Who shares wins

The British love affair with a shared eating experience - be it finger snacks, combos, tapas or joints of meat - is starting to take the pub world by storm. Richard Fox and Fiona McLelland report

Other than sex, the one thing that is always better shared than experienced alone is the act of eating. And when we say "shared", we're talking proper, multi-sensual, full interaction, whether with your partner or as a group. The one plate/one person principal is fundamentally flawed in a social environment as you focus on your plate and your taste sensations. Taking you back to the sex analogy: a sharing lover is sooo much more popular than one looking for their own quick burst of satisfaction.

Sharing food has the potential to further stimulate the senses, increasing the enjoyment factor of the meal and, therefore, raising the profit potential.

Tap into the inner-sharer of your customers and you'll notice an audible rise in bar-room buzz. Previous dark and quiet corners will light up with laughter and chatter as people prod, poke and feed each other. If you can use the food-sharing principle for dinner parties at home when guests don't know each other very well, there's no reason why you can't replicate the idea in the pub.

Simply asking someone to pass you something is initiating communication that may not otherwise have taken place. In this way, the food is a better catalyst than the booze for human interaction.

The UK has been grabbed by the notion of sharing nosh and, according to the latest Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) family food panel analysis, it's pubs that could benefit most from the trend. The TNS Key Foodservice Trends March 2006 report found that the biggest growth area for pubs was couples eating out - an ideal market for combos/platters to share. The report also found that, during the course of a typical two-week period, 6% of consumers eating out go for a combo product.

Combo platters will come into their own when the biggest sporting event of the year kicks off in a matter of weeks - and that's the FIFA World Cup in Germany, not Gloucester's cheese-rolling competition in Cooper's Hill.

Finger food will fit the feeding needs of the fans perfectly, says British Pig Executive foodservice trade manager, Tony Goodger.

But he says the trend for sharing food is much wider than just football, a fact underlined by the increasing popularity of Spanish tapas-style food throughout Britain.

Albondigas - pork-mince meatballs in a tomato sauce - tortillas, olives, sautéed mushrooms, chorizo and vegetables are all great for tapas, but chefs can get much more creative, says Goodger.

In fact, if you're looking for inspiration, simply take a bunch of favourite dishes, strip away anything that doesn't constitute the main component, reduce it in portion size and serve.

Even sausage and mash can be made into a tapas dish to share: simply bake some mini sausages, split lengthwise down the middle - not quite all the way through - and pipe in some smooth buttery mash. I can't think of any reason, other than vegetarianism, why anybody could resist.

Fancy garnishes are neither needed nor expected. It's all about simple, undisguised, unpretentious offerings.

And a tapas menu alongside a regular menu can be a great way to use up excess stock - how quickly and easily a few potatoes in the bottom of the sack can be cut into wedges, blanched and then roasted with some smoked paprika for a delicious shared snack, instead of a packet of crisps.

While a portion of garlic prawns will require an entire supporting cast of salad bits, breads and citrus accompaniments if served as a conventional menu item, stick them in a little rustic pot and there won't be a murmur of discontent at the absence of anything but the prawns. The same applies to meatballs - just a spoonful of tomatoey sauce is all that's required.

The popularity of tapas can be judged now that it has reached mainstream pubs. Could it be a sign that we really are moving away from Britain's binge-drinking culture towards the more sophisticated approach of the Continentals?

Greene King has launched a tapas menu that includes large olives, lamb meatballs, tiger prawns, whitebait, chicken goujons and toasted bruschetta with goats cheese, in its Town Local pubs.

Ha! Ha!'s new tapas platter of marinated roasted red and yellow peppers stuffed with marinated feta and sun-blush tomatoes, Parma ham, chorizo sausage and falafel, served with warm flatbreads sit alongside a variety of other sharing dishes, such as the crispy, shredded-duck platter with Chinese pancakes and hoisin sauce.

Sales from sharing platters at Ha! Ha! have increased by 30% over the past year, and that is on the back of sharp growth over the past five years.

Ha! Ha! head of food Stuart White says: "Consumers are responding to the social aspect of food. We've seen a trend towards the group experience, tasting more dishes and sharing the experience with friends."

Barracuda Group has also just launched a new menu for its Varsity pubs in which sharing plates feature prominently.

"Sharing plates have become a popular way of eating in pubs." says Barracuda catering development manager Martyn Smith. "All of our menus offer some form of sharing platters and we have just launched our spring menu for awardwinning student-focused brand Varsity, focusing on food that is quick and easy and great for sharing. It might seem simple, but for the student market it works really well."

Already proving popular with students is the Varsity bucket of fries topped with a choice of chicken, prawns, duck spring rolls, mini pizzas, cheese and leek bites and the "build your own chip bowl". And if it's sweet they're after, Varsity has added a choice of two whopping desserts to share: chocolate nachos (Cadbury's chocolate orange Snaps and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce) and the Varsity Triple D, with fruit, marshmallows and donuts to dunk in melted chocolate.

"I can see the trend for sharing dishes continuing," says Martyn. "They are great dishes to sell during busy trading periods or sporting occasions and we will particularly promote them throughout the forthcoming World Cup."

From small portions of different dishes to one big one of the same, it's essential to come up with real crowd pleasers - braised pigs ears just don't have the same universal appeal as nachos (don't understand it, but there you go). Steamed mussels, for example, is a marvellous dish for sharing - just be sure to them wash well and remove beards.

On a practical level, many of these dishes need to be finger food, given that such eating involves plenty of arm-stretching, grabbing and jostling, thereby making cutlery a health hazard, let alone an encumbrance.

But, as with all things in the pub, make sure you promote to the max. And make sure staff are all aware of any changes and offers and are fully conversant with the nature of all dishes - they're your best sales tool. Use blackboards, table cards and windows to get the message across - particularly if you're offering the sharing concept outside of regular meal hours. In fact, it's during these hours that it can work best - tempting and satisfying for the group of spontaneous drinkers.

Desserts: don't keep them to yourself

Here's one for the ladies... and the men with a penchant for something sweet! A guilty pleasure shared, is a pleasure substantially less guiltridden.

This is a principle worth bearing in mind when considering the business potential of the shared dessert. In a group situation, all it takes is for a couple of people to say no to a single dessert and everybody follows suit. Offer a platter to share however, and non-takers are more likely to go along with it on the basis they can either sit it out or partake of just "a little nibble".

Once again, it's the stand-out tempters that will get the results. With summer coming, freshfruit kebabs with w