UK diners want more healthy options
Nearly 60% of UK consumers want more healthy options when dining out and up to 30% would be willing to pay more for the privilege.
The research by Unilever Food Solutions highlighted the need for pubs to offer a range of healthier seasonal dishes with fitting menu descriptions to communicate with customers.
Ray Lorimer, executive chef and culinary controller at Unilever Food Solutions, says it is important to offer healthy dishes without dimishing the pleasure of eating out.
He suggests a few tricks for reducing calories without affecting taste, such as steaming instead of boiling vegetables to retain more nutrients and glazing with Flora, not butter. Replace butter with Flora for less indulgent desserts and also use it for the base for sauces.
Mashed potato can be made with mayonnaise instead of butter and roast and grill meat on a wire rack to allow the fat to drain.
To reduce salt, Lorimer advises being "creative" with seasoning, lemon juice, herbs and spices instead.