Gone are the days when the staff restaurant repertoire finished at high-carb dishes such as cottage pie and lasagne followed by fish on
Fridays. A modern, diet-conscious workforce demands low-carb and low-calorie options, not to mention - in city centres, at least - global cuisine to rival the restaurants, cafs and bars on the doorstep of their offices.
"Previously choice was often limited, mainly because chefs were targeted to costs and consumers were mostly interested in being able to eat cheaply," says Antony Bennett, development chef for RHM Foodservice, whose brands include Sacla, Sharwood's and McDougalls. "Today retailers sell a wide range of ethnic and international foods and people want to experience new flavours, so there's a demand for different and exciting food for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
But with skill levels varying, it's not always easy to provide good, healthy food and plenty of choice. However, with the use of world cuisine products such as ready-to-use sauces and mixes for bread, pastry and desserts, Bennett says that it is possible to reach suitable profit margins and maintain quality and variety.
"If bought-in sandwiches are your best sellers, you can go from plain egg and cress to open focaccia sandwiches or paninis with unlimited fillings that are made on site," he says.
Bennett advises following a few simple rules for hot meals. "Always try to get the wet-to-dry food balance right, with one curry or casserole dish, two oven-baked dishes and one deep-fried offering," he says.
Look at the skill levels in your kitchen, see how far you can take them and show what you can do with ingredients. With ready-to-use sauces you can stir-fry with chicken, peppers and a sauce with no need to worry about seasoning. Or, if the skill level will allow, use pastes instead.
Pick two or three sauces or pastes that fit in with your customer base. You could use a Thai paste to create a fish cake, for example. And don't forget that the same product can be used in different ways. Bennett has about 30 uses for green pesto, including: on pasta; in a crème frache, mayonnaise, mascarpone and ricotta dip; mixed into butter; as a marinade; as a topping for salmon; mixed into bread; as a pizza sauce; on bruschetta; mixed through mashed potato.
There can be advantages to having days themed around a particular style of cuisine, too, provided you don't pick a cuisine that is too obscure, which may alienate some customers. And don't forget customers who may want to lunch at their desks. RHM Foodservice has developed a concept called Sharwoods Out, which offers Oriental dishes presented in Oriental-style take-away boxes with chopsticks.
Chef profile
Antony Bennett spennt two years studying a BTEC in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Operations, coupled with NVQ levels 1 and 2 in Catering and Hospitality. After working as a chef, he spent seven years in retail food development where he was responsible for developing more than 150 products, including the first rising-crust pizza in the UK frozen ready-meal market and Frankie Dettori's Italian food brand, before joining the food service sector. He has scooped numberous awards, including three Pizza and Pasta Association awards for product development, a Caterer and Hotelkeeper Acorn Award for the industry's young achievers and a gold medal at Hospitality Week 2005 for the Creative Ethnic Food category.
Although he works mainly within the profit sector of food service, Bennett regularly gets involved with schools and education authorities on developing menus and advising school cooks on how to use products in a creative and healthy way.
Chicken, lemon and black olive paste with leek and saffron risotto
Ingredients (Serves 10)
3 tbs olive oil
20 small chicken thighs, about 100-110g each
2 lemons, thicly sliced
150g black olive paste
4 twigs of rosemary
For the risotto
600g leek and saffron sauce
600g arborio rice
400ml water
knob of butter
Method
Pan-fry the chicken thighs skin side down in oil for 4-5 minutes until brown. Transfer to an oven-proof tray and place the lemon slicess between the chicken portions. Spoon about a teaspoon of black olive paste over each chicken portion, then scatter over the rosemary. Bake in the oven at 190°C for 40-45 minutes.
To make the risotto, add the sauce to thte water, bring to the boil and add the rice. Simmer, while stiring, for 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. The risotto will have a creamy, slightly sloopy consistency. Stir in the butter and season to taste. Serve the risotto with two portions of the chicken per serving and garnish with the roasted lemon and fresh rosemary.
RHM Foodservice
0800 328 4246
www.rhmfoodservice.co.uk