Retro '70s - the classic pub menu

It has now become a cliché - prawn cocktail to start, steak and chips for the main, and black forest gateau to follow.

But it only became a cliché because everyone ordered it. To mark The Publican's 30th birthday, we're giving pubs help to bring back the classics.

The starter: Not quite the classic prawn cocktail​ Serves:​ Four

• 1/2 iceberg lettuce, washed and shredded
• 12oz Whitby Seafoods' warm water prawns
• 2 tomatoes, seeds removed, skinned, and diced
• 20 langoustine tails (optional), cleaned, lightly poached, chilled

For the seafood sauce

• 8oz good-quality mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp brandy
• pinch cayenne pepper

Mix ingredients for the sauce together until pink and smooth

Take half the lettuce and toss with half of the diced tomatoes and divide between the four large cocktail glasses

Top with half the prawns, spoon some of the sauce over and add the remaining lettuce

Divide remaining prawns into the glasses, place the langoustines (if using) around the edge of the glasses and spoon over more sauce.

Garnish with a little diced tomato, a sprinkle of paprika and some chopped chives. Serve with brown bread and butter.

Put your flares on, get out that old Carpenters album and enjoy!

The main course: Steak and chips​

• Customers' choice of size and cut of steak
• olive or vegetable oil
• ground sea salt
• black pepper

Oiling: using a pastry brush, coat the steak with oil. This will prevent it from burning and sticking to the heated surface. It will also help to caramelise the steak and give it extra colour.

Seasoning: sprinkle the steak with ground sea salt to help bring out the flavour of the meat and keep it juicy. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to add crunch.

Repeat on each side.

Cooking: no matter what equipment you use, from a charcoal grill to a frying pan, it must be very HOT. The steak should sizzle when it hits the heat, sealing the juices and succulence into the meat.

Resistance measure the steak's resistance to gentle pressure to test how well cooked it is.

Using the back of your tongs or spatula gently press down on the centre of the steak. The rarer the steak the softer, less resistant it will feel. The harder and more resistant it feels, the more cooked it will be.

Steak should always be cooked to order according to the customer's preference and it is achieving this correct degree of cooking which presents the ultimate challenge in the cooking of steak.

To ensure your steak is of a consistent standard and that your delivery matches the order, you should provide your butcher with clear specifications.

Downloadable template delivery forms are available on the EBLEX CD-Rom Quality Standard Steak: A Masterclass to be used to input your own specifications.

Guidelines on cooking steak blue to well done are available on the CD-Rom. To find out how you can receive copies please email chantel@b2bcommunications.co.uk or call Chantel on 0208 9742404 and quote Steak Masterclass.

Hints for choosing steak​

Start with a top quality piece of meat. When ordering your steak take into consideration the following points:

• Type of cut
• Maturation period and method
• The trim and fat level of the meat
• The weight and thickness of the cut
• Country of origin
• Level of preparation

Source: the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX)​

Cooking perfect chips​

Celebrity chef and renowned chip aficionado, Brian Turner, devised a recipe that virtually guarantees the definitive perfect chip every time. There are five simple but crucial steps, he says:

• The chipped potatoes must be soaked in cold water to remove excessive starch.
• They should then be drained and patted completely dry with a clean tea towel - essential for a crisp finish.
• Blanch: fry at 170ºC for four minutes and lift out just as they start to colour.
• Raise the heat to 190ºC then plunge the chips back into the oil for a further 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
• Drain on absorbent paper and then season lightly with salt.

Selecting potatoes to use​

The British Potato Council offers the following advice whenchoosing, storing and making the best when cooking potatoes:

• Ensure you choose firm smooth ones, avoid excessively wrinkled, withered, cracked potatoes and try not to buy those ones that have a lot of sprouts or green areas.
• King Edward reigns supreme. Like other favourite chipping varieties, including Maris Piper (the chip shops' favourite), Cara, Wilja, Saxon, Maris Peer, Desiree, Sante, Pentland Dell, and Fianna, it is tasty, and neither too watery or too high in sugar, which respectively give it a crispy texture and a light golden colour.
• Store potatoes in a cool dark dry, ventilated area to avoid greening. Remove them from plastic bags and don't store them in the fridge or near strong smelling foods such as onions.
• The type of cooking oil used tends to be a matter of personal preference, although the correct frying temperature is vital.

Source: the British Potato Council​

The dessert: Black Forest Gateau​ Don't even think about trying to make a black forest gateau yourself. Brakes does a lovely one - chocolate sponge moistened with kirsch syrup, filled with morello cherries and fresh cream, and decorated with cream and chocolate.

Pictured: Black Forest Gateau (rear) and its Brakes stablemate, strawberry gateau.​