Menu money-savers
for the lean months
by JOHN PORTER
Quorn options such as QuornPro’s raw slaw cheeseburger can add some variety to your vegetarian menu
Despite some positives from the chancellor’s autumn statement, the financial crisis continues to bite. With the post-Christmas lull looming, now’s the time to make sure you have a solid plan to keep costs down in the kitchen, while keeping the punters coming through the doors. The new year tends to deliver a series of whammies for pubs, as the goodwill-to-all spirit of Christmas gives way to the cold shoulder of January. For publicans, the adrenaline rush of the busy festive period fades into the grim reality that the lean months are here, while for pub customers there’s the inevitable arrival of the bills that seemed so far away when they were Christmas shopping. Add to that the triumph of hope over experience as people swap their eating-out budgets for gym memberships, and the first
couple of months of the year can be slim pickings for pubs. There’s not even the consolation of cold turkey for operators going cold turkey. Even if the kitchen has had the foresight to freeze any leftovers from Christmas dinner in accordance with best food hygiene practice, offering a turkey curry on a new year menu is likely to prove as popular as a meat raffle at a Veganuary celebration.
Traditional fare is trending
That’s not to say, though, that there aren’t opportunities to make the most of hearty winter dishes such as pies and stews, which have strong customer appeal. These can be made with better-value cuts of meat and fish, alongside hearty vegetarian choices. As well as delivering a much-need GP boost at a quiet trading time, such dishes are bang on-trend with consumers, it turns out. Bidfood has identified “Rustic and Rural” as one of the key food trends driving diners’ eating out choices in 2024. Farm to fork concepts, provenance and menu stories are increasingly popular, along with handmade pasta and bakery products, garden veg and salads, and heritage produce. This
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