Research suggests that 75% of the UK population enjoy tucking into a pie at least once a month and, luckily, British Pie Week is on the horizon.
Despite the rise of exotic cuisines and trendy diets, a good pie is still a favourite of the nation. Be it pork, steak and ale, vegetable or a traditional Bramley apple, a pie, we feel, is to be applauded and placed upon a pedestal.
With people predicting that classic British foods are expected to undergo a renaissance this year thanks in part to the rise of street food and pop-up catering carts, British Pie Week has fallen at a perfect time for those in the catering trade.
Starting on the 02nd March and running for seven days, the week long event will give restaurants, cafes, caterers and producers alike the chance to to celebrate and promote pie par excellence.
We’ll be publishing a few articles over the next few days highlighting products and recipes that will ensure you’ll get the most out of the event and the best place to start is at the front of house.
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Microwave ovens are an important part of any commercial kitchen. Able to perform a variety of functions and extremely user-friendly, these chef-friendly appliances have skyrocketed in popularity over the years.
Did you know that the first microwave oven was released for general not long after the culmination of World War II and was the inadvertent result of research into the field of radar technology?
In 1945, whilst working with an active radar set, he noticed that the resulting microwaves were beginning to melt a chocolate bar he had in his pocket. His clothes may have got covered in chocolate, but his discovery would change the way millions cook. In 1947 the company he worked for, Raytheon, built the Radarange range of microwave ovens.
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We’re still gently lowering ourselves into 2015, but what can those in the foodservice and catering industries expect over the course of the next twelve months?
Last year was certainly dominated by the rise of craft ales, locally sourced produce become exceptionally premiumised foodstuffs and the continued ascension of gluten free products, to name but a few. We fully expect these items to be hot tickets as the days, weeks and months pass by.
But – as we hear your calls – what could be on the horizon?
Here we round some of the predictions we’ve seen been put forward, and add a few of our own. Of course if you have a hot new trend then we’d love to hear what you have to say!
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Once the festive celebrations have died down and those credit card bills come through the letterbox after the New Year has been ushered in with a cavalcade of frivolity, many people embark on a month long process of reflection and detox known as Dry January.
Well this time – January is only twelve days away! – many within the pub and restaurant trade are hoping that a new campaign will take over from Dry January and gently guide people into trying new dishes.
Instead of abstinence, the industry wants people to get experimental in what they are calling Try January.
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Today, Wednesday 12th October, is slap bang in the middle of National Curry Week.
The event, which runs from the 10th to 16th of October, celebrates over two centuries of Indian restaurants and cuisine within the United Kingdom.
Some 23 million people, just under half of the population, eat curry in United Kingdom every year and those behind the Curry Week forecast that the average Brit will spend nearly £34,000 on traditional subcontinent cooking in their lifetime.
With the average wage coming in at £26,500, that means we spend fifteen months’ worth of our salaries on vindaloos, jalfrezis and tikka masalas.
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Urban and rustic decors have become very popular within the restaurant trade in recent years.
Characterised by exposed brick and woodwork, antiquated character pieces and open hanging light fittings; this scheme has been picked up by a new wave of establishments that have taken gastronomy to new heights of popularity.
On the surface, it may appear that Christmas themes may be out of the question. However there’s always a style to suit any and all venues. But by adopting a neutral base palette with flashes of brighter colours of white, silver and gold, traditional festive colours can be injected without in any way being overbearing.
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As Noddy Holder once famously bellowed at the start of Slade’s seminal festive hit, “It’s Christmas!”
The snow might not yet be in the air but if you look close enough you can see that Christmas is gradually creeping up on us and it is therefore time to start planning for that December rush when families and parties all get together and dine out.
We know that the weeks, if not months, around Christmas is an exceptionally busy and lucrative time of the year.
So in order to help you out we have put together a number of useful tips on how to create that perfect atmosphere in your establishment.
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Author
Damien Wilde