Product trial: Big Al's at the Old Oak

Despite what some customers may think, running a pub has never been an easy option. Even so, Sheila and Alan Hughes definitely picked an interesting time to enter the trade.

The Midlands couple gave up well-paid jobs two years ago, taking on the lease of the Old Oak in the village of Drakes Broughton, near Pershore, Worcestershire, with Punch Taverns.

The mid-life career change saw Sheila and Alan enter the trade full of optimism. While they knew the smoking ban would have an impact, the deep-biting credit crunch and two of the wettest summers on record harder to forecast.

They didn't panic - but they did recognise the need to change the mix of the business, which had no food trade..

"When we arrived we didn't serve any food because the kitchen wasn't really suitable," says Sheila. "After about six months we introduced food in a basket which sold reasonably well.

"We then tried to extend our menu by serving bought-in curries and later pizzas, neither of which really worked," says Sheila.

One product that has proven successful since it was introduced six months ago is the Big Eat 6oz Beef Burger, part of the Big Al's Flame Cooked Range from by Kepak Foodservice. The burger is now the most popular menu item served at The Old Oak.

"I want people to stay in my pub," says Sheila, a former software IT Trainer who has recently gained an NVQ level 3 in Catering.

"The Old Oak is a drinker's pub, but people get hungry. We don't employ any kitchen staff and so we need food that is easy to prepare and quick to cook."

"The fact that the Flame Cooked Range products are in a bag, not a box, is a real plus as we've only got a small freezer.

"The other bonus is that to cook them you only need a microwave and very little kitchen space. Alan is no chef by any means, but he's as happy as I am to cook the burgers."

Sheila adds sliced or grated cheese to the 6oz burger, which sells for £2.50. While this is less than the fish, sausage or chicken in-the-basket basket dishes, which sell for between £3 and £4, or the pub's home-cooked Sunday lunch sold at £6.50, it's just as profitable. The cash profit generated on the burger is around 55 per cent.

"We're typical of many pubs that want to boost profits from food without having to invest in catering facilities or kitchen staff. The Flame Cooked Range enables us to do that, offering food that really couldn't be any easier to store or prepare," says Sheila.

The range is backed by point of sale including posters, menus and tent cards, enabling pubs to set their own prices.