Changing drinking habits have created a gap in the market for a generation of new snacks for pub customers, finds John Porter.
Amid all the talk about the effect the Licensing Act will have on our drinking habits, the legislation's potential effect on our eating habits has been somewhat overlooked. Most sections of the media have been too busy predicting carnage of biblical proportions as 24 hour binge-drinkers take to the streets. They have ignored the original intention of the legislation which was to take a more continental, café-style approach to licensing.
While the croque monsieur and frites on the way home from the opera that the New Labour fashionistas initially envisaged might not materialise, pubs need to bear in mind that extended opening should still create real opportunities to increase food sales alongside beer.
In particular, there should be scope for more snack-type dishes which go with a beer.
Some suppliers are already planning suitable new snack menus. Sandie Belton, commercial manager of Apetito Foodservice, predicts: "We believe that pubs will shorten their menus and focus on those food items which can be cooked and served by any member of staff regardless of skill levels. High-quality snacks which are easy to cook and serve, and easy to eat, will maintain momentum in the pub sector.
"A smoking ban in outlets serving hot food will also impact on food consumption. What will people do when they're deprived of the cigarette in their hand? Eat! With that in mind, I also think that more hand-held snacks will come onto the market."
Apetito has developed products such as luxury steak & 6X pie, a steak and ale pie made with the flagship cask ale of Devizes brewer Wadworth.
"While there are no hard and fast rules for food and beer pairing, a very broad-brush approach is to liken a light lager to a white wine and real ales to a red, with all the other varieties in between," says Sandie.
Apetito has come up with the following ideas for a snack menu matched with appropriate beers:
- Cheese and onion puff or a bacon and cheese turnover - accompanied with acidic high-hop content pale ale (pictured)
- Steak pie, lamb pie and chicken and leek pie - accompanied with a robust British cask ale or by light summer ale
- Tandoori chicken slice, accompanied by a sweet flavoured, malty beer to offset the spiciness (pictured top).
Case study: the Northgate, Islington
The success of a beer and food festival helped convince licensees Chris Leech and Jacky Kitching that adding beer to the menu was a money-spinning idea. Punch Taverns lessees Chris and Jacky now use ales as a core ingredient in daily specials at the Northgate pub in Islington, North London. The clincher was the feedback from customers who sampled dishes on offer at the festival.
Chris said: "We'd had some experience of using beer in food before, but the festival really launched the concept for us. Our customers have a real passion for cask ale and the response to the ale-inspired dishes was tremendous.
"We prepare tasting notes for our chef who then incorporates dark or light ales into recipes - one favourite is cod in Charles Wells' Bombardier beer batter."
Chris and Jacky are both members of the Campaign for Real Ale and have been running the Northgate for more than four years. They also have a second pub, the Junction Tavern in nearby Kentish Town.
Steve Schaffer catering development manager at Punch, said: "Different flavours of beer can be used in lots of different foods, whether it be as a marinade for casseroles or a raising agent in Yorkshire puddings and fish batter.
"The use of beer is not confined to savoury dishes either - nuttier flavoured ales are ideal for desserts such as fruit cakes.
"The real benefit to pub retailers is the added value it brings to your menu and the way it enhances the customer experience."
Winning combination will encourage trade
The big guns are coming out. The latest top name to throw its weight behind Beer with Food Week, running from March 14 to 20, is the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX).
With the quality of food in pubs better than ever, and more than 60 different styles of beer available to pubs in the UK, Beer with Food Week aims to combine the two. It offers pubs the chance to try something new while boosting sales at the same time.
Why not celebrate the week's events by creating a special menu, pairing beer with top-selling dishes? Or encourage customers to try something new by organising a tasting, allowing them to decide which beers work well with different dishes. You can also offer dishes using beer as an ingredient either on the main menu or as a special during the week.
EBLEX is offering pubs free point-of-sale kits to help attract the attention of new customers as well as encourage regulars to try something a bit different during Beer With Food Week. A colourful banner will draw attention to the pub and table-top cards and posters offer the chance to highlight "specials".
For a free kit, including a selection of beef and lamb recipes that are ideal with beer, contact Emma on 020 8974 2404 or visit www.eblex.org.uk.
Frankie & Benny's tempts the dieter
Low-carb diets are all the rage - and provide a great opportunity for a low-carbohydrate beer like Michelob Ultra to promote itself on menus.
In what claims to be the first promotion of its kind, the Anheuser Busch brand is now part of the menu throughout the 88-strong Frankie & Benny's chain of bar-restaurants.
The restaurants serve a wide range of pizzas, salads and sandwiches and a Michelob Ultra insert was placed alongside the menu in the clear plastic holders on each table.
The menu insert and supporting poster were designed to offer customers a low-carb menu choice - endorsed by Michelob Ultra - and encourage them to try a low-carb beer with their meal.