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Have you seen the rising trend of butter boards? These visually appealing platters feature butter and various toppings; they’re all about creativity in presentation and experimenting with ingredients for a unique customer experience.Towards the end of 2022, butter boards went viral on social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, with chefs and foodies sharing their butter board creations. One of the pioneers of the trend was food writer, blogger and recipe creator Justine Doiron, who shared a butter board on her social media with the caption: ‘A butter board is the next charcuterie board trend. Don’t quote me on it – but if it happens… then you can quote me on it’. Within two weeks, her video had over 8.3 million TikTok views.If...

We’re delving into the world of TikTok to uncover the most popular ice cream hacks that range from cake to pops, sandwiches to loaded scoops, and more.Whether you’re in charge of the school, pub, care home, restaurant or café catering, many of these hacks are surprisingly simple to recreate. Imagine indulging in banana ice cream, ice cream cake, and even air-fried ice cream! So, get ready to experience a whole new level of ice cream innovation.SAVE YOUR MASON JARSNo ice cream machine? No problem. Use a mason jar! Essentially, you add your ice cream mix to a jar (double cream, condensed milk, sugar etc.) and then place it in the freezer, taking it out at regular intervals to shake it vigorously. You can also add in fruit, chocolate, coo...

We are heading towards our first official change in monarchy for 70 years. The handover from the beloved Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III will be a worldwide event, with all the pomp and ceremony, television coverage and commentary from all corners of the globe.But once all the pomp is done, the processions back to Buckingham palace in front of millions of people, and the golden carriages put back in the stables, I would think His Royal highness may be a bit hungry.Throughout history, food has played a central role in human festivities, with extravagant tables filled with rare and exotic ingredients from far-flung corners of the globe demonstrating the host’s property and ability to acquire whatever they desire.However, eating habit...

The King’s Coronation is just weeks away, so if you haven’t already, it’s time to start planning how you will celebrate with your guests. The grand occasion is taking place on Saturday 6th May, but we’ve also been graced with an extra bank holiday on Monday 8th May, so there’s a whole weekend to be spent celebrating.To help you create a meal fit for a king, we’ve put together a few recipes which are sure to excite and delight your customers. Your first thought may be to make something like Coronation Chicken – after all, it did take centre stage at Queen Elizabeth II’s event – but according to the official website, we can get more creative than that…For extra inspiration, take a look at the Coronation official website,

The hospitality sector often overlooks St. George’s Day, especially compared to the widely-celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. However, there’s no reason to downplay its significance. Celebrated on April 23rd, marking the anniversary of St. George’s passing, this day is observed by various nations such as Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, and Spain.Here, we’ll look into how other nations honour the occasion and get some inspiration to give guests an unforgettable experience.BULGARIA, CROATIA & SLOVENIAIn Bulgaria, St. George’s Day is celebrated with a traditional roast of a whole lamb leg on a spit, called ‘cheverme’. Discover a fantastic stuffed lamb shoulder recipe here – no need to worry, a spit isn’t necessa...

It’s Easter, so break out the chocolate eggs, gold foil-wrapped rabbits and let’s not forget an excellent old lump of roasted lamb.Easter has always been a bit of a tough one for creative menu writing, the balance of keeping guests happy while not trotting out the same old dishes year after year, but I guess that’s what tradition means.Easter itself is a bit of an oxymoron, steeped in tradition, but a signal of rebirth and change. Most food outlets will add roast lamb with mint sauce or redcurrant jelly. However, being a creative rebel (me being difficult for the sake of it), I would do everything I could not to serve lamb.British lamb wouldn’t be available quite yet, so we would have to resort to a frozen version from the other sid...

Treat your customers to a delicious dessert that both looks and tastes amazing! With the growing trend of amateur baking, diners will appreciate some additional creative flair with classic desserts so why not add a few finishing touches; not only will sales volume rise, but you can charge more for an elevated version of menu classics.Our own brand, Fairway Assured, has a wide variety of delicious desserts with rich flavours, including Chocolate Fudge Cake and Tart Au Citron. Have a look at the inspiration below, which covers all price points.FAIRWAY ASSURED GF NAUGHTY CHOCOLATE CAKEA moist GF cake with a chocolate fudge layer and finished and topped with more chocolate fudge icing and shavings. The sponge is chocolate enriched to stay moi...

Get ready to indulge in the latest food craze – deep-filled sandwiches! Overflowing with sauce and jam-packed with contrasting textures and flavours, these extravagant creations are redefining the meaning of the humble sandwich.These mouth-watering sandwiches are a must-try for anyone who loves great food. So jump on the bandwagon, and join us in exploring the exciting world of deep-filled sandwiches in the food industry.WORLD FLAVOURSChefs are taking inspiration from all over the world to create mouth-watering deep-fill sandwich combinations that strike nostalgia and familiarity – the only difference is the flavour is inside two bits of bread (or a roll… or a wrap). Mexican – The Torta is a Mexican sandwich traditionally served o...

With the rising consumer awareness of gluten-free, we look at how bakeries, cafes and hospitality around the world showcase wheat-free items ranging from pastries and tarts to cakes, muffins, bread, and savoury items.In the past, gluten-free products were associated with tasteless and dehydrated bread and cakes. However, today, gluten-free options are a ubiquitous part of menus, and some baked goods are so delectable that they rival or even surpass their gluten-containing counterparts.FRENCH AND DANISH GLUTEN- FREE PASTRIESEveryone loves a pastry, and just because you’re gluten-free doesn’t mean you should miss out on the delightfully perfect buttery layers of a pan au chocolat or plain croissant. French pastries can be hard to master, ...

It’s an age-old debate…. should we buy bread fresh each day from a local bakery, or have frozen alternatives now caught up on quality?In most kitchens buying frozen bread was seen as cutting corners, a sign of laziness or imagination/skill. Still, most kitchens didn’t have the spare time, space or staff capacity to ferment their sourdough mother and dedicate time to a long process to create a great loaf.For years I had a hybrid approach. My “speciality” loaves always came in fresh each morning from the local bakery, but my burger buns and standard bread were from my dry store supplier and were frozen; here was my thought process.I, along with the whole of the UK, became obsessed with real bread, proper sourdough with a long fermen...

Now we all know this to be true; take care of your body, and it will take care of you…Admittedly for a long time, it was adding avocado to anything and seeing it come back on the plate and end up in the bin. I believe that most customers doing this wanted it to seem like they had ordered something healthy to be seen doing it rather than actually consuming it.Now there’s a hidden truth here about menu and recipe writing. Nearly all of our menu items could be tweaked in the kitchen and be way more healthy and just as tasty, and most diners wouldn’t even know. So why do we bother to advertise it as a healthy option?We could just do it, and that becomes the new normal, or are we still under the impression that healthy feels like some deli...

Soup’s rise in popularity is continuing, with international ingredients delivering a worldly flare, creative toppings turning a basic bowl into a restaurant-quality dish and the transformation of a simple snack into a hearty and filling meal.This delicious, nostalgia-inducing meal can be served all through the year. From warming and comforting veg-packed soups and creamy veloutés to refreshing, cold soups like Gazpacho, soup is incredibly versatile, used by chefs everywhere from pop-ups to fine dining, cafes to schools. CLASSIC WINTER WARMERSWith the wave of chefs ‘cooking with the seasons’, it’s no surprise that classic winter warmers dominate menus and even social media feeds across the globe during the colder months.Here are so...