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As the FIFA World Cup approaches (21st Nov – 18th Dec), it is set to offer a huge opportunity for the foodservice and hospitality industries. Instead of beer gardens and al fresco celebrations in the sunshine, we’ll see supporters wrapping up and heading indoors to bars, pubs, restaurants, and cafes to escape the cold weather and fill up on their favourite winter warmers!BIGGEST EVENT IN THE SPORTING CALENDARThe World Cup can be very lucrative for pubs, and it’s vital that publicans and bar owners take full advantage of one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar. During the last World Cup in 2018, it was found that pub spending jumped by 33% whenever England played a World Cup game and research carried out by KAM and FANZ...

Catering definitely needs flavoured chips; here’s why….Pomme Frites, fries or the Great British chip, I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like them….Whether cooked in peanut oil, vegetable oil or triple cooked in good old beef dripping down the local gastro pub or chippy and even the smell of an oven chip sizzling away on a baking tray, there’s something alluring about the smell, the feel and the golden crispness that gives way to fluffy, steaming potato. Chips are the 7-day replacement for the Sunday roast potato, which is the perfect thing to go with so many other flavours in a roast, so why not take the same approach with chips?Every time I smell freshly cooked chips, drenched in salt and vinegar, I am instantly ...

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is drawing ever closer. Can Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane go one further than the recent European Championships? And how will Robert Page’s Wales fare in Qatar? If you’re planning on throwing a watch party for any of the matches, why not go all out and create a FIFA World Cup-themed menu? We’ve got some great ideas to help get you started.While you may be supporting multiple nations, for this article, we’ll be focusing on the three England and Wales games (that we know so far!), offering recipe ideas for dishes from the opposing nation:England V Iran on the 21st NovemberWales V USA on the 21st NovemberEngland V USA on the 25th NovemberWales V Iran on the 25th NovemberEngland V Wales on 29th November Menus...

As the FIFA World Cup draws ever closer, and the excitement builds, fans will be looking to pubs, bars, and restaurants to escape the cold, wintery weather and watch the much-anticipated matches. Football fans will be hopeful Southgate’s men can improve on their semi-final in 2018 and how Wales will fare in their first tournament since 1958!Taking place in Qatar, from November 21st – December 18th, it will be a little different to the usual summer games, when beer gardens become the go-to. Instead, venues will have to balance the usual Christmas crowds with one of the most significant sporting events. And given that in 2018, pub spending increased by 33% whenever England played a World Cup game, missing out on this event could mean lo...

Autumn vegetables are in their prime during October, and there’s nothing better than seeing seasonal vegetables on a menu. Root vegetables like beetroot, butternut squash, and parsnips, as well as cauliflower and carrots are popular autumn veg, and ideal for making a range of healthy, hearty dishes both vegan and vegetarian too.The best thing about autumn vegetables is that they can be used in a variety of ways, in sauces, purée, soups or as the main dish – usually roasted with lots of lovely spices. The key to getting the most flavour out of root vegetables isn’t just in the cooking but what you pair them with. Here, we’ve got punchy salsa verde, salty miso, and nutty pesto, which really makes these root veggies sing.ROASTED BUTTE...

With winter approaching, it’s time to look at your menus. The colder weather ignites a desire for ‘Winter Warmers’, dishes that grab you and hug you with big, bold flavours. These are casserole and stew dishes where all the flavours are cooked together and go from oven to table. Customers love these nostalgic dishes bursting with great flavour, are keen on price and remind them of mum or grandma’s home cooking. One-pot cooking is very different from traditional cuisine in that the prep is done in advance, with the finishing touches at the end. Prep hard, easy service! One-pot cooking is one of the earliest forms of cookery and is used the world over. The reason is simple; cheap and easy to prepare, work well with cheaper cuts of ...

Each year, following Halloween, thousands of pumpkins are tossed aside or left to shrivel until the candle inside them burns out. But this seasonal vegetable shouldn’t be getting thrown out with the rubbish. It is wasteful, but there are also so many brilliant ways to use up your leftover pumpkin, from sweet treats to savoury dishes, pureès, and soups. And don’t throw away the seeds; roast them up as a snack or use them to top your vibrant pumpkin dishes.
So, before you let your pumpkins go to waste, take a look at these 15 fun and creative ways to use up your leftover Halloween pumpkins.
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream:

This is the perfect way to use up any leftover pumpkin puree. Simply mix it with some condensed milk, spices, and cream...

As the weather starts to turn colder, there are several calendar events that the hospitality venues can capitalise on, not just to make some extra revenue but create excitement for customers too. From Halloween to Guy Fawkes Night to Christmas, whether you’re a catering business, school, cafe, restaurant or bar, events create a point of difference and also give you a chance to reach new customers. Love it or hate it, Halloween is a great way to host a memorable occasion and boost your profits. From spooky-themed cocktails and food, quiz nights, horror-themed fancy dress, and pumpkin carving, there is a lot you can do to make Halloween fun for everyone. Of course, this year Halloween is on a Monday, which isn’t the best day for hospital...

Somewhere along the way, frozen vegetables got a bad rep. Well, all vegetables apart from maybe peas, which almost everyone keeps in their freezer for more than just eating (any bump, peas will sort!). But really, this preconceived idea that frozen vegetables are any less nutritious for you than fresh, is complete nonsense.Frozen vegetables are almost like-for-like packed with just as much goodness as fresh. This is because they’re frozen at the optimum time, when they’re at their peak ripeness, locking in all the nutrients.Vegetables are ‘quick-frozen’, a technique created by the captain himself, Clarence Birdseye. Way back in the 1920s, Birdseye decided to copy the Inuits in Alaska, who preserved their fish by freezing them quickl...

The summer holidays are almost over, and soon, children will be back into the familiar routine of school. And come lunchtime, they’ll be rushing to the cafeteria for some much-needed refuelling.Catering to children can be difficult; they can be fussy, liking a food one day and then not eating it the next. But that doesn’t mean we should cook the same standard food day in and day out. Kids need to be exposed to new cuisines and flavours, it’s part of how they learn and grow.  With children becoming more environmentally conscious and aware of plant-based diets, it’s an opportune time to experiment and introduce them to exciting plant-based meal options. Here are some ideas for vegan back-to-school meals that the kids will love.1. Spa...

It can be tough to get kids to eat their vegetables. A lot of children simply refuse to eat them. This can be a problem, as vegetables are essential to a healthy diet. However, there are some strategies for getting school children to eat more vegetables.For some general tips, start by making vegetables more fun and interesting for children. Try serving them with a dip or adding them to a popular dish. You can also cut them into fun shapes.Kids always ask for something new and exciting, even if they don’t know what it is. When you offer them a plateful of delicious-looking pasta dishes with veggies hidden in every bite, they will never be able to resist! These recipes below use child-friendly ingredients so even those picky eaters can enjo...

We’re in the height of summer, with our lakes, forests and mountains thronged with people enjoying outdoor adventures. With this surge in outdoor living, we have a great opportunity to entice more customers through our doors with the scent of wood-fired dishes.To stand out from the crowd, we need to offer more than homemade burgers and grilled corn. Australian barbecues, Southern US smokehouses and South African Braais all offer a multitude of amazing dishes for cooking outdoors. However, I’d argue that no culture has elevated the skill of cooking with fire quite like the Argentinians.Argentinian BBQs stand apart from the competition for a number of reasons:THE NUMBER OF WAYS THEY USE FIRE FOR COOKING:The celebrated Argentinian chef Fra...