Jamie ups demand for healthy pub food

Jamie Oliver's campaign to improve school food has created an upsurge in parents and children requesting more wholesome food in pubs, according to a survey from the UK's leading pub restaurant Brewers Fayre.

Brewers Fayre, which operates more than 280 pubs around the UK, has claimed, in the wake of the series, that more than five out of 10 of its customers are now ordering more wholesome meals for their children, such as pasta or roast chicken, instead of the traditional burgers and nuggets.

More surprising, children are also actively ordering wholesome meals such as sausage and mash and mini roast dinner, with more than 35% of those surveyed saying they preferred to eat the same meals their mum and dad ordered than opt for a less balanced choice.

Sales of Brewers Fayre's children's roast dinners have risen by 10%. "We've seen a visible change in our customers' eating habits, which we can only assume is due, in part, to the Jamie Oliver programme," said Suzanne Ryder, marketing manager at Brewers Fayre.

"We've been adding more balanced dishes, such as our mini roast dinners, to our children's menus for the past 18 months but it's only in recent weeks we've seen an increase in people ordering these dishes over and above the standard kids' favourites."

Brewers Fayre's new children's menu, launched in June, willfeature even more variety, including dishes such as mashed potato with "hidden vegetables"; carrot and swede, a mini cottage pie, spaghetti bolognese, a miniature version of the Glamorgan vegetarian burger from the adult menu and a new cheese pasta.