Sysco Christmas 2023

Always proud to Love Local

Our island-wide network is built on local expertise

Growers, bakers, roasters and cheesemakers; the island of Ireland boasts a wealth of talent when it comes to local producers and makers.

We at Sysco are proud to work with a top-class network of local suppliers to bring you and your business the very best of Irish ingredients and flavour.

To learn more about our suppliers and how their products can support your menu needs speak to your Area Sales Manager or visit order.syscoireland.com

Dockrell's Carrots - Wexford

Cashel Blue - Tipperary

Lispopple Apples - Dublin

We’ve nurtured and developed the largest network of local producers and growers in the industry which means that we can always bring you the freshest, finest and most innovative food products. This Sysco Christmas preview is all about working smart and showcasing clever ways to use our range of products to save time, labour and costs, and ultimately help you be successful this festive season.

MEET THE

Our team of in-house development chefs taste, test and experiment with a wide range of new products across our extensive portfolio. They come up with clever ways to use prepared and labour-saving products, jazzing them up easily to make an impact on the menu. Between them, the team have over 30 years of experience working as chefs. Their industry knowledge is exceptional, making them a fantastic resource for you, our customers.

Sysco development chefs: Ben Arnold, Simon Hudson and Liam Byrd.

Traditional OFFERING

EXPERT TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR CHRISTMAS MENU

THE MAIN EVENT: TURKEY & HAM

ADDING A LITTLE SOMETHING TO TURKEY & HAM PORTIONS

Tips for

creating your festive menu

Keep clever ways to save on prep, labour and cost in mind.

Don’t shy away from prepared products.

Check out Chef Simon’s top picks:

494814

Sysco Classic Cooked & Stuffed Turkey & Ham Portions

A great choice for banqueting – especially for Christmas party nights.

497589

Premium Potato Gratin Saves majorly on time and tastes great.

Get seasonal

There’s no need to go overboard with seasonal produce, simply pick one or two to champion. Here are our team’s favourites...

Parsnips

T80

Marguerites Home-Made Mince Pies 24x67gm

Pair them with a little brandy butter or spiced custard and you’re away!

Champion Irish

Supporting local is of great importance to many customers. Featuring hero local products on your menu is an excellent way of proving that you are embedded in that community and share in those values. Pick a few hero Irish products that you can shout about. There are tonnes of fantastic Irish products. Here’s a sample...

Celeriac Carrots

Blood oranges

Winter quince

Turkey

A9

Turkey Boned & Rolled White Meat Only (Netted) 1x5-6kg

TY178

Turkey Butterfly Skin On Female 1x2.5kg

TY121

Turkey Roulade with Festive Stuffing 1x3.5kg

TYH113

Turkey Breast Lobe Netted Skin On 1x2-2.4kg

Deelvale Turkey Butterfly Skin On 1x4.5-7.5kg

TY113

499228

Fleurie, Domaine de Chermette ‘Pioncie’, Beaujolais – France

PAIR WITH TURKEY

Ham

BC504

McCarrens Bacon Gammon Horseshoe Boned & Rolled 1x4.5-6kg

in with the HAM

With its flavoursome fat content, ham is arguably one of the most crave-able meats, and can be used in many ways across your winter offering – not just as part of the traditional turkey and ham plate.

1.

Use baked ham to make tempting sandwiches. The classic Christmas sandwich is just one option – consider a Croque Monsieur or Madame on your lunch menu, a twist on a Reuben, or an elevated cheese toastie with brie and cranberry sauce.

2. Ham and cheese croquettes make a popular bar snack, party food or side dish.

3.

A shredded ham hock terrine makes a wonderful prep-ahead starter, served with toasted baguette, and mustard or piccalilli.

BC539 Gammon Boned & Rolled 1x2.5kg

BC503 Green Irish Bacon Gammon Boned & Rolled 1x7-9kg

BC538

Halved Gammon Boned & Rolled 1x3.5-4.2kg

BC543 Bacon Gammon Log 1x5.8-6.8kg

BC502* Bacon Gammon Boned & Rolled Smoked 1x7kg

* In stock closer to festive period

BA212 Pinot Noir, Maison Edouard Delaunay ‘Septembre’, Burgundy – France

PAIR WITH HAM

Master Carve cooked Turkey & Ham portions 24x7-8oz 494814

Place

portions

Make your turkey & ham portion shine

Different ways to glaze up

After steaming, brush your glaze onto the turkey.

Apricot and rosemary

Orange pepper and maple

Clementine, thyme, and honey

Irish whiskey and tarragon

Apple cinnamon and cider

Cranberry, clove and cinnamon

Redcurrant, rosemary and ginger

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Go a step further and use this product to create a Turkey and Ham Wellington. Some puff pastry and a little truffle paste will elevate this prepared product to the next level!

PK428 McCarrens Boneless Pork Belly Rind On 2x4kg

Centre PLATE

SEAFOOD, BEEF, GAME AND MORE

NEW AND EXCITING RECIPE IDEAS

EXPERT GUIDANCE FOR PREPARING BEEF

Champion centre-plate alternatives this Christmas

Poultry and game

D16

Barbarie Duck Breast 1x2x200-250gm

D75Z

Silver Hill Boneless Crispy Roast Duck 10x600gm

494686

Sysco Classic Calibrated Chicken Cut Fillets 5 x70-190gm

VN242

Wild Irish Game Boneless Venison Saddle 1x1.5-3kg

Pork

PK402Z Pork Spare Ribs 1x10kg

D7Z

Silver Hill Honey Roast Half Duck 10x300gm

GU300

Oven-Ready Guinea Fowl 4x780gm (pre-order)

PG600Z Wild Irish Game Pigeon Crowns 2x12x90-110gm

VN245

Wild Irish Game Venison Saddle (Bone In) 1x3-5kg

VN602

Wild Irish Game Venison Haunch Steak 1x2x200gm

PK478Z Pork Loin Ribs 8x600gm

PK249 Pork Loin Boneless 1x3.5-4.5kg

Create perfect beef

for foodservice

Chef Ben shares his tips

Before selecting a cut of beef, work out the portion cost to determine the selling price to ensure you can make a decent margin.

Season your beef heavily and evenly, remove it from the fridge at least an hour before cooking.

BF223

Irish Nature Beef Striploin 1x9-11kg

BF471

Irish Nature Beef Spare Rib Jacobs Ladder 1x1.6-2.2kg

BF842

Irish Nature Beef Feather Blade 1x2.5-3.5kg

493021*

Irish Nature Spiced Beef

1x900-1200gm

* In stock closer to festive period

Use a built-in oven probe and cook to the required internal temperature for consistency.

Use the steam roast function as an aid if necessary and always allow time for resting.

BF403

Irish Nature Beef Cube Roll (Rib Eye) 1x2.6-3.9kg

BF100

Irish Nature Beef Top Rib Housekeepers Cut Rolled & Tied 1x4.5-7kg

Cook lower and slower for tougher cuts. Cook overnight to take into consideration time and oven space.

When reheating braised/cooked and pressed/shaped, reheat in braising liquor/jus to 67°C and use a hot hold oven for service if required.

495856 Chateau Pascaud Bordeaux Superior - Bordeaux, France

PAIR WITH BEEF

Seafood

FS1099Z Single Pincer Crab Claw 1x1kg

FS1033Z Prawn Vannamei Peeled & Deveined 26/30 10x1kg IQF

FS222

Portico Cold Smoked Salmon Sliced VacPac 1x1.25kg Approx

499293

Gavi di Gavi, Broglia ‘La Meirana’, Piedmont – Italy

PAIR WITH SEAFOOD

Other Seafood Favourites

FISH FLAVOUR pairings guide

SALMON

Go for Asian flavours like sesame and ginger with grilled salmon, or delicate herbs like dill, fennel, tarragon or sage for poached.

OYSTERS

Try mignonette sauce, lemon wedges, and hot sauce like Tabasco.

PRAWNS

Use Asian flavours like garlic, ginger, sweet chilli and coconut milk, or uncomplicated flavours like olive oil, garlic and chilli.

CRAB

Best paired with flavours that truly let the crab meat shine. Garlic and butter work a treat, as do lighter tastes like chilli, lime. If you’re serving crab cakes, bacon jam works as a surprising accompaniment.

SQUID

Deep-fried, served with a traditional silky aioli, mix it up with roasted garlic and lime; saffron and lemon; or hot chilli and orange.

Eyes on the SIDES

POTATOES, VEGGIES, GRAVY AND MORE.

UPGRADED RECIPE INSPIRATION

LABOUR-SAVING SIDES

Chef Simon’s

Potato and stuffing cakes

with roasted chestnuts, crispy Parma ham, and Cashel Blue mornay sauce.

Reduce costs by making use of traditional leftover veg from a Sunday roast. Works as a great side dish, or is perfect for brunch with poached eggs & bearnaise sauce.

Chef Liam’s cranberry & orange pepper stuffing crusted croquettes with

cheese dipping sauce

Save time by getting creative with prepared mash and stuffing products. This particular mash comes in pellet form, so it’s easy to coat, plus we’ve added cranberry and orange pepper to the stuffing to bring those festive flavours.

Option to serve this one as a side, or fondue-style with a cheese dip and skewers. The luxury cheese sauce is a great product made in Limerick by HL Commodity Foods. Add a little spice to liven it up and you’re good to go.

SP223 Santa Maria Orange & Pepper 1x325gm

498845 Luxury Cheese Sauce 1x2.5kg

VG864Z

Mash Premium

Potatoes

sorted

Prepared sides like gratin and fondant potatoes are a time-saver during the festive season, saving majorly on labour.

with these convenient solutions that don’t scrimp on quality or taste.

VP743 Potato Fondant (pre order) 1x10’s

VP837 Round Fondant Sweet Potato 1 x 25’s

497589 Premium Potato Gratin 1x20’s

498268 Peka Roasting Potatoes 1x2kg

VP740 Washed & Peeled Baby Potatoes 9kg

VP698 Washed & Peeled Rooster Potatoes 1x9kg

490285 Oval Potato Fondant (pre order) 10x10’s 491002 Chateaux Potatoes 1x5kg

VP411 Maris Piper Potatoes (washed & peeled) 1x9kg

Chef Simon’s hasselback butternut squash

with maple syrup, grain mustard and pecan glaze

This twist on the classic hasselback potato is great served as a sharing side or as a veggie option when portioned. Save on labour with our peeled squash. Chef’s tip: Put two same-size boards on the counter and place the squash in between so that when you cut, you won’t cut the entire way to the bottom.

1x1kg

VW719 Butternut Squash

Vegan & Veggie EATING

EXPERT MENU GUIDANCE

EXCITING AND CONVENIENT RECIPE INSPIRATION

FUSS-FREE PARTY FOOD

Be inclusive and boost sales with these top tips…

Menu language is key

Labels like vegan or vegetarian can be off-putting for customers without specific dietary requirements. To appeal to a wider range of customers, exclude these terms from dish names. Instead, focus on the delicious dish components just like you would with any other dish.

Stuff of legends

Use a symbols key or legend so that customers can clearly identify dishes that are suitable to their dietary requirements. Consumers with specific dietary requirements or preferences will look for these identifications, whereas those without will not. Make sure to feature the full legend clearly on the menu.

All-access

Sky-rocketing demand for vegan-friendly foods has seen a vast increase in the number of plant-based products available on the market, making it easier than ever before to provide delicious and inventive dishes to customers.

With the increased demand for health-focused offerings, the need to deliver exciting options for all diets and lifestyles has never been more important.

Perfect Platters

Chef Simon’s parsnip and Cashel

Blue Cheese Soup

with sage oil and parsnip crisps

Meat-free doesn’t need to be boring! Showcase winter flavours and Irish cheese in a deliciously warming dish like this one.

Add a little something extra to your regular soup and adjust your profit margins accordingly!

Garlic butter croutons with rosemary and thyme

Make your regular tomato soup a festive treat.

Cranberry oil and toasted pine nuts

Compliments parsnip, celeriac or potato and leek soup brilliantly.

Crispy sage leaves

A great topper for creamy mushroom soup.

Toasted pumpkin seeds with thyme and breadcrumbs

Elevates your squash or sweet potato soup to the next level.

Made for SHARING

CHEESEBOARD BUILDING TIPS

IRISH CHEESES WORTH CHAMPIONING

SHARING PLATTER IDEAS

TOP CHEESEBOARD Tips

The power of three

Base the plate around three different cheeses, making sure there’s a balance amongst types of milk (cow, sheep or goat), textures (hard, semi-soft, soft), and styles of cheesemaking (bloomy rind, washed, rind, blue, Cheddar-style, etc.)

All the trimmings

Add crackers, biscuits, bread sticks toasted bread slices for crunch; fresh fruit like berries, pear, apple, grapes and figs for freshness; nuts like pistachios, walnuts and hazelnuts for texture; dried fruits and honey for sweetness; and chutneys to elevate flavour.

A cut above

When cutting cheese, it’s best to think of whole wheels (whether they be round, square, or cylindrical) as if they were whole pies. Each should be divided in half first, and then into measured wedges.

Portion control

It’s easy to go overboard but take care when arranging your cheese plates to maximise your margins. Consider including approximately 30g of cheese per person. Bulk your boards up with cheaper added extras like crackers and fruit.

CH1410 Cooleeney Farm Camembert 1x200gm

CH1307 Cashel Blue Cheese 1x175gm

CH1642 Durrus Cheese Wheel 1x1.2kg

CH1248 Wicklow Farmhouse Wicklow Blue Mini 1x150gm

CH1597 Carrigaline Garlic & Herb Cheese 1x120gm

482302 San Michele Sliced Parma Ham 1x500gm

Irish cheese

494640

Carrigaline Truffle Cheese Wedge 1x120gm

CH1593

Carrigaline Natural Cheese 1x120gm

CH1594

Carrigaline Beech Smoked Cheese Wedge 1x120gm

CH1596

Carrigaline Cranberry Cheese 1x120gm

CH1598

Carrigaline Blueberry Cheese Wedge 1x120gm

CH1135

Cooleeney Farm Smoky Tipperary Brie 1x20gm

CH1305

Dunbarra Peppered Soft Cheese 1x180gm

CH1306

Dunbarra Soft Cheese 1x180gm

CH1449

Cooleney Farm Tipperary Brie 1x150gm

CH1525

Gortnamona Goats Cheese 1x190gm

CH1925

Selection of Small Artisan Cheese 5x220gm

CH1481

Cratloe Hills Sheep’s Cheese 1x450gm

Top-quality charcuterie

482287

San Michele Sliced Mortadella 1x500gm

482288

San Michele Sliced Cooked Ham 1x500gm

482289

San Michele Sliced Salami Milano 1x500gm

482290

San Michele Sliced Salami Napoli 1x500gm

MAXIMISE MARGINS

CH1482

Cratloe Hills Sheep’s Cheese 1x175gm

497474

Cashel Blue Cheese 1x350gm

490840

Wicklow Farmhouse St Kevins Brie Brick 1xkg

CH1442

Wicklow Farmhouse Mini Ban Brie Cheese 1x150gm

482292

San Michele Sliced Pepperoni 1x500gm

482295

San Michele Sliced Pancetta 1x500gm

WITH THESE TOP CHEESE TIPS

A little goes a long way

Make sure to adjust your margins to reflect the cheese you’re using. Cheeses like Stilton, goat’s cheese and Manchego are strong in flavour so manage portions when incorporating them into dishes.

Limited-time-only offers

Try offering a single top-quality cheese, expertly paired with a particular drink – think dry sherry, port, dessert wine, or a well-chosen beer. Your cheese and beverage combination can change every day or week, depending on your preference, tapping into the appeal of a ‘limited time only’ offer.

490830 Hegartys Farmhouse Mature Cheddar Wedge

482298 San Michele Sliced Coppa

sharing board Seafood

FS169Z

CAFÉ

&

coffee essentials

SEASONAL COFFEE RECIPES FROM CITAVO

LUNCH AND BRUNCH MENU INSPIRATION

SEASONAL PRODUCTS THAT AREN’T TO BE MISSED

Season’s treatings!

Festive up your offering with these essentials…

494879

Caramel Waffle Muffin 28x110gm

482800

Christmas Chocolate Cookie with gold stars 18x80gm

CT954

Christmas Lollipop with Milk Chocolate 24x35gm

498825

Sysco Premium Coffee & Walnut Cake 1x14ptn

498834

Sysco Classic Sticky Toffee Pudding 16x110gm

498837

Sysco Classic Apple & Cinnamon Crumble Tart 18x100gm

482591

Christmas Chocolate

Decoration Holly selection 1x126’s

482590

Christmas Chocolate

Decoration Reindeer Square 1x252’s

498893

Sysco Premium Raspberry & White Chocolate Roulades 20x27gm

498821

482588

36x63gm

Christmas Chocolate Snowflake Doughnut

Sysco Premium Death by Chocolate Cake 1x14ptn

Chef Simon’s Christmas Club sandwich

with turkey, crispy brie strips, smoked streaky bacon, iceberg lettuce, plum tomato,

This ultimate sandwich takes something that people already know and love and makes it festive. There are lots of ‘extra’ elements to this one, so make sure to adjust your margins accordingly.

This sandwich saves on time and labour by making use of two ready-to-go products: cranberry sauce and egg mash sandwich filling.

Cooked & Sliced Roast

Turkey Breast

egg and cranberry mayo.

498100 Bretzel Bakery Sourdough Bread (Sliced) 5x1.6kg

TY709 Block & Barrel Classic

490309 Egg Mash Sandwich Filling 1x1kg

Gingerbread latte

Use Christmas as an opportunity to create a special for your menu. Specials come with all the bells and whistles, so make sure to adjust your margins accordingly.

Gingerbread

are hugely popular right now. Use syrups to add flavour with ease.

& Sweet Treats DESSERT

CONVENIENT SOLUTIONS FOR FESTIVE FAVOURITES

ELEVATING PREPARED DESSERTS

BAKING ESSENTIALS

Season’s treatings!

Festive up your offering with these essentials…

T80

Marquerites Home-Made Mince Pies 24x67gm

CE899Z

Mince Pies 2 Inch Unbaked case 156x60gm

T478Z

Luxury Crown Mince Pies-Case/100-Unbaked

T824Z

Bakewell Mince Pie 18x98gm

135737

La Boulangerie Mini Mince Pies 72x24gm

135740

La Boulangerie Mini Mince Pies 60x56gm

498869

Christmas Log Pudding 10-12ptn 3x1.1kg

492446

Christmas Pudding Log (Foil) 3x1.7kg

CE1216

Marguerites Individual Christmas Pudding 12x100gm

135736

Gluten Free Individual Christmas Pudding 24x100gm

498888

Sysco Premium Chocolate Yule Log 1x1kg

482537

O’Hara’s Iced Fruit Cake 6x550gm

482844

Gluten Free Mince Pies 36x50gm

CE003

Marguerites Christmas Pudding Bowl Wrapped 4x900gm

Chef Liam’s Christmas tree

Mince pies

with Italian meringue, pistachios and cherries

Make something spectacular of a prepared product with Italian meringue or whipped cream to create a Christmas tree shape. Have fun with garnishes using whatever you have to hand. Candied orange, pistachios and Amarena cherries work a treat!

Chef Liam’s

build-your-own Mince pies

with spiced caramel sauce, gingerbread whipped cream and more!

People love personalisation and it’s incredibly trendy right now. Look to Mad Egg and Humble Crumble in the UK to see just how popular it can be. Allow your customers to get creative with their garnishes making an event out of dessert.

Don’t forget those baking essentials

490670

Meat (Mince Pie Filling) 12.5kg bucket 490684

2.5kg

to roll) 5kg

We all scream for MINCEMEAT

ICE CREAM!

Make use of convenience products to make something special for the season that’s in it. Simply mix prepared crème anglaise in the ice cream machine and stir the mincemeat at the end. Serve with caramel sauce and a gingerbread crumb (made from crushed prepared gingerbread biscuits) for a showstopping festive dessert!

How to pick the right wines for

banquets

Our team at Classic Drinks are here to help you find the perfect pour.

Versatility

This is the most important feature of wine intended to be served at a large banquet. Selecting a wine that can pair well with a diverse food offering and at the same time, appeal to the palate of many, requires us to think about some basic characteristics in wine. In all cases, a wine with excellent levels of fruit intensity will appeal to a broad palate.

Red

As you know, red wine should be paired with your meat option. The tannins in the red wine will offset the fats in the meat releasing more flavour with every bite.

White

White wine should be paired with your fish option with the most important characteristic of this wine being freshness. White wine compliments the texture of fish and it’s natural acidity will compliment both cream and lemon based sauces too.

Appeal

Vegetarian dishes can be paired with red or white wines depending on the elements of the dish. For instance, tomato-based, savoury dishes will work best with red wine, whereas, creamy dishes are more suitable with white.

Good, better, best.

To satisfy a range of preferences and price points, you can offer a good, better and best option. A technique we use at Classic Drinks is to offer a blended wine (made of more than one grape variety) at entry-level. Often, these grapes are less familiar to customers, encouraging customers who are less concerned with price to select a more expensive wine for its familiarity, like Sauvignon Blanc.

Classic Drinks’ TOP PICKS Good

499109

La Baldosa Verdejo

Sauvignon Blanc: La Mancha - Spain

499084

La Baldosa Garnacha

Tempranillo: La Mancha - Spain

499157

Adacio

Pinot Grigio: Sicily - Italy

LE202

Les Jamelles

Cabernet Sauvignon: Languedoc- France

0C102

Old Coach Road

Sauvignon Blanc: Nelson, New Zealand

MU201

Bodegas Muriel

Rioja Crianza - Spain

Meet our team of specialists

Sinead O’Connor Centre Plate Specialist, Carver & Co.

Growing up on the family farm, cattle farming was central to Sinead’s education. She carries this expertise to her role as Centre Plate Specialist with Carver & Co. — Sysco’s inhouse range of premium butchery — where she serves as the key connection between customers and producers, guaranteeing top-quality products for every order.

Click here to learn more about Carver & Co.

My relationship with the producer is paramount in the sense that I can identify the right product for the right customer.

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