Menu Matching: A hot topic

THERE SHOULDN'T be many better matches than a beer and a hot dog - after all, the credit for both chilled lager and the simple-yet-brilliant idea of slapping a sausage in a bun and adding fried onion and mustard goes to the Germans.

However, too many pubs still don't get it. Customers enjoying the match on TV or a lively quiz night have one hand fully occupied with a pint. The other hand, though, is sadly bereft of the hot dog needed to complete the picture.

Never afraid to shine a light into the darkness, The Publican set up one of our rigorous and highly scientific taste tests, courtesy of Nestlé Professional, supplier of German recipe Herta hot dogs.

Setting up shop at the Cardinal pub in Kingston Upon Thames, South London, we offered customers the chance to match a range of drinks with the hot dogs. The response to each match was carefully analysed by the marketing team from Nestlé Professional, and comments recorded, while licensee Sarah Phillips was on hand to see fair play. "We get quite a mixed crowd in here," she said, "Although we do food, it's very much a local pub, and offering a snack like a hot dog is a great idea."

Herta-branded table cards, poster and point-of-sale certainly attracted plenty of interest from customers, as did the aroma of hot dogs emerging from the back-bar warmer.

The Matches​

The proof of the pudding, though, is in the eating - and in this case, drinking. Five long drinks, as well as the Cardinal's house red and white wines, were marked out of five for the suitability of their match, with a total of 40 points up for grabs.

Kingfisher: brilliant with a bhaji and a dream with a dansak, bottled lager Kingfisher proved less of a good match with a hot dog. This may be simply because a beer brewed to cope with Asian food, flavours overpower a hot dog. "Kingfisher needs something spicy" was a typical comment. Score 19/40​

Foster's: chosen to represent standard draught lagers, Foster's affinity with barbecues ought to make it worthy accompaniment. However, while some enjoyed it - "Foster's provides the perfect shadow for my hot dog," said one fan - others were less sure. "The bitter aftertaste does not go well," said another. Score 23/40 ​

London Pride: Fuller's classic ale went in with all guns blazing, but ended firing a bit of a blank. Again, opinion was mixed - one customer described Pride and Herta as the "best match of the day", but the general consensus was that lager is better than an ale for this particular combination. Score: 24/40​

San Miguel: the Spanish premium draught lager proved to be the best of the beers when it comes to complementing a hot dog. "This would be fabulous for a summer evening session," was one comment. Score: 27/40​

Bulmers Orginal: thrown into the mix as a wild card, draught cider Bulmers ended up trumping the competition with the best score of the day. Clearly, there is sound gastronomic sense behind the classic combination of pork and apple. "Sweet and smokey, perfect any time," summed up the view. Score: 33/40​

The wines​

Neither of the wines proved as popular a match as the long drinks, although the red came out slightly ahead.

Chenin blanc: "Just too much hot dog for the wine." Score: 16/40

Merlot: "The meatiness works better with a full-bodied wine."

Score: 20/40

For more information on stocking Herta hot dogs, call 0845 371 0006 or visit www.nestlefoodservices.co.uk