Slim pickings: tips for a healthy menu

Calorie-conscious pub menus can be both creative and lucrative. Lesley Foottit explores the options.

An increasing number of consumers are keeping a strict eye on their

calorie count, which means pub caterers must strike a balance between indulgent dishes such as pies and bangers and mash, and healthier options.

Failing to include a healthy option on your menu could put people off using your pub for dining when they are looking for lighter options.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been encouraging caterers to cut the fat and salt content of their dishes and add calorie and nutrition information to menus since 2007. It is undertaking a consultation on a

voluntary scheme for calorie labelling to encourage more companies to take it up across the industry.

Pubco progress​

Whitbread, Punch Pub Company, Marston's Inns and Taverns, Greene King and JD Wetherspoon all made menu changes in February 2009.

Salt levels have been reduced by all these pub chains, with many products now meeting FSA 2010/2012 targets. The companies are working to reduce saturated fat levels in their products using methods such as changing ingredients and using healthier cooking techniques including rotisserie cooking.

They are also looking to provide portions that meet their customers' needs and introducing more choice, such as "light bites". Each company has set itself further targets for the forthcoming year, in areas including procurement, kitchen practice and

providing nutritional information for consumers.

Savour more information​

Last summer 21 catering companies introduced calorie information to 450 outlets across the UK, including the Harvester and Scream brands operated by Mitchells & Butlers.

Wetherspoon points out certain dishes on its menu that contain 5% fat or less, including spaghetti Bolognese (480 calories), sweet chilli noodles, and jacket potato with baked beans.

Meanwhile, Harvester supplies nutritional information including the calorie content of all its dishes on its website.

Lose calories, not taste​

"If it tastes good, it's bad for you" doesn't have to be true if you know what you're doing.

Welsh brewer and pubco Brains, now places a big emphasis on healthy eating and has developed a number of recipes that are low in calories without losing any flavour, including: garlic mushroom and marinated grilled halloumi-topped salad bowl; red snapper with spicy oriental noodles; and summer fruit salad with Greek yoghurt.

"Health is now a much bigger part of our thinking," says head of catering Jill Matthews. "The key thing is to make those options as delicious as the other dishes on our menu.

"We won't put a bland, boring salad on the menu just to tick the health box. It has to be packed full of flavour so that our customers aren't made to feel like they're missing out." Brains pubs also give the option of ditching the bun, fries and dressing from burgers in favour of a salad.

Matthews explains: "Rather than singling out a 'healthy section' we've developed a range of dishes that fit in with the existing offer."

It is worth shopping around for a healthier offer — McCain Foodservice offers 'Alternatives', a range of healthy potato products, which are low-fat and ideal for kids' meals.

Salad days​

Salads have become increasingly popular among consumers and are the second most-ordered main dish in pubs, according to Unilever Foodsolutions. Marketing director Claire Sullivan says this "speaks volumes" about the type of meal people are looking for when they dine out.

"Salads are not the traditional pub fare options that spring to mind when you think about pub dining," says Sullivan. "Salads are often perceived as a healthier or lighter choice so this trend could be taken as further evidence that consumers are prioritising health at mealtimes."

Unilever found that the top consideration of 40% of consumers when eating out is to choose a healthy option and 62% say they are more conscious of healthy eating out-of-home than they used to be.

Traditional pub foods, such as pie and mash, are heavy and high in saturated fats. Sullivan recommends substituting butter in cooking, sandwiches and jacket potatoes for a lighter option such as Flora Original, which contains 78% less saturated fat than butter. Flora also comes in individual portions, which can be served with bread rolls as an alternative to butter, meaning customers can choose how much they want to use.

Lean times ahead​

Red meat has a reputation for being fatty, rich and not very healthy. But it is an important part of a balanced diet and pub chefs can help show health-conscious diners lean cuts mean they can eat lamb and beef without blowing the calorie count.

"Eating healthy does not mean having to avoid red meat," says EBLEX foodservice project manager Hugh Judd. "Lean beef and lamb is versatile and lends itself to a variety of delicious, healthy dishes."

Judd recommends serving lean cuts of red meat with salad or baked potatoes for a healthy option. Chefs should remove visible fat from meat before cooking, use low-fat oil, and drain excess fat before serving. Dry-frying, grilling and stir-frying are the healthiest ways to cook. For healthy recipes visit www.eblextrade.co.uk

Pork is also a great choice for a healthy option and contains as little as 4% fat. BPEX foodservice trade manager BPEX's 'Love Summer... Love Pork' campaign aims to help pub chefs serve healthy alfresco dishes throughout summer, including recipes for the barbecue.

For recipe ideas visit www.porkforcaterers.com​.

Simple adjustments​

Foodservice company 3663 provides a menu-planning service to help pubs create a healthier menu.

3663 nutritionist Helen Farnsworth says it is often about making adjustments to an existing menu to reduce salt, fat and sugar levels and increase fruit, vegetable and fibre intake. She recommends using naturally healthier products and grilling, baking, boiling, poaching, steaming or stir-frying instead of frying.

"And it is easy to offer boiled or baked potatoes, rather than chips, and wholemeal or granary bread instead of white," she added.

The company works with the FSA and has made an average sodium reduction in its cooking sauces of 18%, pizza 13%, ready meals 10% and 52% on doughnuts. It also launched a Miniscoff range of organic meals for children, which includes lasagne and cottage pie.

Bay Restaurant Group's ha ha bar & grill brand tries to cut calories by grilling or baking rather than frying, if possible. On a rotational menu, the chain offers whole-baked sea bream stuffed with fennel, orange and spinach and served with half a lemon and new potatoes as a healthy option.

3663's tips for a healthier menu:​

• Make milkshakes with semi-skimmed milk.

• Offer wholegrain varieties of bread, pasta and rice.

• Use fruits and low-fat dairy in desserts.

• Grill/bake food instead of frying.

• Offer oily fish, such as salmon.

Making pub favourites healthier​

Chips: cook thicker chips as they will absorb less fat, or bake sweet potato chips.

Pies:​ just offer a pastry top without sides or a bottom.

Cheese:​ use a mature cheese to maintain the taste and lower the quantity. Do use strict portion control to keep those calories in check.

Dips:​ swap taramasalata (500 calories per 100g) for salsa (49) or hummus (187). Offer 50g of carrot or cucumber sticks for an ultra-light snack.

Lasagne:​ using lean mince and semi-skimmed milk and low-fat cheese for the Béchamel sauce can reduce calories by 40% and saturated fats by 36%.

Burgers:​ use lean mince, grill the burgers, and use low-fat cheese to cut fat content by 50% and calories by 100.

Source: Fretwell-Downing Hospitality's nutritional analysis programme Saffron Nutrition

How one pub weighed in with a healthy offering​

Chef and co-proprietor Carol Haime and partner David Walton n