Catering@Booker Issue 6 - October / November 2022

CATERING @ BOOKER

P L U S B O O K E R

4 5 0 P R I C E S L O C K E D D O W N , W I N AT T H E W O R L D C U P, C AT E R I N G T R A D E S H O W R E V I E W

N O V E M B E R /

NEW OWNERS HIT FULL GALLOP IN BUCKOVER

O C T O B E R

P R O FIL E S

RACING AHEAD

2 0 2 2

CHOI CE . P RI CE . SE RV I CE

HIGHLIGHTS l CONTENTS

30

Robert Webb, The Bridge Inn, Tenbury Wells

“The Beatles once played in my pub when they were actually at number one in the charts with ‘Love, love Me Do’! It's the 60th anniversary of that gig next April so we're looking forward to generating some excitement around then."

38

Dean & Lorraine Woodgate, The Grand, Felixstowe

“Coming to the Booker Catering Trade Show today has been great for meeting key suppliers, seeing all the fantastic deals available and getting some new menu ideas and tips for tweaking existing dishes. It’s been a lot of fun!”

58 COVER SHOT

Chris Baker, Booker HGV driver

"Knowing so many of my customers so well definitely helps maintain that crucial efficiency as I always ensure things are as they like them before I even arrive which helps."

18

Tosh and Rumit Lakhani revitalise their Buckover pub.

CATERING@BOOKER SHARE YOUR NEWS If you've got news, tips or feature ideas, get in touch with Catering@Booker Email:Catering@booker.co.uk DISCLAIMER All rights reserved. Prices and information are correct at time of going to press, but may be subject to change.

4

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

CONTENTS

12

30 WORLD CUP BEERS

NEWS 7

With the first ever winter World Cup

has enhanced its used cooking oil

and almost a month of back-to-back

recycling service offering a 50p 9

may be a great way to ensure quick,

48

Improved cooking oil deal Booker

kicking off at the end of November matches, focusing on bottled beers

38

that are perfect for the festive season.

52

quick serve bottled beers for the

Pub and bar market New report says

World Cup.

UK pub and bar market will recover to

thirsty customers visiting your business

pre-pandemic levels this year.

PRICE 44

to cheer on their national teams.

Booker offers a fantastic range of

PROF I LES

premium lagers and ales that deliver

12

served in seconds..

18

down the prices of 450+ products.

the lucrative breakfast and brunch

S ERV IC E

opportunity in Reading.

58

The White Horse Buckover pub 64

Booker app New mobile scanning app functionality makes ordering

Greek Gourmet Takeaway and restaurant in Hereford scores with

Meet the Team Say hello to Chris Baker, Booker HGV driver

took the reins.

30

Pricing lockdown Booker locks

Café Yolk Alex Mangat is cracking

galloping ahead since new owners 24

Bottled beers Drive profits with

voucher for every litre recycled.

efficient service to large groups of

outstanding cash profits and can be

Sharing success Sharing platters

easier than ever.

66

Premium desserts Make Christmas

authentic Greek cuisine.

extra special with some simple

The Bridge Hotel Tenbury Wells

premium desserts.

hotel turns disaster into opportunity.

F EATURES

52

38

62

Booker Catering Trade Show Flagship event attracts thousands of attendees.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

REGULARS Own brand update Maximise profits with classic dishes.

68

Mix it up New versatile frappé and hot chocolate mixes.

5

BOOKER NEWS

BOOKERNEWS NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS BOOKER

SAVE MORE MONEY WITH BOOKER’S USED COOKING OIL RECYCLING SERVICE Booker has further enhanced its used cooking oil recycling service for caterers and for every litre recycled is now offering 50p off the next purchase.

Booker has significantly improved its extremely popular Used Cooking Oil service by more than doubling the amount it will pay to catering customers for using the service.

The new deal means the amount caterers will receive per litre of recycled oil has increased to 50p. This equates to a £10 voucher towards their

Oil Collection Service

10

£

off

when you recycle 20 litres* equates to-

50

pper litre

next purchase for every 20 litre drum recycled, of KTC cooking oil to just £26.99.

since 2008 and more than 16,000 caterers already take advantage of the service.

l 50p voucher for every litre recycled l £10 voucher for every 20 litre drum recycled l Collected direct from your door l Effort-free compliance with UK waste regulations l Enhance your sustainability credentials

*Minimum collection 60 litres

taking the effective price of a new 20 litre drum

The Used Cooking Oil service has been running

BENEFITS

call 0345 120 4545 and quote your customer number

To find out more or to order a collection, call 0345 120 4545 or email info@ bookerrecycling. co.uk and quote your customer number.

This fully complies with UK waste regulations.

simplest way for caterers to ensure that they The used oil is collected direct from your

are meeting all legal requirements around

premises by one of Booker’s collection partners

the correct disposal of used cooking oil – and

and is then processed and turned into biofuel

caterers using Booker’s service receive formal

which is then used in Booker’s HGV fleet, helping

certification that their used oil has been

the planet as well as saving caterers money.

collected and recycled after every collection.

The minimum collection is 60 litres and

Caterers can arrange for their used oil to be

Booker can provide 60 litre barrels if desired,

collected on a set rota – every two weeks, for

with a deposit payable.

instance – or can choose to order collections as required. So far, Booker has collected

To register and book your collection, contact

and recycled almost 88 million litres of used

Booker Recycling on 0345 120 4545, by email

cooking oil – that’s enough to fill 34 Olympic-

at info@bookerrecycling.co.uk or by visiting

sized swimming pools.The service is also the

www.bookerrecycling.co.uk.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

What are you doing different to stand out in your local market?

Share it with us and your fellow Booker customers at catering@ booker.co.uk

7

BOOKER NEWS

PUB AND BAR MARKET RECOVERS PANDEMIC LOSS

New data show that the UK pub and bar market is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.

INBRIEF SUSTAINABLE DELIVERY OPPORTUNITY A new study by route planning software

The UK’s pub and bar sector will this year recover

specialist Descartes has

the market share lost as a result of pandemic

identified an important opportunity for hospitality

restrictions. That's the prediction from new

business in the form

research by Lumina Intelligence, which expects

of sustainable home

the sector to be worth £22.5bn in value in 2022,

delivery.

recovering to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

The survey of 8,000

According to the research managed, branded

consumers found that

and franchised pubs are set to account for half

over half of respondents

of the UK pub market value in 2022, up from

wanted more sustainable

a 46% share in 2016. Turnover share for these

home delivery options

venues was 49.8%, up from 45.5% in 2016 and

and 54% would be willing

49.3% in 2019.

during office hours to target professionals.

Meanwhile, the trend for supporting local pubs

Lumina Intelligence is forecasting that the

is enduring with residential area visits growing

number of pubs will return to growth in 2025,

believed business were

share to 22%, up from 18% in the 12 weeks

expecting the market to expand to 42,729

currently doing a good

ending 8 August 2022. Additionally, city centres

sites. Recovery in the economy and consumer

job of using sustainable

show signs of slow recovery increasing share by

confidence is expected to foster pub market

delivery practices.

2% year-on-year with pubs offering lunch deals

growth to total £23.9bn in 2025.

to accept slower delivery times for more sustainable deliveries. Only 38%

In addition, the report identified how sustainable

HOSPITALITY SECTOR SERVES UP 10% GROWTH

home delivery options

The number of hospitality

numbers across all industry

successful in keeping

from increasing lead times

businesses in the UK grew

sectors in the UK overall fell by

businesses going.

and using electric vehicles

by 10.1% last year, new ONS

1.5% over the same period.

data reveals. The industry

Despite this, turnover in The number of people

the accommodation and

companies formed in the year

employed in the hospitality

food service sector fell from

to the start of 2022, reaching a

sector held steady, growing

£116.6bn at the beginning of

total of 220,950.

by 1%, suggesting that

2021 to £82bn a year on, due

the furlough scheme and

largely to the effects of the

other initiatives were largely

pandemic.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

the operator. Options

to grouping orders to

saw 20,000 new hospitality

In comparison, total business

result in lower costs to

providing eco-friendly time windows help hospitality providers to lower both their carbon footprint and their delivery costs.

9

BOOKER NEWS

INDUSTRYNEWS NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS THE INDUSTRY

DRS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR HOSPITALITY IN SCOTLAND? Circularity Scotland, the administrator for next year’s Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland, has issued new advice for hospitality businesses preparing for the new rules.

DRS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW If your business serves drinks to customers to consume off the premises you must charge a deposit and operate a return point.

With Scotland’s new Deposit Return Scheme

This means you must:

(DRS) set to come into force on 16 August next

l only sell drinks from registered producers;

year the DRS Scheme Administrator, Circularity

l only sell drinks to consumers in Scotland that

Scotland, has issued fresh advice and information to the hospitality sector to help it prepare for the

consume the drinks you sell on site, and you collect all the containers, you can operate what’s known as a closed loop system.

Scotland;

new regulations.

l charge the 20p deposit when selling a drink

Under the scheme, consumers will pay a 20p

l make it clear to the customer that the drink is

that is part of the scheme; deposit whenever they buy a drink in a single-use container and will get their deposit back when returning the empty bottle or can for recycling.

Circularity Scotland aims to recapture 90% of

If your customers only

a producer has made available for sale in

Scotland’s single-use containers.

part of the scheme and a deposit applies; l clearly display the price of the deposit (20p) in any place that a drink is displayed for sale; l clearly display information on how the customer can redeem the deposit; l operate a return point (unless exempt) or

The Deposit Return Scheme will cover all drinks sold in PET plastic, metal and glass which are

takeback service; l store returned empty containers in a safe way.

between 50ml and 3l in size.

ON-PREMISE ONLY SALES OFF-PREMISE ONLY SALES

If your customers only consume the drinks you sell

If you sell drinks for

If your business serves drinks to customers to

on site, and you collect all the containers, you can

both off and on premise

consume off the premises, you must charge

operate what’s known as a closed loop system.

consumption, you will

a deposit for each drink sold in an ‘in scope’

need to meet both sets of

container and you must operate a return point to

This means you must:

allow your customers to return their containers to

l only sell drinks from registered producers;

you after use. You will then be paid a handling fee

l only sell drinks that the producer has made

requirements above.

for every container returned.

10

available for sale in Scotland;

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

BOOKER NEWS

To apply for an exemption visit: depositreturnscheme. zerowastescotland.org.uk/ applications Please note that the advice and guidance continues to change and evolve so it is vital that catering customers in Scotland regularly check the latest advice and sign to up receive the latest updates: www. circularityscotland.com

KEYDATES JANUARY 2022 Exemption opens for Return Point Operators

MARCH 2023 Registration opens for Return Point Operators

AUGUST 2023 DRS scheme goes live for consumers

OFF AND ON-PREMISE SALES

EXEMPTIONS

Some hospitality businesses will operate

Hospitality businesses that sell drinks

both as hospitality retailers (on-site

containers to take away can apply for an

consumption) and as retailers (consumption

exemption consideration if they wish. There

In this scenario, scheme packaging is

off the premises), selling drinks to be drunk

are two ways to obtain an exemption:

not expected to leave the premises and

on the premises and to take away.

l If you can show that there is an

l pay the 20p deposit to your supplier for each scheme article purchased; l store empty containers in a safe way.

therefore there is no requirement to charge customers the deposit.

alternative return point nearby that has In this case, you must meet both sets of regulations outlined briefly above, including

agreed to take back containers on your behalf.

You should collect and store the scheme

operating a return point, unless you are

packaging for collection by the scheme

exempt. However, you only need to apply

reasonable way of operating a return

administrator.

the deposit to those drinks that are sold for

point on the premises without a

off-site consumption.

significant risk of breaching relevant

l If you can show that there is no

legal obligations e.g. food safety.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: www.circularityscotland.com www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/ deposit-return-scheme/

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

What are you doing different to stand out in your local market?

Share it with us and your fellow Booker customers at catering@booker.co.uk

11

PROFILE l CAFÉ YOKE, READING

CEREAL WINNER Alex Mangat’s Café Yolk is cracking the lucrative breakfast and brunch market in Reading.

When French-Canadian caterer Alex Mangat first touched down in the UK in 2013, her mind was filled with sweet dreams of serving a maple-drizzled slice of the Canadian brunch scene to English diners.And judging by the queue of hungry mouths stretching beyond the door of her playfully named Café Yolk in Reading, she’s certainly realised her dreams.

The ‘walk in’-only café, which celebrates a decade of trading in January 2023, welcomes hundreds of diners into its warm and sunny interior every day – drawn in by its promise of “great quality, honest food, served with a smile”. The café’s high-profile award wins, including 'Cafe of the Year' at the Food Awards 2016, glowing Trip Advisor reviews and mouth-watering Instagram posts all help.

As Alex explains, it wasn't always this way. “I grew up in the catering industry,” she tells Catering@Booker.

“When I moved to the UK with my family 10 years ago, I had a dream of opening up a great breakfast place that would offer local diners a real flavour of the Canadian brunch scene which was already huge and far more developed at that point than it was here.

“It wasn’t as easy as that though! In many ways I think I was almost too early for the people of Reading.

They weren’t quite ready to make the change from ‘lunching’ to ‘brunching’ or for the types of dishes I wanted to bring. I wanted to show them funky foods, the sort of foods I was used to back in Canada – breakfasts with flavours such as chilli, chorizo and lime – but it was almost too early for them, the concept

THE LOWDOWN

CAFÉ YOLK, BERKSHIRE Outlet: Café Yolk, Reading Berkshire Format: Brunch restaurant Owner: Alex Mangat Opening Hours: 8am-4pm everyday Staff: 16 to 22 depending on the season and including five chefs Covers: 75 covers inside and a further 10 outside

was still a bit alien.”

12

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

The challenge prompted Alex to take a back-to-basics approach.

“To win diners’ trust I had to start by serving dishes they were more comfortable with, such as the traditional English breakfast But even then, diners kept asking for things like baked beans, tinned tomatoes and cheaper sausages with a lower meat content as opposed to the versions I wanted to source from local suppliers. It was a bit disheartening, but I kept on pushing. I knew my concept had legs and that we could change tastes and mindsets if we stuck with it.”

Alex’s determination has certainly borne fruit.“A shift has most definitely taken place,” she says. “Breakfast is now big news. We still offer a full English for those who want it, but it’s packed with quality products and interesting sides such as ‘herby potatoes’.

“We also offer a range of options such as Turkish Eggs, a Mexican Brunch and Breakfast Burgers.

“Now that customers are exploring the full menu, our most popular dish by far is The Canadian Breakfast which includes any style of eggs, sausages, herby potatoes, homemade pancakes, maple syrup and a side of fruit. We try to push anything that’s maple-related. It’s one of our real USPs as a Canadian brunch place.” for-money prices and we are definitely That’s not to say it’s all plain sailing

buying more than we have before

now though. Alex says navigating

through Booker. We buy sausages and

“through the cost of operations and

eggs from local suppliers but all our

challenges with staffing” can, at times, leave her feeling like

pantry products, including tinned goods, sauces, spices, brioche

she’s balancing on “a fine line”. “Our reputation is built on

rolls, cleaning products, paper products and soft drinks, come

the quality of our food and our fresh dishes but more than

from Booker. We also source some fresh products, such as

that, we also have a reputation for high levels of customer

potatoes and herbs, through them.

service and value for money. We have to keep a much closer eye on costs and prices to ensure we can keep offering

“I’ve been using Booker since day one and they have been a

what customers have come to expect from us,” she says.

wonderful support throughout. If I have a problem I know Booker

“Thankfully Booker’s support has been and continues to be, a

has my back. My CDM Matt Hampton is always just a phone call

huge benefit here,” she adds.

away and he really goes out of his way to support us. If there’s something I need urgently, or I'm struggled to source, he will

“Booker offers a fantastic range of quality products at value-

often bring it down for me.”

Alex Mangat, Café Yolk

“Curiosity is key in this industry. You have to keep that alive! I try to get ahead of the trends, often finding inspiration from far afield."

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

13

PROFILE l CAFÉ YOKE, READING

DESTINATION VENUE BREAKFAST WITH A SIDE OF SPICE

Café Yolk’s flavour-fuelled menu places it at the forefront of the innovative brunch movement.

THE CANADIAN Two eggs any style, bacon, sausages, grilled tomato, mushrooms, beans, herby potatoes, two pancakes with maple syrup and a side of fruit. £13.75 MEXICAN BRUNCH Cheesy Herby Potatoes topped with Salsa,

Alex is also quick to praise Booker for its “excellent reliability”.

Jalapeños, Soured Cream

“As a small business with hardly any storage space, we rely on

and a Poached Egg.

Booker deliveries arriving on time to help us operate efficiently

– straight-up £9.50

We get three deliveries a week from Booker and I cannot fault

– with Chorizo £11.50

them. Deliveries arrive on time and the drivers are so helpful, nothing is too much for them. It really is an exceptional service.”

Another string to Yolk’s bow is the “fantastic team”. Alex says: “We all support each other and, over the years, we have become a very well-oiled machine. Going forward, flexibility will be the real key to success in this industry. Thankfully, that’s something we already excel at. Everything is up for discussion. My team

– with Avocado £11.15 – with Salmon £12.00 TURKISH EGGS Poached Eggs, topped with Garlic Yoghurt and Chilli Butter. Served on Naan Bread.

and I regroup constantly and we talk now more than ever. When

– straight-up £ 8.50

something stops working, we are very good at putting our heads

– with Chorizo £10.50

together to instigate change and keep things working.”

VEGAN TACOS Crushed black beans,

Alex’s menu is one area subject to increased change of late. “We

salsa, avocado, pickled

are changing menus more regularly now than we did before, at

red onion and scrambled

least three times a year now. Before the pandemic, you could run

tofu served in soft tacos.

a menu for much longer but now, due to market conditions and

£9.25

supply, we have to change them more often.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

15

PROFILE l CAFÉ YOKE, READING

ALEX'S SPECIAL BOARD QUALITY COUNTS

“That’s no bad thing though. In this industry trends are changing all the time and you have to respond. Our menu has 13 key dishes – all of which can be tweaked and tailored to suit individual taste but there are so many more I’d like to add!

“I’m always on the lookout for new ideas, ingredients and flavours. Curiosity is also key in this industry; you have to keep that alive! I try to remain original and get ahead of the trends, often finding inspiration from far afield. I love cooking and, although I don’t do the day-to-day cooking in the café, I do all the menu developments and train my team of five chefs exactly

Quality homemade food is the USP of Cafe Yolk. Sausages and eggs are sourced from award-winning local suppliers while all store cupboard, bread and some fresh products are source d from Bookers quality range.

CANADIAN FLAVOUR Cafe Yolk sets itself apa rt with an innovative menu featuring Canadian twists on classic breakfast options .

how I want the dishes to be. The fact that, as a business owner,

GET FLEXIBLE

I also understand the cooking process, is definitely a positive. It

Agility is key in the curren t climate. When something stops working, a close-knit and fast-thinking team work together to make changes quickly and efficiently.

enables me to control the quality and the consistency, which is another fundamental for success.”

With Café Yolk’s 10-year anniversary months away, Alex is crafting a fresh new menu to celebrate Café Yolk’s success and, given her passion and business nous, we’re sure she’ll crack it.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

17

PROFILE l THE WHITE HORSE, BUCKOVER

RACING AHEAD Trade at The White Horse in Buckover has gone from a slow trot to a pounding gallop since father and son team Tosh and Rumi Lakhani took the reins.

All good caterers appreciate the value of a unique selling point –

took over the pub, which is tied to the Bristol born Butcombe

the one key difference that sets their offer apart and lures clients

Brewing Company, in 2019. Back then, The White Horse only had

through the door. However, when it comes to father and son team

one USP to speak of: the breath-taking pastoral views around the

and life-long caterers Tosh and Rumit Lakhani, one USP was never

pub’s exterior.

going to be enough.

“The views were the big thing that attracted us to the pub when No, the galloping success the pair have made of The White

we first saw it,” says Rumit, better known to his customers as Ru.

Horse pub in Buckover, Gloucestershire, is down to a veritable

“You can see right the way across the Severn Estuary and on a

smorgasbord of USPs – each enthralling in its own right. The pair

clear day, as far as Wales, it’s absolutely stunning.”

18

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

But as far as USPs go, that was it. Back then, the pub was known for what was an uninspiring ‘2 for £10’ menu, an approach which certainly wasn’t doing its bottom-line any favours. “The business really was on its last legs when we took it over,” Tosh says. “It was a bit of a risk but we could see it’s potential. It had all the right foundations for success,

Horse’s menus, determined to craft a culinary

it just needed to be clad differently.

offer even more delicious than the pub’s

There was a nice big car park, a quality

famous views. At the heart of this offer would

children’s play area, a large space for

be a range of fresh, homemade and utterly-

outdoor dining and inside, a large bar

authentic Asian dishes created and cooked by

and ample space to create different

Tosh’s own fair hands.

zones for dining and drinking.“We knew that with the right changes and

“Authenticity is a huge USP," he explains.

the introduction of some real USPs, we

"We wanted to give our diners a truly authentic curry experience that they would

could transform its fortunes.”

never forget and always want more of. Unlike in many Indian However, they didn’t rush in to turn everything upside down on

restaurants, we don’t use the same base for all our curries. Every

day one. “As desperate as we were to change everything, we

curry is individually cooked and features its own unique base

knew the value of biding our time while we learned about the area

sauce. It’s harder work for us but the flavours and results speak

and what people truly wanted. So we carried on running the ‘2 for

for themselves.”

£10’ menu for a few months while we did that,” Ru says.

The pub, which has just finished celebrating a month-long Curry One change the pair did make immediately, however, was to

Festival, now offers a tempting selection of six authentic, freshly-

sharply raise standards. “We worked hard on customer service

prepared curries, all of which are lovingly made to order and

– really hard – and we hired professional cleaners and improved

served with Bombay potatoes, peas, pilau rice, mini poppadums,

stock management so that we weren’t running out of chips at 6pm

onion salad and mango chutney.

on a Saturday night, which was something that was happening before,” Tosh adds.

And Tosh and Ru’s quest for authenticity doesn’t end there. The pair have also introduced a ‘showcase’ pizza kitchen, manned

In the background, the pair were also busy developing The White

by a specialist Italian pizza chef.

THE LOWDOWN

THE WHITE HORSE, BUCKOVER, GLOUCESTERSHIRE Outlet: The White Horse, Buckover, Gloucestershire Format: Pub/restaurant Tenants: Rumit and Tosh Lakhani Opening Hours: Kitchen closed Monday/Tuesday. Wed – Sat 12pm – 8.15pm Sunday 12pm to 6.30pm Covers: Outside 180/Inside 105 Staff: Front of house 12, Kitchen 8

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

19

PROFILE l THE WHITE HORSE, BUCKOVER

Located inside the pub’s main dining area, the openplan pizza kitchen features a dual wood and gas oven and a chef’s table allowing diners to interact directly with the chef and watch him at work. “We

ZONALAPPROACH THE WHITE HORSE, BUCKOVER, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

import lots of ingredients directly from Italy including our Fior Di Latte mozzarella and everything is made fresh on site, including all the sauces and of course the

The White Horse offers diners and drinkers a variety of zones in which to relax and unwind.

pizza dough,” Ru adds.

The garden terrace can seat up to 180 diners with views looking towards Wales. There is also a separate pub garden with seating for drinks only – alongside a children’s play area.

The homemade element is another big driver. From

The pub’s interior features a dog-friendly lounge with a real fire. The area can also be fitted with a projector and hired out for private events.

coleslaw to mayonnaise and tartar sauce, virtually everything on The White Horse menu is made fresh, from scratch.

Quality is another USP. “Quality is everything” Tosh

The pub features a striking sea-green 10-metre-long bar with plenty of space for drinkers to gather round.

The main dining area can seat up to 105 and features views over the garden terrace and ‘showcase pizza kitchen’.

says. “Times are certainly challenging at the moment, but our focus on quality has not and will not waiver.

We never look for the cheapest ingredients, we look for the best and that’s where Booker comes into play.

“We are now buying three times more from Booker than we did when we first took the pub on and that’s been driven by the quality of the products Booker offers. The potatoes are the best quality we can find, as are the Blackgate Steaks. They are exceptional.”

In addition to its range of authentic homemade curries and pizzas, The White Horse also offers a selection of classic dishes including a tender 8oz sirloin steak which it serves with chips, peas, grilled tomato and sautéed mushrooms for £18.95. To accompany the revitalised menu, the pub offers a vast range of fine wines, ales and spirits which, as a tied pub, it must buy through Butcombe Brewery.

Customers who want to enjoy a glass of something with their meal can even take advantage of the pub’s personalised “drop off and collection service,” which arranges for local people to be picked up and dropped home by taxi.

The White Horse now gets weekly deliveries from Booker but despite the large drop, Tosh and Ru still like to visit their local Makro in Bristol. “For me freshness is key, so I like to visit the branch to top up on fresh items,” Tosh adds. “It’s not just that though. Visiting the branch

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

21

is also really enjoyable. I love chatting to the team there and we have built up great relationships with them. Our Booker CDM Paul Bradley is a great guy and is always there when we need him. It’s very much a partnership.”

Tosh and Rumi also employ a healthy partnership with their own team, supporting and empowering younger members of staff with industry training and helping them to achieve a positive work life balance by keeping the kitchen closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

“We are very hands on and we genuinely care for our team,” Rumi explains.

“As caterers it’s so important not to lose sight of the

Rumi Lakhani

fact that your team is one of your greatest assets. We strive to make sure they feel valued, respected and happy to give each shift their all. Closing the kitchen on a Monday and Tuesday means our kitchen and front of house teams can get the rest that they need and return fresh and ready for work on a Wednesday. If you force your team to work six or seven days a week they will be tired, they will be overstretched and their

"As caterers it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that your team is one of your greatest assets. We strive to make sure they feel valued, respected and happy.”

passion and momentum will suffer.”

The White Horse also supplies a number of other local

TOSH AND RU'S SPECIAL BOARD

businesses, including high-class hotels.

“A number of hotels have been struggling to source

SET YOURSELF APART The White Horse offers diners and drinkers

a number of USPs which keep them coming back for more.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

good chefs of late and are struggling as a result,” says Tosh.

“Our quality sauces offer them a great way to keep on offering the high standards diners expect even during challenging times.

Tosh and Ru spent six months getting to know

"The pub is also a great supporter of local good

opportunities before making any big changes to

meals to the homeless community during the first

AUTHENTIC APPROACH

With all this change for the better, it’s little wonder the

their clients and understanding local demands and the business.

From home-made curries to its pizzas cooked by a real Italian chef using authentic Italian ingredients, authenticity is key at The White Horse.

causes having donated more than 3,000 homemade lockdown. It sponsors a raft of local initiatives.

White Horse is now turning over four times what it was when Tosh and Ru first set foot behind the bar. Never a team to sit still, however, the pair are currently hard at work updating the pub’s menus.

23

PROFILE l GREEK GOURMET, HEREFORD

GREEK ODYSSEY After 25 years creating top notch food on 5-star cruise ships, Markos Klados returned to his roots by opening a restaurant and takeaway in Hereford focused on traditional Greek cuisine.

In one way or another, Markos Klados has been

why my customers keep coming back to my

involved in creating and serving high quality,

restaurant.”

carefully prepared food for more than four decades. “When I was a young boy growing up

The restaurant in question is the Greek

in Greece my mother had a restaurant so I spent

Gourmet in Hereford which offers takeaway

my childhood years between the stove and the

and sit-in options and is solidly busy – just like

casserole,” laughs Markos. “I made my first

Markos himself who runs the entire business on

moussaka when I was nine years old!”

his own.

Markos’s father was an officer in the Greek navy

“I have no kitchen or serving staff. I do it all

so he and his two sisters were only too pleased

on my own,” he says. “The only person I pay

to help their mother run the family-owned

is a cleaner as it’s extremely important to me

restaurant and it was in those formative years

and to my customers that my business is kept

Markos developed a love of traditional Greek

spotlessly clean. Apart from that, I do it all

cuisine and an understanding of the importance

myself.”

of high standards and authenticity.

Consequently, Markos works seven days a

24

“Greek food, done well, is very simple,” he

week, even though the restaurant closes on

explains. “Use the best, freshest ingredients,

a Sunday. “Sunday is my day for preparation,

prepare them carefully and let the food do the

accounts, admin and all the other stuff I don’t

talking. That’s what I have always done and that’s

have time for during the week,” he says.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

PROFILE l GREEK GOURMET, HEREFORD

THE LOWDOWN

GREEK GOURMET, HEREFORD Owner: Markos Klados Format: Takeaway and sit-in restaurant Established: 2018 Covers: 20 Time as a caterer: 30 years Kitchen staff: 1

Prior to opening the Greek Gourmet, Markos

in Greece were limited. “Greece was having

spent 25 years creating sumptuous dishes

lots of economic problems at the time so it was

aboard 5-star cruise ships, so he knows a thing

impossible to find a job in catering. In 2016 I

or two about what matters to diners.

decided to come to England.”

“I started working on cruise ships during

After a brief spell working for a cleaning

my summer holidays when I was attending

company in Hereford, Markos opened a

university in Greece,” he explains. “Then

business in the local market selling authentic,

when I left university I spent two and a half

traditional Greek food and taking him once

decades on cruise ships. I completed a lot of

more back to his roots. “I had a unit in the

formal catering training but also trained in

market selling takeaway food and it went well,”

hotel management so it was a broad and really

he recalls. “Then I started doing lots of food

enjoyable education.”

festivals and events all around Hereford and Malvern. There were a lot of them so I was busy

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

When it came time to return ashore

and I managed to build up a decent reputation

permanently, the options available to Markos

for great quality, truly authentic food.

25

AUTHENTICITY RULES GREEK GOURMET, HEREFORD

A taste of traditional Greek cuisine “I also did a lot of private parties like weddings, birthdays

The Greek Gourmet offers a 20-cover restaurant and a

takeaway and home delivery

takeaway and home delivery service that specialises in truly

so all was not lost,” smiles

and, believe it or not, even a

authentic traditional Greek cuisine.

Markos, a man with a definite

few divorce parties!”

Using the best quality ingredients available, many of them

‘glass half full’ approach to

imported directly from Greece, Markos uses traditional family

life. “Listen,” he says, “I’m not

Then one day his life changed

recipes to create unique dishes that really do offer a genuine

trying to become rich tomorrow

when a customer came in and

taste of Greece.

morning. I do this because it’s

offered him a site he owned.

The key to the business’s success is simple food done well

what I enjoy and I am definitely

Markos says: “A very nice

using the freshest and best ingredients. Markos says he likes to

enjoying it, despite all the

customer just walked up to me

“let the food do the talking”.

challenges. That’s what matters

and told me he had a shop for

to me.”

me and it was perfect for my business. I went to see it, we talked a for a while then I decided

So Markos was able to keep the business going, running it

to go for it.”

entirely on his own and continuing to develop his reputation for tasty, traditional Greek food that found a ready audience.

It was two shops next to one another – and it hadn’t been a restaurant so a major refit was required.

“We do all of the traditional Greek classics,” he says. “Mousaka, stifado, suvlaki, lamb kleftiko, Greek pasta with seafood, Greek

“I took on the lease and totally refitted the site and installed a

kebabs and so on. But we’re probably best known for our pork,

proper commercial kitchen,” says Markos. “The unit next door

beef and chicken gyros. They really are quite special and they are

was perfect for a store room and I then created a restaurant dine-

completely authentic!”

in space upstairs with space for about 20 customers so I could offer both takeaway and dine-in options.”

Markos has been using Booker since day one and continues to buy “almost everything” from Booker.

That was in 2018 and then, in 2019, his life changed once more, as many people’s did, when the pandemic kicked in.

“I get most of what I use from Booker and that includes both food and non-food. The quality of the products is amazing and

“Fortunately, we could carry on because we could still do

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

consistent and I wouldn’t go anywhere else. The only things I

27

PROFILE l GREEK GOURMET, HEREFORD

MARKO'S SPECIAL BOARD Quality matters I use a mix of products

imported direct from Greece and products I get from

Booker. The quality is spot on and my customers can taste that.

Authenticity My business is authentic,

traditional Greek food so I

do not cut any corners with ingredients or recipes. The

food I serve is the food I ate growing up in Greece.

don’t get from Booker are the products I get from Greece. As an authentic Greek restaurant it’s massively important to me that I use the proper ingredients so I get things like my pitta breads from Greece and my lamb and beef koftas from home too. But apart from things like that, it’s all from Booker and I get exactly the service and quality I need.”

Buy the best

As Markos runs the service side himself too, the sit-in restaurant runs on a

The world changes so fast

‘booking only’ model allowing customers to book ahead, often arriving in

these days that remaining

groups. The food is largely self-service and special dishes can be prepared to

flexible and open-minded

order if required.

opportunities when they

The takeaway side of the business continues to flourish and the restaurant

is vital to seeing fresh present themselves.

has tie-ins with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats for customers looking for a delivery option.

“As I do everything myself, I’m able to carefully maintain my high standards,” says Markos.

“Of course, that can make life busy and occasionally challenging but I like a challenge and I’m certainly not afraid of hard work.

The last few years have been unlike any we’ve ever known but hard work and high standards always serve you well, I find.”

As for the future, Markos says he is considering looking for a second restaurant and also returning to doing the festival circuit, but he is in no rush. “I’m enjoying life,” he concludes. “I would look at a second restaurant and starting do festivals and events again but at the moment it’s quite difficult to find the quality of staff I need – so for the time being, that just lets me focus my attention on the Greek Gourmet and that suits me just fine.”

29

PROFILE l THE BRIDGE HOTEL, TENBURY WELLS

WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS… When Robert Webb’s wet-led pub was devastated by a flood he quickly saw the opportunity to turn a disaster into a success by reinventing his hotel as a food-led venue.

It was no less a figure than Albert Einstein who

“I was absolutely gutted,” recalls Robert, or Rob as

once said: “In the midst of every crisis lies great

he prefers to be known. “The place was absolutely

opportunity.” That insightful quote could have been

drenched. The flood wiped the pub and it looked like

written especially with Worcestershire caterer and

a disaster zone.”

hotelier Robert Webb in mind. Having run pubs for 20 years, Robert’s world was turned upside down in

Thankfully, Rob was fully insured but as he surveyed

February 2020 when the nearby River Teme broke its

what was left of his business, an interesting thought

banks and the resulting flood devastated his pride and

occurred to him. “While I was still in the middle of this

joy, The Bridge Hotel in Tenbury Wells.

crisis, it suddenly dawned on me that this could be a massive opportunity for me,” he explains.

THE LOWDOWN

THE BRIDGE HOTEL

“My initial plan, without really thinking about it, was to rebuild the pub exactly as it had been before the flood. But then I thought I could actually use this as an opportunity to take a new direction.” That new direction, it became increasingly clear to him, was to create more of

Outlet: The Bridge Hotel, Tenbury Wells Format: Small hotel and restaurant Owner: Robert Webb Covers: 60 Staff: Eight – two kitchen staff and six serving staff

a food-led pub which promised the prospect of growing sales and bigger profits. The only problem was that he had absolutely no experience in catering.

“I had run wet-led pubs for a couple of decades, so I knew that side of the business inside out and back to

30

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

front. I had been running this pub on a tenancy basis when, 15 years ago, the chance to buy the freehold came up and it seemed too good to miss. The wet-led side had been in long-term decline from way before the flood. So when I started thinking about moving to a more food-led business, the idea really appealed to me – but I had absolutely no catering knowledge!”

Tenbury Wells is a small market town in Worcestershire with a population of around 5,000 and a quick survey of what was on offer in the town quickly confirmed Rob’s suspicions that a good quality food-led offer might just work.“The town had the usual assortment of pubs, Chinese takeaways, Indian takeaways and so on, but it had no real premium burger offer or high quality pub-food offer,” says Rob. “I’m not sure why but I was convinced that a premium burger restaurant was the way to go.”

Then, in the middle of all of this and just a month after the flood, the first national lockdown was announced.“I couldn’t believe it at the time,” says Rob with a wry smile. “First, the flood and then just a few weeks later, a full lockdown. I spent a long time thinking about what to do but the more time I spent thinking about it the more I realised that my food-led plan was the way to go. At the time we obviously had no idea how long

“We looked at it for a while but we didn’t feel it was

the lockdown would last, so we decided to commit

worth it when the ‘rule of 6’ was in place. I know that

to the plan and just do takeaways in the short term.

some places were serving a thimbleful of chilli con carne

Premier, top quality burgers to go.”

so they could then sell 17 pints of beer but we didn’t want to go down that route, so we bided our time.”

The final piece of the jigsaw fell into place for Rob when he bumped into a talented cook that he knew who had now

The takeaway and home delivery service continued

left the industry to become a gravedigger, of all things.

to flourish and, finally, lockdown restrictions were

“You couldn’t make it up,” laughs Rob. “But he was right

lifted and Rob could enact the next phase of his plan:

up for getting back into cooking and we went for it.”

opening a dine-in restaurant.

It wasn’t exactly an overnight success, as Rob admits: “I think we sold a grand total of 10 burgers in the first

Rob on The Beatles

week! But it soon picked up and that allowed us to move to opening seven days a week and then, after that, it just took on a life of its own.”

The Bridge Hotel was soon doing hundreds of burgers a week and, with lockdown restrictions beginning to be eased, Rob’s thoughts turned to opening up a

“Bizarrely, The Beatles once played in my pub when they were actually at number one in the charts with ‘Love, love Me Do’!”

dine-in section in the hotel.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

31

ROB'S SPECIAL BOARD TAKE IT HIGHER

Rob on The Beatles

“We registered with Booking.com and the results have been unbelievable.”

It's important to find your

USP. It doesn't have to be

reinventing the wheel, it's just important to offer something no one else is offering.

BE DIFFERENT It's critical to price correctly.

That doesn't mean cheap.

It means a fair price for what you're selling.

“It is a really exciting time,” recalls

We have six rooms but we wanted to

Rob. “There was a lot going on. We

do high quality refits so we started

had the Women’s Euros coming up

doing them three at a time.”

and everybody was just buzzing to get back out and about again. We

The first three are now done and

decided to just keep focusing on the

Rob is “amazed” at the success.

types of food that had been working

“We’re not fully booked 100% of

in the takeaway business: fajitas,

the time but weekends are mobbed

wings, halloumi fries, squid, prawns

and we’re getting busier and busier

and so on. But we majored on

during the week. We registered

premium burgers and that proved to

with Booking.com and the results

be a good decision.”

have been unbelievable. Salesmen,

REINVEST When times are going well and you're having some luck, keep reinvesting to make sure you

see a longer term benefit from your short term success.

contractors,

tourists,

wedding

With the restaurant getting busier

parties – we’re seeing all sorts of

and busier, Rob grew his team and

people booking rooms.”

reinvested his profits. “We now have two staff in the kitchen and six serving

The hotel has also helped ensure

staff,” he says “Things are going

a steady flow of customers for the

really well. We decided to invest in

restaurant which means Rob’s vision is

a refurb of some of the hotel rooms.

coming together very nicely indeed.

33

PROFILE l THE BRIDGE HOTEL, TENBURY WELLS

“The takeaway side is still bigger than the restaurant side,” he says, “but the business is growing. We’re doing up to 400 burgers a week plus hundreds of wings, pizzas and so on. We offer click and collect and delivery in designated slots – but we have stayed true to our premium ethos.

“Our Signature Burger costs £8.99 and when you add chips or other accompaniments you’re looking at £12 or £13. But we’re using premium ingredients and preparing it all ourselves. Our customers appreciate that and are prepared to pay a little more for a much better product.”

Ever creative, Rob has also managed to

exciting opportunity on the horizon.

find a clever way to manage his energy Rob buys his meat from a local butcher

consumption.

– and friend – who he has worked with

“Bizarrely, The Beatles once played in my pub,” says Rob. “It was way before my

for many years but buys, almost literally

“At lunch time we don’t see the same

time but they played here in the 1960s

everything else, from Booker.

demand for burgers and it’s a different

when they were actually at number one

clientele,” he says. “To cook burgers we

in the charts with ‘Love, Love Me Do’.

“The quality and the service from Booker

need the grills on full blast and that burns

Before they got famous they booked a

are second to none,” he says. “We use all

a lot of energy. So we decided to create a

load of small gigs and their manager Brian

of the Chef’s Larder sauces, for example,

more traditional pub lunch menu that we

Epstein insisted they honour the bookings

and they are genuinely fantastic products.”

can serve without having the big burners

even though, by then, they were filling

on all day. It's easy to prepare dishes like

enormous venues. The 60th anniversary of

Rob’s focus on premium products and

chilli con carne, sandwiches and sausages

that gig is next April so we’ve got some

premium margins are serving him well,

and mash. It’s proving popular and it’s

big plans that month!”

as he comments: “In today’s economic

saving me money.”

climate, margins are critical. Yes, they’re

Which explains why there’s a lovely photo

getting squeezed but we have some scope

Rob’s eye for an opportunity is serving him

of Paul McCartney on the wall of The Bridge

for manoeuvre. So far, we’ve managed to

and his team well and he’s looking forward

Hotel looking out over an increasingly

hold our prices to the customer and they

to a busy and proftiable festive period and

large number of satisfied customers and

appreciate that.”

2023 full of growth – with one particularly

one very happy owner.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

35

FEATURE l BOOKER CATERING TRADE SHOW 2022

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Thousands of customers attended the recent Booker Catering Trade Show at Silverstone for a day of insight, deals and inspiration.

The annual Booker Catering Trade Show has become a hotly anticipated highlight of the annual catering and hospitality calendar, providing the industry with a unique opportunity to gather together, gain valuable insight, share their experiences with industry colleagues and, of course, take advantage of literally hundreds of exclusive show deals.

This year more Booker catering customers attended the show at Silverstone Racing Circuit with more than 300 suppliers exhibiting at the event across all major food, drink and non-food product categories. T The show extended to five separate halls, as always as an open-air street food zone with attendees able sample the latest products, learn more about the latest trends and find inspiration to take back home with them to their businesses across the UK. The event included food and drink tastings, master butcher demonstrations and a chef’s stage featuring guest chefs throughout the day.

300+ EXHIBITORS 100S

OF DEALS

FEATURE l BOOKER CATERING TRADE SHOW 2022

MARTIN AYLWARD CHEF, UXBRIDGE MASONIC LODGE “I’m the chef at a small Masonic Lodge near Hillingdon and have been a Booker customer for many years. I visit my local branch in Wickham at least twice a week to buy a wide range of products for my menus, including meat, vegetables and many store cupboard essentials. It’s always a pleasure to see the products on display and talk to the different teams, especially the butchery team as I buy a lot of fresh meat through Booker. I really enjoyed my time at the show, especially watching the many cookery demonstrations and the butchery skills demonstrations on Booker’s Blackgate stand.”

RACHEL AND ALEXANDRU CAMERZAN THE ITALIAN FARMHOUSE, DURHAM “We offer traditional Italian cuisine in a warm, family-friendly environment in Durham. Our menu includes a range of authentic Italian pasta dishes, hand-stretched pizzas and grill items. We source a sizable amount from Booker and it’s been wonderful to see so many fantastic suppliers and Booker own brands under one roof. It’s been a great way of generating new ideas and sampling new products. The deals have also been really good and we’ve benefited from special deals on key alcohol brands such as Kopparberg.”

ZHI LI, FURAMA READING “We run a family-owned Chinese restaurant and takeaway in the heart of Reading. Coming to the show has been a really good day out and a great way of meeting so many different suppliers under one roof. There’s been a great mix of brands to talk too. There have also been some fantastic new products to sample – the sights and smells inside were incredible!”

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

39

FEATURE l BOOKER CATERING TRADE SHOW 2022

DEAN AND LORRAINE WOODGATE THE GRAND, FELIXSTOWE “We’ve run The Grand in Felixtowe for 27 years now. It used to be a nightclub but we’ve adapted the offer since the Covid-19 pandemic and now offer a range of food and snacking options including burgers, loaded fries, nachos and sharing platters.

We’re still very wet-led but food is taking on an increasingly important role and we’re now on Just Eat too. Coming to the show has been great for meeting key suppliers, seeing all the fantastic deals and special offers available and getting some new menu ideas and tips for tweaking existing dishes. It’s been a lot of fun!”

MEISAN AND MOEIN TAVASSOLI TAVASSOLI CAFÉ AND GRILL, LEEDS “Our family-run restaurant offers a range of authentic street-food style Greek dishes including chicken, pork and mixed gyros, plus wraps and burgers and we buy a lot through Booker. It’s been great to come here and chat to fellow caterers, meet suppliers, sample products and find out about deals. There’s been a wide range of special deals and exclusive offers to take advantage of which has been great. There’s a good atmosphere inside, the cookery demonstrations and steel band really add to the vibe."

EMMA STEVENS THE FATCAP, SMOKEHOUSE RESTAURANT AND BAR, BEDFORD My husband Tony and I run a smokehouse in Bedford. There’s been a real rise in demand for smokehouse style cuisine and foods, so it’s been great to tap into that. Our most popular item is our signature FatCap Smokehouse Brisket, which is premium beef, cooked low and slow. There’s nothing else quite like us in Bedford so locals have received us very positively. We came to the show to explore all the meat propositions available through Booker and we’ve been really impressed, especially with the butchery and cookery demonstrations. We also offer a range of cocktails, so it’s been interesting to learn about emerging flavour trends from suppliers.”

40

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

FEATURE l BOOKER CATERING TRADE SHOW 2022

JAMES PURDON SHOPPER ACTIVATION MANAGER, PEPSI CO “It’s been a really great show and a fantastic way for us to gain fascinating insights into our customers’ businesses. We’ve had a lot of talks with pub customers who are curious about the different crisp ranges we offer and a there has been a lot of interest in our premium Pipers brand. Many pub owners and managers are looking for ways to give their offers a more premium positioning at the moment and so the Pipers brand sits well within that.”

MIKE FURTH BUSINESS ACCOUNT MANAGER WILLIAM GRANT & SONS “It’s been an incredibly busy show and we’ve seen a wonderful mix of customers from across the whole catering spectrum. There’s been a fantastic energy and everyone has been keen to sample the new products and talk about new and emerging trends in gin.

Caterers are telling us there is a strong appetite for experimentation at the moment, with many gin drinkers willing to upgrade their gin serves in favour of better quality, more innovative drinks. We’ve been showcasing our new Hendrick’s Neptunia Gin with four recipe suggestions they can serve in their own establishments.”

JONATHAN DAVIES ACCOUNT MANAGER, CARLSBERG MARSTON’S BREWING COMPANY “We’ve had a fantastic day. We’ve got offers for the on and off trade so it’s been wonderful to be able to provide a solution to everyone and meet so many different customers under one roof. It’s also been a great opportunity to showcase our Brooklyn Pilsner brand – a golden lager beer, brewed in the style favoured by New York’s pre-prohibition brewers, which has been very well received.”

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

41

FEATURE l BOOKER CATERING TRADE SHOW 2022

RICKY FLAX DIRECTOR IBC SIMPLY COFFEE “We’re over the moon with how busy and buzzing the show has been and there’s been a fantastic mix of customers from cafés to restaurants, pups and desert cart operators. It’s been a fantastic platform to showcase the breadth of our range and highlight new products such as our new dessert sauces, including our new, super-indulgent vegan white chocolate flavour. We’ve also done a huge amount of sampling which has also helped us to gain really valuable feedback on new flavours, such as pistachio, for example, which has been very well received.”

DAN STOREY NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, KRAFT HEINZ “We’ve had a great day, filled with really meaningful conversations with a wide range of different catering customers. There has been one common thread though – so many customers have been keen to talk about ways in which they can upscale their menus and offers in a bid to generate more footfall and sales and we’ve been doing lots of product demonstrations to help them here. Sustainability has been a hot topic of conversation too.”

DAN MADDEN NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER JACK LINKS/PEPERAMI “It’s been a busy show and we’ve been impressed with the range of different caterers. Most of our conversations with pub owners and managers have been about how they can drive trial of new and different snacking options and upgrade from crisps to more premium meat snacks such as the Jack Links range.

Demand for quality meat snacks is on the up – they are high in protein, low in fat and taste great so people have been very receptive. We ran a great deal at the show offering caterers 24x22g of Pepperami for £13.99, giving them a POR of 41% if sold for an RSP of 0.95p."

42

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

FEATURE l BOOKER CATERING TRADE SHOW 2022

HANNAH DAWSON NATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, KELLOGG’S “It’s been a great show and a fantastic way to gain an even deeper insight into our end users.

There’s been a broad mix of different people here, from restaurants to pubs and also lots of breakfast and snack vans too. So it’s been wonderful to talk to them about their own unique experiences. We’ve also been able to impart lots of useful advice on the free POS and help that is available freely to caterers so that’s also been great.”

FRAN WILCOX CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL “The energy has been really great. Caterers have been keen to approach us and learn about new ways in which they can use our products differently. There’s been a lot of interest in how they can take ‘normal’ products and upgrade them to a more premium experience. These days the ‘Instagram Effect’ is so important, as are products which feel like more of a treat. With winter approaching, we’ve had a lot of interest in winter warmers such as our ‘Cadbury Luxury Instant Hot Chocolate with Oreo’ which uses instant hot chocolate, spray cream and standard Oreos to make an indulgent hot drink that offers caterers a POR of 80%!”

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

43

FEATURE l LOCKED DOWN PRICING

LOCKED-IN PROFITS WITH LOCKED DOWN PRICING Booker has locked down pricing on over 450 products to help you stock up and plan your menus with confidence throughout the busy World Cup and Christmas periods.

After a challenging year, most caterers will be looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic November and December with the first-ever winter FIFA World Cup and the festive period promising a host of opportunities to grow footfall, sales and profits.

To help make the very most of this unique period, Booker has added some extra sparkle by locking down prices on over 450 big-selling products, allowing caterers to stock up in good time and plan their winter menus with complete confidence.

The pricing on these products will be locked down until 3 January, giving caterers the clarity they need to build profitable, footfall-driving menus safe in the knowledge their margins are guaranteed.

FOOTBALL FRENZY With both England and Wales set to feature in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which runs from 20 November to 18 December, the global footballing festival is sure to generate massive interest and will drive more customers to pubs, bars and restaurants more often for almost a full month – and that's in addition to the usual surge in bookings that usually take place over the festive period.

There's even locked-down pricing on some brand new products

Indeed, businesses are already seeing a surge in reservations,

like vegan sausage rolls and vegan chocolate sauce, and there's

with one in five having seen a rise in bookings for the World

locked-down pricing on many Blackgate meat products which all

Cup and more than a quarter for Christmas, which is significantly

come backed by Booker's 100% Money Back Guarantee.

higher than in previous years, according to the latest Hospitality

GET IN EARLY

Hiring Insider report.

With such fantastic locked-down pricing available, the time to To help you plan ahead for what looks set to be a busy period,

start booking your orders and building your footfall and festive

Booker's locked-down offer covers all product categories and

menus is now. Why not scan the QR code on this page or visit

includes everything from festive food, sharing platters, beers,

booker.co.uk to check out the full range of locked-down prices

spirits, spirits, soft drinks, non-food items and cleaning essentials.

and lock down your profits for the coming months?

SEE BOOKER.CO.UK FOR THE FULL RANGE 44

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

FEATURE l LOCKED DOWN PRICING

M424100

Chef’s Larder Broccoli, Cauliflower and Baby Carrot Medley £2.99 1kg

M035738

Whole Leaf Spinach £2.99 1kg

M429710

Sliced Onions £2.99 1kg

easier than this, with our offer including

M430030

Spinach Chopped £2.99 1kg

Booker's own brand Chef's Larder

M426090

Chef’s Larder Baby Carrots Whole £5.99 2.5kg

essentials along with branded ingredients.

M267166

Chef’s Essentials Whole Green Beans £15.29 4x2.5kg

Branded products in the price-lockdown

M267165

Mixed Vegetables £15.29 4x2.5kg

include The Fat Chef's Beetroot &

M267164

Sweetcorn £15.29 4x2.5kg

Butternut Squash Wellington for £19.99

M426250

Chef’s Larder Beans Green Cut £6.79 2.5kg

M425370

Chef’s Larder Broccoli Florets £6.49 2.5kg

M424140

Chef’s Larder Cauliflower Florets £5.39 2.5kg

M189271

Chef’s Larder Fine Whole Green Beans £7.19 2.5kg

M426300

Chef’s Larder Green Beans Sliced £7.19 2.5kg

M427090

Chef’s Larder Medium Brussels Sprouts £6.49 2.5kg

M423900

Chef’s Larder Mixed Vegetables £6.19 2.5kg

M424030

Chef’s Larder Sweetcorn £7.99 2.5kg

M426370

Chef’s Larder Petits Pois £2.89 1kg

M426330

Chef’s Larder Garden Peas £3.89 2.5kg

M266977

Chef’s Larder Sliced Carrots £4.59 2.5kg

GREEN POWER Stocking up on vegetables does not get

(12x190g), Peka Roasting Potatoes for £3.49 (2kg), Farm Fresh Peeled Garlic for £4.99 (1kg), Florette Classic Crispy salad for £3.15 (500g), and Farm Fresh Closed Cup Mushrooms for £6.19 (2.5kg).

As a new customer to fresh butchery, I can’t recommend the product and service enough, its helped me to save money and time.

ADAM, LOCKSIDE STEAKHOUSE

BREAD AND FILLING Britain's new-found love for all types

M267337

Chef’s Larder Premium Sourdough Pizza Puck 12in £18.99 44x250g

M612531

Chef’s Larder Half Baguette Part-Baked 28cm £8.69 30pk

M278422

Chef’s Larder Dough Pucks £16.29 60x185g

maximise sales with Booker's offer. This

M176690

Chef’s Larder Thaw & Serve Baguette £10.99 30x145g

autumn, you can buy St Pierre Brioche

M256712

Chef’s Larder Premium Brioche Bun £17.29 48x82g

Buns/ Seeded Buns for £1.85 (4 Pack), along

M176688

Chef’s Larder Ciabatta £16.99 30x120g

with a full range of Chef's Larder options. To

M134792

Chef’s Larder Premium Gourmet Burger Buns £14.99 48s

complement the bread range, Booker has

M176692

Chef’s Larder Grill Marked Panini £11.99 30x135g

also included the Houghton Ham Cooked

M490310

Chef’s Larder Baps Floured & Sliced 5in £9.29 48s

M233352

Chef’s Larder Petit Pain £11.69 100x45g

Staffordshire Sliced Ham for £4.99 (600g)

M384370

Chef’s Larder Burger Buns Seeded 5in £10.49 48s

M385161

Chef’s Larder Hot Dog Rolls Jumbo Side £11.99 48s

M229401

Chef’s Larder Burger Buns Seeded 4in £8.29 48s

of bread and rolls could also help you

and the Houghton Ham Cooked Gammon Ham for £18.99 (3kg) in the price lockdown offer. Chef’s Larder Grated Mozzarella & Cheddar is also available for £12.49.

SEE BOOKER.CO.UK FOR THE FULL RANGE OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

45

Buy KTC Vegetable Oil Boxed 20ltr (M181801) for £36.99 or Chef's Larder Vegetable Rapeseed Oil Boxed 20ltr ((M141775) for £41.99.

Locked Down prices has provided me with the stability I need for my menu offering.

Booker's Oil Collection Service gives you £10 off when you recycle a minimum of 20 litres, equating to 50p per litre. Call 0345 120 4545 and quote your customer number.

OSCAR, LA PIAZZETTA

VALUE MEAT Booker's own brand is always there to help you save without compromising on quality.

This autumn, stock up on Chef's Essentials Quarter Pounder Burgers, Chef’s Larder American Style 80% Beef Burgers, and Chef’s Larder Premium 6oz Gourmet Steak Burger. Roast dinners are also great sales drivers, with Booker offering a range of cuts to suit your needs. You can now buy a 5-bone rib of beef for £7.99 per kg, rolled

Apple Crumble & Custard

Cookie Dough with Ice Cream

Honeycomb Crunchie Sundae

Lotus Biscoff Marshmallow Sundae

Chef’s Larder Individual Apple Crumbles M280686 12x175g Chef’s Larder RTU Devon Custard 1ltr M123884 Sell Price: £5.99 Cost per serving: £1.70 Profit: 66% Cash profit: £3.29

Dough Pucks M280346 60x55g Chef’s Larder Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream 4ltr M195250 Sell Price: £4.99 Cost per serving: £0.82 Profit: 80% Cash profit: £3.33

sirloin roast for £18.99 per kg (available from 17 October), boneless lamb leg for £9.99 per kg, pork loin for £3.99 per kg, triple smoked gammon for £5.49 per kg, and horseshoe gammon for £3.99 per kg.

SWEET RETREAT No menu is complete without a comprehensive desserts range and Booker can help you maximise sales with an impressive line of puddings everyone is bound to love (see panel opposite).

Chef’s Larder Premium Madagascan Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream 4ltr M243862 Cadbury Crunchie Bits 500g M263752 Sell Price: £5.99 Cost per serving: £1.41 Profit: 72% Cash profit: £3.59

Chef’s Larder Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream 4ltr M195250 Lotus Biscoff Topping Sauce 1kg M263985

Sell Price: £5.99 Cost per serving: £1.23 Profit: 75% Cash profit: £3.76

SEE BOOKER.CO.UK FOR THE FULL RANGE OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

47

FEATURE l WORLD CUP BAR BITES & SHARING PLATTERS

SCORE WITH SHARING PLATTERS With the World Cup just around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity to tempt football-mad customers with some easy-to-prepare, high-margin sharing platters.

Christmas is always a great trading period, but a little extra spice

maximising sales and profits? One great solution is to create

will be added to the festive season this year by the FIFA World

a special menu of bar bites and sharing dishes. With a little

Cup, with the first match due to kick-off in Qatar on 20 November.

planning they can be easy and quick to both prepare and serve, and are perfect for a mixed crowd of friends and family there to

The month-long global festival of football is set to drive huge

cheer on their team in Qatar.

footfall which is fantastic news for caterers but also brings its own unique challenges. With a packed bar or restaurant and

Booker has created a range of fantastic options that will cater for

everyone turning up at more or less the same time, how do

most tastes and dietary requirements which also being social and

caterers optimise their kitchen and serving staff’s time while also

fun for your customers.

48

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

FEATURE l WORLD CUP BAR BITES & SHARING PLATTERS

From foot-long onion rings to flaming shrimps, from halloumi fries to vegan sausage roll, there’s something for everyone. Just as importantly, every suggestion carries a minimum profit of 54% with some platters delivering 77%. And while these dishes will all be perfect for the World Cup, they’ll also work just as well for festive customers and Christmas parties.

RECIPE IDEA

Beer Battered Gherkin Sell Price: £2.49 Cost per serving: £0.65 Profit: 69% Cash profit: £1.43

NEW

RECIPE IDEA

Flaming Shrimps with Blue Cheese Dressing Sell Price: £3.99 Cost per serving: £1.12 Profit: 66% Cash profit: £2.20

WORLD CUP 2022

KEY MATCHES WORLD CUP OPENER

SUNDAY 20TH NOV Qatar v Ecuador, 4pm

HOME NATIONS MATCHES

MONDAY 21ST NOV England v Iran, 1pm USA v Wales, 7pm FRIDAY 25TH NOV Wales v Iran, 10am England v USA, 7pm TUESDAY, 29TH NOV Wales v England, 7pm RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

Chipolatas with 3 sauces

Sticky JD BBQ Wings

Sell Price: £2.49 Cost per serving: £0.75 Profit: 64% Cash profit: £1.32

Sell Price: £3.99 Cost per serving: £1.13 Profit: 66% Cash profit: £2.19

QUARTER-FINALS 3RD - 6TH DECEMBER

SEMI-FINALS

9TH-10TH DECEMBER

THIRD PLACE PLAY OFF

17TH DECEMBER, 3PM

FINAL

18TH DECEMBER, 3PM

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

49

FEATURE l WORLD CUP BAR BITES & SHARING PLATTERS

RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

Crispy Pork Belly Jerk Bites

Halloumi Fries with Sweet Chilli Dip

Vegan Sausage Roll with Red Onion Chutney

Sell Price: £3.99 Cost per serving: £1.25 Profit: 62% Cash profit: £2.07

Sell Price: £3.49 Cost per serving: £1.16 Profit: 60% Cash profit: £1.75

Sell Price: £4.99 Cost per serving: £1.40 Profit: 66% Cash profit: £2.76

RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

Dirty Fries Feast

Blue Cheese Buffalo Chicken

Foot Long Onion Rings

Sell Price: £4.99 Cost per serving: £1.31 Profit: 69% Cash profit: £2.85

NEW

Sell Price: £4.99 Cost per serving: £1.91 Profit: 54% Cash profit: £2.25

RECIPE IDEA

Sell Price: £3.99 Cost per serving: £0.86 Profit: 74% Cash profit: £2.46

*Prices and products are correct at time of going to print and are not guaranteed unless stated, errors expected. Subject to changes without prior consultation. Recipes, serves and idea are suggestions only and for illustration only. Please note products will be subject to availability and local listing.

Please check with your branch for details.

SEE BOOKER.CO.UK FOR FULL RECIPES AND COSTS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

51

HAVE YOU GOT THE BOTTLE?

FEATURE l WORLD CUP BAR BITES & SHARING PLATTERS

Making the very most of the forthcoming World Cup will require a game plan to optimise service speed and efficiency on match days – so could bottled beers be the answer?

SERVING IDEA

Peroni Bucket Sell price: £20 Cost per serving: £4.17 Profit: 752% Cash profit: £12.50

The clock is fast ticking down to the opening match of the biggest football tournament in the world, a global event that will capture the imagination of many of your customers and, hopefully, lead to significant growth in footfall, sales and profits for its duration For the very first time the World Cup will take place during the winter, dovetailing nicely with the festive period and creating a unique opportunity for pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants across the country.

From the very first match on Sunday, 20 November, there will be more or less back-to-back match days all the way through to the final on Sunday

SERVING IDEA

18 December. That represents a month packed full of opportunities every day to draw big crowds through your doors to join in the fun, support

2 Bottles of Peroni

their favourite team and have a great time with family and friends. Thanks to Qatar not being on the other side of the world, the matches will even

Sell price: £7.50 Cost per serving: £1.67 Profit: 73% Cash profit: £4.58

be held at sensible times of the day: typically 10am, 1pm and 7pm. That means three brilliant chances to cash in every day. Not all of the matches will draw big crowds, but there are more than enough mouth-watering matches to hopefully ensure busy venues, full of fans enjoying some food and drink while watching the match.

PREMIUM BOTTLE BEERS Midas

Product

WSP

BSP

Margin

M256684

Leffe Blonde NRB 12x330ml

£11.99

£4.50

£2.75

M261634

Brewdog Punk IPA NRB 12x330ml

£13.29

£4.50

£2.64

M175113

Newcastle Brown Ale NRB 12x550ml

£15.99

£4.00

£2.00

M148518

Sharps Doombar NRB 8x500ml

£9.99

£4.00

£2.08

M099483

Fullers London Pride 8x500ml

£9.99

£4.00

£2.08

M100046

Black Sheep Ale NRB 8x500ml

£10.99

£4.00

£1.96

M111152

Abbot Ale NRB 8x500ml

£10.79

£4.00

£1.98

SERVING IDEA

Peroni Slice Sell price: £7.00 Cost per serving: £1.24 Profit: 79% Cash profit: £4.59

53

GOT THE BOTTLE? While the World Cup is a clear and huge opportunity, one of the keys to maximising sales and profits will be in ensuring fast, efficient service as large groups of customers visit your venue in quick succession, all keen to be served quickly.

One easy way to achieve this is by focusing on bottled beers. Much quicker to serve than draught beers, buckets of bottles could be a fast and effective way of serving large volumes of product to big groups of customers with a minimum of fuss.

With a little preparation, you could easily add some theatre by

You could also look to do special ‘2 for’ deals on bottled beers.

selling iced buckets of bottled beer. Stick five chilled bottles of

Sell ‘two bottles of Peroni for £7.50’, for instance, and make £4.58

Peroni in an ice bucket and sell it for £20 and you would make 75%

cash profit on every sale Or you could try a combined food and

POR which equates to £12.50 in cash profit for every bucket sold It

drink deal like ‘a Peroni and a Pizza Slice for £7’ which would be

couldn’t be simpler and, as well as looking great when served to a

easy and quick to prepare and would deliver a POR of 79% and

table, it’s also likely to encourage other customers to follow suit and

a cash profit of £4.59. Simple solutions like this could help you

order a bucket or two themselves. Several of the major brewers,

ratchet up your sales and profits, ensuring you make the very best

including Budweiser, is offering Booker catering customers free

of every World Cup match opportunity while minimising the work

branded ice buckets for this very purpose. It reduces the time and

required from your team.

effort required from service staff and means thirsty customers get

PREMIUM BOTTLES

their chilled beers double-quick.

Whether you are selling them in ice buckets or not, the logic behind focusing on bottled beers during the World Cup is sound.

LOW/NO ALCOHOL OPTIONS

Speed of service will be key to maximising sales and pre-chilled bottles ensure slick, efficient service and fantastic cash profits for every bottle you serve over the bar or to a customer’s table. Booker PRICE/BOTTLE

offers an extensive range of premium bottled beers that will allow

£12.99

0.54p

you to offer something for every taste while also delivering cash

Peroni 0%

£7.99

0.67p

profits of around £2 or more for every bottle sold.

M175113

Corona Cero NRB

£13.99

0.58p

M252278

Brewdog Punk AF NRB

£10.49

0.88p

M238194

Kopparberg 0%

£6.99

0.87p

M175113

Thatchers Zero Alcohol

£5.99

£1.00

Midas

Product

WSP

M252278

Heineken 0% NRB

M238194

If you sell a bottle of Fuller’s London Pride, Doom Bar, Abbot Ale, Black Sheep Ale or Hobgoblin for £4, you will clear a cash profit of £2.08. That’s a lot of profit from a transaction that takes seconds from start to finish.

LOW AND NO With the low and no alcohol trend continuing to grow in importance, it will be important to ensure that you have a strong offering of appropriate bottled beers for sale for those on driving duty, or who simply fancy an alcohol-free alternative.

Booker has a fantastic range of low and no alcohol bottled beers from many of the biggest brands including Heineken, Peroni, Corona, Guinness, Brewdog, Kopparberg and Thatchers, available from just 54p a bottle leaving plenty of scope to cash in.

55

SERVICE l MEET THE TEAM

SAY HELLO TO...

CHRIS BAKER TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR ROLE AND WHAT IT MEANS?

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE LOOK LIKE?

I’m a Class 2 driver which is your first level

Every day is different depending on which

of HGV. I work on the Makro side of our

customers I need to deliver to and what

branch meaning that I deliver to our many

they need delivering. The one constant

catering customers, including pubs, clubs,

though is the time I start – 6am prompt

restaurants, cafés, care homes and more.

when I first arrive at the branch. Next, I meet our in-store teams to find out what

ABOUTCHRIS CHRIS BAKER IS A DRIVER OF CLASS 2 VEHICLES BASED AT MAKRO’S SHEFFIELD BRANCH.

DESCRIBE THE JOURNEY YOU TOOK TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY

kind of deliveries I’ve got for the day and

I’ve worked for Booker for just over three

I then go out and do vehicle checks before

years now. I was at Marks & Spencer for 10

starting the loading process. I also make

years prior to that but in 2019 I decided the

sure that there’s no physical damage to

time was right for a total change in career

any part of the vehicle. I always try to

that would allow me to do something totally

make sure I have the same vehicle every

new and I decided to go into driving.

day – I’m a real clean-freak and I like to

the routes that I will need to take.

make sure the cab’s all clean and how I

WHAT TRAINING DID YOU HAVE TO UNDERTAKE FOR THE ROLE?

like it – there are no empty crisp packets

vehicles based at Makro’s Sheffield branch.He joined the branch in 2019

I had to gain my Class 2 driving licence

it’s time to start loading up the vehicle.

after deciding to embark on a total

which qualifies me to drive a small rigid

All the ambient products will have been

change of career and hasn’t looked

truck weighing up to 32 tonnes. Once I had

picked for me in the branch and put into a

back since. For Chris, the key perks

that under my belt, I then undertook several

cage, but all the fresh, chilled and frozen

weeks of on-the-job training with some of

products are kept in the fridges and

Booker’s most experienced drivers.

freezers and I pick those myself and load

Chris Baker is a Driver of Class 2

of the job include the freedom of the road – when he’s not stuck in traffic jams – and the meaningful relationships that he’s already built up with so many of the branch’s valued customers. In addition to a clean cab, going the extra mile is something that Chris prides himself on and he always

amywhere! After those checks are done,

them. I tend to do two runs and sometimes

WHO ELSE IS ON YOUR TEAM?

three a day depending on how busy we

The team is made up of a group of 10

are, so efficiency is key to ensure deliveries

drivers and six in-store pickers, plus

are made on time and to the high

delivery managers and supervisors

standards our customers expect from us.

strives to make deliveries not just

who coordinate everything and make

on time but also in the precise and

sure the correct stock goes out to the

very different ways that each of his

correct areas. They also update us of any

WHAT ARE THE BUSIEST TIMES OF YEAR?

customers like them.

challenges to supply or traffic problems

The festive season is without doubt our

so we can update our customers.

busiest time. The weather also has an

58

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

SERVICE l MEET THE TEAM

I do two runs, sometimes three a day, depending on how busy we are. Efficiency is key to ensure deliveries are made on time

impact; sunny weather tends to lead to an uptick in demand too, so our deliveries tend to be bigger and there’s more of them.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE? Traffic is the big one, however, I always endeavour to let customers know if I’m going to be late, which is something they really appreciate. Another challenge is the correct and safe loading of stock onto the vehicles. Correct loading is so important to helping the deliveries safely and efficiently. If it’s not loaded correctly you can run into all sorts of problems. Neatly stacking products on the cage, ensuring that the weight is correctly distributed on the bottom of the cage and that the cage is not overloaded is so important. Stacking products wrongly can lead to squashed products, a huge ‘no no’ obviously. It can also be quite dangerous

WHAT’S CHRIS HEARING...

DELIVERING EXCELLENCE A focus on standards helps Chris ensure his deliveries are carried as efficiently and safely as possible.

Every morning Chris inspects his vehicle, checking tyres, oil and lights, to ensure they will operate to the highest level of safety and efficiency.

Checking the traffic, updating his route accordingly and communicating any delays to customers helps to keep delivery runs on time and customers happy.

as the cage could tip over or just be really difficult to move.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? The relationships I’ve built up with so many of our customers is

Chris says correct loading of the roll cages and vehicles is also key to maintaining safety and efficiency.

definitely the top one. Over the years I’ve built up really good positive relationships with well over 100 of them and I get a real kick out of delivering the best possible service to them. We have one customer who holds a monthly food and drink festival, so once a month we get an especially big order through for them. I always look after that customer as I’ve come to know them well and understand when they need that delivery to arrive and how they want it to come. The freedom of the job is another big perk. I love the actual act of driving, especially in some of the more beautiful parts of the country that I cover, such as the Peak District.

HOW PLEASED ARE YOU ABOUT THE CHANGE YOU MADE? I’m delighted! Making such a big change was nerve-wracking at

Neatly stacking products on the cage, making sure the weight is correctly distributed on the bottom of the cage and that the cage is not overloaded is vital to avoid unsafe roll cages and product damage.

Having built up positive relationships with so many of the branch’s valued customers, Chris strives to personalise his deliveries, delivering items precisely “how they want it”.

the start but since making it I’ve never looked back. I literally love every day.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

59

FEATURE l CHRISTMAS LUNCH LOCKDOWN

CHRISTMAS LUNCH – SORTED WITH BOOKER Christmas is fast approaching and Booker is making sure it will be a profitable one by locking down the prices of everything you need to build a crowd-pleasing traditional Christmas lunch and dinner menu.

It has been a challenging period for the hospitality

QUALITY • QUA Y• LI

100%

Christmas just around the corner, there’s a fantastic opportunity to drive big footfall,

TY

ALIT

Y •Q U A L I T Y

IT AL

U •Q

•Q U

sector of late, but with both the World Cup and

sales and profits over the next few

MONEY BACK •Q U

U •Q

ALIT

Y •Q U A L I T Y

months.

There has never been a winter World Cup before, so this really is a once in a

AL

ITY

ALITY • Q UAL • QU

ITY

lifetime opportunity – and sitting right at the heart of that opportunity is the traditional Christmas lunch or dinner.

With so much flux over the last year, Booker is stepping up to the plate for its catering customers this year by offering complete clarity and guaranteeing the pricing on everything that they need to create show-stopping Christmas lunches and dinners, all the way through to the new year.

From perfect roasts to vegetables and roast potatoes,

5 BONE RIB OF BEEF MCODE £7.49 per kilo

from fizz to premium desserts, Booker’s price lockdown means caterers can build outstanding Christmas lunch and dinner menus, safe in the knowledge that the price of every single product needed to build those menus has been locked down until 3 Jan 2023.In other words, your profits

ROLLED SIRLOIN ROAST MCODE £18.99 per kilo

will be 100% safe and you can forecast and plan with complete confidence.

PERFECT ROAST The centrepiece of many of the most popular

60

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

•

FEATURE CHRISTMAS LUNCH LOCKDOWN

and Booker’s catering customers can

BONELESS LAMB LEG

access locked-down pricing on some perfect beef, pork and lamb roasts.

MCODE £9.99 per kilo The 5 Bone Rib of Beef has been locked down at just £7.99 a kilo while the Rolled Sirloin Roast is available at a guaranteed

PORK LOIN

price of just £18.99 a kilo. For the perfect lamb roast, the Boneless Lamb Leg has

MCODE £3.99 per kilo

been locked down at just £9.99 a kilo

Make More from Desserts

while Pork Loin is available for just £3.99 a kilo. The Triple Smoked Gammon is guaranteed at just £5.49 a kilo and the

TRIPLE SMOKED GAMMON Affogato MCODE with Amaretti £5.49 per kilo & Honeycomb crumb SELL PRICE

£3.99

COST PER SERVING

£0.46

% PROFIT

86%

CASH PROFIT

Horseshoe Gammon is locked down at only £3.99 a kilo. Don’t forget that all these lines are backed by our standard 100% Money Back Guarantee.

£3.76

VEG OUT

Bonomi Amaretti Macaroons Lichfields Italian Espresso Beans M505110 500g M132756 1kg

HORSESHOE GAMMON

To complement your perfect roast dinner, Booker has also locked down the pricing

MCODE £3.99 per kilo

of all the accompaniments you need to create tempting traditional Christmas lunches and dinners. From roast potatoes

M248162

Peka Roasting Potatoes – £3.49

2kg

M248235

Chef’s Larder Premium Super Crisp Skin on Gourmet Fries – £9.99

2.5kg

M426090

Chef’s Larder Baby Carrots Whole – £5.99

2.5kg

M123397

Farm Fresh Closed Cup Mushrooms – £6.19

2.5kg

a full selection of fantastic value and

M425370

Chef’s Larder Broccoli Florets – £6.49

2.5kg

outstanding quality products with the

M426250

Chef’s Larder Green Beans Cut – £6.79

2.5kg

price of every single line locked down

M426370

Chef’s Larder Petits Pois – £2.89

1kg

until the new year.

M629340

Florette Classic Crispy – £3.15

500g

and chips to carrots, peas, broccoli, mushrooms and green beans, there’s

Scan this code to see the latest Fresh Five Fruit & Veg promotions.

As a new customer to fresh butchery, I can’t recommend the product and service enough, its helped me to save money and time.

ADAM, LOCKSIDE STEAKHOUSE

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

61

SERVICE l OWN BRAND

MAKE MORE WITH THE CLASSICS Taking advantage of Booker’s range of great quality own brand products with locked down pricing can help you deliver tasty classics and equally tasty profits this winter.

It’s an exciting time to be running a

for instance. Combine a Chef’s

hospitality venue with a whole host

Essentials Quarter Pounder Burger

of fantastic opportunities to drive

with a Chef’s Larder Floured Bap and

footfall, sales and profits over the

a portion of Chef’s Larder Premium

coming months, not least of which

Crisp Skin-on Gourmet Fries and

are the FIFA World Cup and the

you have a delicious, filling meal that

festive period.

you can sell for £5 and it will cost you just 75p per portion! That’s a profit

With a little luck, the football fever

of 82% – or £3.42 in cash – for every

that

burger you sell.

will

undoubtedly

grip

the

SERVING SUGGESTION

nation and the usual excitement of Christmas and New Year will help

Similarly,

deliver packed venues and big sales

customers a traditional Cod & Chips

in November and December.

that will cost you less than £1 but

you

could

offer

your

which you can sell for £5 and make So, it will be important that ensure

£3.19 in cash profit.

your menu includes the dishes that many of your customers will be

Or how about a 12” Margherita

looking for, while also maximising

Pizza, made from scratch, which will

profits.

about

cost you just 67p and which you can

burgers, pizzas, and fish & chips

sell for £4.99, earning a cash profit of

here – traditional classics that are

£3.49.

We’re

talking

Burger & Chips for 75p Chef’s Essentials Quarter Pounder Burgers 40x113g (4oz) M147178

Chef’s Larder Premium Super Crisp Skin-on Gourmet Fries 4x2.5kg (4oz) M248235

Chef’s Larder Floured Baps 48s M490310

guaranteed crowd pleasers.

All three dishes are simple and

Onions and sauce optional

To help its catering customers meet

quick to prepare for your kitchen

this demand and also maximise

team and are certain to be a hit with

their profits, Booker has locked

hungry customers looking to enjoy a

SELL PRICE: £5.00

down the pricing on key own-brand

football match or a festive night out

COST PER SERVING: £0.75

ingredients for these classic dishes.

with friends or family. Tasty, great

PROFIT: 82%

value and satisfying. What more

CASH PROFIT: £3.42

Take a traditional burger and chips,

62

could they want?

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

SERVING SUGGESTION

Cod & Chips – less than £1 Chef’s Larder 12 Medium Battered Cod Fillets 12x6oz (140g – 170g) M260743

Chef’s Larder Premium Super Crisp Skin-on Gourmet Fries 4x2.5kg (4oz) M248235 Chef’s Essentials Peas 15kg (6x2.5kg) M258762

SELL PRICE: £5.00 COST PER SERVING: £0.98 PROFIT: 77%

Peas and lemon optional

CASH PROFIT: £3.19

SERVING SUGGESTION

Margherita Pizza (from scratch) Caputo Pizzeria Flour 1x15kg M268873 Mutti Pizza Sauce 4.1kg M249496

SELL PRICE: £4.99 COST PER SERVING: £0.67 PROFIT: 84% CASH PROFIT: £3.49

*Prices and products are correct at time of going to print and are not guaranteed unless stated, errors expected. Subject to changes without prior consultation.

Recipes, serves and idea are suggestions only and for illustration only. Please note products will be subject to availability and local listing, please check with your branch for details.

SEE BOOKER.CO.UK FOR FULL RECIPES AND COSTS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

63

SERVICE l BOOKER SCANNING APP

INSTANT ORDERING WITH NEW MOBILE SCANNER Booker has added new scanning functionality to its mobile allowing catering customers to scan and order single products or cases direct from the kitchen, the stock room or from wherever you happen to be.

If you’ve ever found yourself wandering around the kitchen, the stockroom or the dining area with a broken biro and a torn notepad in hand putting your next Booker top-up order or shopping list together, you’ve no doubt wondered if there isn’t an easier

FREE

FOR ALL CATRING CUSTOMERS

to way to order small amounts of stock.

Even if you have a handheld terminal available, it’s not always as convenient as it might be if you can’t find it right this very second or if someone else in your team is using it. So, what could be more convenient than a mobile phone or tabletbased solution instead?

To help catering customers overcome that frustration and to help them simplify and streamline their ordering processes, Booker has introduced a new mobile scanner that is available free of charge to all customers.

The scanner is available on all mobile devices and allows you to scan single products or cases quickly and easily on your mobile device and have the products added to your next order.

64

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

SERVICE l BOOKER SCANNING APP

BOOKER SCANNING APP

Using the new app couldn’t be easier:

1. Open the Booker website or app on your mobile phone or tablet.

2. Scan the barcode on the side of the case or the product itself.

3. Choose how many cases or products you would like to order.

4. All products will be added to your order, ready to be included the next time you submit your order.

A scanner icon appears next to the search bar on your phone or

and no more searching the Booker website for products on your

tablet when you’re using the Booker app or website and lets you

shopping list. Simply scan the products you need and they’ll be

quickly scan a barcode there and then. It couldn’t be simpler to

sitting there waiting for you the next time you are ready to submit

use, and it will help retailers efficiently order products that are

an order.

running low with a very minimum of fuss.No more lost paper shopping lists, illegible writing or inaccurate ordering codes –

For more information, speak to your CDM.

The new scanner icon appears next to the search bar on your phone or tablet when you’re using the Booker app or website and lets you quickly scan a barcode there and then.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

65

FEATURE l PREMIUM DESSERTS

PREMIUM DESSERTS, PREMIUM PROFITS The months ahead offer catering customers a fantastic opportunity to grow sales and profits by taking advantage of the current premium dessert trend – and Booker has everything you need to cash in.

For many, a festive meal simply isn’t

and easy-to-prepare serving suggestions.

ple. Combine Chef’s Larder Individual

complete without a good dessert – and

Despite the challenges of the year, many

Apple Crumbles and Chef’s Larder RTU

these days that often means a premium

clients are likely to still be on the look-out

Devon Custard and you have a delicious,

dessert: a show-stopping, attention-grab-

for affordable treats.

Instagram-friendly dish fit for a festive

bing dessert that makes the perfect end

celebration. Sell for just £5.99 and it will

to a delicious meal. The premium dessert

NEW IDEAS

deliver profits of 66%, equating to a cash

trend has been evident for some time

To help, Booker has unveiled some great

profit of £3.29. Also new is Cookie Dough

now and Booker has a fantastic range

new dessert products that will be pop-

with Ice Cream, a favourite even during

of products to help you cash in on this

ular with customers and deliver strong

the colder months. It delivers a whopping

profit-laden opportunity, including some

margins for you. Take the new Apple

80% profit when sold at £4.99, equating to

exciting new products and some quick

Crumble and Custard dessert, for exam-

a £3.33 cash profit.

RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

Trillionaire Tart

Apple Crumble & Custard

Cookie Dough with Ice Cream

Sidoli Trillionaire Tart 14ptn

Chef’s Larder Individual Apple Crumbles 12x175g

Choc Chip Cookie Dough Pucks 60x55g

[M280686]

[M280346]

Chef’s Larder RTU Devon Custard 1ltr

Chef’s Larder Dairy Vanilla

[M243862]

[M123884]

Sell price: £4.99 Cost per serving: £1.52 Profit: 70% Cash profit: £3.47

Sell price: £5.99 Cost per serving: £1.70 Profit: 66% Cash profit: £3.29

Sell price: £4.99 Cost per serving: £0.82 Profit: 80% Cash profit: £3.33

[M280714]

Chef’s Larder Premium Madagascan Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream 4ltr

[M195250]

Chips & Fries STILL ONLY £9.99 Chef’s Larder Premium Extra Chunky Gourmet Chips 4x2.5kg M182765

66

Chef’s Larder Premium Super Crisp Skin on Gourmet Fries 4x2.5kg M248235

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

FEATURE l PREMIUM DESSERTS

Trillionaire Cake is the perfect base for a

for an even bigger pool of customers. For

beautifully presented dessert that will wow

something more traditional, try the Christ-

the crowds. Combining Sidoli Trillionaire

mas Pudding & Clotted Cream, offering

Cake and Chef’s Larder Premium Mada-

a fantastic 84% profit, equating to £3.50

gascan Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream, it means

cash profit when sold at £4.99.

a 70% profit for you when sold at £4.99, putting £3.47 in your pocket as profit.

And to add a little theatre with a dessert that looks stunning when served, why not

SEASONAL SWEETNESS

try Booker’s delicious Christmas Pud-

As well as taking advantage of these

ding Sundae, combining Chef’s Larder

brand new products, you can also create

Christmas Pudding Log with Baileys Irish

a new menu of premium desserts that

Cream? It delivers 77% profit when sold at

will help grow spend, profit and footfall.

£5.99, and guarantees smiles all around!

Nothing says Christmas like the smell of

PREMIUM PROFITS

mulled fruits, pudding and a touch of Baileys. Booker has got you covered on all

also delivering 71% profit for you when

Premium desserts are a great way to

fronts this festive season with a fantastic

sold at £5.99.

increase spend on every meal and can also help add some festive sparkle with

assortment for your guests. Cinder Toffee Cheesecake with Mulled Fruits is guaran-

The Chef’s Larder New York Cheesecake

minimum additional effort from your

teed to awaken the Christmas spirit while

is gluten-free, making it a great option

kitchen team.

RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

RECIPE IDEA

Affogato with Amaretti & Honeycomb Crumb

Honeycomb Crunchie Sundae

Lotus Biscoff Marshmallow Sundae

Bonomi Amaretti Macaroons 500g

Chef’s Larder Premium Madagascan Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream 4ltr

Chef’s Larder Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream 4ltr

[M505110]

[M243862]

[M195250]

Lichfields Italian Espresso Beans 1kg

Cadbury Crunchie Bits 500g

Lotus Biscoff Topping Sauce 1kg

[M263752]

[M263985]

[M132756]

Sell price: £5.99 Cost per serving: £1.41 Profit: 72% Cash profit: £3.59

Sell price: £5.99 Cost per serving: £1.23 Profit: 75% Cash profit: £3.76

Sell price: £3.99 Cost per serving: £0.46 Profit: 86% Cash profit: £3.76

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

67

LAUNCH REVIEW l FRAPPÉ AND HOT CHOCOLATE DRINKS

MIX IT UP FOR PROFIT! Booker is opening up fresh sale opportunities with the launch of new frappé and drinking chocolate mixes.

SIMPLY VANILLA FRAPPÉ POWDER The perfect base for a wide variety of tasty frappé drinks.

Deliciously sweet and smooth, ideal for adding and blending multiple flavours.

Easy to use and makes the perfect iced drink every time.

If you are on the lookout for new ideas to freshen up your menu this festive season and potentially open up new revenue streams, Booker has some great, easy-to-use frappé and hot chocolate mixes that make the perfect base for a wide range of tasty, eye-catching drinks. New Simply Vanilla Frappé Powder (1.75kg) and Simply Ruby Drinking Chocolate Powder (1kg) are smooth, sweet and indulgent and extremely versatile, as you can see from the serving suggestions we have created for you.

Combine with syrups, sauces and toppings to make unique, seasonal iced drinks or classic frappé flavours.

The mixes can be used to create attention-grabbing drinks that will have your customers coming back for more. Frappés and hot chocolate drinks are an ideal way to encourage clients to spend a little more during their visit while

68

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

LAUNCH REVIEW l FRAPPÉ AND HOT CHOCOLATE DRINKS

RECIPE IDEAS

Strawberry

Mint Choc Chip

FRESH SEMI SKIMMED MILK 2LTR

AERO BUBBLY PEPPERMINT MINT CHOCOLATE BAR 36G

M212311

SIMPLY RUBY DRINKING CHOCOLATE POWDER An ideal base for a menu of flavoured hot chocolate drinks.

M266899

SIMPLY VANILLA FRAPPÉ POWDER 1.75KG

SIMPLY VANILLA FRAPPÉ POWDER 1.75KG

M280643

M280643

Sell price: £2.49 Cost per serving: £0.78 Profit: 63% Cash profit: £1.30

Tasty, luxurious and smooth

Sell price: £3.49 Cost per serving: £0.98 Profit: 67% Cash profit: £1.93

Rocky Road LICHFIELDS ROCKY ROAD SLICES 9PTN M174525

SIMPLY VANILLA FRAPPÉ POWDER 1.75KG

Take your hot chocolate up a level by adding alcohol.

Ruby Loaded Hot Chocolate SIMPLY RUBY CHOCOLATE POWDER 1KG M280639

FRESH SEMI SKIMMED MILK 2LTR

M280643

Simple and quick to prepare.

helping you maximise your profits. Many of the serving suggestions here deliver profits of over 70%.

M212311

Sell price: £3.49 Cost per serving: £0.96 Profit: 67% Cash profit: £1.97

Sell price: £2.99 Cost per serving: £0.62 Profit: 75% Cash profit: £1.87

The iconic Espresso Vanilla Frappé, for instance, delivers 74% profit when sold at just £3.29 – equating to a cash profit of over £2! For some extra pizzazz, why not add some alcohol? Our Ruby Rose Silq is a

Honeycomb Caramel

Ruby Rose Silq

great example.

CHEF’S LARDER PREMIUM LUXURY HONEYCOMB ICE CREAM 4LTR

SIMPLY RUBY CHOCOLATE POWDER 1KG

Simply Ruby Chocolate Chocolate Powder

M280639

with some fresh semi-skimmed milk and

M222266

FRESH SEMI SKIMMED MILK 2LTR

add a shot of our Exclusive Silq Rose Vod-

M212311

ka Strawberry Cream Liqueur to create an

SIMPLY VANILLA FRAPPÉ POWDER 1.75KG M280643

Sell price: £3.29 Cost per serving: £1.05 Profit: 62% Cash profit: £1.69

Sell price: £1.99 Cost per serving: £0.48 Profit: 71% Cash profit: £1.18

All you have to do is combine the new

indulgent, silky and utterly delicious after dinner treat or after a hard day’s Christmas shopping.

Quick and easy to prepare, the Ruby Rose Silq suggestion delivers a cash profit of £1.18 from a sell price of just £1.99.

*Prices and products are correct at time of going to print and are not guaranteed unless stated, errors expected. Subject to changes without prior consultation.

Recipes, serves and idea are suggestions only and for illustration only. Please note products will be subject to availability and local listing, please check with your branch for details.

SEE BOOKER.CO.UK FOR FULL RECIPES AND COSTS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

69

YOUR SHOUT

YOURSHOUT

BE A PART OF BOOKER’S GROWING COMMUNITY OF CATERERS AND HAVE YOUR SAY

WHAT A SHOW! Having recently attended the Booker Catering Trade Show, we found it a fantastically

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY AHEAD

useful event. We got the

After the challenges of the last few years, it’s

cash profits? Similarly, why not create a menu of

chance to meet key suppliers,

exciting to be looking forward to what promises

sharing platters that can be pre-prepared and

get some new menu ideas,

to be a great couple of months with the unique

served to groups very quickly and efficiently.

tips for tweaking existing

opportunity of both the festive period and the

That way you’ll optimise profits and ensure your

ones and, obviously, take

World Cup on the horizon. Hopefully we’ll see

customers are quickly fed and watered and

lots of footfall growth – so do you have any

enjoy their experience with you, making them

advice on how maximise sales and profits over

more likely to return.”

advantage of many of the fantastic deals and special offers available. Well done!

Lorraine Woodgate, The

the next couple of months? Rob Webb, The

Grand, Felixstowe

Bridge Inn, Tenbury Wells

Simon King, Sales Director –

Simon King, Sales Director – Catering, said:

Catering, said: “There were

“We are indeed set for a unique opportunity

thousands of visitors to the

with the first-ever winter World Cup coinciding

Show and more than 300

neatly with the festive period. This should

exhibitors. Feedback has been massively positive with customers delighted to catch up with colleagues, suppliers and fellow operators. This is

create a fantastic chance to grow footfall, sales and profits and there are many ways you can achieve this. Speed of service will be critical, however. You’re likely to have large groups of

a people business and there’s

people arriving at the same time either to watch

so much we can learn from

the football or for festive get-togethers. Why

coming together.”

not shift your focus onto bottled beers which require minimal serving time and deliver strong

SUSTAINABILITY MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER As a conscientious business, we are always keen to keep improving our sustainability credentials for the good of the community we serve and, indeed, the planet. Do you have any suggestions on how to continue this sustainability journey? John Robins, Harry’s Diner, Filey Catherine Marston, Booker Sustainability Manager, said: “Sustainability is an absolutely vital focus for Booker and we are working extremely hard to help our catering customers reduce their impact. The latest example of this is a massive enhancement to our used cooking oil recycling service. Our customers now earn a 50p voucher towards their next purchase for every litre recycled.

Speak to your CDM for more information.”

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022

71