Faster food

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The fact that, as a nation, we are becoming increasingly ill-disciplined about meal times is potentially a real problem for well-organised publicans....

The fact that, as a nation, we are becoming increasingly ill-disciplined about meal times is potentially a real problem for well-organised publicans. In an ideal world, we'd all eat lunch in a convenient two-hour period between noon and 2pm, helpfully placing our orders at staggered five-minute intervals to give the pub kitchen a chance to cope.

We would then not eat again until early evening, and would again politely wait for our turn to order. Of course, life just ain't that simple. The trend towards "grazing" has been well documented.

It's not as simple as keeping the kitchen open longer, thanks to rising staffing costs and the pub trade's perennial skills shortage.

One supplier offering a potential solution is Midlands-based Lazer Foods, which produces rapid-serve, toasted fresh food.

The company supplies a range of snack foods which are delivered sealed in a cellophane wrapper. The food has a longer storage life and, cooked in one of Lazer Food's halogen ovens, is ready in minutes.

The range available includes baguettes, paninis, burgers and French bread pizzas, which require both the oven and special packaging to make the system work. Since the food is cooked and served still wrapped in its unique formulated film, there are no hygiene issues around food preparation.

Traditional pub menu

One pub which has recently introduced the system is the Trident Inn, at Burntwood, Stafford- shire. Licensee Tom Taylor has run the community pub on a tenancy with The Union Pub Company for the past six years.

When Tom took over, a local Indian restaurant was serving food in the pub on a franchise. "They were making money, but that wasn't doing me any good," he says "I wanted to take it back to a traditional pub menu offering bar meals."

The main pub menu, available at certain times of day, is now supported by a Lazer Foods' oven at the back of the bar. "The great thing is that you don't need skilled kitchen staff, anyone can use it. There are no food handling issues, so it's good from a hygiene point of view, and staff don't have to be skilled."

The biggest sellers are burgers, sausage baguettes, and bacon and cheese baguettes. Since the Licensing Act came into force, the pub has extended its opening hours to 12.30am on Friday and Saturday, and midnight the rest of the week. "The local chip shops and takeaways are closed when people are leaving, and it means they can have a snack at the pub," said Tom.

At the Watermans Inn, at Hatton, Warwick, the system is allowing the pub to make the most of the hot summer weather. The pub overlooks the Stairway to Heaven, a system of 21 locks on the Grand Union Canal. The pub, a freehouse, was given a £1.5m makeover 18 months ago, increasing its appeal to visitors as well as locals.

General manager Nick Roestenburg took over the Watermans Inn four months ago, and one of his first priorities was to revamp the menu. "We now offer what I call à la carte bar food," says Nick. "We have a reputation for good food, good service, and attract a wide range of customers, for everything from business lunches to dinner parties."

The pub's four-acre garden, although undoubtedly an asset in good weather, is impractical when it comes to offering the standard menu. The Lazer Foods system hasbeen installed on a terraced area of the garden and is marketed as the "garden menu". The best sellers are burgers, French bread pizzas, and bacon and stilton baguettes. "It's proven to be a very successful extension to our offer," says Nick.

Lazer Foods: www.lazerfoods.co.uk

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