Autumn eating – new menu ideas.

Autumn EATING

With the trend for healthier eating gathering pace, and the desire for indulgence and a treat when in the out of home setting persisting, cafés and coffee shops now have a great opportunity to revamp their menus as their customers reestablish their routines.

HEALTHY AND COLOURFUL

“When the days turn chillier, it’s the ideal opportunity for café operators to look at what new products are available to enhance their menu,” says Gordon Lauder, MD of frozen food distributor Central Foods (www.centralfoods. co.uk).

“The obvious choices are warm, comforting options. But think about colour too. Beetroot is a beautiful, rich ingredient that is sure to hot up any autumn menu. The Menuserve beetroot and thyme tarte tatin, for example - featuring sticky, caramelised balsamic roasted beetroot wedges delicately fl avoured with thyme on a crisp puff pastry base - is a visually striking main course dish which can be served with roasted vegetables or accompanied by a simple salad for a light lunch. It’s vegan and vegetarian-friendly too - making it ideal to cater for the growing demand for plant-based menu options. Beetroot is a vegetable that’s currently bang on trend. It’s healthy, tasty and provides a gorgeous rich colour that’s sure to brighten up any café menu this autumn.

“Or how about the Menuserve brie and red onion tart, which is suitable for gluten-free and vegetarian diners? Available in individual portions, the tarts make it really easy for cafés to satisfy demand for delicious gluten-free menu items. The tart has a fl avoursome preprepared crisp, gluten-free cheddar and chive pastry case fi lled with a meltingly creamy brie and cheddar sauce topped with a tangy red onion compôte. Again, it’s visually very appealing.

“What can be more comforting on an autumn breakfast menu than crumpets? These versatile British favourites can be brought bang up to date and given a modern twist by offering a selection of different toppings – both sweet and savoury. They can also be served throughout the day. Try banana, blueberries and syrup, smashed avocado sprinkled with chilli fl akes, or the traditional breakfast favourite of bacon and egg to offer crumpets with a difference. The only limit is your imagination!

“Crumpets make a great alternative to bread muffi ns and are sure to go down well with all customers. Peculiarly British and appealing to a sense of nostalgia, they are likely to be especially popular with older café visitors who’ll no doubt remember eating crumpets as youngsters. Their versatility means they can also be served for brunch, lunch and snack menus, too - more than earning their keep in your kitchen!

“The KaterBake luxury crumpets supplied by Central Foods are made with a sourdough recipe and are veganfriendly too – meaning that they are suitable for customers looking for plant-

Seeking inspirati on?

Helping to mark a welcome return to food and hospitality industry events, and offering a source of inspiration, one of the country’s largest and most popular food festivals - the Newmarket Food and Drink Festival - is set for its return next month, and it looks like it’s going to be a veritable heaven for foodies with over 50 regional producers showcasing the best they have to offer alongside a who’s who of celebrity chefs.

The hugely popular free festival, which celebrates the fi nest food and drink from across East Anglia, attracted over 15,000 visitors in 2019. This year, it is due to take place during the weekend of 11-12 September at a brand-new location, the grounds of the Jockey Club Rooms in the centre of Newmarket. The new location will create more space and organisers hope it will also open the festival to a larger and more diverse audience by also offering the chance to view inside one of the world’s most unique sporting venues (limited spaces offered by prior appointment).

The celebrity chef line-up appearing on the cooking stage this year will include chef and TV presenter, Rosemary Shrager, Tristan Welch (a regular on BBC 1’s Saturday Kitchen and chef director at Parker’s Tavern in Cambridge), acclaimed master chef Hans Schweitzer, who has cooked for the Queen, presidents, dignitaries and celebrities across the globe, and Mark Abbott (head chef of the 2 Michelin Star restaurant Midsummer House in Cambridge), one of only 11 restaurants in the UK and Ireland to hold two stars and the only one in the region. Each chef will demo a range of dishes to teach audiences new skills and offer inspiration in the kitchen.

Visitors will also be able to sample and buy from over 60 food and drink stalls from across East Anglia, offering an array of locally grown produce, wines, spirits and beers, street food from around the world, vegan foods, and artisan grocery products. A small selection of this year’s stalls includes Gentleman Jim’s mobile bar, the award-winning Hadley’s Ice Cream. East Coast Chilli company, the Old Felixstowe Brewing Company, Hudson’s Chocolate, Harrison Chocolatiers, the Candy Stop, Powters sausages and Three Counties Field Kitchen

based options. The plant-based trend is very much here to stay, accelerated by an increasing interest in health and well-being which has been encouraged by the pandemic.

“Tasty sausage rolls are a traditional favourite on autumn menus, but to ensure your vegan and vegetarian customers don’t miss out, add a plantbased sausage roll to your offering. The KaterVeg! vegan-friendly unbaked sixinch sausage roll is perfect for food-togo or sit-down menus. A ready-glazed unbaked sausage roll, it has a generous and delicious, herby, textured pea protein fi lling wrapped in light, fl aky puff pastry.”

SEASONAL

“When thinking about hot foods for autumn, choosing recipes that incorporate seasonal ingredients will ensure an interesting and revolving menu as well as minimising costs. Increasingly consumers are looking for dishes made with seasonal produce, particularly that which is sourced locally,” advises James Golding, chef ambassador for Maple from Canada (www.maplefromcanada.co.uk).

“The arrival of autumn brings with it some exciting new seasonal ingredients, such as pumpkin, fi g, carrot, chestnut and beetroot. From creating soups from scratch through to homemade cakes, naturally sweetened with carrot or beetroot or maple syrup, as well as plums, pears and apples for desserts, there is so much that can be created to refl ect what is in season. Seasonal claims add value to your menu too and can help lift the price point of as consumers are prepared to pay more for dishes with a seasonal backstory.

“Eating seasonally is one of the most delicious ways to live more sustainably and the UK is home to the very best fresh produce, from herbs and spices to fruit and vegetables. However, keeping up with what is in season monthly and learning how to make the most of produce when it’s at its best can be tricky. Your delivered wholesaler can talk to you about promotions and availability of seasonal produce for the Autumn to help with planning. Maple from Canada is also offering some great resources for caterers to make the most of seasonal products from guidance to recipes.”

Maple from Canada has created a seasonal food wheel - an easy guide which allows caterers to quickly see what produce is in season and provides inspirational recipes using pure Canadian maple syrup to help transform fresh fruit and veg into sustainable and delicious dishes. James Golding also hosts the Maple in Season podcast, talking about the importance of creating seasonal recipes (Always in Season – the podcast – Maple from Canada).