chips many years ago.

Called The Manor, between Chigwell and Redbridge on the north eastern edges of London, the takeaway’s dual menu has proved popular in the area for years - and now William is aiming to take the business to a new level with a raft of new ideas.

He explains: “We’ve had a lot a success over the years - and get great feedback from our customers- but when I took over a few years ago I sensed it was a good time to bring in some more modern ideas if we wanted to maintain our good reputation in a fiercely competitive industry.

“That has included what was a big decision for us - to stop the fish and chips side of the business to concentrate on being the best Chinese takeaway we can be.”

All of the changes have been driven by one simple guiding light, adds William, by keeping up with the needs of customers.

“That goes from meeting strict food quality and cleanliness standards - which have been especially important during the lockdown and has seen us maintain a 5 star hygiene rating - all the way through to trying different ingredients

and dishes. I’m always brainstorming new ideas. “ Having said all that I guess the underlying principle is always to focus on quality - and never cut corners.”

So how does the food live up to the ambitions?

To make a judgement we sampled a meal for three, incorporating a mix of good old favourites and some new takes on traditional dishes.

First up was a slightly different take on the traditional chow mien in the shape of a spicy Singapore Special Chow Mein, which had just the right blend of spices, meat and noodles, and which didn’t come as a sort of

sticky mass all too common in some of the lower grade takeaways.

We thought we’d compare this with a more traditional Chicken Chow Mein - which was equally delicious for

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diners not so keen on spicier versions.

Our third main, by contrast, was a Fried Beef with Rice-also with nicely flavoured fresh ingredients- and probably as importantly for a top takeaway it was still nice and hot when it reached our plates.

Supplemented by ample helpings of sides such as prawn toast, tender spare ribs and a subtle chicken satay, all in all the selection we chose was tasty, fresh, well-spiced – still piping hot – and all for less than £40!

“That’s great,” was William’s response to our feedback. “Let’s face it, businesses like ours stand or fall on whether we keep our customers happy “I’m particularly pleased when people like the new twists we are putting on our Chinese menu. That’s one of the main reasons I’m now concentrating on Chinese food – because there is much more scope to try new approaches than there is with fish and chips where the offer has been virtually unchanged for many years.”

It’s an approach which seems to be using the foundations of 30 years experience to build a bright new future for the Manor in Chigwell and, based on our experience, it is an approach that is working.

Definitely looks like William was ‘to the Manor born!’

Manor Chinese Takeaway is at 153 Manor Road, Chigwell, IG7 5QA Tel: 020 8501 3345

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REVIEW

‘Esnaf’ is a Turkish word meaning ‘guild’ or ‘corporation’, and you’ll find many ‘Esnaf Lokantesi’ in Turkey - a casual, cafeteria-style restaurant providing traditional Turkish dishes to tradesmen. Charlotte Street in London’s Fitzrovia now has its own iteration of this Turkish concept, in the form of restaurant Pide Oven’s new ‘Esnaf’style menus, which launched at the beginning of December.

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London’s Fitzrovia. The dishes added to the menu can be found in any household in Turkey, with the aim of getting customers to experience Turkish comfort food and to highlight how Turkish cuisine is more than just kebabs.

F O ULL

“Our pides are cooked daily to order but they are not enough for a full meal,” she explains. “This gave us the idea to look at other options, ones inspired by what our mothers used to cook for us when we were growing up in Turkey.”

Pide Oven was opened in 2016 by chef-owner Ersen Salih, and focused on perfecting its range of ‘pide’ - Turkish-style pizzas, with a second 50seater outpost opening in 2018 in Hammersmith, West London. The current owners took over the business last year; over lockdown and postlockdown, they’ve been busy evolving a menu that pays homage to home-cooked Turkish food. It also adapts well to the many restrictions that restaurants are dealing with as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

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This led to the ‘Esnaf’ concept, with Pide Oven looking to recreate the counter-food, comforting meal experience, where people can mix and match a range of fresh, healthy dishes. Diners can select their base, protein, meze and sauce.

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If you want to eat in, the tiny Charlotte Street eatery does its best to immerse you in a Turkishstyle ambience. Seating around ten people, there are wooden counter-style tables with metal stools, offering a no frills but welcoming experience, with one wall featuring a floor-to-ceiling Turkish scene, with smaller photographs of Turkish produce adorning other walls.

The menu for example features ‘Esnaf boxes’, which will appeal to a takeaway crowd. It’s essentially a container with four sections where you can mix and match your food from a range of Turkish meze; you can also sample Esnaf plates and more substantial meze dishes such as moussaka. All of these can accompany the restaurant's classic pide dishes (boat-shaped pizzas with a Middle Eastern twist) and lahmacun (round thin pieces of dough topped with minced lamb).

We started with a strong, comforting Turkish coffee, before sampling one of the new Esnaf boxes, featuring Turkish runner beans with tomato, courgette fritters baked in an oven, pilav rice and cacik (similar to Greek tzatziki). This was followed by a chicken and helim pide, with roasted chicken, halloumi and tomatoes drizzled with honey and topped with fragrant spices and a mince lamb lahmacun, described on the menu as the ‘godfather of pizza’.

Pide Oven’s operations manager, Tugba Acikel, says the new menu aims to take Pide Oven that step closer to a traditional Turkish eatery, albeit in

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All the food is prepared fresh daily and there’s plenty to satisfy both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike - such as a Tulum and Kasar cheese pide and one with roasted summer vegetables. Likewise, if you’re after a more substantial lunch, you could opt for the ‘hearty box’, featuring a Tas Kebab beef stew, pilav rice, stuffed vine leaves and babaganoush or a lighter option is the ‘Chick Box,’ with marinated Mediterranean chicken, jewelled couscous, rocket salad and hummus.

If you’re tempted by something sweet, opt for sutlac - Turkish rice pudding or the Kaymakli Antep FItikli pide, with clotted cream, pistachios and honey. It’s the perfect spot for a quick, filling dinner or lunch on the go; unsurprisingly footfall was well down on

numbers when we visited but the restaurant is hoping its takeaway concept will appeal in the meantime.

Pide Oven 45 Charlotte St Fitzrovia London W1T 1RS 020 7693 7251 Assembly 77 Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith London W6 8JA 020 8563 9270 www.pideoven.com

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NEWS

Curry could add festive cheer to Christmas menus There are changes on the choice of drinks too, with half of those surveyed (50%) saying they’ll be incorporating cocktails into their Christmas celebrations more than ever this year, such as a ‘Christmas Cosmopolitan’ or an after lunch espresso martini.

Unsurprisingly, digital elements are set to feature strongly too, with more than half off those surveyed saying they would turn to virtual entertainment, such as making a TikTok family video, hosting a Christmas carol sing-a-long via Zoom, posting images on Instagram, hosting an online quiz or enjoying a virtual drinks party.

Brenda Fiala global VP of strategy, insight and analytics for Bacardi said: “Now more than ever, people are craving connections. Celebrations may be different this year, but people still want to celebrate in style and they are approaching this festive season with a new mindset.

That means they’re pushing the boat out, shaking up traditions to create their perfect Christmas Day, and becoming increasingly discerning in their drinks choices, to make even virtual toasts as special and memorable as ever.”

Research from Bacardi on 2020 Christmas dining plans has revealed that some people will be opting for a curry instead of a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

The survey, carried out among 1,000 UK respondents, found that 15% would like to cook a curry on Christmas Day, while 10% favoured a vegan nut roast. A Christmas dinner delivery was also on the menu, with 5% choosing this option, while 22% of those surveyed said they would favour roast beef over turkey.

Top Christmas trends ● Vegan food is definitely in this year and likely to be popular well past ‘Veganuary’, but what are the least popular festive foods?

These include sherry, brandy butter and redcurrant jelly, according to a survey from greeting card provider Thortful.com, which has released its own ‘tier list’ of the most searched for festive foods on Google, ranking them from best to worst. ● We may all have more time on our hands this Christmas, with many traditional activities such as pantos, skating and carol

singing unable to take place, but this extra time might not be spent in the kitchen. A survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by Samsung revealed that many are looking to order a takeaway for their Christmas dinner. ● Christmas is also a time to experiment with food, according to a survey by Heinz [Seriously] Good Mayonnaise, with more than a quarter of respondents saying they want to experiment with a new Christmas-themed dish and try out different recipes. ● Food is still proving to be a popular gift, but this year, many

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people might be offering homemade versions of chutneys and sauces as presents. Digital magazine subscription app Readly found that people are opting for a sustainable approach, making their own gifts and recycling wrapping paper for example. ● Sourcing local foods is also on the menu, with more people planning to buy from farm shops over the festive season. Reasons for this, cited by research from NFU Mutual, include a demand for fresher, better quality produce and the environmental benefits of shopping local.

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FEATURE

How eating in became the new eating out The UK-wide lockdown in March forced restaurants to reassess their business models. With zero footfall for many weeks, the focus turned to scaling up delivery/takeaway services, with many using partners such as Just Eat, Uber Eats or Deliveroo.

In March alone, as the initial lockdown came into force, Deliveroo said it had signed up 3,000 new restaurants in the UK, while Just Eat reported similar figures in April, saying that both chains and independent neighbourhood restaurants were joining its platform.

More recently, restaurants have turned to other ways to broaden their offering, with diners able to replicate the restaurant experience at home or ordering readyprepared meals that can be eaten at leisure. While many more restaurants were able to operate a Covid-safe takeaway service during the second lockdown when compared to the first, preparing a meal at home has never been more easy. Options range from do-ityourself meal kits, whereby dishes are cooked from scratch with a set of instructions, to restaurant-quality dishes that can be heated at home and perhaps enhanced to your liking, to spice kits to liven up home cooking.

Online and in demand To bring the new ‘eating in’ to as many people nationwide as possible, restaurants are adopting a range of techniques, from building dedicated websites, to expanding delivery partnerships to building their own retail e-commerce platforms. One such example is JKS Restaurants’

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‘Ambassador General Store’ site, which launched in October. It offers finish-athome family feast boxes and signature dishes and drinks, alongside pantry items from three London-based Indian restaurants - Gymkhana, Trishna, and Brigadiers. Products can be bought directly online and are available for delivery nationwide. The website also offers drinks for purchase through the ‘Daru Shop’ (meaning liquor), including collaboration beers, ready-to-drink cocktails and wine boxes.

The restaurant group also debuted ‘Cash & Kari by Hoppers’ in October, an online shop for its Sri Lankan/South Indian restaurant, featuring meal kits, restaurantblend curry powders, Sri Lankan spices, ready-to-drink cocktails, and Hoppers’ own-brew beers. Its latest online foray is meal-kit concept Lyle’s Provisions, which launched in November, enabling diners to replicate the flavours of the restaurant’s British-food themed menu at home.

Goods include menu boxes and mince pie kits, with wine pairings available too.

Meals to go Tredwell’s, based in London’s Covent Garden, offers contemporary British cuisine. It established a delivery arm, Tredwells To Go, in response to the initial lockdown, within a week of closing the

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FEATURE premises in March. However, with such a concept requiring staff to travel to the restaurant site, owner/chef Chantelle Nicholson decided that it wasn't worth putting the team at risk, shutting down the delivery arm after a couple of weeks.

“We re-introduced it when we re-opened in August, with a new delivery partner and a much more straightforward system,” says Nicholson.

Diners can choose from a range of prepared meals, including set menus, a weekly rotating special, Sunday roast boxes and provisions that feature across the restaurant’s dishes, such as stocks and miso. Customers have the choice to either have products delivered (within a

four-mile radius) or to pick up goods from the restaurant’s Covent Garden location. When Tredwells To Go relaunched over the summer, Nicholson said it was a slow start, as at that time, people could also go to restaurants. But since the start of the second lockdown in November, the ‘to go’ side has picked up again.

“Initially, the concept was definitely a response to the virus,” says Nicholson. “The second time around, we've realised that there's nothing wrong with diversifying our offering and running this concurrently with our restaurant. It started almost as a necessary evil to keep the cogs turning, but now that we've

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done the work to get it going, we're going to keep it going as a side project. We're not sure what the future will bring so the more diverse our offering, the better.”

Middle Eastern delicatessen The Barbary launched its delivery service in November. Called The Barbary Next Door, the concept has its own dedicated website, with dishes available for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Dishes arrive cold but can be reheated, with the eatery hoping to recreate its concept for dining at home occasions. Products can be delivered immediately via Deliveroo to limited postcodes or for those who plan ahead, The Barbary says it can also deliver to other locations.

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FEATURE

From kits to kitchen Liverpool-based Chinese restaurant Lu Ban launched a new online service, Lu Ban Kitchen, in response to its enforced closure earlier this year, enabling people to order cooking kits online. A different cooking kit was launched each week, containing sachet ingredients such as rubs, oils and pastes, with cooking instructions and recipe sheets so that people could create Lu Ban-inspired dishes at home.

The cooking kits, called ‘Lu Ban Cooks’, can create a meal of three dishes and are sent all over the UK in slim boxes that fit through letterboxes. Customers would then buy the actual food ingredients themselves and use the recipe cards

and the cooking kit to create Chinese dishes at home.

This enabled the restaurant to keep functioning as well as providing an income source. Mark House, managing director of Lu Ban Kitchen and director of Lu Ban Restaurant, said the ‘kitchen’ concept was always in the pipeline but it had come to fruition much sooner in light of the lockdown.

A new ‘Heat at Home’ online service was launched on 5 November, in response to the second lockdown. This offers a range of the restaurant’s Chinese dishes prepared

by Lu Ban executive head chef Dave Critchley and his team, which are then shipped to customers across the UK in sustainable food-friendly packaging to heat at home.

The ‘Heat-at-Home’ menu features 12 regional Chinese specialities, and a selection of dishes are also available on the Lu Ban Dim Sum

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menu.The website also features Lu Ban Cooks flavour sachets. The business is also looking at introducing a subscription box service in the future.

“The development of Lu Ban Kitchen means that restaurant guests can get their Lu Ban meals, and customers from all over the UK can see what authentic, healthy Chinese cuisine is really like as the menu can be delivered anywhere in the UK,” says House.

He adds that a lot of time and effort is spent on the menu to ensure the same Lu Ban quality can be experienced at home as much as it is when dining at the restaurant.

“We are confident that loyal customers will relish the dishes on the ‘heat-to-eat’ menu and that we will find a new audience across the country,” he said.

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Call your Cobra Sales Manager or Head Oice on 0207 788 2880 to find out more.

*Source: CGA data for restaurants, 52 weeks ending 29/12/2018.

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£50 CASHBACK NOW Switch your business energy to Bionic before 28 February and you could save on your energy bills next year.

Plus if you’re a Just Eat Restaurant Partner, you’ll receive £50 cashback* paid back through your Just Eat invoice within 60 days of switching.

It’s quick, it’s simple. Call Bionic today and quote “Curry” to save.

0800 158 3704

*Offer available to all active Just Eat Restaurant Partners. Switch business energy supplier with Bionic by Sunday 28 February 2021 to receive £50 cashback.

Max 1 x £50 cashback reward per Restaurant Partner and must not be used with any other offer. For full terms and conditions visit partner.just-eat.co.uk/info/bionic-tcs