Sheila McWattie looks at ideas for driving sales of comfort food dishes, from steaks, pies and fish & chips to rhubarb & custard.
1. Indulgent treats
Luxury is the order of the day at Burnley's Fence Gate, in Lancashire. KB's Sausage Factory menu includes organic pork sausages, apples poached in Calvados & cider with honey, thyme & crushed blueberries (£10.25). Their rice pudding is made with double cream, clotted cream & vanilla pods, with a brûlée topping and lemon thyme jam (£5.25).
2. Home cooking
At the Boars, in Wymondham, Norfolk, recipes for delicious classics are shared generously, including desserts such as sticky toffee and steamed maple syrup puddings, and cherry & Port trifle. The Good Food Channel website (www.uktv.co.uk/food) also features recipes for mouth-watering dishes — some with a twist, such as steak, Guinness & oyster pie, mushroom risotto, and lemon & garlic roast chicken with sweet & sour carrots.
3. Classic performance
Classic roasts are served every lunchtime at Cambridge Chop House, part of the local pub and restaurant group Cambscuisine. Other favourites include beef chop, roasted parsnips, garlic butter & sprouts (£24) and sirloin steak, sauce off the board and hand-cut chips (£16.50). A lunch/pre-theatre menu is available from Monday to Friday. A bell rung at 7.30pm gives 15 minutes' warning of curtain-up at the nearby Cambridge Arts Theatre, and theatre programmes can also be purchased at the Chop House.
4. Veggie heaven
Dominic McCartan, chef/proprietor of the newly refurbished Snowdrop Inn, in Lewes, East Sussex, specialises partly in local, free-range meat. As a former vegetarian, McCartan also understands the importance of tasty veggie options on the menu: "Sunday lunch is the most important session for many pubs. You'll be judged as much on your veggie roast as on your meat versions. Nut roast is a much-abused dish, but do it properly, packed with real flavour and a rich, moist texture and people will return week after week."
5. Local catch
In the breathtaking Hebridean landscape of the Isle of Ulva, off the Isle of Mull, owners Emma Mckie and Rebecca Munro will include the price of your ferry ticket in your bill when the Boathouse at Ulva Ferry is open on Friday evenings from June until September. Ulva prawns are supplied daily by the local fishing boat, and served in their shells with garlic mayonnaise, bread & salad (£8.95). Other classic seafood dishes on the menu include Ulva oysters, potted crab, local cod and scallops. The website is at www.theboathouseulva.co.uk
6. Winter warmers
Ribble Valley Inns' Bull at Broughton, in Skipton, North Yorkshire, has a big focus on classics, such as fish pie and hot pots. New on the menu is toad in the hole and Saddleback sausages, caramelised onions, mashed potato and gravy (£9.00). Burnt English custard, stewed Tomlinson's Yorkshire rhubarb (£5.00) adds to the traditional slant. Steaks are sourced from the Yorkshire Dales and dry-aged for 28 days, and grills are served with real chips cooked in dripping.
7. Home comforts
At Devon's award-winning Holt, in Honiton, Angus and Joe McCaig have launched a mood-boosting menu, Comfort Food Wednesdays, as an alternative to discounting during quieter winter months. Mains cost less than £10 and include winter casserole and a nose-to-tail terrine, cooked to order using as much local produce as possible. Head chef Angus says: "By using more affordable ingredients we can keep costs down and still offer our local clientele robust, delicious and comforting dishes."
8. Fish & chip champ
The Wensleydale Heifer offers the chance to complete the ultimate gastronomic feat — 1kg of finest Whitby haddock, family-sized portions of chips and a giant bowl of mushy peas. Finishers receive a certificate and enter the annual draw to win giant fish & chips every month for life — only 5% succeeded last year. At the Ship Inn, Mawgan, Cornwall, the most popular dish is Bellybustin' fish 'n' chips — an extra large fillet of local fish, in beer batter, with a generous portion of chips and mushy peas or beans. It is also available to take away.
9. Branching out
The Sausage Tree in High Wycombe, Bucks, offers 50 sausage dishes, including traditional, such as Yorkshire, house favourites — including beef & Guinness, chicken, lamb, gluten-free pork — and exotic varieties, such as kangaroo. Every dish comes with a wine or beer recommendation and choice of portion size. On Monday and Wednesday, Sausage Night offers two sausage meals plus a bottle of house wine for £19.95.
10. Star quality
At Fulham's Harwood Arms, the first Michelin-starred London pub, chef Stephen Williams specialises in British classics with a twist. He says: "Our large sharing tables encourage repeat trade as customers love trying different starters and desserts from a large board in the middle, and choosing their own main course (£29.50 each)." A typical dish that has made the Harwood famous is pheasant Kiev with marjoram butter, spiced red cabbage & champ (£14.50).