Pub Classics - A case for baskets

Retro's back, so dig out those baskets and bring them bang up to date; you'd be a basket case not to. Richard Fox reports

To those who see food as a fashion statement as much as a square meal, having their dinner served in a basket will be about as well received as a paisley Crimplene shirt.

However, there is a wind of change in the air: retro food is back with a vengeance. The prawn cocktail has been repackaged as a gourmet starter, utilising fresh Dublin Bay prawns and homemade Marie Rose sauce, while Black Forest gateau is appearing on top-end restaurant menus.

So, in the words of Page and Plant, "the song remains the same" - it's just the production values that have moved on in leaps and bounds.

If the ingredients and cooking methodology are top drawer, then who gives a hoot if the concept dates back to the Norman Conquest, let alone the late 1970s. Naturally, there's no point sticking two fingers up at the "fashionistas" if your customers regard the menu with hilarity. Interest and intrigue - yes; a wholesale laughing stock - no.

As far as the case for baskets is concerned, that - and indeed my motivation for writing this piece - can be summed up in a recent visit to one of my local, highly regarded pubs, the Coach & Horses in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

Venturing in for an early-doors pint of Daleside's finest, I was greeted by the sight of virtually every table tucking into basket food. It was a sight I hadn't seen for about 15 years, but frankly, it looked so damned appetising, I found myself placing my food order before I had time to work out whether or not I was actually hungry.

Novelty values aside, there are a couple of distinct advantages of the basket over the plate. Firstly, it crosses the psychological boundaries between what's considered to be a meal, and what is regarded as a snack. In other words, baskets will appeal to both factions. Secondly, it requires no garnishes.

Part of the attraction is the no-frills rusticity of the presentation. I've always considered the indiscriminate uses of salad garnishes with every dish from soup to full English breakfast, both inappropriate and potentially expensive.

The monthly fruit and veg bill is the one expense that can very easily run out of control because of the low perceived cost of items such as salad. Cut down on the salad garnishes, or try replacing them with something a little more interesting, and see how the bill plummets.

Anyway, that's another story, but a wedge of lemon, pot of mayo, ketchup or tomato sauce is all the added colour and flavour you should require for most basket-clad dishes.

Like any new concept, it's always worth giving it a little extra gravitas and "speciality" feel by introducing it as a sort of specials menu within a menu. Or, if you are the kind of establishment that runs themed food nights - as is the case with my local, then a basket night is as good a theme as any.

Make sure the staff are fully conversant with every aspect of it, paying particular attention to any local ingredients, or home-made elements - and offer a free bottle of wine to whoever sells the most at the end of the night.

What of the content then? Well, the recipe for success here is simple: quality of ingredients, fresh oil, and a little imagination. And what better way to illustrate those three vital factors than the dish that defined the basket: scampi and chips. Fresh Dublin Bay prawns, floured, eggwashed and then coated in herb breadcrumbs accompanied by home-made deep-fried or oven-baked potato wedges would stand its ground in any gastro pub. Served in a basket, it's a national reputation winner.

This no-compromise approach can be applied to your full range of basket meals. How about beer-battered strips of fresh lemon sole served with home-made chips and a little pot of pea purée for a real gastro-pub version of fish, chips and mushy peas? For the pea purée, simple blitz some cooked peas with some sweated chopped shallot and a little vegetable stock. The resultant purée will be vibrant green in colour and add a distinctive "wow factor" to what's already a pretty impressive combination.

The thing is, you don't have to stop at the traditional "basket staples". Even though we're resolutely determined not to become fashion victims, there's nothing wrong with adding a contemporary twist. In fact, I can think of nothing less timeless than a bygone age blended with what is very much the here and now. Bring on the herb-infused, bite-sized Thai fishcakes, deep-fried tempura mussels served with a glass of zesty Belgian wheat beer, or even just a basket piled high with paprika roast potato wedges.

The secret on this one is to get a meltingly soft interior and a crunchy outside. The best way to achieve this is to blanche the wedges in salted water until they just start to give, dry them well and then roast them in a hot oven with some butter and oil.

In these times of ever-increasing competition, with more and more food of higher quality than before being consumed in pubs, we need to look at every way of creating interest on menus and unique selling points, while at the same time continuing to "up the ante" on the quality stakes.

So, clean out the frier, peel those potatoes and fill your baskets.

Top 10 baskets

Scampi and chips (herb-crusted Dublin Bay prawns)

Chicken-in-a-basket (char-grilled, pesto-marinated poussin)

Fish and chips (breaded lemon sole, pea purée)

Basket of chips (paprika roast potato wedges)

Fishcakes (mini Thai fishcakes)

Mussels and frites (beer-battered fresh mussels - serve with a Belgian wheat beer, such as Hoegaarden)

Bread basket (baked cheese, garlic and herb baguette)

Squid rings (chilli and coriander marinated squid, char-grilled for service)

Veggy basket (deep-fried tempura veg with dips)

Chocolate basket (a basket of chocolate brownies to share)