Lovin' this month...
Our round-up of what's pulling at the PubChef team's heartstrings this month
Annual favourites
Old Bunty and Beano annual covers for menu sleeves at S&N Enterprises bar, 99 Hanover Street, in Edinburgh.
County set
Gaymer Cider Company's new County Series ciders. The regional ciders give a nod to growing consumer trends for local produce and come in Somerset and Devon varietals. Somerset ciders are traditionally drier, and Gaymer's Somerset Cider is medium dry. Gaymer's Devon Cider, made with apples from Devon, is a medium cider. We reckon the dry, earthy, fruity Somerset would make a great pairing with some local strong cheese and the slightly sweeter Devon would work well with a traditional Sunday roast pork.
Hen party
The 1980s classic, chicken in a basket, is back — and it's better than ever. The Red Lion & Sun,
in London's Highgate Village, has reintroduced the old favourite. But it's not just a bit of bird perched in some wickerware with a few oven chips. The chef is cooking up free-range poulet noir with hand-cut chips with a portion of tangy garlic mayonnaise.
Game on
Slot machine in the guest bedroom at the Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton, North Yorkshire. Each customer is given 30 free tokens to play the slots and, if lady luck shines on them, they can win one of several prizes. A score of
100 earns a free bottle of wine; 200 wins a complimentary Champagne breakfast or a meal in the pub's restaurant, and for a score of 999, the customer can check out without having to pay their bill. "Fortunately for us, no-one has won the jackpot," jokes owner David Moss; "but several of the other prizes have been claimed."
Arty ice creams
Seaside restaurant 81 Beach Street, in Deal, Kent, offers a dessert of mini ice creams. The dish is given the wow factor by the five ice cream cones being served on an artists' palate-style board. Two bowls of chocolate flakes and chopped pistachio are offered for you to dip your cone. Cool idea.
Veg out
Each of Punch's 138
Chef & Brewer pubs
now features an old-fashioned style vegetable-
box display featuring seasonal veg. Booklets on provenance of ingredients used on the menu are also being used.
Energy savers
The Catering Equipment Suppliers Association's (CESA) new website. Deciding which piece of kit to splash your cash on can be a nightmare -
does it meet with Government legislation? Is it energy-saving? Luckily CESA, the trade body
for catering equipment manufacturers and importers, has developed www.cesa.org.uk to answer all your questions. The website includes buying-guide articles covering all types of catering equipment and a CESA energy-saver button with advice on energy saving and product showcase of energy-saving equipment. Check out www.cesa.org.uk
Cheeky chips
Potato scoops are new half-pipe-cut potato fries from McCain Foodservice. Take your customers on a safe adventure with these cheeky chippie chappies, which are part of the company's new starters and sides range. Offer them with dips or dishes such as chilli or curry.
Healthy fizz
Fruitiser is a sexy sparkling drink from the makers of Appletiser. The pomegranate and raspberry flavour is our favourite in the 100% fruit juice range which also rather handily counts as one of your five-a-day items. The other flavours are moreish mango & mandarin and innovative apple & dragonfruit.
Pure genius
If you get in a pickle with your Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) paperwork, don't panic. The Eloma Genius combi oven stores 200 programmes
on its little computer. If someone complains about a meal, you can see exactly when it was cooked, how long it was in for and at what temperature it came out. And if that isn't enough, you can download the information and keep it on an EHO-friendly spreadsheet on your computer.
Posh matches
Readers of Waitrose Food Illustrated were set a beer vs wine challenge at Le Gavroche, which ended in a draw. Beer and food chef/writer and soon-to-be pub landlord Richard Fox talked the group through four different pairings. Readers voted beer for two courses - a raspberry Belgian beer served with pigeon pie and an oak-aged Scottish beer with cheese soufflé. Galvin at Windows, the stunning restaurant at the top of the Hilton Park Lane, in London, also played host to a beer and food-matching event recently, with brewers, beer writers and the legendary Roger Protz on hand to select a beer list suitable for the restaurant menu. Favourites include poached Duchy of Cornwall oysters and caviar tortellini matched with Fuller's London Porter, and terrine of Gloucester Old Spot pork, foie gras and black pudding and aigre doux onions matched with Budweiser Budvar.
