From fast-food operations, through staff and high-street restaurants to fine-dining establishments, you're likely to find poultry on the menu in some form. Not only does it span all sectors of the catering industry, but also many different types of cuisine. European, Asian, North or South American - whatever the origin of the cuisine, it's bound to include recipes for poultry.
"Poultry is undoubtedly the most versatile meat available, ensuring its appeal to virtually every sector of the catering market," says Nigel Parkes, sales and marketing director for Plusfood, which sells products under the Friki and Fribo brands. "It became far more popular after the BSE crisis, and this encouraged many caterers to incorporate many more poultry-based dishes on their menus.
"At the same time the low-fat, low-cholesterol properties of poultry were very well documented. The combined effect has resulted in a new image for poultry, which is now strongly perceived as a healthy favourite among all age groups."
Naturally, the offering varies between operations. While varieties such as duck, poussin, quail and squab are most likely to be served at the higher end of the market, many mainstream high-volume operations turn to manufacturers of added-value products usually centred around chicken or turkey to enhance their menus.
"Added value means taking the work out for the operator," says Alison Cannon, marketing director of the chicken division at Grampian Country Food Group, whose Insight to the Chicken Market 2003 report puts the amount of chicken used in food service at more than half a million tonnes each year. UK consumption is the third-highest in Europe with the highest sales in the quick-service sector.
Much of the chicken sold into food service is in the form of frozen added-value products which meet operational needs in terms of consistency, portion control and ease of cooking. And while there are already hundreds of products out there ranging from sandwich fillings and breaded fingers to marinated butterfly breasts, there's no shortage of ideas for new ones.
"Chicken and turkey lend themselves to many different styles of menu and respond very well to different types of processing," says Parkes. "A Plusfood development team regularly travels around the world to explore the influences that will eventually have an effect on the food demanded by consumers."
Oriental flavours have been the inspiration for the company's latest product, Chicken Sticklers, 30g portions of chicken marinated in ginger and lemon grass; green Thai, or black bean and presented on a bamboo skewer.
Many ideas for chicken products for the UK market take inspiration from various parts of the globe. Harvey Crabtree, business development manager at Maple Leaf Foods, is hoping the established Canadian trend of "wing nights" will catch on over here. "It's a separate eating occasion in its own right and an average bar-restaurant in Canada will sell around 400 baskets of wings a night," he says. "In the UK wings aren't seen as a delicacy and have traditionally been difficult to sell. The key is authenticity and being more region-specific with flavours."
Maple Leaf's pre-cooked and frozen chicken wings come in two marinades, Rocky Mountain Barbeque and Niagara Honey Garlic, both produced in Canada. There is also a lightly seasoned wing that can be finished with various glazes after frying.
Chicken is the biggest-selling protein item in the Casey's Whistlestop quick-service outlets in Pontins holiday centres. The latest addition to the chicken range is Poppets, bite-size pieces of chicken cut from whole muscle meat with a crispy coating from chicken products manufacturer SFC (Southern Fried Chicken).
Pontins operations manager Mark Fletcher says the product went on trial in holiday centres over Christmas and is to become a permanent menu item in Casey's Whistlestop outlets in all seven Pontins holiday centres. "We're offering the product mainly as a boxed takeaway item with fries, but it's versatile," Fletcher says. "We're finding take-up across all age ranges."
Being a hit with kids, poultry is an obvious choice for children's menus, an area Bernard Matthews Food Service has capitalised on with numerous breaded turkey shapes. The company's Turkey Spellbinders come in three shapes - a wizard, an owl and a thunderbolt - and have a huge appeal largely because of the interest in magic generated among children by the Harry Potter books and films.
Anita Brown, services manager for Stockton-on-Tees local authority, has found shaped poultry products significant in her bid to increase the take-up of meals at the 67 primary and two secondary schools for which she is responsible. When she took over the supply of school meals in September 1996, take-up stood at 52% and has risen 10% to about 15,000 lunches a day.
Brown finds shaped poultry products lend themselves well to themed menus. "Every term we create 11 different themes, which can include ideas such as the jungle, China and dinosaurs," she says. "Then we talk to suppliers about what products they have to tie in with a theme. The Harry Potter theme we ran led to a 23% increase on the day. But more importantly we retained 6% of the increase, which is a significant rise."
The scope for added-value duck products is more restricted, according to Peter Blankley, development chef for Cherry Valley, which supplies mainly breast portions and whole legs to the food service market and a boned Chinese roasted duck for the Oriental market. "You can't replicate products such as nuggets and Kievs with duck," he says.
"There is a considerable price difference between chicken and duck, and the challenge to add value is much greater. Fillets will fit into a main course priced from £10-£14, but for a £6 main course it would have to be leg cuts."
Added-value products from Cherry Valley include the classic duck breast with orange sauce and the company has developed a confit-style duck leg. "It's not a true confit but aims to capture that flavour," Blankley says. A honey-roast duck for the pub market has the option of a leg version to meet a lower price point.
An increased demand for duck products in the pub, bistro and restaurant market has been identified by Silver Hill Foods, which the company attributes to a rise in retail sales of duck. Besides a range of raw products, the company supplies frozen and chilled ready-cooked products such as a boneless Chinese roast duck and a honey-roast duck with a choice of sweet chilli, ginger and spring onion, and lime and chilli sauces.
Factfile
* Poultry accounts for 12% of the total frozen food market.
* A quarter of frozen poultry is sold to educational establishments, 14% to pubs and bars, 12% to workplace catering, and 11% to the fast-food sector.
* Nuggets hold the biggest individual market share at 10%.
Source: AC Nielsen/Padley's
Contacts
Bernard Matthews Food Service 01603 872611
Challenger Foods 0191-549 5700 www.challengerfoods.co.uk
Cherry Valley Farms 01472 371271 www.cherryvalley.co.uk
Discovery Foods 01494 464460
Fairway Foodservice 01422 319100 www.fairwayfoodservice.com
Grampian Country Food Group 01224 696113 www.gcfg.com
Maple Leaf Foods UK 020 7470 1200 www.Maple-Leaf.de
Padley's 0800 085 2749 www.padley.co.uk
Plusfood 01892 667155
Silver Hill Foods 00 353 47 87124 www.silverhillfoods.com
SFC 01704 548641
Chicken nuggets
* A new website from Padley's provides product information such as pack sizes and cooking instructions, serving suggestions, details of stockists, promotional events and a section on catering for children, with dietary information and themed serving ideas. The company's latest product launches include crispy corn chicken nuggets, chicken tikka bites and plain cooked chicken wings. Visit www.padley.co.uk.
* Discovery Foods' new Texas Turnover meal assembly kit consists of a soft tortilla wrap, two pieces of Southern fried chicken, a carrying sleeve and a box to hold the wrap and any side orders purchased. The chicken is pre-cooked, frozen and prepared in two minutes by deep-frying. The idea is to warm the wrap, sprinkle on salad and a dressing or pickle, add the chicken pieces, twist it and serve in the sleeve and box. It is available as whole muscle pieces or reformed chicken.
* Marinated chicken products from Challenger Foods come in flavours such as Tikka, Moroccan, Red Thai and Piri Piri.
* A spatchcock chicken is available from Fairway Foodservice.