Saucy numbers

Hands off ​

Steve Keegan, owner of Late Knights brewery, two south London pubs – privately leased Beer Rebellion and freehold London Beer Dispensary ­– and freehold Brighton Beer Dispensary, sells more than 500 burgers weekly (£6-£8 each) across the sites, focusing on snacks that “leave one hand free for our craft beer”. Each pub’s average weekly total sales amount to £5,000.

“New York’s pickles are a strong influence,” says Keegan. “Our chef is pickling seasonal vegetables with beer, and we sell about 50 beerkins, our deep-fried beer-battered gherkins (£2.50), weekly: the bitter IPA mixes well with honey-and-mustard dip.

“For burgers, it’s all about careful sourcing, the grind, and special sauces. With our top-selling Trophy burger, each pub offers a different sauce, such as sweet, made with cola reduction, or smoked paprika.”

Roast sauces​

Winning the Observer Food Monthly Readers’ Choice Award for Best Sunday Lunch in 2013 pushed up bookings even further for Thwaites’ Eagle & Child tenant Glen Duckett and his executive chef Eve Townson, who now serve 150-200 Sunday roasts.

“Home-grown condiment ingredients made with our Incredible Edible Beer Garden organic produce give our Sunday roasts and salads the edge,” says Townson. 

“Sirloin is always on, so horseradish is a favourite, and we rotate the second roast. We grow three sage varieties: normal, purple and variegated. Recently a customer particularly wanted mint sauce, when lamb with sage jus was on the menu, so our chef picked the mint specially.”

Plenty of apples for fresh sauce are readily available from a local orchard.

There’s the rub​

Female customers in particular can find sticky sauces off-putting – so Bar Sport founder Scott Murray and chef Aaron Parsons have introduced dry rubs. "Using a witty name such as 'Butt Rub' gets customers laughing and talking – and keen to order," Murray says.

Chef Parsons adds: "We can get through 30kg of wings and 45kg of ribs in a weekend. Our dry rubs come in five varieties, complementing several meats including chicken, beef, pork and lamb, with the smoky version selling particularly well. Glazes range through mild, medium and hot barbecue sauces to suicide ‘face-melting’ habañero, up to 350,000 Scoville heat units. Our exclusive Econa range, infused with ingredients such as papaya, lemon and red peppers, is a favourite. Our ultra-hot food competitions are also an excellent talking-point, boosting repeat trade."

Every last drop​

Chutney made with beer pulled off from the cask in the morning, or kept specially for the purpose, is just one of chef-proprietor Kiren Puri’s creative condiments at West Berkshire’s Bladebone Inn.

Puri, an ardent forager who recently produced a batch of English wild garlic pesto, including local cob-nuts, is looking forward to using a third of a barrel of beer from his cellar when its vinegar taste becomes suitable for chutney and piccalilli, made with seasonal vegetables such as beetroot picked from the Bladebone’s garden and the local area.

He’ll make about 140 jars with the beer – Good Old Boy, from West Berkshire Brewery – and sell it over the bar for £3.50 a jar from July until October, or serve it with ploughman’s, featuring his award-winning Scotch egg (£13.50).

Sea the difference​

To make batter for onion rings at St Ives’ Halsetown Inn, in Cornwall, chef-owner Ange Baxter combines Cornish sea salt, harvested from local waters by a company of the same name using an eco-friendly plant off the Lizard Peninsula, with Skindog 4.4% ABV beer from the county’s Skinners Brewery.

The unrefined salt’s rich minerals, low sodium content and intense flavour combine well with the pub’s home-made snacks and main dishes. In Kent, the Sportsman’s Michelin-starred chef-proprietor Stephen Harris produces his own sea salt by boiling water from his coastal doorstep near Seasalter, and uses it to make the pub’s home-churned unpasteurised butter.

Both products enhance the Sportsman’s acclaimed tasting menu (£65), which includes salt-cured Seasalter ham.

Versatile up-selling​

Bath Ales, an independent brewery between Bath and Bristol running 12 pubs in the area, has served curry sauce as a separate item for several years. Originally the sauce helped to up-sell chips, as the company serves ‘thousands’ of portions monthly. “Our curry sauce is inspired by the great British chip shop,” says executive chef Alice Bowyer. 

“But instead of being gloopy and synthetic-tasting, ours is freshly made with curry spices, chillies, lemongrass and coconut milk.

“Complementing food with our beer is key, with curry sauce and other nostalgic snacks evoking fond memories and boosting repeat trade. It sells for £1.50 with chips, but our customers love putting it on just about everything! It ideally complements our Special Pale Ale, with the citrus cutting through the heat.”

Doggy style​

In Brighton, Laine Pub Co’s JW Lennon's customers can request halloumi instead of meat in any gourmet hot dog. From healthy Man's Best Friend, topped with grated carrot, cucumber, red onion relish and rocket to Doggy Style (peanut butter, pineapple, red pepper and mango chutney), the ‘dawgs’ are described as a great example of how simple food can be made extraordinary.

With brews and dogs going hand-in-hand, matching is a top priority: In the Dog House, featuring honey-roast ham, sliced gherkins and tomato ketchup and mustard mayo goes well with bottled Brooklyn lager or a pint of Dark Star American Pale Ale.

‘Halloumi-switchers’ often favour Barking Mad, with chilli sauce, sour cream, avocado and jalapenos, a bottle of Sol and bucket of water. Around 50 meat dawgs and 15 halloumi are sold weekly.