FFS081 Issue 46 Low Res

Take 

YOUR 

TAKE STOCK 

MAGAZINE 

Stock 

CHAMPIONING INDEPENDENT BRITISH CATERING • JAN - FEB 2020 

• Top Brews • Turn Vegan, Turn Profits • Pancake Way!

EXPERTLY 

CRAFTED 

FOR THE MOMENTS THAT MATTER 

FROM THE EDITOR 

Happy 

New Year! 

TAKE STOCK 

DOWNLOAD OUR APP 

Welcome to 2020. 

Firstly, let me wish you all a very happy 

new year. I hope you had a profitable - 

and fun - Christmas and New Year’s Eve. 

out all your business admin: from staff 

training and cleaning to getting updated 

on new legislation that affects our 

industry. We have it all covered for you 

in this issue. 

FOLLOW US ON 

@TakeStockMag 

You may feel like a well-earned rest after 

the busiest time of the year. However, 

thanks to a jam-packed year ahead full of 

amazing opportunities for our industry, 

now is the perfect time to get organised 

and start planning - starting with January! 

Keep posting to #FeedYourEyes on our 

Twitter and Instagram pages. We adore 

seeing all your fabulous creations and 

there are £50 of Amazon vouchers up 

for grabs in every category - so keep 

them coming! 

VISIT US ONLINE 

takestockmagazine.com 

Our expertly crafted blend of Arabica and Robusta 

coffee beans have been carefully selected, then 

roasted to bring out their natural flavour. 

Enjoy the smooth, rich taste of 

NESCAFÉ ®️ GOLD BLEND ®️ . 

STOCK UP ON THE NATION’S FAVOURITE 

PREMIUM INSTANT COFFEE* 

Even though more than 4.2 million 

people were estimated to have taken 

part in Dry January in 2019, January is 

no longer the quiet month it once was. 

There is Veganuary, Chinese New Year 

and Burns Night to help boost trade for 

both drinkers and non-drinkers - so it 

looks set to be a busy time! 

Read our feature on page 17 for tips 

on how you can get your year off to a 

flying start. 

Before you know it, February will be here 

and that means romance, pancakes and 

an opportunity to pack in some profit. 

Read our features on page 30 and 34 for 

recipe ideas to impress your customers. 

The new year is the perfect time to sort 

Remember that takestockmagazine.com 

lets you read all our past issues and has 

all the latest features, advice and an 

abundance of great recipes for food and 

drink to help you. There’s the Take Stock 

App too - download it for free at the App 

Store or Google Play. 

We’ve lots of feature ideas for coming 

months, but we’re always looking for 

inspirational stories. So, if you’d like to 

see your business featured in Take Stock, 

why not get in touch? We’d love to hear 

from you. 

Finally, on behalf of the Take Stock team 

and Unitas, we hope you enjoy this issue. 

Here’s to a happy and profitable 2020! 

Cover credit: Derek Sarno at Wicked Healthy 

Published by the fabl. 

Nesfield House, Broughton Hall 

Skipton BD23 3AE 

www.thefabl.com 

hello@takestockmagazine.com 

For advertising contact 

david.jackson@thefabl.com 

Editor-in-Chief 

Mags Walker 

Art Director 

Richard Smith 

EXPLORE NOW 

*Source: IRI Grocers + Kantar Value Retailers 52 w/e 09/11/2019 

Tracy x 

Editor 

Tracy Johnson 

News and Features 

David Jackson 

Sarah Hardy 

Fiona Kyle 

Hollie Pickles 

Designer 

Mark Longson 

Online 

Martin Kersey 

Hollie Pickles 

Unitas Wholesale 

Les Mohammed 

Anita Oakhill 

®️Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. 

3 takestockmagazine.com

CONTENTS 

FEATURES 

11-15 A Lasting Trend 

17-19 Make Dry January a 

Profitable One 

21-23 A Seasonal Celebration 

24-25 Top Brews for 2020 

27 New Year, Fresh Start 

30-31 Feel the Love 

34-35 Stacks of Profit 

36-37 A New Way to Recycle 

38-39 Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 

41 A New Law 

11 A 

LASTING 

TREND 

EVERY ISSUE 

7 Calendar 

8-9 What’s New 

28-29 We Grill - Tom Hunt 

33 Feed Your Eyes 

42 Plan Ahead 

08 

WHAT'S NEW 

28 33 

WE GRILL - TOM HUNT 

RECIPES 

17 

MAKE DRY JANUARY 

A PROFITABLE ONE 

24 

TOP BREWS 

FOR 2020 

30 

FEEL THE LOVE 

13 Roasted Tomato, Red 

Onion & Basil Blondie Pizza 

13 Basmati Payasam Pudding 

14 Miso Turmeric-Glazed 

Aubergine 

14 Sundried Tomato & 

Broccoli Toasted Sandwich 

15 Pulled ‘Pork’ Sandwich 

15 Vegan Jackfruit Chilli 

21 Tofu & Seeded Rice 

23 Haggis Croquette, Pickled 

Turnip & Potato Tuile 

31 Chocolate Loveheart 

Mallow Brownies 

31 Victoria Sponge Cupcakes 

35 Maple & Bacon Pancake 

Skewers 

35 Pancakes with Lemon 

Sauce 

14 

MISO TURMERIC- 

GLAZED AUBERGINE 

21 

TOFU & SEEDED 

RICE 

34 

STACKS 

OF PROFIT 

36 

A NEW WAY 

TO RECYCLE 

38 

HAPPY ST. 

PATRICK'S DAY! 

31 

CHOCOLATE LOVEHEART 

MALLOW BROWNIES 

35 LEMON 

PANCAKES WITH 

SAUCE 

takestockmagazine.com 4 


NEW 

Calendar 

January-February 

1 

JAN 

NEW YEAR’S DAY 

23- 

25 

JAN 

MANCHESTER BEER 

& CIDER FESTIVAL 

Manchester Central 

14 

FEB 

VALENTINE'S DAY 

30% 

Suitable for 

vegetarians 

Lighter, fluffier 

and Gluten free. 

Natural 

flavours 

Reduced sugar * 7 takestockmagazine.com 

Makes 

42 portions 

10 

JAN 

JAN 

12- 

14 

13- 

14 

JAN 

JAN 

23 

JAN 

HOSPITALITY ROCKS 

Evolution, London 

FOOD EMPORIUM 

AT TOP DRAWER 

Olympia London 

HOTEL LEADERSHIP 

CONFERENCE 

Hilton London, 

Bankside 

SCOTLAND’S 

SPECIALITY FOOD 

SHOW 

SEC, Glasgow 

THE FISH & CHIP 

AWARDS 

Royal Lancaster 

London Hotel 

25 

JAN 

25 

JAN 

27 

JAN 

29 

JAN 

4-5 

FEB 

4-8 

FEB 

5-6 

FEB 

CHINESE NEW YEAR 

BURNS NIGHT 

BRITISH TAKEAWAY 

AWARDS 

Savoy Hotel, London 

HOSTECH 

Ham Yard Hotel, 

London 

PUB20 

Olympia London 

GREAT BRITISH BEER 

FESTIVAL WINTER 

The New Bingley Hall, 

Birmingham 

THE SOURCE 

TRADE SHOW 

Westpoint, Exeter 

19 

FEB 

19- 

21 

19- 

22 

FEB 

24- 

FEB 

8 

MAR 

25 

FEB 

25- 

26 

FEB 

27 

FEB 

NATIONAL BURGER 

AWARDS 

Islington Metal Works, 

London 

DERBY CAMRA 

WINTER ALE FESTIVAL 

Roundhouse, Derby 

FAIRTRADE 

FORTNIGHT 

SHROVE TUESDAY 

INTERNATIONAL 

CONFEX 

ExCeL London 

TENANTED PUB 

COMPANY SUMMIT 

& DINNER 

The Montcalm, 

London 

*The new Angel Delight Mousse will achieve at least 30% less sugar than standard food service Angel Delight

New 

What’s 

January - February 

Savoury 

Sauces 

Macphie has launched two savoury 

sauces in a 1 litre Tetra Pak format, 

both of which are Vegetarian Society 

approved. The two varieties - White 

Sauce and Cheese Sauce - are ambient 

stable, ready to use and tolerant of 

the addition of flavours, colours and 

alcohol. Both are also microwave, hob, 

kettle, bain-marie and hot-cabinet 

stable, making them extremely versatile. 

Check out the Macphie website for a 

whole range of recipes. 

Vegan-Friendly Mayo 

Veganism is a growing business out of home. Whether strict or flexitarian, the rise 

in UK consumers looking to reduce their meat intake and adopt vegetarian or 

vegan lifestyles is unstoppable. That’s why Unilever has brought their award-winning 

Hellmann’s Vegan Mayo to foodservice. Launched in a 2.62 litre tub, it has won 

awards including the Grocer New Products Award 2019. 

ufs.com/plantbased 

Seriously 

Good 

8 

In time for Veganuary, Unilever 

has reformulated their recipe for 

Hellmann’s Smokey BBQ Sauce 430ml 

to make it plant based and gluten 

free. This change means no one has 

to miss out on another chip dipping, 

sandwich filling, burger topping 

experience again! The same great 

taste of Hellmann’s, now vegan. 

ufs.com/plantbased 

Heinz has released their Seriously Good Mayonnaise to the 

foodservice in both 5 litre and 10 litre formats. Made using only 

free range eggs and containing no artificial colour or flavours 

this is a perfect back of house solution for a wide range of dishes 

including use as a side dip, within coleslaw or in a burger. 

kraftheinzfoodservice.co.uk 

Get 

Smokey! 

macphie.com 

A Fresh 

Serve 

Mixer manufacturer The London Essence Company 

has created an on trade dispense system that 

serves flavoured tonic water infusions. The 

innovative font system infuses the brand’s distilled 

botanicals into chilled tonic water at the point of 

service, thereby ensuring freshness and flavour, 

whilst reducing packaging by 96%. Available to the 

on trade from February, the system uses flavour 

cartridges to allow high quality serves of Classic 

Indian, cucumber, elderflower, grapefruit and 

rhubarb tonics, enabling the creation of a wide 

range of refreshing, exciting drinks. 

With enhanced speed of serve, eye-catching bar 

presence and sustainability credentials, this is a 

system that ticks all the right boxes. 

londonessenceco.com 

takestockmagazine.com 9 takestockmagazine.com

TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

29% 

of consumers look 

for vegan options when 

dining out of home 

Source: Americana Gourmet Burger Guide 

A Lasting Trend 

66% 

of consumers opt for, 

or are open to, meatalternative 

dishes 

Source: Vegan burgers report prepared 

by 3GE Research & Insights in 2019 

Veganism is an important and profitable trend - and one that looks to 

be staying. 

THE TASTE YOUR 

CUSTOMERS LOVE, 

NOW VEGAN. 

Find out more at ufs.com/plantbased 

* Kantar Worldpanel Usage 52 w/e 2nd December 2018 

WINNING WITH 

PLANT BASED 

Research shows that 29% of consumers 

look for vegan options when eating 

out-of-home*, and with 3.5 million 

in the UK now following a vegan diet 

and a further 7 million vegetarian** it 

is becoming more important than ever 

for operators to take part in Veganuary 

and create plant-based dishes with high 

appeal throughout January. 

“Consumers are choosing meat-free 

for a variety of reasons, with health and 

sustainability being top of the list - more 

than half of British adults now say they 

adopt vegan buying behaviour***,” says 

Kirsty Matthews, insight manager at 

Macphie. “During Veganuary consumers’ 

awareness of vegan or plant-based will 

be heightened, therefore outlets that 

show they are supporting the event are 

more likely to be noticed by consumers.” 

Why get involved 

• Times have changed - catering 

for vegans is now a necessity for 

any business, they can no longer 

be an afterthought when putting 

together your menu. Ticking the 

vegan box with one uninspired meal 

is not enough. Vegans want quality 

taste and variety, comfort food and 

bold flavours - basically, they want 

what everyone else wants. 

• Perfect timing for a new menu - 

January is a great time to create 

a new menu or add exciting new 

specials to the existing one. Not 

only does it help creativity flow 

in the kitchen, but your existing 

customers will be impressed by 

your inspiration. 

• Encourages new tastes - for those 

meat-eating customers who 

fancy cutting back or just trying 

something new, offering vegan 

dishes is the perfect opportunity 

to help expand and provide some 

variety for your customer’s taste buds. 

• Vegans tend to dictate where their 

group eats out. Please them, and 

you will see your footfall rise. 

What to serve 

Competition is fierce so don’t just offer 

token dishes such as stuffed peppers or 

superfood salad, think about... 

• Offer a mix of unique and classic 

dishes such as fish and chips 

(using tofu or banana blossom), 

full English breakfasts and roast 

dinners. Omitting the vegan tartar 

sauce for the fish, cheese for pizzas 

and Yorkshire puddings for roasts 

will result in a disappointed and 

dissatisfied customer. 

• Be more adventurous with desserts 

than a fruit salad! Sticky toffee 

pudding, chocolate fudge cake 

and Eton mess can now be made 

suitable for vegans and will also 

tempt non-vegans too. 

• Don’t compromise on quality - 

options need to be full of flavour, 

taste and texture just like your 

meat dishes. Premium, fresh, 

seasonal and locally sourced 

ingredients are important. 

Sources: *Vegan Society 2018 **Lantmännen Unibake’s Gourmet Burger Bun Brand Americana ***MCA 


TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

Walkers Core Grabs 

are worth 34% of 

Grabs Sales in Pubs 

Crisps are 

the UK’s most 

popular snack 

Crisps, snacks and nuts 

consumers spend +£2.35 more 

per visit vs main meal consumers 

Grabs are 

growing at 

12.4% 

in Pubs 

Case of 20 cards 



32 x 50g Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps 50g 

32 x 50g Walkers Ready Salted Crisps 50g 

32 x 50g Walkers Salt & Vinegar Crisps 50g 

Nobby’s Nust Sweet Chilli Coated Peanuts 40g 

Nobby’s Nust Sweet Dry Roasted Peanuts 50g 

Nobby’s Nust Salted Peanuts 50g 

Sources: Crisps, snacks and nuts in the on trade 2011. YouGov UK Aug 2017 MCA 

Pub Brand Monitor, snacking occasions grew from 6.4% to 8.5% Q2 2018 YOY; Mintel 

Consumer Snacking Report, May 2018, 66% of UK consumers chose CSN as a snack in 

latest 2 weeks, highest % of any snack item. Salesout Pub £ Sales 52w/e 23 June 2019. 

Sales Out, Total Food services, Pubs, Nuts, MAT we 09.09.18. 

39% 

of Pubs Crisps 

sales are 

Walkers Ready 

Salted, Cheese 

& Onion and 

Salt & Vinegar 

50% pub visitors 

said selling snacks 

was a characteristic 

of their ideal pub 

Sales up 

41% in pubs 

Roasted Tomato, Red Onion & Basil Blondie Pizza 

By Macphie 

Makes 5 portions 

INGREDIENTS 

100g Macphie Plant-based White Sauce 

1 pizza base 

50g red onion, chopped 

100g cherry tomatoes 

10g basil leaves 

50g vegan cheese 

The vegan market is 

predicted to be worth 

£1.1bn 

by 2023 

Source: Mintel Research 2018 

METHOD 

1. Spread the white sauce over the pizza base, 

sprinkle with cheese, red onion and tomatoes 

2. Bake in the oven until golden on the edges 

at 225°C 

3. Once cooked, deep fry the basil leaves. 

Drain well and place on the pizza before 

serving 

With 

71% 

of people saying they will eat 

more healthily as their new year’s 

resolution Veganuary could not 

be at a better time of year. 

Source: Inc.com 

Basmati Payasam 

Pudding 

By Tilda Foodservice 

Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS 

100g Tilda Original Pure Basmati Rice 

200ml almond milk 

400ml coconut milk 

40ml maple syrup 

5 cardamom pods (seeds only, crushed) 

2 tbsp coconut oil 

1 tbsp cashew nuts, pistachios & raisins 

1 tbsp pomegranate seeds 

Pinch coconut shards 

METHOD 

1. In a wide, heavy bottom saucepan, add 

the rice and milk, and heat over a medium 

heat. Keep stirring and bring to the boil 

2. Simmer and stir in the maple syrup 

and the cardamom seeds. Cook gently 

for about 30 minutes. Stir the rice, so it 

doesn’t stick. If it feels too dry just add a 

little more milk 

3. Once the rice is soft and cooked 

through, the pudding should have a 

lovely creamy consistency. Remove it 

from the heat and cover with a lid 

4. In a frying pan heat the coconut oil 

and add cashew nuts to toast slightly. 

Add the pistachios and raisins and fry for 

a few seconds 

5. Pour the nuts along with the butter over 

the Payasam with a sprinkle of the coconut 

and pomegranate seeds and serve warm 


TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

Miso Turmeric-Glazed 

Aubergine 

By Derek Sarno, chef director & 

co-founder at Wicked Kitchen 

Serves 3-4 

INGREDIENTS 

For the glaze 

100ml mirin 

2 tbsp miso paste 

2 tbsp maple syrup 

1 tsp ground turmeric 

4 garlic cloves, crushed 

1 tsp very finely chopped lemongrass 

(1⁄₈ of a lemongrass stick) 

For the aubergine 

3 medium aubergines, sliced in half 

& scored 

2 tsp vegetable oil 

35g salted peanuts or cashews, 

roughly chopped 

2 spring onions, sliced 

1-2 small red chillis, deseeded & 

thinly sliced 

Handful coriander, roughly chopped 

Handful chickpeas 

Sundried Tomato 

& Broccoli Toasted 

Sandwich 

By Macphie 

Serves 1 

METHOD 

1. Preheat the grill to hot. Whisk together the 

glaze ingredients 

2. Brush the skins of the aubergine with oil 

and apply half the glaze to the cut side of the 

aubergine, making sure it gets in between 

the cracks of the score lines. Marinate for 

15 minutes (any longer the aubergine will 

become soft and soggy) 

3. Grill skin-side up for 10 minutes until the 

INGREDIENTS 

3 slices multi-seed bread 

175g Macphie Plant-based White Sauce 

20g sundried tomato paste 

30g spinach, shredded 

50g mini broccoli florets (pan fried) 

50g julienne red pepper (pan fried) 

flesh is tender, then baste the scored side 

with more glaze. Carefully turn the aubergine 

over and grill flesh-side up for 4-5 minutes, 

until browned and lightly charred. Check 

the aubergine regularly to make sure it’s not 

sticking to the bars 

4. Brush the cooked aubergine with the 

remaining glaze, then top with the nuts, 

spring onions, red chillis, chickpeas and 

coriander 

METHOD 

1. Mix the paste, spinach and 75g of white 

sauce together 

2. Toast the bread and layer the sun dried 

mix on two slices, place the veg mix on both 

3. Place the remaining white sauce on the 

top slice of bread and glaze under the grill 

until brown, then serve 

Pulled ‘Pork’ Sandwich 

By Derek Sarno, chef director & 

co-founder at Wicked Kitchen 

Serves 2 

INGREDIENTS 

6 Eryngii mushrooms, ‘pulled’ 

12 small potatoes, halved 

1 regular size bottle BBQ sauce 

3 tbsp beer (optional, but if using, 

choose one that is not cleared using 

animal products) 

2 soft burger buns 

3 tbsp ‘pork’ seasoning blend (sage 

and onion) 

½ tsp salt flakes 

½ tsp cracked black pepper 

½ tsp granulated garlic 

1 tsp vegan butter 

4 tbsp sunflower/veg oil 

Fresh parsley to garnish 

METHOD 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C 

2. Shred the mushrooms by running a fork 

along the fibres, away from the cap. Pull apart 

with fingers and place in a large bowl 

3. Add BBQ sauce to small bowl and whisk in a 

splash of beer 

4. In the large bowl of mushrooms shreds, 

add granulated garlic, ‘pork’ seasoning, salt 

and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Heat a 

cast-iron pan on med-high heat until hot, add 

oil. Add the seasoned mushrooms and cook 

until brown on all sides, stirring occasionally 

5. Once hot and crispy, transfer back to the 

bowl and add BBQ sauce, stir to coat evenly. 

Place onto a parchment-lined baking tray, 

spread out evenly and roast for 10-15 minutes 

until browned and caramelized and cooked 

well 

6. Place the halved potatoes into large bowl, 

add a touch of oil, salt, granulated garlic, black 

pepper and toss to coat. Add additional oil 

to the hot skillet, then add the potatoes in 

face down to brown and cook for about 3-4 

minutes. Turn over. Potatoes should be crispy 

and golden brown on the flat side, then place 

pan in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes 

until cooked 

7. Butter rolls lightly on each open-faced side 

and place on hot skillet for 1-2 minutes to 

grill until golden brown on the bottom, then 

assemble 

Vegan Jackfruit Chilli 

By Cooks&Co/Mutti 

Serves 8 

INGREDIENTS 

1 tbsp oil 

2 onions, diced 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 Cooks&Co red pepper, large chunks 

2 x 400g cans Cooks&Co Jackfruit 

in brine 

2 tsp chilli powder (to taste) 

2 x 400g cans Mutti plum tomatoes 

2 tbsp Mutti tomato puree 

2 tbsp Mutti tomato ketchup 

2 vegan vegetable stock cubes 

Vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional) 

to taste 

400g Cooks&Co red kidney beans (in 

chilli sauce) 

400g Cooks&Co borlotti beans 

400g Cooks&Co cannellini beans 

METHOD 

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the 

onion. Cook on a medium heat until soft 

then add the garlic and cook for a further 

few minutes 

2. Add the jackfruit, red pepper and chilli 

powder and fry for a few minutes before 

adding the tomatoes, puree, ketchup, 

stock cubes, Worcestershire sauce and 

beans 

3. Cover the saucepan and simmer on a 

low heat for 30-40 minutes, or until the 

jackfruit is soft 



Make Dry January 

a Profitable One 

TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

BUILD YOUR SALES WITH 

FREE 

GLASSWARE 

WWW.SENSATIONALDRINKS.COM 

Dry January is now a well supported event. According to a YouGov poll an 

estimated 4.2 million people in the UK planned to do Dry January in 2019. 

That’s a lot of potential customers, so 

how can a business still attract them 

without the booze? 

Here are Take Stock’s suggestions for 

pulling in the customers who’ll still 

have a great time in your venue - but 

without the hangover! 

What to serve 

Customers choosing not to drink alcohol, 

or opting for a lower ABV, will be looking 

for drinks in the same categories as those 

seeking an alcoholic drink - so make sure 

you cater for them. In the on trade there 

have been a number of product launches 

that make your life easier when deciding 

what to stock. 

• When it comes to wines, brands 

like Hardys, Rawsons Retreat and 

Freixenet offer highly rated wines 

that give you options in white, red 

and sparkling. 

• There is a demand for speciality 

tonics, driven by people being 

exposed to them as part of the gin 

boom. The brand new tonic water 

pump from London Essence is a 

great way of tackling this demand, 

but make sure you have the CGA top 

sellers on your list too, which are: 

Fever-Tree Tonic; Schweppes Tonic; 

Fever-Tree Naturally Light; Schweppes 

Slimline and finally, Britvic Low 

Calorie Tonic. 

• Satisfy your draught beer customers 

by using systems like ‘Blade’ to serve 

Heineken 0.0. 

• In the spirits category Seedlip leads 

the way and new alcohol free spirits 

are being launched all the time. 

REGISTER TODAY 

and get free glassware at www.sensationaldrinks.com 

*Available while stocks last. For full terms and conditions visit www.sensationaldrinks.com 

4.2 

million 

people in the UK planned 

to do Dry January in 2019 

Source: YouGov 


• Make sure you have the top selling 

soft drinks. The CGA top 10 are: 

Coca-Cola; Diet Coke; Pepsi Max; 

R Whites; Schweppes Lemonade; 

Pepsi; Diet Pepsi; Coca-Cola Zero; 

J2O Orange & Passion Fruit and 

Red Bull. 

• Offer a good range of hot drinks - 

teas and infusions, plus the top 

selling coffees: Latte; Cappuccino; 

Americano, Flat White; Café au 

Lait; Mocha and finally Espresso. You 

should also consider selling a drink 

that’s really starting to get people 

talking - Kombucha. A fermented, 

lightly fizzy and sour drink made 

from sweetened tea. 

Low & no-alcohol 

market is now 

worth 

£50m 

Source: CGA 

How to present 

Treat your low and no customers exactly 

the same as regular customers. Look at 

your drinks menus and make sure there 

are clearly marked zero alcohol drinks 

in every category. Go the extra mile too 

by including calorific and sugar content 

information - you’ll find health conscious 

customers will appreciate it. 

Think about how the drinks are actually 

served. Take advantage of free glassware 

offers from brands - Britvic Sensational 

Drinks being an excellent example. The 

major brands are a fantastic source of 

non-alcoholic cocktail recipes too! 

15% 

of 18-24 

year olds class themselves 

as teetotal 

Source: CGA 

Attracting your audience 

Don’t forget to look at things 

that can make your business a 

destination. 

• Workers - could you offer a 

‘business’ zone with power 

points available? 

• A phone re-charging facility 

- which will really incentivise 

customers to stay and enjoy 

themselves. 

• Be dog, walker and cyclist friendly 

- water bowls and complimentary 

dog treats are always a nice 

touch. Have high tech bike 

pods or locking areas for bikes 

and how about offering a 

breakfast for cyclists before they 

set off? Make the most of your 

area and encourage walkers 

to start or finish up at your outlet. 

The Spread Eagle in Sawley, Ribble 

Valley offers a Ramble & Roast 

which consists of bacon butties, 

tea and coffee at 10:30am 

followed by a ramble before 

heading back for a Sunday roast 

lunch at £20 per person. 

• A regular weekly quiz, hosting a 

book club or community event 

and showing sport will all attract 

customers. 

TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

STOCK UP NOW 

1 in 5 

UK adults 

drink no 

alcohol 

Source: ONS 

• Bring your customers a sense of 

nostalgia by having a games night. 

The Barking Cat Alehouse in Poole, 

Dorset held a Scalextric night 

once a month, with the majority 

of proceeds going to charity. 

• Hold a weekly film night complete 

with a two-course meal, or book 

some live music. Look into a 

tribute band or local jazz band, 

both will bring in customers. 

© 2018 The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved. COCA-COLA, DIET COKE, COCA-COLA ZERO and TASTE THE FEELING are registered trade marks of The Coca-Cola Company. 


TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

A Seasonal 

Celebration 

When to celebrate 

This year, both events fall on Saturday, 

25 January - so it could be a busy night! 

To keep things simple, celebrate the 

festivities on the night itself, or if you’re 

feeling brave, and like a challenge, why 

not celebrate both on consecutive 

nights? 

What to do 

Seasonal events like Chinese New Year and Burns Night 

present two great opportunities to boost sales and help 

you benefit from their popularity during this quieter time 

of the year. 

Make the most of both events and, 

depending on your customers, provide 

an all singing, all dancing evening or 

keep it simple. You know your customers 

best, so what would they prefer? 

Tofu & Seeded Rice 

By Tilda Foodservice 

Serves 2 

INGREDIENTS 

Chinese New Year 

Add a few specials to your 

regular menu or organise a 

Chinese New Year event. 

What to serve 

• Have a mixture of dishes and firm 

favourites. Visit tildafoodservice.com 

for inspiration, but include dishes 

such as Duck Breast with Red 

Curry-Infused Fragrant Jasmine 

Rice, Chinese Claypot Rice and 

Chinese Prawn Potsticker Dumplings. 

• Offer smaller or tasting dishes to 

tempt those with smaller appetites 

or who are trying something new 

for the first time. 

• Include ‘lucky’ foods into you 

menu which are said to bring 

wealth and prosperity. These 

include citrus fruits, dumplings, 

spring rolls, noodles, whole fish 

and rice cakes. 

• Serve traditional, popular Chinese 

beers such as Tiger Beer, Tsingtao 

and Lucky Beer. Tea is a must for 

those who do not drink alcohol, so 

stock up on the traditional options: 

pu-erh (black tea), chrysanthemum 

tea (herbal and caffeine-free), green 

tea and oolong. 

Chinese food was voted as the UK’s favourite takeaway last 

year so why not cash in on the love for oriental cuisine and 

offer a takeaway service for the festivities? 

250g Tilda Easy Cook Brown 

Wholegrain Rice or Wholegrain 

Basmati Rice 

220g tofu, cubed and dried 

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

1 red chilli, finely chopped 

Large handful sugar snap peas 

Large handful baby corn 

Large handful broccoli florets 

Few pak choi leaves 

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised 

1 thumb ginger, finely grated 

1 clove garlic, crushed 

4 tsp mirin 

2 tsp sesame oil 

4 tsp teriyaki sauce 

METHOD 

1. Heat the oil in large pan. Add the tofu 

and cook for about 5 minutes until brown 

and crispy. Remove from the pan and set 

aside 

2. Add the stir fry vegetables, chilli, 

sugar snap peas, broccoli, pak choi and 

lemongrass into the pan and cook over a 

high heat until the vegetables are cooked 

3. Cook the rice as per the instructions on 

the pack. Add to the vegetables and stir 

through the cooked tofu 

4. Blend the ginger, garlic, mirin, sesame 

oil and teriyaki sauce together, stir 

through the hot rice and serve 


TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

Portioned 

to perfection 

For great tasting sauces 

your customers 

will love 

@KraftHeinzFSUK 

Burns Night 

Hold a traditional Burns Supper complete with eating, drinking, 

dancing, piping and poetry on the day itself or have a more 

low-key celebration with haggis specials. 

What to do 

• Serve a full Scottish breakfast 

and include lorne sausage and 

tattie scones. You may want to 

add haggis and switch the black 

pudding for white if you want. 

• As well as serving the traditional 

haggis with tatties and neeps, why 

not extend your menu to include 

haggis pie, stuffed chicken supreme 

and steak and haggis burger? 

• Why not consider bar snacks that 

pair well? Scotch eggs, sausage rolls 

and nachos all work well with the 

Scottish speciality. 

• Whisky is the tipple of choice; either 

malts or blends - and lashings of 

wine! A robust red compliments 

the strength of the haggis. 

• Depending on the size of your 

outlet, why not hire a piper for the 

day or an authentic ceilidh band 

to entertain for the evening? 

Burns Night is no longer 

just a national event for 

Scotland to honour - it is 

now a popular celebration 

loved by the Scots and their 

friends all over the world, 

so a great event to be 

involved in! 

Haggis Croquette, 

Pickled Turnip & 

Potato Tuile 

By Rory Lovie, head chef at the 

Bridgeview Station in Dundee 

Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS 

250g haggis, sliced into 4 pieces 

30g plain flour 

1 egg 

150g breadcrumbs 

1 turnip, peeled 

50ml white wine vinegar 

10g caster sugar 

100ml double cream 

1 large rooster potato, peeled & 

cut julienne 

10ml rapeseed oil 

METHOD 

Pickled Turnip 

1. Mix the vinegar, caster and 100ml water 

in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once 

boiled, leave to cool slightly 

2. Slice half of the turnip and cut julienne. 

Add to the pan to infuse. Once cool, store 

in the fridge 

Turnip Puree 

1. Chop up the rest of the turnip and put in 

a pot and cover with water. Cook until soft. 

Strain the water then add the cream and 

bring it to the boil 

2. Blend until smooth, season with salt then 

put in the fridge to cool 

Potato Tuile 

1. Mix the potato with the rapeseed oil and 

add salt and pepper. Scatter on a tray with 

greaseproof paper making sure the pieces of 

potato overlap each other. Cook in the oven 

at 200°C for around 10 minutes until golden 

brown and crisp 

2. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 

Haggis Croquette 

1. Roll the haggis pieces into croquette 

shapes. Pane in the flour, egg, then 

breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Place in fridge 

to firm up slightly 

To assemble 

1. Deep fry the haggis until golden brown 

and crispy. Place a dessert spoonful of the 

puree on to the middle of the plate and 

smear to form a large circle 

2. Place a handful of turnip on top, then 

the haggis and garnish with the tuile 

* 

Proof: Cambridge Direction “FOH Sauces and Brand Choices” research 2016 


TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

The 

fastest 

growers… 

When it comes to looking at what brands to stock this year, and up-and-coming trends, reliable 

data is the key. And within the on-trade, there isn’t a more trusted source of information than CGA. 

Here are their top picks for 2020 that could make a real difference to your bar sales. 

Cider 

Strongbow dominates this sector with 

Strongbow and Strongbow Dark Fruit 

selling over a million HL in the period, 

contrasting to sales of 305,996 HL by 

the third largest player in the category, 

Thatchers Gold. 

Magners Original was up 5.4% and 

the cider showing strongest growth is 

Carling Black Fruit Cider, up 138.3%. 

Lager: 

Coors Light 

Cask: 

Greene King Abbot Ale 

Cider: 

Carling Black Fruit 

Low & no-alcohol: 

Heineken 0.0 

1 Carling 

2 Fosters 

Top 10 

lagers 

3 Carlsberg Danish Pilsner 

Mainstream lager 

Craft beer 

Cask 

Low and no-alcohol lager 

4 Peroni Nastro Azzurro 

Carling still dominates, outselling Fosters 

and Carlsberg combined. However, 

the decision to rebrand Carlsberg to 

Carlsberg Danish Pilsner has helped to 

raise perceptions with consumers. 

The fastest growing brands to watch 

are: Coors Light - up 10.9% in volume, 

followed by Amstel at 9.9%. Also in 

volume growth are Heineken Premium, 

Stella Artois and Peroni Nastro Azzurro, 

up 3.1%, 2.7% and 2.4% respectively. 

Finally, whilst still not quite at the 

volumes of these brands, don’t ignore 

Birra Moretti who, with a sales volume 

up 38.7% is gaining ground rapidly. 

A volume rise of 19.7% sees 

Brewdog Punk IPA maintain their 

number one position in this small, 

but growing and extremely vocal, 

sector. Catching up though are 

Camden Hells Lager - up 37.9% and 

Camden Town Pale Ale - up 40.8%, 

followed in total volume terms by 

Marston’s Shipyard and Blue Moon. 

Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA 

saw volume sales up an incredible 

156.5%. 

Sharp’s Doom Bar has continued to 

dominate the cask ale market, followed 

by Greene King IPA and Fuller’s London 

Pride. 

Greene King Abbot Ale and Timothy 

Taylor Landlord saw volumes up 25.7% 

and 11.7% respectively. 

On the local brew scene, Ruddles and 

Wainwrights have maintained their 

volumes, which is a great achievement 

in this sector. 

Interest in and demand for low and 

no-alcohol brews is well documented, 

and in the sector Beck’s Blue is still the 

top seller, showing 3.8% volume growth. 

But, coming up fast is Heineken 0.0. with 

sales volumes up an incredible 123.1% 

so that just 3198 HL separates the two. 

With that level of growth, will we see a 

new market leader this year? 

Behind this battle, the next three best 

selling brands by volume are San Miguel 

0,0 - up 27.7%, Erdinger Alcoholfrei - up 

11.9% and Bavaria 0.0% up 43.2%, so all 

definitely worth stocking. 

5 Coors Light 

6 Stella Artois 

7 Tennents Lager 

8 Amstel 

9 San Miguel 

10 Heineken Premium 



TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

The foodservice 

industry is now 

in your hands 

New Year, 

New Year Prep 

Fresh Start 

The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to give your business 

an early spring clean. 

From balancing the books to staff 

training and deep cleaning, now is 

the time to get cracking to ensure 

you make this year an even bigger 

success than last. 

Get your accounts in order 

and learn from the latter this year. If 

you have a staff appraisal programme, 

get these meetings in the diary asap. If 

not, consider running staff reviews. 

Agree your new year goals 

Use the information from your financial 

local charity shops. Get rid of 

plates and glasses you haven’t used 

in 2019 - if you do need extra in the 

future, you can always borrow or 

hire them. In the meantime, they are 

collecting dust and taking up valuable 

storage space. 

Download the Take Stock app today and have 

all the tools of the trade at your fingertips. 

Here is just some of what you will find: 

• A comprehensive recipe library 

• Help to plan more effectively 

• Industry leading tools and guides 

• The latest in new product developments 

And much more... 

Download for free NOW! 

After the busiest period of the hospitality 

and catering year, make sure you are up 

to date with your admin. 

There’s nothing more important than 

making sure the receipts and invoices 

you need for your tax and VAT returns 

are in good order, so take time to 

ensure your accounts are as accurate 

and organised as possible. You need 

sound financial information to properly 

understand what areas of your business 

have worked well and where you can 

make improvements. 

Look at your financial 

arrangements 

Are you happy with your business bank 

account, your accountant and other 

financial services? If not, now is the 

perfect time to make a change before 

the new tax year is upon us. 

Hold a staff meeting 

Sit down with your team and look at 

what worked well last year; what brought 

in additional revenue; what actions 

improved efficiency, and what didn’t 

work so well. 

Make a list of 2019’s successes and 

failures, so you can repeat the former 

assessment and your year-end meeting 

to plan your strategy for this year. Set out 

plans for improvements and changes and 

agree with your team how to achieve 

them and when by. 

Get your calendars 

organised 

Running a comprehensive diary enables 

you to get a clear picture of the key 

events for the year like Easter, Father’s 

Day and bank holidays. Include major 

sporting dates as well as local events. 

Plan when you’re going to run your 

own events and don’t forget to include 

the deadlines for the goals you’ve set 

the business. 

Look at your staffing 

With your calendar completed, map 

out your staffing requirements and 

begin any necessary recruitment. If 

you use an agency to recruit staff, talk 

to them about your requirements and 

negotiate a good deal with them. 

De-clutter 

Throw out or recycle unused materials; 

fix or jettison broken or damaged fixtures 

and fittings; sort your freezers and store 

cupboards and send lost property to your 

Make sure old messages on your 

telephone and email are deleted and 

up to date. Make sure the same applies 

for your website and social media. 

Deep clean 

• Have a good hard look at your 

curtains, carpets, bar towels, pictures 

and POS materials. If they need 

cleaning, now is the time to get 

it done. 

• If you’ve got company vehicles your 

customers can see, get them serviced 

and valeted - they are mobile 

advertisements for your business. 

• Look at staff uniforms. Do they reflect 

well upon your business? If not, do 

something about them - either by 

buying new kit or setting up a hire 

contract. 

• Is there an area of your business that 

needs a refresh? If so, far better to do 

paintwork now, before the busy spring 

season kicks off. 

• Audit the cleanliness of your bar, 

kitchen, air extraction, storage and 

waste areas. If a clean is necessary, 

ask your team to do it or bring in a 

specialist as soon as possible. 


Photo credit: Jenny Zarins 

Tom Hunt 

Tom Hunt is an eco-chef, food sustainability consultant, food writer and co-founder of Poco Tapas Bar 

in Bristol which won the Best English Restaurant, Best Independent Restaurant and Best Restaurant at 

the Food Made Good Awards in 2016. Tom has taught food sustainability at Le Cordon Bleu London 

and his book Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet is out in March. 

Grill 

We 

Tell us about Poco Tapas Bar… 

Poco is a seasonal tapas restaurant with a core focus on 

ethics and sustainability. The dishes are small plates made 

with seasonal, British food. Most of the fresh produce is 

sourced within a 50 mile radius of the restaurant; they 

are 70-80% organic and 100% seasonal. We don’t use any 

imported fresh products and have recently pledged to only 

serve low-carbon meat. The quality of our ingredients match 

that of any Michelin-starred restaurant. However, in line 

with our ethos, we serve our food in a relaxed environment 

at an affordable price that aims to build a strong community 

around the restaurant. 

Describe the menu… 

My manifesto is called Root to Fruit eating. It’s a food 

sustainability philosophy with three key points: eat for pleasure, 

eat whole foods and eat the best food you can. Our menu is 

created with these points in mind. We cook everything whole 

to produce zero waste, because all our veg is organic and local, 

we never peel it. We also leave stalks and leaves on them too. 

This approach not only helps the environment but is a financial 

saving too, which then in turn helps us to keep the cost of our 

dishes down. We only cook with low-carbon meat like wild 

game and offal and 75% of our menu is plant-based, lowering 

our carbon even further. 

How can an outlet be more sustainable? 

The world is facing a serious climate crisis, and our food 

system has one of - if not the - biggest impacts on the planet. 

We have to take responsibility for this impact by serving 

the best quality food we can. Where our food comes from 

makes a huge difference in terms of this impact. From 

the right suppliers we can even benefit the environment. 

Therefore buying food from small, chemical free, local 

farms is the best way a business can become more sustainable. 

Buy as much local, seasonal food as you can, and try to 

opt for low or no-spray vegetables too. Make your menu 

seasonal and focus your dishes on these ingredients. Be 

proud of the quality of your ingredients and make them 

more affordable by shifting dishes to be more plant focused 

and highlight this on your menu - I’m sure your customers 

will be impressed that you’re buying local while trying to 

do your bit to save the planet! 

But is it expensive? 

It may cost more to buy organic and better farmed ingredients, 

but by cutting down on waste and increasing the plant to meat 

ratio on your dishes you can create a budget that will allow you 

to purchase these better quality ingredients. 

When did you become conscious of 

sustainability? 

I’ve always been aware of food sustainability and environmental 

issues. However, I first decided that it would be my main focus 

in 2011 when Tristram Stuart, author of the book Waste, invited 

me to cook a banquet with food that would otherwise have been 

wasted. It was a huge eye opener for me and made me rethink 

how I operate, realising that I could have a positive impact on 

the environment simply by the way I cooked. 

What is your favourite dish? 

At the moment, it is more of an ingredient than a dish - cider 

vinegar. It is very simple to make and is a great way to turn wasted 

or windfall apples into a highly valuable product that can save 

you a lot of money while increasing the quality of your menu. 

How did your love of food develop? 

I’ve always been passionate about food from as long as I can 

remember and I think that’s because of my family. We always 

ate around the dinner table, every night, as a family. Mum was 

always cooking. It was never perfect, and sometimes from a 

packet, but nevertheless she always made a home cooked meal 

for her family and that has had a massive influence on me. 

What is your career history? 

Since a young age I’ve been passionate about food and art, so in 

1997 I helped my friend Ben Hodges cater for weddings before 

heading up the catering for a chalet in Val d'Isère during the 2003 

ski season when I was just 23 years old. Thanks to being able 

to create my own menu, I was able to find my feet with food: I 

learnt how to budget, experiment and write recipes. It helped 

build my confidence before returning in 2004 to a job as sous 

chef at the prestigious River Cottage in Dorset working with TV 

chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. While working for Hugh, I set 

up a festival cafe which served posh wraps and salads at British 

music festivals - our first being Glastonbury. Then, in 2011, Poco 

Tapas Bar opened in Bristol. 



TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

Victoria Sponge 

Cupcakes 

By Dr. Oetker Professional 

Makes 12 

INGREDIENTS 

For the cupcakes 

Feel the 

Love 

12 Dr. Oetker Muffin Cases 

150g margarine 

150g caster sugar 

1 tsp Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla 

Extract 

150g plain flour 

1½ tsp Dr. Oetker Baking Powder 

3 medium eggs 

To decorate 

Have fun this Valentine’s Day through your sweet menu so everyone, young and old, 

single or coupled, can feel the love when they visit your outlet on Friday, 14 February. 

And why not spread the love across the whole weekend? 

“When thinking of Valentine’s Day, the first 

thing that comes to mind is love hearts,” 

says Emma Stamp, senior brand manager 

at Dr. Oetker Professional. “Why not use 

the symbol through your ingredients to 

evoke a sense of romance?” 

Here are Emma’s top tips on how to 

incorporate love hearts into your fave 

sweet treats: 

• Add a hidden surprise - a loaf cake 

with a secret heart in the middle, 

only revealed once sliced, is a real 

showstopper. Cut out hearts from 

a red sponge and on top of a layer 

of chocolate mixture add these to 

your loaf tin and cover completely 

with the rest of your mix to hide 

your hearts. 

• Give your cupcakes some love - 

create a romantic twist by adding 

a heart decoration on the top of 

each cupcake. Simply take out the 

sponge in the middle of your 

cupcake and using your cutter 

shape into a heart to sit on top of 

a swirl of buttercream. 

• Jazz up your biscuits - embrace 

the popularity of chocolate and 

roses on Valentine’s Day by including 

these flavours in your biscuits. Create 

heart-shaped shortbread biscuits 

using rosewater and cocoa powder 

and, once baked, finish them by 

covering with a generous amount 

of chocolate - guaranteed to be 

a hit with customers! 

A helping hand 

Dr. Oetker Professional has a wide 

range of baking products from 

coloured icing and gel food colours 

to cocoa powder and cooking 

chocolate. Chocolate is one of the 

most popular ingredients to use for 

Valentine’s Day and their Scotbloc 

is simple, fast and effective. Easy to 

melt, it’s suitable for all requirements, 

such as coating, drizzling, shaving 

and enrobing. The coating requires 

no tempering and can be used over 

a wide temperature range, making it 

practical and versatile for delivering 

a perfect finish. 

Chocolate Loveheart 

Mallow Brownies 

By Macphie 

Makes 24 

INGREDIENTS 

1kg Macphie Brownie Mix 

130g vegetable oil 

290g water 

Macphie Mallow 

Pink colouring 

Macphie Sweet Snow 

METHOD 

1. Mix the brownie mix and liquids on slow 

speed for 3 minutes 

2. Deposit 2 x 700g into 7 x 12 foils 

3. Bake at 180°C for 30-35 minutes 

4. Whip mallow for 4-5 minutes, as per pack 

instructions, adding pink colouring (and flavour 

as desired) 

5. Once brownies have cooled, cut out heart 

shapes, divide into two and sandwich with 

mallow 

6. Dust heart shapes on top of each brownie 

using sweet snow to finish 

200g strawberry jam 

400g Dr. Oetker Vanilla Buttercream 

Style Icing 

METHOD 

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C 

2. Put the margarine in a mixing bowl 

with the caster sugar. Whisk together then 

gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla extract 

until blended 

3. Sift the flour and baking powder on top 

and carefully fold into the whisked ingredients 

4. Divide the mixture equally between the 

cupcake cases and smooth over the tops. 

Bake for about 20 minutes until risen, 

golden brown and firm to the touch. 

Transfer to wire racks to cool 

5. Using a sharp knife, cut a heart out of 

the top of each cake approx. 1cm away from 

the edge, scooping out a pocket of the cake 

sponge underneath at the same time. Trim 

away the excess sponge from each of the 

cake tops to make a flat base 

6. Fill the centre of each cake with 

strawberry jam and pipe a generous blob of 

buttercream. Place the sponge heart back 

on top of the buttercream, dust lightly with 

icing sugar and serve 



Feed Your Eyes 

Winners 

Created a dish you’d like to show the world? 

Want to win £50 of Amazon vouchers? 

Every edition we select the best starter, main and dessert from entries posted to 

#FeedYourEyes @takestockmag on Twitter and Instagram - the winners all receiving 

£50 Amazon vouchers, courtesy of our sponsors Macphie, Chef and cooks&co. 

You’ve got to be in it to win it… so, get posting! 

James McMahon 

@jimmer_mcmahon 

Head chef, The Pier, 

Lairg, Sutherland 

- Home smoked duck salad, 

pickled girroles & roasted grapes 

Stuart Wake 

@stuwake 

Sous chef, Leila Lily's, 

Newcastle upon Tyne 

- Venison, salsify, beetroot 

& girolles 

Emily Page 

@_chefemz_ 

Apprentice commis chef, 

The Cross Keys, Stow, Lincolnshire 

- Lemon tart with lemon 

meringues, lemon curd & 

crumbled lemon shortbread 

www.sugarandsyrup.com 


TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

Stacks of 

Profit 

Dust off your frying pans and get creative 

with your toppings this Shrove Tuesday. 

Pancake Day, on 25 February, is a day of a pancake for each meal occasion, and 

indulgence which everyone loves to get to suit the tastes of any customers. 

involved with. 

Breakfast - American pancakes with 

French or American, savoury or sweet, syrup and blueberries or potato 

make sure you flip some profits with a pancakes with bacon and eggs 

pancake treat. 

Lunch & dinner - cheese and smoked 

What to serve 

One of the best things about serving 

pancakes is that they can be eaten at any 

time of the day! Fry up some sales by 

trading in on their popularity and have 

ham pancakes or pancake cannelloni 

Dessert - crêpe brochettes with 

chocolate spread and fruit or 

pancakes with lemon sauce 

Boozy pancakes 

A fun treat for adults and a 

chance to create an upsell 

opportunity on your dessert 

menu. Here are some 

suggestions: 

Gin & tonic - add gin and tonic to 

the batter mix and the syrup and 

pour over the finished pancakes 

Baileys and Nutella - stack the 

pancakes with a layer of Nutella 

and top with whipped up Baileys 

cream 

Espresso martini - stack Americanstyle 

pancakes with Kahlua cream 

and top with rich chocolate, 

espresso and vodka sauce 

Prosecco - add Prosecco into 

the pancake batter or make a 

Prosecco-flavoured syrup 

Don’t forget the different 

diet of your customers… 

Gluten free - use gluten-free 

plain flour 

Vegan - use all-purpose flour, 

almond or soy milk and 

coconut oil 

Dairy free - use coconut milk 

and sunflower or rice bran oil, 

for frying 

Maple & Bacon 

Pancake Skewers 

By Macphie 

Serves 3 (4 each) 

INGREDIENTS 

500g Macphie Luxury American Pancake 

Concentrate 

500g bread flour 

500g water 

6 rashers smoked streaky bacon 

Macphie O.T.T Maple Flavoured Dessert 

Topping 

Fresh berries 

METHOD 

1. Place the pancake mix and flour into a 

bowl and whisk. Add water gradually and mix 

on fast speed until batter is smooth 

2. For each pancake, deposit 30g of batter on 

a hot plate for 1 minute each side 

3. Drizzle the dessert topping over the bacon 

and cook at 200°C for 8-10 minutes 

4. Fold bacon onto skewers while still warm, 

sandwiching with 2 pancakes on each end of 

the skewer 

On average, people in the UK eat 

2 pancakes each on Pancake Day. 

That means 

117 million 

pancakes 

are eaten on the day 

5. Drizzle over the remaining dessert topping, 

add the berries, and serve 

Pancakes with 

Lemon Sauce 

By Macphie 

Makes 15 

INGREDIENTS 

500g Macphie Luxury American Pancake 

Concentrate 

500g bread flour 

500g water 

Macphie O.T.T Sicilian lemon 

Blueberries 

METHOD 

1. Place Pancake Concentrate mix and bread 

flour into a bowl fitted with a whisk, add water 

gradually and mix on fast speed until batter is 

smooth 

2. For each pancake, deposit 30g of batter on 

a hot plate for 1 minute each side 

3. Stack pancakes onto plate and squeeze 

generous amount of Sicilian lemon O.T.T over 

the top 

4. To finish, serve with fresh blueberries 

On a normal day, Brits eat 

30 million 

eggs per day, 

but on Pancake Day 

that goes up to 

52 million 

eggs & enough milk to fill more 

than 93 Olympic swimming pools 



TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

Drinks suppliers 

will be targeted to 

collect 

90% 

of their containers by 

year three of the scheme 

20p doesn’t sound like a 

high price to pay to save 

the planet... 

Try scaling it up! A 20p deposit would 

have a significant impact on wholesalers. 

It would add £300,000 per week to the 

cost of buying drinks for the average 

wholesaler. That’s a major impact on 

cash flow. We might also find that 

producers and consumers switch away 

from single-use containers, which are a 

staple of the wholesale channel. So we 

argue that the deposit should not rise 

Take Stock asked David Visick from 

the FWD to explain the new scheme 

and how it will affect the industry… 

How will it work? 

The Scottish Government wants to 

above 10p. 

Anything else? 

Including glass in DRS represents a 

health and safety challenge for retailers, 

particularly small convenience stores 

who have less space, and potentially 

Brexit 

Update 

introduce a Deposit Return Scheme by 

wholesalers if they are backhauling 

In its election manifesto the 

A New Way to 

Recycle 

April 2021 which will put a 20p deposit 

on drinks containers, including PET, steel, 

aluminium and glass. Drinks suppliers 

will be targeted to collect 90% of their 

containers by year three of the scheme, 

either collecting their own packaging 

from retailers and other return points, 

or via wholesalers. 

returned materials. There’s a consumer 

impact as well: DRS is also particular 

inconvenient to the elderly, those with 

mobility issues and those who don’t 

have access to a car. 

So it’s unfair on 

wholesalers? 

FWD set out a number of clear 

policy priorities for the next 

administration. Now that there 

is a clear majority in parliament 

we look forward to working 

with the government to push 

for a comprehensive, frictionless 

trade deal after Brexit which 

Scotland is getting ready to transform the way we recycle. 

The country will soon be the first part of the UK to introduce 

a deposit return scheme for drink containers; making it easier 

for everyone to recycle their used bottles and cans, including 

all drinks sold in PET plastic, metal and glass. 

And the problem is? 

Where to start? Introducing a scheme 

in Scotland only causes huge issues in 

the UK supply chain. Two selling prices 

means two sets of SKUs, and in effect 

we’d have a hard border for drinks 

between Scotland and England. So 

wholesalers would have to segregate 

stock, which might require a significant 

increase in warehouse space. Our 

Scottish partner organisation, the Scottish 

Wholesale Association have surveyed 

their members and some estimate their 

additional warehousing requirements 

could cost between £500k and £3m. 

The proposals affect our sector 

disproportionately. And the timing’s 

not ideal, wholesalers and others in 

the drinks supply chain are already 

dealing with the trading and economic 

uncertainties of Brexit. We explained all 

this in our submission to the Scottish 

Government’s call for evidence, and 

recommended that the commencement 

date for a single national scheme 

should be 2023, with a sell through 

period of two years. The Westminster 

Government will be consulting on DRS 

for England next year, so a later launch of 

a nationwide scheme is far more realistic. 

keeps tariffs or trade barriers 

to a minimum. We encourage 

the new government to show 

restraint on National Living Wage 

increases and to take forward 

further measures to tackle 

alcohol duty fraud and sugar tax 

evasion. We will be working to 

ensure the government maintains 

the current exemption for 

distributors around packaging, 

without which our members 

would see cost increases of 

up to 300%, and we are also 

campaigning for a mandatory 

allergens database to guarantee 

consumers access to full and 

So that’s point one - if DRS is introduced, 

it should be a single UK-wide scheme. 

A separate scheme for Scotland will 

increase operational costs, reduce 

efficiency and increase the likelihood 

of fraud by creating a trading border 

between Scotland and the rest of the 

UK and the EU. 

A 20p deposit 

would have a significant impact on 

wholesalers. It would add 

£300,000 per week 

to the cost of buying drinks for the 

average wholesaler 

accurate information on the 

potentially harmful ingredients in 

the food they purchase. We look 

forward to working with the new 

administration on these priorities 

and actively championing the 

wide economic contribution of 

wholesale in parliament. 


36 


Happy 

St. Patrick’s Day! 

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day - and as this year the famous Irish 

celebration falls on a Tuesday, there’s a brilliant mid-week sales 

opportunity looming. 

Tradition dictates that the last 

whiskey on St. Patrick’s Day 

has a shamrock in the bottom 

of the glass. After a toast 

to St. Patrick the whiskey is 

drunk, and for good luck, the 

shamrock tossed over your 

left shoulder. 

TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

And for desserts... 

Don’t forget the soda bread 

There are a number of classic Irish 

Simple and quick to make, but an 

desserts that have whiskey or stout 

absolute must for your menu! Do white 

as the magic ingredient. Guinness 

and brown varieties and serve with 

chocolate cake and brownies; stout 

plenty of Irish butter, jams and tea. 

cupcakes; Irish whiskey salted caramels 

and soused orange bundt cake to name 

a few. 

And if you’re feeling adventurous, why 

not serve Barmbrack - a sweet Irish quick 

bread made with sultanas and raisins, or 

Irish whiskeys to stock 

And of course, both whiskey and stout 

are fantastic in creams and ice creams, 

icings and ganache. 

incorporate Irish whiskey in your soda 

bread recipe? 

Jameson - the world leader 

Powers - a mixture of pot-still and 

grain 

Redbreast - a pure pot whiskey 

As in previous years there will be parades 

and events across the UK, so it makes 

sense for you to join in the fun with food 

and drink that will let all your customers 

go green! 

What to serve 

• The full Irish 

- get your sales off to a flying start 

by offering your customers an Irish 

breakfast - bacon, sausages, eggs, 

fried tomatoes, mushrooms, hash 

browns, white and black pudding 

and baked beans. 

Pair with: tea and coffee 

• Galway oysters 

- the West of Ireland is said to produce 

some of the very best oysters, with 

those harvested in Clarinbridge, 

County Galway famous for their taste 

and quality. 

Pair with: Guinness, a crisp dry 

white wine such as a Muscadet, 

or for something special, a Fino 

or Manzanilla sherry 

• Colcannon 

- served as a main or side, Colcannon 

is potatoes mashed with milk and 

butter, which is then mixed with 

cabbage or kale. Serve alongside 

boiled ham or with bacon stirred 

into it. 

Pair with: an unoaked Chardonnay 

or a glass of Irish whiskey 

• Cockles and mussels 

- Dublin’s unofficial anthem ‘Molly 

Malone’ tells the story of a beautiful 

young woman selling her shellfish 

on the streets, and the delicious 

combination of cockles - small 

saltwater clams - and mussels 

is a very popular Irish dish. 

Pair with: Pinot Grigio, an ice cold 

pilsner or a dry cider 

• Potato and Irish cheddar rolls 

- a uniquely Irish combination that 

can be prepared ahead of time as 

they freeze well. Perfect as a bar 

snack, with butter at teatime or to 

accompany dishes like Irish stew. 

Pair with: Smithwick’s beer 

• Pies and stews 

- Irish stew and steak and Guinness 

pie are firm St. Patrick’s Day favourites. 

Serve with colcannon and some soda 

bread to mop up the gravy. 

Pair with: Côtes du Rhône or 

Pinotage reds or a Belgian beer like 

Chimay goes great with Irish stew. 

Choose a Porter-style beer, or an 

Argentinian Malbec for the steak pie 

Irish beers to stock 

Murphy Irish Red - a hoppy classic 

O’Hara’s Irish Pale Ale - a balanced 

pale ale with bitter citrus aroma 

Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale - smooth 

and creamy 

Smithwick’s Irish Red Ale - rich and 

ruby coloured with malty, floral notes 

Beamish Irish Stout - a traditional, 

fully rounded malted stout 

Porterhouse Brewing Oyster Stout 

- a Dublin favourite 

Bulmers Original Irish Cider 

- made with 17 different apple 

varieties. Serve over ice 

Clonmel 1650 - a pilsner-style beer 

named after the historic town 

Murphy’s Irish Stout - from the 

Lady’s Well Brewery in Cork 

Guinness Draught - the 

world’s number one 

Tullamore D.E.W - the world’s 

number two 

Tyrconnell - from Ireland’s only 

independent distillery 

Bushmills - from the oldest licensed 

distillery in the world 

Paddy - an unusual mix 

of single pot, single 

malt and grain 

St. Patrick’s Day falls on 

a Tuesday. Why not hold 

the celebration on a 

weekend either side to 

make the most out of 

the event? 



Approx 

6 x 150ml 

servings in 

this carton 

Approx 

6 x 150ml 

servings in 

this carton 

The most 

TAKE STOCK 

FEATURE 

important 

meal of the day 

Stock up on all the breakfast essentials 

from bacon to beans, with Caterers Kitchen 

A New Law 

A new law has been introduced to protect allergy sufferers and give them 

confidence in the food they buy. 

BEST BEFORE END 

cranberry 

juice drink 

from concentrate with 

sugar and sweetener 

1 litre 

Proof 

Number 

6 

CYAN 

Cranberry Juice Drink 

made with Cranberry Juice 

from Concentrate and with 

Sugar and Sweetener 

Ingredients 

Water, Cranberry Juice from Concentrate 

(13%), Sugar, Acidity Regulator: Citric 

Acid; Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid; 

Flavouring, Sweetener: Sucralose. 

Nutrition Information 

Typical values per 100ml per 150ml 

serving 

Energy 84kJ 126kJ 

20kcal 30kcal 

Fat 0g 0g 

of which saturates 0g 0g 

Carbohydrate 4.9g 7.3g 

of which sugars 4.8g 7.2g 

Fibre 0g 0g 

Protein 0g 0g 

Salt 0g 0g 

This pack contains 

approximately 6 servings. 

Storage Instructions 

Store in a cool dry place. 

Best served chilled. 

Shake well before opening. 

Refrigerate after opening 

and use within 3 days. 

For Best Before End: See top of pack. 

1 litre 

Grid Ref: 

Tetra 1133 

MAG 

YELL 

877 

BLK 2767 

148.487mm repeat 

cranberry 

juice drink 



Client: 

Job Description: 

Job Number: 

Date: 

cranberry 

juice drink 



1 litre 

Mulrines 

Specially packed in Ireland for 

Independent Food Services Ltd, 

Doncaster, 

DN4 5RA 

1 litre 

Caterers Kitchen Cranberry Juice from 

Concentrate 1 LITRE carton 

31923 

12-08-2019 

Most of this carton is made 

from wood – a natural, 

renewable resource. 

Please squash and recycle. 

www.tetrapaksustainability.com 

5 013668 431920 

cranberry 

juice drink 



Why the new law? 

Following the tragic death of Natasha 

Ednan-Laperouse, the teenager who died 

after suffering an allergic reaction to a 

Pret a Manger baguette, ‘Natasha’s Law’ 

will strengthen allergen labelling rules 

and help protect the millions of allergy 

sufferers in the UK. 

What will it do? 

The new law will tighten the rules by 

requiring foods that are pre-packed 

directly for sale to carry a full list of 

ingredients - giving allergy sufferers 

greater trust in the food they buy. The 

government has introduced legislation 

mandating full ingredients labelling for 

foods pre-packed for direct sale, and the 

new law will come into force by October 

2021 - giving businesses time to adapt 

to the change. ‘Natasha’s Law’ proposes 

four options: include full ingredient list 

labelling; allergen-only labelling; ‘ask the 

staff’ labels on products; and promoting 

best practice to businesses. 

What’s the current law? 

Food prepared on the premises in which 

it is sold is not required to display allergen 

information in writing, meaning allergy 

sufferers sometimes lack confidence 

when buying food out of home. 

Foods that are prepared and packed on 

the same premises from which they are 

sold - such as a packaged sandwich or 

salad made by staff earlier in the day and 

placed on a shelf for purchase - are not 

currently required to carry labels. If asked 

by a consumer, allergen information must 

be given in person by the food business. 

How can businesses 

prepare? 

Food businesses across the country 

have already taken steps to improve 

food labelling and outlets are being 

urged to do all they can ahead of the 

implementation date to help consumers 

make safe food choices. The Food 

Standards Agency (FSA) will continue to 

provide food businesses with guidance 

on allergens, and through its ‘Easy to Ask’ 

campaign it works to empower young 

people to ask food businesses about 

allergens when eating out, so they can 

make safe food choices. 

Chair of the Food Standards 

Agency Heather Hancock said: 

“We want the UK to become 

the best place in the world 

for people living with food 

hypersensitivities. The impact 

of food allergy and intolerance 

on quality of life can be as 

great or even greater than 

almost all other foodborne 

diseases. Whilst it’s impossible 

to eliminate the risks entirely, 

we believe this change will 

mean better protection for 

allergic consumers.” 

Source: gov.uk 


Mother’s Day 

22 March 

Easter 

10-13 April 

St George’s Day 

23 April 

Plan Ahead 

We may have only just stepped into the new year, however, planning ahead is crucial 

to maximising the sales opportunities presented by key events during the year. 

Mother’s Day 

Mother's Day is one of the biggest dining 

occasions in the calendar, so make your 

event memorable and help it stand out 

from the competitive crowd. 

What to do 

• Promote your menu and any offers 

on your social media, website and 

in-house. Make sure your staff know 

what is on offer. 

• Go the extra mile for mum and 

greet her with complimentary flowers, 

chocolates or a glass of fizz. 

• Offer a range of specials: Mother’s Day 

brunch, afternoon tea, or early birds to 

attract all-day traffic and ease the usual, 

traditional lunchtime rush. 

• Remember your loyal customers 

who visit year round and not just for 

Mother’s Day by keeping your pricing 

fair. Perhaps offer a free meal on 

another date if they book for a 

larger party. 

• Have plenty of colouring books, 

crayons and games to keep the 

young ones entertained - and give 

mum a well-earned break! 

• Live music, a bouncy castle or even 

a free prize draw will add value to 

your offering. 

• Why not make the most of the event 

and run a Mother’s Day package on 

Saturday as well? Perhaps an afternoon 

tea or early birds’ menu? Not all mums 

can make the Sunday celebrations, 

so this way, they don’t miss out, and it 

extends your sales opportunity. 


Easter 

This four-day family holiday presents 

operators with the opportunity to 

increase sales and drive profit through 

meals, drinks and activities. 

What to do 

• A roast dinner with all the trimmings is 

still the firm favourite on Easter Sunday. 

Lamb is the obvious winner, however, 

beef, chicken and turkey should all have 

prominence on your menu too. 

• Offer smaller portions from the main 

menu and a simple children’s menu. 

• Cater for all diets, so don’t forget gluten 

free, vegetarian and vegan options. 

• Provide a snack menu to cater for the 

steady flow of customers coming 

through your doors at different times. 

Hot dogs, nachos, pizza and burgers 

are quick and easy, and the style of 

food often makes for bigger orders and 

allows a higher menu price. Stock up 

on bar snacks too. 

• Stagger covers by offering a 2FOR1 

brunch or an early birds’ evening menu. 

• An egg hunt for children is traditional, 

however, how about involving the 

adults too? A DJ or live band will also 

draw in customers. 

• Offering a free Easter egg for every 

child who eats, or having a basket of 

mini eggs on the bar (or by the till) 

will leave a lasting impression on 

customers. 

• Make the most of the better weather 

by hosting a BBQ. Also, think about 

prepping your beer garden to enable 

you to make use of the extra space. 

42 

St George’s Day 

This year, the patriotic day falls on a 

Thursday. Host a St George’s party on 

the weekend or celebrate the day by 

serving all things English. 

What to do 

• Offer a breakfast and/or brunch with a 

full English breakfast. 

• Make lunch traditional with pork pies, 

sausage rolls and Scotch eggs. 

• Have your evening menu full of English 

favourites like fish and chips, bangers 

and mash or a roast dinner. Make sure 

you offer smaller portions of each 

dish for children or adults with little 

appetites. 

• Tap into the trend for afternoon tea 

and serve up a tempting array of 

delicate savouries and scrumptious 

sweet treats. 

• From the much loved cup of tea, to the 

amazing varieties of beer on offer and 

even English wine, make sure you serve 

the perfect English drink. 

• Think about hosting a speciality 

gin event offering some of the finest 

gins that England has to offer - served 

with quintessentially English soft fruits 

such as blackberries, raspberries and 

blackcurrants. 

• No celebration would be complete 

without pitchers of Pimms - so make 

sure you are stocked up! 

• Why not put together an all-English 

playlist or, for bigger events, hire an 

English band or a covers band to 

perform some top tunes live on 

the night? 

*AC Nielsen data to 02.11.19 

gluten 

free 

Fastest growing 

snacking brand in 

the past decade! * 

under 

100 cals 

per 23g 

suitable for 

vegetarians 

popped 

not fried 

Stock up today!

FFS081 Issue 46 Low Res

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