Christmas ideas Mixing it up with combos and sharing platters

Matt Godbold, marketing manager at Kitchen Range Foods, says: "Combos act as an additional profit earner. They provide an opportunity to capture the customers' interest and trade up from bagged snacks to something more satisfying. They may also encourage customers who have popped in for a quick drink to stay longer and spend more."

The Kitchen Range Foods' portfolio features onion rings, mushrooms, breaded cheeses such as Cheshire and apricot bites, Stilton bites and gruyere and shallot bites; potato

wedges and tempura vegetables; and mixed case combos of chicken or prawn.

With the growing demand for international cuisine, The Authentic Food Company suggests serving up platters that combine tastes from around the world with something to tempt everyone - ideal for large parties.

The company offers a range of Thai Snacks, which includes shrimp shao mai, three-colour har gao, chicken, duck and vegetable cracker spring rolls, plus an Oriental vegetable and Szechuan chicken bun.

The Indian Meat Snack Selection includes lamb samosas, chicken samosas, onion bhajis and sachets of pakora sauce for dipping.

Vegetarians can opt for the Indian Snack Selection, including onion bhajis, vegetable pakoras, vegetable samosas and a pakora sauce. Indian snacks are great with beer, so

you could offer the range as part of a food and drink deal.

Tilda's suggestions include their prawns in spicy broth (using Tilda Thai Green Curry Sauce), tikka dips (using Tilda Tikka Masala Sauce) and kedgeree cakes (with Tilda Easy Cook American Long Grain Rice).