There's no denying that the weather in May has been a bit grim, but things can only get better and people will be thinking about taking some time out to treat themselves to a meal out. To help you plan a world-beating menu, Catering Update brings you a round-up of all the best in what's new this month.
Sushi special Japanese treat
Brighten up the buffet table with the new improved Sushi Pack from Brakes. This comprises 12 pieces each of Smoked Salmon Nigiri, Ebi-Prawn Nigiri and Tuna and Cucumber Ura Maki Roll in each pack, as well as 12 mini bottles of soy sauce and 12 sachets of gari (sliced pickled root ginger).All you have to do is defrost at room temperature for one hour. The price is £24.95 for a pack of 36 pieces (69p each)
Brakes
Beef up confidence
Macphies has launched a new range of frozen Scotch beef sausages and burgers, under the brand name of Glenbervie Scotch, through a joint venture with meat processor, AK Stoddart.
The new products only use traceable meat from the farms which adhere to the Specially Selected Scotch Beef Farm Assurance Scheme.
Each product from the Glenbervie Scotch range is made from Scotch beef and individually quick frozen.
The range includes steak burgers, beef burgers, Cajun burgers and speciality sausages, in traditional or spicy Merguez varieties, and all products contain a high meat content.
The products can be fried, grilled, barbecued or oven cooked direct from frozen.
Macphies
Morning nosh on the move
McV a:m is a new range of morning snacking products from McVities, aimed at "on the move" and "delayed" breakfasts.
This new launch is designed to take the McVitie's brand into a new time of day, when biscuits have historically under-performed.
The range offers an extensive choice of products, not just cereal bars.
It comprises:
Cereal Bars - grapefruit (24 bars x 35g)
Fruit Cereal Bites - apricot (18 bags x 30g)
Morning Slices - apple (24 bars x 40g)
Muesli Fingers - fruit and nut (24 bars x 35g)
Breakfast Muffin Cakes - orange marmalade and mixed berry - 12 individually wrapped.
McV a:m is being supported with a £12m promotional campaign including TV, national radio, posters, sampling and PR programme.
McVitie's
Dressing for dinner
Salad Makers from Universe Foodservice has introduced two new varieties - Tomato & Garlic and Honey & Mustard, as well as new labeling.
Other dressings in the range comprise Thousand Island, Sour Cream & Chive, Blue Cheese, Caesar, French, Garlic & Herb and Cocktail.
Available in plastic 2.2 litre jars with moulded handles.
Salad Makers
Standing on the the job
Caterers and other workers whose job involves standing for long periods are 40 per cent more likely to get varicose veins than people who sit at a desk for a living and 50 per cent more likely to get swollen legs.
These are some of the findings from research by Activa Compression Hosiery, while a Dutch study reported in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine among standing workers claimed that wearing compression hosiery reduced leg swelling and pain from 70 to just 27%.
Activa Class 1 support socks look like ordinary high socks or hosiery but they give support to calves and veins in the lower leg, preventing swollen aching legs and ankles and varicose veins.
Visit the web site www.activahealthcare.co.uk
Activa Health Care
Perfect partners for tea or coffee
Add value at morning coffee and afternoon tea service by serving Coronet's new Assorted Luxury Minipack biscuits in portion packs, from 3663. The biscuits are sold in mini packs of two and are available in a range of five flavours. There are: Lemon Shortbread, Steam Ginger Cookies, Viennese Fingers, Oat and Raisin Cookies and Chocolate Chip Shortbread.
The biscuits are available in pack sizes of 100.
3663
Casing the joint
British Meat Foodservice has developed special point-of-sale kits for pubs and restaurants which buy English beef and lamb.
The material includes a certificate giving details of the butcher from which the meat is sourced; posters; information cards and window stickers, all stating that the meat served is English beef and lamb.
The kits were developed following a survey of over 600 independent retail butchers, which revealed 64 per cent are supplying local catering establishments, as well as consumers.
The survey also revealed that many butchers source locally produced meat, which is important for caterers so that can label the origin of meat on the menu.
Hayley Dean from British Meat Foodservice, says: "With customers increasingly wanting to know the origin of the meat they are eating when dining out, it's important that pubs and restaurants which serve English beef and lamb and use a local supplier, communicate this to their customers."
British Meat Foodservice
For the best possible taste
Mari-Base marinades from Major International not only flavour food, but also tenderise it and can be used for traditional barbecues and conventional ovens.
The Mari-Base range of five includes Steakhouse and Barbecue flavours and can be used for ribs, chicken wings and steaks.
Each 1.25 litre pot contains enough for over 80 servings and is supplied with resealable Mari-Bags. You can either brush the meat with the marinade or put it straight into the Mari-Bag with marinade. For best results, marinade the meat for at least two hours.
Major International
Give food a good pasting
The new Knorr Stir It Up Pastes from UBF Foodsolutions can be used to create an array of menu options. They can be used for hot or cold fillings for breads, wraps, pittas and baguettes; as toppings for pizzas, jacket potatoes and salads, as well as infusing flavour for meat, fish and vegetables.
They are quick and easy to use. Cut the meat or vegetables into thin slices/strips (1cm thick) and stir in the paste (minimum of 20g or 1 dessertspoon of the paste to 180g of meat and vegetables) and cook as follows:
Pan: Add to a cold non-stick wok or frying pan, stir continuously on a medium heat for six to ten minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
Oven: Pre heat oven to 230°C/475°F/Gas Mark 2 and cook for six minutes (combi oven), eight minutes (conventional oven), stirring half way through. Ensure the food is piping hot. To serve cold, cool rapidly after cooking and refrigerate for up to 24 hours until use.
The varieties are:
* Californian Lemon Pepper
A blend of vegetable oil, lemon and coarse black pepper
* Beijing Five Spice
A blend of vegetable oil, five spice (Star ansie, ginger, cinnamon, fennel and cloves) and a dash of soy sauce
* Thai Green
A blend of vegetable oil, ginger, galangal, coriander, green peppers, extract of lemongrass with green jalapeno chillies
* Mexican Fajita
A blend of vegetable oil, tomatoes, onion, herbs and spices with chipotle chillies
* Jamaican Jerk
A blend of vegetable oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice with a kick of paprika and black pepper
* Texan Barbeque
A blend of vegetable oil, tomatoes and a smoky BBQ flavour
* Italian Tomato and Herbs
A blend of vegetable oil, tomatoes, herbs and a kick of garlic
With the recommended usage amount of 20g of paste to 180g of meat or vegetables, you can serve up to 17 portions per tub.
UBF Foodsolutions
Creating great cake
Army chefs from the Catering Support Regiment Royal Logistics Corp (RLC) used Kerry's Margetts sauces and Ravifruit fruit purees to decorate cakes in demonstrations to 120 Year 10 Home Economics students from schools in the local area, during a recent Springboard event in Manchester.
The students then tried their hand at copying the trained chef's creations - often with hilarious results!
Kerry Foodservice
Free Knorr Stir It Up Pastes
To celebrate the launch of the Knorr Stir It Up range of pastes, UBF Foodsolutions is giving away a free sample pot to the first 20 readers to respond to this offer. All you have to do is write the number on the information card.
UBF Foodsolutions