Menu Ideas

Big numbers: some 1.5bn desserts were consumed in the out-of-home market in the year to November 2017, according to global information company The NPD Group.(image credit: unalozm/istock/thinkstockphotos.co.uk)

Sweet wise: how to get desserts right

By Nikkie Sutton

Though desserts are traditionally the final taste diners have of a meal, it also means the dish will be their last impression, making it crucial operators get it right.

US dish: jambalaya is from the south of America

In association with Bidfood

How to make: jambalaya

By MA editorial

A staple dish from the Deep South of the US, jambalaya is a great meal using a tasty mix of meat, seafood, vegetables and rice that can be used on any menu. It has a touch of spicy heat and is filling, and it could give you an offer no rival can match.

Standing out: creating your own events is a great way to show customers that a pub is different (image credit: Photography Firm/iStock/thinkstock.co.uk)

Menu planning: made to measure

By Andrew Don

There is an abundance of opportunity throughout the year to create special dishes tailored to key calendar dates – but there is more to it than the obvious major occasions.

Cooking style: the Unruly Pig uses its Inka grill to blacken the beetroots

How to make: the Unruly Pig's grilled mackerel

By Nikkie Sutton

Brighten up a grey weekend with this recipe for grilled mackerel with hay-smoked beetroot and sunflower seeds courtesy of Top 50 Gastropub the Unruly Pig, in Woodbridge, Suffolk

Sizzle time: the Big Sausage Week celebrates the pork product

How to make the most of Great British Sausage Week

By Nikkie Sutton

The Morning Advertiser’s sister title Meat Trades Journal is running The Big Sausage Week from 31 October to 6 November and pubs should get involved to make some porky profits.

Creative: Using leftover pumpkins will help you save money and reduce waste

6 recipe ideas for leftover Halloween pumpkins

By James Beeson

With Halloween festivities over for another year, pumpkins across the land are being thrown out and left to rot. However, There are loads of great dishes pubs can make with this seasonal ingredient.

Ghoulish: give customers a right fright on Halloween

Scare their pants off – top tips for Halloween in the pub

By Nicholas Robinson

Everyone loves a theme, especially around Halloween. Whether it is a spooky drinks menu, a ghoulish food offer or a full-blown American-style fancy dress party, Halloween is the perfect time of year to boost sales.

Inflationary: pubs are facing bigger rises in food and drink costs

7 ways to combat food price inflation in your pub

By James Beeson

Food price inflation is nothing new, and many a pub operator will be used to that one local who sits in the corner complaining that his ploughman’s and pint of bitter is far more expensive than it used to be.

What to do with truffles: 6 tips to make them go further

6 ways to make black truffles go further

By Nicholas Robinson

They are potentially the most expensive fungi known to man, with prices regularly exceeding £30 per gram, but there are ways to extend the use of truffles beyond thinly shaving them over a dish.

Indulgence: Brits want to let loose this Christmas

Gluten-free and vegetarian off the Christmas menu

By Nicholas Robinson

Free-from foods have fallen to the bottom of Brits’ Christmas party food wish lists, while traditional turkey and British cuisine top the charts, new research has claimed.

Cow pat: 58% of new burger additions to spring/summer 2017 menus are made with beef

In association with Farm Frites

Burgers: what's the future of the beefy beast?

By Michelle Perrett

They’ve been a staple of the British high street for many years now, but burgers, which are constantly being modified and reinvented, are still growing in popularity in an ever-widening variety of outlets. 

Hot dish: fish can be cooked straight from frozen

In association with Alaska Seafood

Why frozen fish could be the new 'fresh'

By Nicholas Robinson

Working with frozen fish and seafood could help pub chefs meet growing consumer demand for a greater variety of fish dishes, be more creative and cut wastage, they just need to cast aside preconceptions first, finds The Morning Advertiser.

Onwards and upwards: veggie and vegan food will continue to grow

The future of food in the on-trade revealed

By Nikkie Sutton

Meat-free options, inspiration from food festivals and experience-led occasions are the future of food, according to creative think-tank The Innovation Group.

Wide variety: Parlour in west London has an ever-evolving menu, including its popular soda bread

How to cook 8 Top 50 Gastropub dishes

By Nikkie Sutton

The Morning Advertiser (MA) takes a look at how some of the country's best gastropubs prepare their world-class dishes.

Menu choice: a gourmet open sandwich is just one option for showcasing eggs

Pub brunch and breakfast trends revealed

By Nikkie Sutton

Eggs, Millennials and food-to-go are the latest trends operators need to look out for in their brunch and breakfast offer, according to foodservice bakery company Kara.

Crackling offer: UK's first crackling menu on offer in London

Ale house launches 'first' crackling menu

By Helen Gilbert

A London alehouse has debuted what it claims is the UK’s first ‘crackling menu’ aimed at complementing the venue’s craft-ale offering.

On the rise: 'slow' products have grown by around 214% since 2010

Slow food tops 2017's culinary trends

By Nikkie Sutton

Reducing food waste and slow-cooked food are the two main trends operators must keep an eye out for this year, according to research from Mintel.

How to make: 'perfectly wobbly' panna cotta

How to make: 'perfectly wobbly' panna cotta

By Daniel Woolfson

Emily Scott’s Cornish pub the St Tudy Inn came 39th in this year’s Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs awards. Here’s a classic dessert ideal for ending a lavish meal.

Some of the 'best' TripAdvisor responses from pubs

Some of the 'best' TripAdvisor responses from pubs

By Nikkie Sutton

TripAdvisor has come under fire many times from the hospitality industry and operators have previously blamed the review site for staff resignations, sleepless nights and police intervention. Here we look at some of the responses pubs have given to irate...

Yates: new menus feature a range of Mexican and low-calorie dishes

Yates launches new spring menu

By Daniel Woolfson

Yates, the Stonegate-owned high street chain, is launching a new menu later this month (21 March).

Champions: the winners of the inaugural Chefs' Choice Awards

Chefs’ Choice Awards 2017 winners revealed

By Nicholas Robinson

Hundreds of foodservice suppliers battled it out to have their products named the best at the inaugural Chefs’ Choice Awards in London earlier this week.

Pie profits for pubs

Cut your pub a slice of the profit with pie

By Nikkie Sutton

More and more people are choosing to eat out rather than at home and, with a growing demand for increasing informality when doing so, pubs are ideally placed to cash in on the British public’s enduring love affair with pies.

Inside Fuller's Ale & Pie pubs

Inside Fuller's Ale & Pie pubs

By Nikkie Sutton

Pies and pubs go together like a horse and carriage, so it should have come as no surprise that London brewer and pubco Fuller’s would make the most of the relationship through a hugely successful on-trade brand.