In the know
Serving Savvy
The first Serving Savvy challenge was held at the Halfway House in Isfield, near Uckfield, East Sussex. Tenant/chef Paul Mundy, who also owns the Roebuck Inn, in Laughton, East Sussex, bravely took on Roebuck head chef Alex Seaton. Each chef has to show some serving savvy for four Yes Chef products, which he prepares in a 60-minute cook-off. The chef's own ingredients can be used. The winning idea for each of the four dishes will feature for a week on specials boards at the Roebuck and Halfway House to test customers' reaction. The overall winner is the chef who has the higher number of selected dishes.
Yes Chef uncovered
Yes Chef, the latest range from Tanfield Food Company, is set to hugely benefit the foodservice industry.
The new range of meals are a cost-effective way to offer good-looking, great-tasting restaurant-quality food - without hard labour.
The Yes Chef range of dishes comes with all the time-consuming preparation already done, saving kitchen staff time and energy. After a few minutes of heating, only a simple accompaniment is needed.
Each dish comes with full instructions and a suggestion sheet, and leaves room for chefs of all abilities to add their own flair and personality. Adding any chosen finishing touches can produce a bespoke meal in minutes.
The Yes Chef range is original and designed specifically for and with the help of the catering business. Meals are prepared and packed in pouches before going into a pressure cooker.
This process results in food becoming safe, ambient and possible to store without refrigeration for up to a year. The products' long shelf-life helps to solve storage problems by requiring less fridge and freezer space.
For more information contact Tanfield Food Company on 01207 588 783,
email sales@yes-chef.com or visit
www.yes-chef.com
Serving sensation or suicide?
Having trialled the winning serving suggestions in both pubs, head chef Alex updates PubChef on how the serving ideas have fared with customers
Belly of pork in port wine and sweet pears with stir-fried mixed greens and lightly-spiced noodles
Price charged: £8.95
Customers' verdict: "very tasty"; "the pork is really succulent"; "a nice dish"
What the chefs say: "This product was quick and simple to use and the meat is lovely and tender. I found that when the sauce reduced it became quite salty, so I thinned it with some jus, which helped to overcome the problem. I think this dish would work really well on our function menu. The Halfway's more traditional way of serving it with mash and vegetables has also proved popular."
Mixed bean chilli in a filo parcel with feta pilau
Price to be charged: £4.95 starter; £7.95 main.
What the chefs say: "I haven't put this on the menu yet as I want to change it slightly first. I found the filo, feta and pilau combination a bit dry so I'd want to serve it with either a tomato or pesto drizzle to moisten it up. We would offer this as a vegetarian dish on both our main and function menus. We have used the chilli as a nacho topping and this has really flown out - it's been hard to keep up with demand at times! We did find some inconsistency of flavour and a few customers wanted me to spice it up a bit, but that's just personal preference."
Duck confit with a beetroot and redcurrant jelly compôte, served with a rocket and
potato salad
Price charged: £9.25
Customers' verdict: "the compôte complemented the duck nicely"; "I liked the crispy skin"
What the chefs say: "This is a really good dish but probably more suitable for our autumn menu when it's likely to be very popular. The meat is superb - slightly more expensive than the raw portions we buy in, but good. This will also feature on both our main and function menus."
Chorizo chicken on a bed of paella
Price to be charged: £7.95
What the chefs say: "We were happy with both this dish and my butternut squash and sweet pepper and scallion idea and are going to alternate them on our menu."
The products
Yes Chef is Tanfield Food Company's latest offering. It includes nine recipe dishes designed to take the hard work out of restaurant-quality food. The four Yes Chef products Alex and Paul are using in the Serving Savvy challenge are:
Belly of pork in port wine and sweet pears
Cooking instructions: Can be oven-baked for 20 minutes or microwaved for three minutes. Ideal for cooking in a Turbo Chef.
Cost per case of eight: £19.20
Mixed bean chilli - cooked with garlic, white wine and red chilli sauce, laced with jalapenos
Cooking instructions: Heat through on a hob or microwave for one minute 30 seconds.
Cost per case of eight: £11.20
Chorizo chicken - leg of chicken
slow-cooked in red chilli bean sauce mixed with aromatic spicy chorizo sausage
Cooking instructions: Empty contents into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for two minutes or microwave for three minutes.
Cost per case of eight: £19.20
Duck confit - seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper
Cooking instructions: Oven-bake for 20 minutes or microwave for three minutes.
Cost per case of eight: £19.20
The Roebuck Inn
PUB FACTS
Customer base: A village pub, the Roebuck also has letting rooms and a function suite
Average covers per week: 240 plus an average of two to three functions
Wet:dry split: 60:40
Average spend: £15
Frozen:fresh: 15:85
How often does your menu change?: Weekly
Sample dishes: Roquefort cheese and apple salad £4.95; pan-fried chicken livers and Parma ham £4.95; fillet of cod in Kronenbourg beer batter £6.95; fresh-dressed local crab salad £9.95; summer meze plate £8.95
The chef: Alex Seaton
Alex is head chef at the Roebuck. After leaving school at 15, he learned his trade working as a chef at the Glyndebourne Opera House. Alex then joined Paul four years ago as head chef at his former pub, before following him to the Roebuck.
Serving Savvy
l Belly of pork in port wine and sweet pears served with stir-fried mixed greens and lightly spiced noodles:
"I think this would work well for our large functions at the Roebuck."
l Mixed bean chilli in a filo parcel with a feta cheese pilau:
"I thought the filo would be a bit different and that the parcel would contain the chilli. The spiciness of this chilli tends to creep up on you. I find that our customers tend to prefer something with a bit of a kick, so this should be good. I've served feta cheese with this rice in the past and found it to be a popular combination."
l Duck confit with beetroot and redcurrant jelly compôte, served with rocket and potato salad:
"Beetroot and duck is a very nice combination - the gamey flavour of the duck is great with the sweetness of the beetroot and redcurrants."
l Chorizo chicken served with butternut squash with sweet pepper and scallions:
"The chorizo has a strong flavour so the product doesn't need to be enhanced in any way. I think the butternut squash and sweet peppers will add a good mix of flavours and some colour."
The judges' verdict
The judging panel included Fusion FSM national account manager Amber Sadiq, representing Tanfield Food Company, Roebuck customer Rae Collins and PubChef editor Jo Bruce. Judges rated each of the dishes on taste, presentation and creativity of serving suggestion and chose a winner for each dish.
Winning dishes:
Belly of pork - Alex's stir-fried mixed greens and lightly-spiced noodles.
Mixed bean chilli - Alex's filo parcel with a feta cheese pilau.
Chorizo chicken - Paul's paella topped with king prawns.
Duck confit - Alex's beetroot and redcurrant jelly compôte.
Alex was voted the overall competition winner, achieving the higher
