Autumn menu: Fall for new season flavours

Autumn is a creative time for chefs, with an abundance of home-grown ingredients coming into season. One great way to capture the essence of the season of 'mists and mellow fruitfulness' is to combine mature autumn lamb with seasonal orchard fruits and root vegetables.

Hugh Judd, foodservice project manager for EBLEX, says: "Autumn lamb is wonderfully flavoursome and gives menus a perfect feel for the season. Not only that but it is a great bedfellow to many of the fruits and vegetables available at this time of year, such as blackberries, plums and leeks."

Beef is also important to seasonal menus, thanks to its versatility both in and out of the kitchen. Unpredictable weather patterns mean it's important for chefs to remain flexible.

"People will want to make the most of the sunshine for as long as possible, particularly after a wet summer, so it is worthwhile keeping the barbecue on standby for those late summer days.

"Steaks are ideal as they perform well both on and off the barbecue and can be quickly adapted to suit different menus as the weather changes," says Hugh.

Economical cuts

Rising food costs make it ever more important for pubs to deliver value to customers while containing costs.

One way is to make use of more economical cuts. The range of value-added Quality Standard steak cuts and lamb grills are perfect alternatives to more expensive cuts, such as sirloin and fillet, and are ideal for barbecuing on early autumnal days.

Hugh says: "The use of economical cuts isn't restricted to steaks and in fact, EBLEX has developed a new 'gourmet' range of beef and lamb cuts.

"The range includes cuts that benefit from slow cooking to become incredibly tender and succulent, as well as full of flavour - all of which make perfect warming dishes for later on in the season and into Christmas."

The range of beef cuts include:

• Sliced shin

• Beef bucco

• Brisket pave

• Daubes (Chuck)

• Mini joints.

The lamb range includes:

• Rustic lamb chunkies

• Neck fillet

• Knuckle short (shoulder)

• Daubes

• Lamb mini pot roasts.

"All of these cuts are extremely versatile and can be used as ready meal solutions or as sous-vide products. Once cooked, portions can then be set aside and easily re-heated as required, allowing for excellent portion control and profit," adds Hugh.

The EBLEX Quality Standard scheme provides high levels of assurance for beef and lamb. This means pubs can guarantee the quality of the beef and lamb you serve, as well as its tenderness and succulence. This is vital to ensure customer satisfaction.

That's because, not only is Quality Standard beef and lamb produced to higher standards than required by law, the EBLEX scheme is unique as the only one of its kind to include reference to eating quality.

For recipes from EBLEX, click on the related story links​

BPEX foodservice trade manager, Tony Goodger, suggests looking at popular dishes and adapting these to include a selection of in-season ingredients.

He says: "Pork works wonderfully well with autumn seasonal fare, particularly fruit, such as apples, pears and plums."

One big event this autumn is the return of British Sausage Week running from November 3 to 9. This annual celebration of the great British banger provides the pub sector with a fantastic opportunity to generate interest and sales.

Tony says: "British Sausage Week has become an extremely popular and celebrated event in the catering calendar and publicans play a vital role in making it a success.

"Sausages are a menu favourite no matter what the occasion; breakfast, lunch dinner - whether served as a snack or as part of a main course meal, there is a sausage dish to tempt almost everyone!

"Coinciding with Bonfire Night, this year's British Sausage Week brings about plenty of opportunities for pubs to generate interest in sausages and boost sales this autumn."

Local sourcing can also have a positive impact and Tony recommends making a feature of this on menus. He says: "Sourcing local or speciality produce adds a point of interest on menus - and really appeals to customers. Certainly, they are more likely to opt for a meal where the provenance is highlighted."

Sourcing locally reared produce that features the BPEX Quality Standard Mark allows publicans to do their bit to support British pig farmers at a time when the industry is calling for fairer prices.

Tony says: "Pork that carries the Quality Standard Mark tends to be more expensive because it's been produced to higher welfare standards.

"However, in the current climate, with soaring ingredient costs, publicans are looking for alternative added-value cuts that still maintain quality.

"Cuts taken from the forequarter of the pig, such as shoulder and belly, are hugely under-rated yet are an ideal solution as they deliver on taste and versatility, and have great profit potential.

"They can be used to create delicious dishes that will not only hit the spot for customers, but will also offer excellent value for money for caterers this autumn."