The weather shows no real sign of improvement, but don't despair - the wet and cold conditions often turn people's thoughts to a nice meal out to cheer themselves up. Read on for Catering Update's monthly round-up of what the manufacturers have on offer to help you keep the punters coming back for second helpings
Caterplan becomes UBF Foodsolutions
Caterplan is changing its name to UBF Foodsolutions.
The change marks the culmination of 12 months to create a global organisation. UBF Foodsolutions will be used for both the catering and food ingredients businesses world-wide. The rest of the food business will continue to be known as Unilever Bestfoods UK.
The company's portfolio includes brands such as Knorr, PG Tips, Flora, Hellmann's, Ambrosia and Colman's.
Calum Ross, Business Group Director, says: "Our new name better describes our role. In the last decade, we have moved beyond food manufacture into the creation of food solutions for our catering customers. The name change signifies a greater focus on foodservice but for our existing customers, it's business as usual. There will be no change to personnel or our portfolio of leading brands."
For more details, visit the web site: www.ubffoodsolutions.co.uk
The name change coincides with a raft of new products:
Knorr Traditional is a new range of individual portion entrees available in five varieties: Steak and Kidney, Liver and Onions, Chicken and Mushrooms, Chicken and Sausage Casserole and Beef Chilli.
The latest addition to the Knorr Americas collection is a new hot and spicy Salsa variety to the Mexican range.
UBF Foodsolutions has extended the Knorr Collezione Italiana Wood Fired Pizzas range with the addition of two new pizzas - Caprina and Marinara.
The new Caprina pizza is made using tomato, sliced peppers, mozzarella and goat's cheese, while Marinara is a combination of cheese, tomato, tuna, prawns and tomato slices.
UBF Foodsolutions
Viva espagna
Spanish Deli has introduced a range of authentic Spanish potato omelettes.
Available in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavours, this new chilled product can be served cold or hot by microwaving for a few minutes. It can be served on its own, as an accompaniment, in a sandwich or as a buffet item.
The omelettes are vacuum packed and pasteurised, with a shelf life of 75 days.
Spanish Deli
Lattice work
New from apetito are two new lattice pastry products.
The Salmon Lattice en Croute is salmon fillet smothered in a creamy salmon flavoured mousse and encased in a light puff pastry lattice. Or there's Thai Chicken Lattice en croute, chicken breast topped with an authentic Thai dressing including onion, coconut, garlic, ginger, green chillies and coriander.
The lattices only take 30 minutes to heat through and can be served on their own or with potatoes and vegetables.
Apetito
One potato
The latest offering from MBM Product is a new salad potato, under the Joie de Vivre brand.
Salad potatoes varieties include Exquisa, Charlotte, Amandine, Annabelle and Nicola. They are specially grown and selected for their cooking quality, flavour and appearance.
They can be served hot or cold, with no peeling required. So all you have to do is simply wash under the tap before either steaming or boiling.
Packaged in 10k boxes.
MBM Produce
Go organic
Rachel's Organic Dairy has introduced butter and new yogurt flavours - rhubarb, lemon, honey, vanilla and maple, as well as organic milk. These join the company's developing product list which includes dairy products, yogurts, cream and creme fraiche produced by Rachels' Organic, which is thought to be Britain's first organic dairy.
Retailer IKEA is featuring the company's organic yogurts in its in-store restaurants throughout the UK, while Eurostar is offering customers Rachel's Organic wholemilk fruit yogurts. The company has produced a new sized pot to fit the airline-style trolleys on Eurostar.
Rachel's Organic Dairy
Right risotto
iB has added two new varieties of risotto rice to its range of products.
Known as the "king" of risotto rice, Carnaroli is a pearly white, short-grained rice from the Veneto region of Italy. It can be used for risottos that have been flavoured with fish or champagne.
Vialone Nano, grown in the Veronese region, is a versatile, semi fine rice. It contains more starch than other varieties and cooks to a firm and balanced consistency. The medium size grains are oval shaped with a white stripe. This flavoursome rice, with a hint of herbs, can be used for full-bodied risotto dishes and takes 20 minutes to cook.
iB Food
On the buffet
Diversity Foods' new range of terrines can brighten up a buffet or be served as a starter.
Varieties include chicken and apricot in Barde; Duck and Green peppercorn in Barde; Wild Boar with Juniper Berries; Smoked Trout in Trout with Nori; Smoked Salmon and Salmon Fillet; Three Layered Vegetable and Chargrilled Vegetable.
Available in 250g, 500g and 1kg sizes, the price is around 20p to £1 per portion depending on size, packaging and variety.
Diversity Foods
Blast off for improved recipes
Nestlé Foodservice is relaunching the Maggi brand with new improved recipes, more functional packaging and modern on-pack graphics.
The aim is to invigorate the dehydrated product category with new improved products and to reposition the brand as innovative and creative.
As Irene Zia, Category Manager for Maggi, says: "Maggi has over 100 years expertise in culinary products. The new improved recipes have been developed by chefs for chefs. They are designed to save time, effort and money, so they can concentrate on being creative. We want to bring the quality back to dehydrated products."
The relaunch follows a £50,000 research programme among consumers. The feedback has been positive with consumers preferring the new products to the old in all aspects including taste, appearance and smell.
The relaunched products are as follows:
Maggi Traditional Soups
The Chicken Soup has more chicken meat than previously, while the Thick Country Vegetable, Mushroom, Potato and Leek, Tomato and Minestrone Soups contain double the amount of vegetables.
Bert Good, executive chef, Nestlé Foodservice, says: "These soups can be used across the board."
These are now available in round tubs, which are more sturdy and robust. They are easier to stack and are narrower than the previous packs.
Maggi Gravy
This now has a richer flavour with a meat taste and as Bert Good pointed out, can be used for making dishes such as pie fillings and cottage pies.
Béchamel Sauce
This is much creamier than before and can be used as a base sauce to which other ingredients can be added such as chopped parsley and egg yolk.
Bouillons
All have new improved recipes. For example, the Chicken Bouillon has a higher percentage of chicken than the previous recipe. This is a real time-saving product as it can takes a chef six hours to make a bouillon from scratch, roasting bones. Maggi's bouillons can be used for a host of recipes. For example, at the launch event, the vegetable bouillon was used in the "Panache of Vegetables" and the "Fondant Potatoes" was also cooked, half covered with the vegetable bouillon. These are now available in 1kg resealable tins.
To make a demi-glace from scratch is very time-consuming, says Bert Good and can take 14 hours to make. With Maggi's Demi-Glace, all you do is add cold water and it's ready to use in five minutes. It can be used as a sauce to fry a steak. At the relaunch event, it was used to make the Sauce of Woodland Mushrooms, served with chicken.
The new packaging for all products features red and yellow colours, reflecting the Maggi brand, with a new contemporary design which bring a modern feel to the entire range. All the packaging is recyclable.
There are also recipe ideas and serving suggestions on pack to give ideas on how to use the products.
Nestlé Foodservice
Crunch time
Tuscan Bean Crunch and Vegetable Pastitio are the latest vegetarian ready-meals from Emile Tissot.
Tuscan Bean Crunch is a combination of kidney beans, borlotti beans and mixed vegetables in a tomato based sauce and flavoured with herbs and topped with a layer of grated Cheddar cheese and croutons. The Vegetable Pastitio is a Greek-style dish of peppers, celery, courgettes and black olives combined in a tomato sauce topped with a creamy pasta sauce.
Both are available in cases of 12 x 350g and can be cooked conventionally or in a commercial microwave oven.
Emile Tissot
Put a crinkle in your chips
Crinkle Cut Fries from Brakes, made from the English Maris Piper potato, are suitable for all types of outlets.
They can be deep fried from frozen in hot oil for about three minutes.
The 12mm thick fries are in six 1.5kg packs.
A range of over 20 different types of chips of all shapes and sizes are on offer including speciality chips such as Seasoned Twister Fries, Skin On Fries and Chunky Chip Shop Chips (chilled).
Several varieties are freeze chill which means they can be cooked from frozen or thawed.
Brakes fries, except for the new Crinkle Cut Fries, are made from the Bintje potato.
Available in either a 10kg case containing four 2.5kg bags or a 15kg case containing six 2.5kg bags.
Brakes
New twist on the baguette
Now here's a twist on the baguette - Delice de France has produced an onion-butter baguette. Onion pieces are baked into it and the pre-sliced bread has an onion butter filling. Serve warm with brasserie-style meals, soup and salads.
Available in cases of 40.
Delice de France
Are you missing out on a winning combo?
A new report says the market for combination platters is worth a potential £493 million, but 50 per cent of caterers don't recognise the potential.
Some 30 per cent of consumers interviewed said that would definitely purchase a combination platter if it appeared on the menu, some anticipating buying combos 30 times a year.
The report by Kitchen Range Foods suggests that Friday and Saturday nights are prime combo times. Combos are more profitable than solo items and can be adapted to suit different audiences including children, vegetarians, spice lovers and healthy eaters.
"Combo platters are the new pizza," says Paul Mayo, commercial director of Kitchen Range Foods. Retailers have already recognised the consumer demand for combo platters - caterers, especially in the pub sector, will be left behind if they don't adopt their menus to reflect this trend."
What are combo platters? Combos are quick and easy to prepare and can include a range of items from the Kitchen Range Foods' portfolio such as onions rings, mushrooms, brie wedges and bites, baby Camembert, goats cheese, Mozzarella fingers, hot peppers and cheese meals.
As Mayo points out, the versatility of combos means that they can be added to different areas of the menu including Dishes for Younger Appeal, Side Orders, Finger Goods, Quick Bites, Lite Bites, Combos and Starters. They are suited to both bar and main menus and can be dressed up or down to provide a range of products at different prices.
Kitchen Range Foods