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6 HOSPITALITY FOOD TRENDS TO FOCUS ON IN 2023
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A look at six ways chefs are responding to the shifting consumer trend towards comfort food and the use of cheaper ingredients, all driven by the cost-of-living crisis.The cost-of-living crisis has led people to look for ways to save money, including on their grocery bills which explains why we’re seeing a resurgence in comfort food and cheaper ingredients. Innovative chefs are embracing this trend by using humble ingredients to create gourmet dishes and twists on old favourites.TREND 1: ELEVATE VEGETABLESWith the rise of plant-based diets, vegetables have gone from a side piece to the main event. And as cooks try new ways to cope with costs, they look for extra flavour in humble veggies like carrots and beets – cue fire cooking! They c...

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5 DELICIOUS RECIPES TO MAKE FOR VEGANUARY
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With a record number of people predicted to sign up to Veganuary this year, it’s time to start brushing up on those delicious vegan recipes. The days of simple tomato pasta and boring mushroom risotto are gone, as we’re now in a whole new era for vegan food. You can find a substitute for just about anything these days, like chicken, steak, mince, yoghurt, butter, cheese and even eggs, not to mention how easy it has become to really pimp up the humble lentil or chickpea with some herbs and spices. To help get your Veganuary 2023 off to a flying start, here are five delicious recipes to try, from healthy poke bowls to fragrant curries and comforting Italian dishes.FALAFEL PITAINGREDIENTS: MAKES 25 FALAFEL1 warm, toasted pita½ large beef...

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5 ALTERNATIVE FESTIVE DESSERTS TO CHRISTMAS PUDDING
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Christmas pudding is one of the biggest family dividers every single year – a close second being brussel sprouts (cook them like this for a dish everyone will love). Some people can’t wait to dive into the dense and fruity, booze-filled cake, drenched in custard or cream – probably all laced with further brandy. Others can’t stand the rich pud and long for something a little lighter but just as fulfilling.Giving a festive edge to some of the nation’s favourite desserts is actually quite simple, all you have to do is spike them with spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, or add fruits such as orange and cranberry – a little brandy or whiskey wouldn’t hurt either.Everyone loves a crumble. Give it a christmassy edge but combin...

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THE FIFA WORLD CUP WITH PUKKA PIES
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As the FIFA World Cup approaches (21st Nov – 18th Dec), it is set to offer a huge opportunity for the foodservice and hospitality industries. Instead of beer gardens and al fresco celebrations in the sunshine, we’ll see supporters wrapping up and heading indoors to bars, pubs, restaurants, and cafes to escape the cold weather and fill up on their favourite winter warmers!BIGGEST EVENT IN THE SPORTING CALENDARThe World Cup can be very lucrative for pubs, and it’s vital that publicans and bar owners take full advantage of one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar. During the last World Cup in 2018, it was found that pub spending jumped by 33% whenever England played a World Cup game and research carried out by KAM and FANZ...

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WHY SERVE FLAVOURED CHIPS WITH 5 SERVING SUGGESTIONS
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Catering definitely needs flavoured chips; here’s why….Pomme Frites, fries or the Great British chip, I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like them….Whether cooked in peanut oil, vegetable oil or triple cooked in good old beef dripping down the local gastro pub or chippy and even the smell of an oven chip sizzling away on a baking tray, there’s something alluring about the smell, the feel and the golden crispness that gives way to fluffy, steaming potato. Chips are the 7-day replacement for the Sunday roast potato, which is the perfect thing to go with so many other flavours in a roast, so why not take the same approach with chips?Every time I smell freshly cooked chips, drenched in salt and vinegar, I am instantly ...

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HOW TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE FIFA WORLD CUP THEMED MENU
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The FIFA World Cup 2022 is drawing ever closer. Can Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane go one further than the recent European Championships? And how will Robert Page’s Wales fare in Qatar? If you’re planning on throwing a watch party for any of the matches, why not go all out and create a FIFA World Cup-themed menu? We’ve got some great ideas to help get you started.While you may be supporting multiple nations, for this article, we’ll be focusing on the three England and Wales games (that we know so far!), offering recipe ideas for dishes from the opposing nation:England V Iran on the 21st NovemberWales V USA on the 21st NovemberEngland V USA on the 25th NovemberWales V Iran on the 25th NovemberEngland V Wales on 29th November Menus...

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HOW HOSPITALITY VENUES CAN CREATE A GREAT FIFA WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE
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As the FIFA World Cup draws ever closer, and the excitement builds, fans will be looking to pubs, bars, and restaurants to escape the cold, wintery weather and watch the much-anticipated matches. Football fans will be hopeful Southgate’s men can improve on their semi-final in 2018 and how Wales will fare in their first tournament since 1958!Taking place in Qatar, from November 21st – December 18th, it will be a little different to the usual summer games, when beer gardens become the go-to. Instead, venues will have to balance the usual Christmas crowds with one of the most significant sporting events. And given that in 2018, pub spending increased by 33% whenever England played a World Cup game, missing out on this event could mean lo...

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5 WAYS TO USE YOUR AUTUMN VEG
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Autumn vegetables are in their prime during October, and there’s nothing better than seeing seasonal vegetables on a menu. Root vegetables like beetroot, butternut squash, and parsnips, as well as cauliflower and carrots are popular autumn veg, and ideal for making a range of healthy, hearty dishes both vegan and vegetarian too.The best thing about autumn vegetables is that they can be used in a variety of ways, in sauces, purée, soups or as the main dish – usually roasted with lots of lovely spices. The key to getting the most flavour out of root vegetables isn’t just in the cooking but what you pair them with. Here, we’ve got punchy salsa verde, salty miso, and nutty pesto, which really makes these root veggies sing.ROASTED BUTTE...

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ADDING “WINTER WARMERS” TO YOUR MENUS
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With winter approaching, it’s time to look at your menus. The colder weather ignites a desire for ‘Winter Warmers’, dishes that grab you and hug you with big, bold flavours. These are casserole and stew dishes where all the flavours are cooked together and go from oven to table. Customers love these nostalgic dishes bursting with great flavour, are keen on price and remind them of mum or grandma’s home cooking. One-pot cooking is very different from traditional cuisine in that the prep is done in advance, with the finishing touches at the end. Prep hard, easy service! One-pot cooking is one of the earliest forms of cookery and is used the world over. The reason is simple; cheap and easy to prepare, work well with cheaper cuts of ...

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15 WAYS TO USE UP YOUR LEFTOVER HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN
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Each year, following Halloween, thousands of pumpkins are tossed aside or left to shrivel until the candle inside them burns out. But this seasonal vegetable shouldn’t be getting thrown out with the rubbish. It is wasteful, but there are also so many brilliant ways to use up your leftover pumpkin, from sweet treats to savoury dishes, pureès, and soups. And don’t throw away the seeds; roast them up as a snack or use them to top your vibrant pumpkin dishes.
So, before you let your pumpkins go to waste, take a look at these 15 fun and creative ways to use up your leftover Halloween pumpkins.
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream:

This is the perfect way to use up any leftover pumpkin puree. Simply mix it with some condensed milk, spices, and cream...

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HOW TO MAKE YOUR VENUE STAND OUT THIS HALLOWEEN
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As the weather starts to turn colder, there are several calendar events that the hospitality venues can capitalise on, not just to make some extra revenue but create excitement for customers too. From Halloween to Guy Fawkes Night to Christmas, whether you’re a catering business, school, cafe, restaurant or bar, events create a point of difference and also give you a chance to reach new customers. Love it or hate it, Halloween is a great way to host a memorable occasion and boost your profits. From spooky-themed cocktails and food, quiz nights, horror-themed fancy dress, and pumpkin carving, there is a lot you can do to make Halloween fun for everyone. Of course, this year Halloween is on a Monday, which isn’t the best day for hospital...

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BUSTING THE MYTHS OF FROZEN VEGETABLES AND HOW TO USE THEM
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Somewhere along the way, frozen vegetables got a bad rep. Well, all vegetables apart from maybe peas, which almost everyone keeps in their freezer for more than just eating (any bump, peas will sort!). But really, this preconceived idea that frozen vegetables are any less nutritious for you than fresh, is complete nonsense.Frozen vegetables are almost like-for-like packed with just as much goodness as fresh. This is because they’re frozen at the optimum time, when they’re at their peak ripeness, locking in all the nutrients.Vegetables are ‘quick-frozen’, a technique created by the captain himself, Clarence Birdseye. Way back in the 1920s, Birdseye decided to copy the Inuits in Alaska, who preserved their fish by freezing them quickl...

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