Special diet… how you can cater for people who follow the halal diet

Halal

Halal is the diet Muslims follow. It’s the Arabic word for ‘lawful’. The Halal Food Authority says: “Halal food means food procured, processed, and traded in compliance with Islamic Law.” Halal meat must be killed in a certain way and be blessed. Here’s how you can cater for the diet

Meat

Many national chains in areas with a high Muslim population serve dishes made with halal meat. If you want to compete in this space, it’s worth looking at using halal meats when planning your menus. Consider off ering both halal and non-halal to cater for Muslim and non-Muslim customers. However, it is important to make sure you cook and store them separately to avoid crosscontamination to the halal meat.

THERE ARE an estimated 3.3m

muslims living in the uk* Drinks

As the halal diet excludes alcohol, soft drinks are a must on your menu. The thirst for exciting non-alcoholic drinks is growing in general, so there is no excuse for just a coke, lemonade and orange juice bar anymore. Consider adding premium mixers to your drinks menu that work well on their own such as elderfl ower tonic. Mocktails of any kind feel special and add interest and inspiration to your menu.

GOOD TO KNOW

If your venue is in an area with a large Muslim population, it’s worth considering this potentially lucrative market. Here’s how you can get halal accreditation: brws.it/halal

Veggie options

Off ering a greater choice of vegetarian options means that you don’t necessarily have to off er halal meat options if you choose not to. All vegetarian dishes are suitable, however, be mindful that for non-meat dishes there are ingredients such as meat-derived gelatine and animal rennet (found in some cheese) that shouldn’t be used. If the ingredient is certifi ed vegetarian and doesn’t contain alcohol, then it will be suitable for use in halal dishes.