Sauces with Selling Power
Having emerged from a tough year on profit margins, eating out establishments face further challenges in 2011, with VAT rises predicted to widen the pricing gap between the cost of eating in and going out1. However, on a more optimistic note, the latest Allegra report suggests that people will eat out more frequently, helping the market reach £49 billion by 20152. For sauces that sell and gravies with gravitas, look to Essential Cuisine...
Food faring famously
According to The Publican Food Report, 70 percent of licensees rate food as ‘very important’ to business, while 58 percent believe they will continue to make more money on food in 2011. Offering value also means more than value for money in the loosest sense of the term.
“It’s good to see pub operations now seeing value in a far broader sense, basing their buying decisions on value, as in quality for the best price, as well as placing value on growing the food side of their business3,” said Nigel Crane, Dorchester-trained chef and managing director of Essential Cuisine, expert stock and gravy maker for the professional chef.
Pies the limit
“According to the Publican report, pies are singularly the most popular dish in pubs, with 20 percent of licensees listing them as their top draw4. Reflecting the significance of the perfect pie, 40 percent of pubs celebrated British Pie Week with a special menu last year5.
“A disappointing line-up that would barely meet Mrs Lovett’s approval isn’t going to encourage repeat business,” said Nigel. “Why not take British Pie Week’s advice and offer Scrummy Scrumpy Chicken Pie or bubbling steak and Guinness pie topped with puff pastry?
“You can make a pie sauce or gravy the classic way, frying off your meat and vegetables with some flour, adding stock and seasoning and braising the lot until tender, but there are errors for margin here, namely getting the right consistency when the filling is cooked. If you end up with too much sauce, it will get left out of the pie and possibly wasted.
“The other way is to cook all your ingredients in a light stock and simmer until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and then thicken the remaining liquid with a quality gravy mix.
“This allows you to get the right consistency and the right amount of sauce. If you are doing it the latter way, the last thing you want to do is spoil the rest of your pie with something bland, salty or artificial tasting. Gravy may make or break the meal experience, but it typically represents just two percent of the total ingredient cost6.
The Product – No1 Gravy (Beef, Chicken or Savoury)
“Our No1 gravies ensure pub pies have that inimitable taste and smell, are free of nasty ingredients and allow chefs to use their own creativity. The meat gravies contain stock and dripping for that great gravy taste, while we also do a rich, savoury gravy for vegetarians and those with special dietary requirements.”
Vegetarian dishes on top
“Classic pub food is the top cuisine in pubs,” said Nigel. “However, what is interesting is that number two is vegetarian dishes at 82 percent, way above the next on the list, modern British at 63 percent7. There is clearly more demand for meat-free options and pubs need to acknowledge this trend if they are to drive sales.
“Combine the top two and you’re onto a winner. For vegetarians or those with special dietary requirements, think hotpots with roasted tomatoes, potatoes and braised root veg and celery instead of meat, and source products such as savoury gravy that taste first class and cater for this market.”
The Product – No1 Savoury Gravy
Gravy as it should be, No1 Savoury Gravy sits perfectly alongside No1 Beef Gravy and No1 Chicken Gravy, while answering demand for a premium gravy made to a vegetarian, gluten-free recipe.
The newest addition to the hit range of balanced, rich tasting gravies is made with the finest ingredients for the perfect pour every time, doesn’t thin during service, and is perfect for roasts, grills and pies. Costing around £11.50, it comes in 1.5kg pots, making 20ltrs of gravy.
Savoury Gravy contains no added MSG or preservatives, adds breadth to the No1 range and offered a product for vegetarian and coeliac customers. As with every gravy in the range, No1 Savoury Gravy is so versatile, chefs can add their own touches to it, has superior bain-marie holding qualities and is freeze-thaw stable.
Make it special
Specials have become a top draw in pubs, according to the Publican report, with 74 percent of UK pubs who responded to the survey now offering them on a daily or weekly basis8.
“Considered a fantastic way to use up ingredients with an element of creativity, specials are a great profit generator, but the clue is in the question. They can’t be boring, they have to be that bit ‘special’ to sell. The challenge is finding ways to differentiate specials from dishes on the main menu without having to fork out for a whole mix of additional products.
“Classic pub food, for example, is the top cuisine in pubs, with 89 percent offering versions of this traditional fayre9,” said Nigel. “If you offer a classic lasagne, tweak your béchamel sauce and you have a veloute, a velvety sauce you can use to coat everything from stuffed chicken breast to pork medallions for the specials board.
“By using a readymade base, you can whisk up a béchamel sauce or a veloute in seconds, simply substituting the milk element for stock. It just has to be consistently good.”
The Product – Classic Béchamel Sauce Mix
Essential Cuisine’s Béchamel Sauce Mix is a combination of flour, butter and milk with an appropriate balance of onion, clove, pepper and bay for the smoothest, rich roux sauce.
“As every trained chef knows, béchamel sauce is a classic mother sauce of French cuisine and to be able to call on a readymade base that performs consistently, tastes first class and is completely free of rubbish is welcome in today’s kitchens,” said Nigel.
“On the back of our growing reputation for the finest products made by chefs for chefs, we have introduced this easy to make up, premium white sauce base to take away some of the work, leaving chefs to focus on creating their final sauces with absolute confidence. We recommend chefs try it against their own or current brand to see just how good it really is.”
New Classic Béchamel Sauce Mix is perfect for lasagnes, cannelloni, veloutes and soufflés, or as a base for a chef’s own creations, whether you wish to add cheese for a mornay or cheese sauce, parsley for a classic parsley sauce, mustard or mushrooms and cream. You might want to add to a white wine and cream reduction to make a classic cream sauce.
Each 1.5kg pots costs around £17 and makes 18 litres (add 80g to a litre of full or semi-skimmed milk). It has both superior bain-marie holding qualities and is freeze thaw stable.
For samples, call 01606 541 490, email [email protected] or visit www.essentialcuisine.com
Sources
Allegra – Eating Out report 2010
Allegra – Eating Out report 2010
Publican Food Report 2010
Publican Food Report 2010
Publican Food Report 2010
Figures based on £5.95 meal cost at 60 percent gross profit
Publican Food Report 2010
Publican Food Report 2010
Publican Food Report 2010
