5 minute read
Great Britain: British Food Fortnight 17 Sept-2 Oct
We have many things to be proud of in Britain and food is one of them. Celebrate the amazing food we produce on home soil – you may be surprised – and see your sales and reputation lift
When you think about British food, what comes to mind? Is it roast beef, fish and chips, Bramley apples and strawberries? Or quinoa, pecans, Szechuan peppers, halloumi or chorizo? There is so much diverse and delicious food grown and produced in our country and British Food Fortnight is the perfect time to showcase your offering.
Running from 17 September to 2 October, British Food Fortnight is the biggest annual celebration of the nation’s food and drink. With sector-wide support of the event, whatever you decide to do to celebrate will increase sales, attract new customers, impress existing ones and increase their spend, giving your venue a point of difference.
GETTING INVOLVED
Celebrate the nation’s dishes by introducing a British specials board for the fortnight. You could be bold and change the dishes daily, which would give you the chance to experiment and test out new dishes using locally sourced produce. Or you could just have one special dish each day, such as British beef and local ale pie with in-season vegetables or a West Country farmhouse Cheddar cheese sandwich.
It doesn’t have to be traditional meals – though being traditional doesn’t mean being boring as you can add modern twists to dishes such as giant Yorkshire pudding roast dinner or fish and chip pie – just made of great British ingredients. Think about where your ingredients come from and shout about your Red Leicester cheese, Welsh lamb or locally made burgers.
The foodie fortnight is also a good time to showcase authentic products that can only be made in Britain, such as Stilton cheese, Melton Mowbray pork pies, Jersey royal potatoes, Dundee cake, Wiltshire cured ham, bacon and gammon, and Gower salt marsh lamb.
Showing your support of local produce shows you are serious about food sourcing and provenance. Check with your suppliers to see what they can supply that is British and if what they already supply to you is too.
BENEFITS
Some of the many benefits of buying local and British is you’ll be supporting the economy and helping protect the environment as British food travels less distance, so has a lower carbon footprint. Plus, British food is produced to the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world.
Using ingredients that are in season adds another dimension to menus as customers will know they’re eating fruit and vegetables at their absolute best. Those products tend to be more competitively priced for operators, plus customers are willing to pay more for them.
MINI PEAR & BLACKBERRY CRUMBLES
»PREP: 10 MINS
»COOK: 35 MINS
INGREDIENTS
700g (or 4 large) ripe English pears, peeled and cubed; 100g golden granulated sugar; 250g blackberries; 200g plain flour
100g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces; 85g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped; 100g demerara sugar
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 190˚C/ 170˚C fan/gas 5.
3 Place the pears in a pan, add the granulated sugar and cook on a medium heat until the fruit starts to soften and releases its juices, about 10 mins. Add the blackberries and bring back to the boil, then remove from the heat. Spoon the fruity mixture into 4 individual ovenproof ramekins, or 1 large baking dish.
4 Sprinkle crumble evenly over the cooked fruit. Bake for 20-25 mins if small, 40 mins if large, until golden.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Depending on the nature of your venue, promote your seasonal menu in advance. Also think about any promotions you can run on British produce or team up with a local brewery and suggest food and beer pairings.
When it comes to wording for your menu, try and avoid using the term ‘local’ as it can sound a little vague, instead use the names of local suppliers or terms such as ‘all meat is sourced from within a 30-mile radius’. Use words and phrases such as seasonal vegetables so that you’re not restricted and can use whatever veg is available at the time.
Include vegetarian and vegan options too. You could offer battered tofu with chips and mushy peas, mushroom and lentil shepherd’s pie with root veg mash or beetroot and squash wellingtons.
Why not consider introducing a permanent seasonal section to your menu? With autumn approaching it’s a wonderful time of year for British-grown produce. Think squashes, sweetcorn, aubergines, venison, damsons, pears, apples and blackberries.
You could also think about celebrating British and local food throughout the year by picking classic British occasions and running food and drink special events, such as strawberries and cream with Pimm’s for Wimbledon, cream tea and fizz for Ascot, barbecue-inspired mains and beer for cricket and pumpkin dishes with hot chocolate for Bonfire Night.
However you choose to celebrate, you can be sure people will feel proud to be British.
