Innside out
Lucy Britner looks at ideas to make food sales sizzle at your pub this summer
The clocks change, the
convertibles come out of the garages and, despite freak spring snowstorms, Brits want to sit outside. Every inch of pub decking, terrace, garden and patio is set to be lined with expectant diners. So how can you make the most of al-fresco dining?
As Geronimo Inns commercial director Ed Turner says: "If you can combine the British fascination with sitting outside with great food and good service, you're on to a winner."
Whether you're planning a small-scale garden menu or a hog roast for 300 people, you need to make you offer clear and stick to it.
Peach Pub Company co-founder Lee Cash says licensees and chefs shouldn't be over-ambitious when it comes to devising and running a successful al-fresco offering.
Lee says: "Be clear when you set out your stall. The kitchen must be prepared for all
conditions - only ever try to do what you can on peak days."
He suggests using ingredients already on your main menu: "Create a simple offer that can be prepared in advance. It's important that the offer doesn't impact on the main menu.
"Be clear about what can be ordered, and where - there's no reason why decking or a
terrace can't be laid up like the restaurant."
"In a big garden with different areas, table service can be restricted easily," says Ed Turner.
"If you lay up the terrace or decking like the inside of the pub, table service should be as standard - just because people are outside, it doesn't mean staff should cut corners on service," he adds.
"However, if you have more
informal picnic tables dotted around the grass, people generally choose these for a less formal experience."
At Geronimo pub, the Fentiman Arms, near the Oval, south London, tables are booked
outside in the same way as inside. Dishes include basil roasted vegetable quiche, rocket salad & Parmesan shavings (£5.50); grilled sea
bass fillet, prawn risotto, vegetable
fettucini & lime butter sauce (£12.95).
Charles Inkin, licensee of the Felin Fach Griffin, in Powys, Wales, offers a kitchen garden menu of produce grown in the pub's land, at £28.90 per person for three courses. Dishes include salad of Griffin Heirloom tomatoes (£7.50); cream of white onion soup, autumn truffle shavings (£5.90); creamy wild mushroom risotto, sherry butter (£13.50) and dark chocolate tart and blood orange sorbet (£6).
Introducing a separate garden menu can be worthwhile. While it is easier for the kitchen to work off one menu, large, cumbersome plates with side dishes aren't practical for staff to cart across the lawn. Geronimo food director Ben Maschler says pub kitchens are often designed with only the number of inside covers in mind.
"It's a good idea to offer simple dishes that are put together easily and can be part-made in advance, such as salad with chicken or steak."
Lee agrees, and cites his top garden menu options as burger in a bun with all the trimmings; salmon & pasta salad; chicken and cous cous salad, and charcuterie.
He says: "A burger comes in its own packaging, so to speak. And you can put loads on the chargrill at the same time and send them out quickly. The salmon salad can be pre-prepared easily and holds well throughout service. The cous cous salad can be made in advance and you can roast loads of chicken at the same time. Charcuterie is very easy to put together and the products hold well throughout service."
Unilever executive chef Ray Lorimer says: "Making summer twists to your menu doesn't have to be complicated. Adding meats cooked in different marinades, offering seafood options and lightening up accompaniments and side dishes can make all the difference.
"Pub barbecues are great in summer. The weather may be unpredictable, but having kitchen essentials to hand and using short cuts can speed preparation and minimise waste."
Summer events
2 June
Coronation Day
15 June
Father's Day
7-29 June
Euro 2008 Football Championships
23 June - 6 July
Wimbledon Tennis Championship
6 July
British Grand Prix
5 August
British Beer Festival
8 August
Olympic Games
24 August
Notting Hill Carnival
25 August
Summer bank holiday
Drinks
It's Pimms o'clock. If you want to be a little more innovative with one of your favourite summer tipples, try making strawberry & Pimms trifle or Pimms jelly & mint ice cream - or how about pound cake with Pimms-soaked fruit?
Rose and lighter reds such as Pinot Noir will be big news this summer. And chilled reds are growing in popularity.
Cider is also set to be big news this year. Cider over ice and pear cider over ice will be big hits in the pub garden.
Salad
Even if the weather is cold and rainy, thousands of people will still be trying to shed a few pounds to fit into their holiday togs. Salads are essential. They can also be prepared before service and even set up for customers to help themselves.
UK prepared-potato specialist Vale's Fresh suggests using diced potatoes in summer salads. The company has worked with food writer and broadcaster Roz Denny to develop two potato-based recipes: barbecue potato salad and spicy Bombay potatoes.
Five salads from the British
Leafy Salad Association
l Chilli & lime linguine & prawn salad
l Pear & blue cheese salad
l Oriental prawn salad
l Sesame chicken stir-fry with watercress and mango
l Salmon & potato salad
Hog roasts
Highgate licensee Heath Ball offers three spit roasts, booked 72 hours in advance - suckling pig, lamb and hog. Suckling pig feeds 10 to 15 and costs £300. A whole lamb costs £300 and feeds 20 to 25. Going the whole hog costs £650 but feeds 60 to 80.
Hog-roast trade at Heath's pub, the Red Lion & Sun, is picking up for the summer, and he averages five to six roasts a month.
Heath's tips:
l Employ a chef with good communication skills who can create banter with customers - they love to ask questions.
l Make sure you judge cooking times correctly.
l A good selection of salads to accompany the meal adds value.
l Be organised, but not too formal - this is casual dining at its best.
A guide to hog roasts is available from the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board: visit www.porkforcaterers.com
Heath serves roasts with roast potatoes, honey-roast carrots, green beans, apple sauce, mint sauce and various breads
BBQ
Unfortunately, lots of customers expect barbecue food to be cheaper. Trying to charge more than £3 to £4 for a burger can be tricky. But if you're clever with your grill, you can rake in some serious profit.
According to the National BBQ Association (NBA), consumers now expect far more from their BBQ. Association president Brian George says: "Serving up singed sausages and burnt burgers in a limp bap is not the best way to maximise the opportunity - indeed the day of the
gastro-barbie has arrived, bringing enhanced margin opportunities.
National Barbecue week runs from 26 May to 1 June - and to celebrate dining outside, the NBA has launched Al fresco Food Fortnight, from 21 July - 3 August.
Brian adds: "BBQs are increasingly seen as a healthier way to eat, both in consumption and lifestyle terms, by 31% of consumers - so it's not surprising that meals consisting of chargrilled vegetables, quality meats and more exotic seafood are fast becoming a more popular choice on the menu."
Geronimo's Ben Maschler suggests dishes such as half lobsters, tiger prawns with home-made mayonnaise and crab.
Lora Simons, foodservice marketing manager for 3663, suggests adding farm-to-fork provenance. This makes the offer more premium and also sticks to current market trends. She says: "Red Tractor-assured British free-range chicken-breast fillet, rump steak or boneless lamb leg are all ideal for marinating and bar
