Flying the flag: British Food Fortnight ideas

British Food Fortnight which takes place from 20 September to 5 October is an ideal opportunity for licensees to showcase excellent local produce.

The event was first introduced in 2002 as a modern day harvest festival and offers licensees a great opportunity to take part in an event which has the potential to help boost profits and attract new custom.

How to get involved​

Operators can celebrate any British food on their menus or create special menus and events that focus on British produce.

Special British themed menus are a great way of introducing new items to the menu and provide the chance to resurrect forgotten British dishes and ingredients such as quaking pudding, beef wellington and the traditional corned beef.

British food can be highlighted on a menu by naming the suppliers and producers used to give a more localised and home-grown feel to dishes.

Inviting suppliers such as local farmers or butchers to the pub to interact with customers and talk about the food they are eating and host a special event will provide a fun and insightful way for communities to learn about what’s growing or being reared in their area.

Hanging Union Jack flags and bunting around the pub and draping them across chalk board menus will highlight the promotion of British food. You could also look to kit out front of house staff in British themed attire.

Maximising the menu​

Unilever Food Solutions business development chef Paul Hawkins believes pub caterers have a great opportunity to maximise their menus during British Food Fortnight by modernising dishes, using seasonal ingredients and mixing up flavours.

"What better time to offer some classic British dishes, which are currently undergoing a real renaissance. Operators can modernise these favourites by either changing them from a presentation perspective or by adding an extra flavour.

He adds: "When cooking traditional British dishes, using seasonal ingredients is important to bring out the flavours. British food has traditionally been seen as bland, but if you get good, fresh ingredients you don’t have to do too much else to them to bring out the flavours," explained Hawkins.

Rely on the roast​

The second week of British Food Fortnight (29 September to 5 October) coincides with British Roast Dinner Week.

This gives pubs a great chance throughout the week to promote roast dinners using British produce.

Unilever Food Solutions’ pub food expert Chris Barber recommends using cheaper cuts of meat to maximise profits.

"A simple way operators can reap maximum rewards from their roast is by rediscovering one of the cheaper, but highly fashionable cuts of meat, such as beef brisket or pork shoulder, which are now bang on trend.

"The key to many of these cheaper cuts is to cook them slowly, which tenderises the meat and really brings out the flavour," said Barber.

Create something special​

Hundreds of pubs are planning to get involved in this year’s festival.

Castle Rock Brewery pub the Willowbroook in Nottingham will be putting on a special menu of locally sourced, British produce.

The menu will consist of two courses for £9.95 which will run throughout the festival with dishes changing every few days.

General manager Pete Hopwell said;"Everything will be cooked fresh on site using British produce and we will really try and vary up the menu. We will be doing classics like scampi and chips, Cumberland sausage and mash and smoked chicken breasts with salad."

He added: "British Food Fortnight is a great way of showcasing your pub and serving a menu at a discounted price for the two weeks gets people trying something different."

At the Stratford Haven in West Bridgford, Nottingham, another Castle Rock Brewery site, landlady Gemma Mankin is looking forward to pairing British food with drink throughout the fortnight.

"We will be doing a lot of food and drink matching during the event using British ciders and local breweries and will be changing up the menu so it focuses on British produce," said Mankin.

Keeping it local​

At the Holly Bush Inn at Salt in Staffordshire, landlord Geoff Holland has been involved with British Food Fortnight since its inception in 2002.

The Admiral Taverns' site prides itself on serving traditional British food and is looking forward to promoting more localised produce throughout the fortnight.

"As far as provenance goes we make sure everything is from the UK during the festival, even our wine. We try and source old local recipes from around the area and then adapt them slightly to suit modern tastes," said Holland.

Holland sees British Food Fortnight as a time to experiment with ingredients and dishes that could become a permanent fixture on the pubs main menu, with customer feedback playing a big part in the decision.

"We like to use this period as a showcase as to what could go on the main menu and we love listening to our customer’s thoughts. We recently trialled neck of lamb stew and that will be on the menu during the fortnight as everyone loved it."

Holland feels British Food Fortnight provides a great opportunity to really home in on a specific area, in his case the Midlands, and make this known to the customers instead of reiterating the term ‘British.’

"We serve British food all the time so localising the food just to the midlands and surrounding areas helps to give is a unique selling point. It gives customers an idea of the diverse amount of produce available," explained Holland.

Group celebration​

A number of Whiting & Hammond pubs are set to be involved throughout the two weeks, including the Farm at Friday Street in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

During the fortnight the pub will have a gourmet set menu showcasing dishes from the British Isles with specialities from Scotland, Ireland, Wales as well as local dishes from Sussex itself.

The menu will also feature information about the suppliers used and will be available from Monday, 22September with two courses priced as £16.95 and three courses for £20.95.

At the company's Stanmer House in Brighton, East Sussex, a butchery evening will take place which will showcase all the parts of the pig used for cooking. Customers will be able to sample dishes after a live cookery demonstration.

At the Chaser Inn, Tonbridge, Kent, customers will be able to visit the Shipbourne Farmers Market which takes places next door to the pub every Thursday.

During British Food Fortnight the site will have its own stall selling locally produced, homemade dishes from the pubs kitchen plus the pubs daily menu will feature an array of specialities for customers to sample.

For more information on British Food Fortnight visit http://www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/about-british-food-fortnight/british-food-fortnight-2014/