Beer and Food Focus: Complement your food

FOR WET-LED pubs, offering something more substantial than the standard bag of crisps to accompany a pint is a great way to drive sales, as well as to get customers thinking about beer and food.

Last month, The Publican's hot-dog taste test conducted with the Herta brand established that cider is a great match with the classic sausage-in-a-bun snack.

Another range for pubs, launched last year, is the Big Al's Flame Cooked Range from Kepak Foodservice, featuring microwavable, pre-cooked products which can be served up quickly and simply. Customers crying out for recommendations to go with the range could usefully be steered towards a best bitter with a burger, premium lager with a chicken grill, and cider with the BBQ pork rib-steak.

Sheila and Alan Hughes are licensees at the Punch Taverns-owned Old Oak in Drakes Broughton, Pershore, Worcestershire. The pub has recently introduced Big Al's burgers.

Shelia says: "The Old Oak is a traditional drinkers' pub, but people get hungry. We don't employ any staff and so we need food that is easy to prepare and quick to cook.

"The other bonus is that to cook Big Al's products you only need a microwave and very little kitchen space."

Kepak Foodservice's commercial manager Robert Alex says: "We know that in the current climate many pubs cannot afford to invest in catering equipment or kitchen staff. It's a practical step that licensees can take to add value by introducing great-tasting, hot food that's easy to store, easy to prepare and easy to serve."

The range is backed by posters, menus and price cards enabling stockists to set their own prices.

iOffering easy-to-prepare products matched to the beer range on all-day menus is a useful way to add value during traditionally drink-only occasions such as TV sport or pub quizzes.

Supplier 3G Foodservice has taken the banger and burger upmarket with its premium wild boar sausages and bison burgers and sausages. These match nicely with suggestions from the Campaign for Real Ale for beer and food matches, which include serving sausages with full-bodied bitters, and game with malty ales.

Tim Shearer, 3G marketing manager, says: "These products work well with a high-quality British ale. Traditional British food is currently enjoying a revival in popularity and provenance is becoming increasingly important to the consumer when making purchasing decisions.

"There are some fantastic robust, regional British ales available that will not only complement a meal in terms of taste, but will also give the consumer an all-round satisfying meal experience.

"Menu matching can also provide outlets with the chance to offer more creative meal deals to attract customers - for example, one of our burgers could be matched with a bottle of premium bottled beer and marketed as 'Wild boar burger and beer for £5'."

With Sunday February 1 officially declared the second annual British Yorkshire Pudding Day, Black Sheep Brewery is suggesting marking the occasion with the perfect Yorkshire partnership.

Alan Dunn, head brewer, says: "As all our beers are brewed in the traditional way we can produce distinctive tastes that really represent the exceptional standard to which Yorkshire breweries have become known, making any Black Sheep cask ale a great accompaniment to the traditional roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding."