Annabel throws down the gauntlet
CHILDREN'S FOOD is undoubtedly picking up momentum in pubs, with the importance of quality, healthy dishes increasingly recognised. But one celebrity chef is finding the market a tough nut to crack.
Author on nutrition and cooking for children Annabel Karmel partnered with Brakes' manufacturing arm Creative Foods at the tail-end of last year to launch a range of children's meals. Now expanded to 10 dishes, and selling in restaurant chains including Tootsies, the range has "had absolutely no take-up by pub companies yet", according to Annabel.
All that may be about to change as Brakes says it is "in the early stages of discussions" about giving the products a listing in its full catalogue, a move which would undoubtedly boost its profile. However, what the trade's lack of enthusiasm highlights, Annabel believes, is that it lags behindrestaurants in adequate catering for children. She is calling on pubs to change their attitude.
The dishes wholesale for between 80p and £1.10, but Annabel says the pubcos she has approached have demanded them for between 45p and 60p. "The restaurant trade is more advanced in catering for kids," Annabel says. "It might not be the case in individual pubs, but pub chains are still led by things such as chicken nuggets. They think that if they take nuggets off the menu they will lose revenue because they won't get the kids. But it's the parents who make the decisions."
She points out that Jamie Oliver encountered similar barriers over costs in his crusade to improve the quality of school dinners. "He foundit impossible to get school meals under the ridiculously tight budget, so he asked for the government to change the situation. The same needs to be done for pubs," she says.
Pubs should also reassess the commonly-held policy of offering half portions of standard dishes as a children's menu, Annabel believes. "That's no good because many of them will contain too much fat and salt," she says. They need to make sure the food tastes good, is the kind of food kids like, and comply with the government's regulations.
Making your menu appeal to children is largely about presentation and fun, the celebrity chef says. "It's a visual thing; kids eat with their eyes." Using nice photography of the food on the menus gives them the confidence to order. "You can create fun by providing things such as child-friendly chopsticks or decorating a fish pie to look like a fish," she adds.
Of course, someone trying to sell child-targeted products to pubs is bound to argue that the trade needs to raise the bar in children's food. However, Annabel makes some pertinent points.
