Trend watch: croquette me not?

But unfortunately for UK diners, our nation’s croquette offering has largely been limited to the frozen, relatively bland variety you’d pick up from a supermarket.

However, a multitude of British chefs are adapting the croquette as an increasingly innovative and upmarket menu option.

Spanish influence​

At Harveys site the Dorset Arms, in Lewes, head chef Robert Palmer’s bar menu includes an artisanal cheddar and potato croquette with homemade mustard mayo and a number of other tapas-style options.

“I’m a huge fan of Spanish cuisine,” says Palmer. “But in this country there isn’t a widespread tapas-style culture for drinkers.

“We created our own version with a bit of a street food twist – customers like it because they can eat it without the formality of sitting around a table, like in Spain. It often ends up with people ordering more tapas to go with it.”

Palmer says his top tips for creating a quality croquette are making the shape and size are consistent – the ideal croquette requiring no more than two or three mouthfuls – and paying meticulous attention to the texture of the filling.

“Bear in mind that the typical white sauce base for Spanish style croquettes is relatively bland,” he says. “So you have to ensure that whatever you decide to flavour them with is strong enough to counteract that – the Portuguese do this really well with bacalhau.”

Similarly drawing on Spanish inspiration, the Norfolk Arms, in London, offers a large selection of tapas including Serrano ham croquettes with caramelised red onion.

Different takes​

ETM Group site the Jugged Hare, in London, offers up two unique croquettes on its menu; a Clonakilty Irish black pudding croquette with Guinness sauce and a haggis croquette with whiskey apple sauce.

And at Ribble Valley Inns sites across the country, a pea shoot croquette with leek, celery fondue and salted celeriac was briefly available as part of a dedicated Valentine’s Day menu.