CATERING @ BOOKER
Jewel in the crown A P R I L
BRIGHTON PUB BECOMES ONE OF THE CITY’S BUSIEST SPORTING & EVENT VENUES
2 0 2 2
P R O F ILE
CHOI CE . P RI CE . SE R V I C E
P L U S B O O K E R D O N AT E S 1 . 8 M M E A L S , N E W B L A C K G AT E P O R K R A N G E A N D H O M E D E L I V E RY
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Spring & tonic! The original tonic since 1783. Stock up today.
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HIGHLIGHTS l CONTENTS
12
Omur Yoldas, Joy Bar, Eastbourne
“We had Instagram in mind the whole time when planning out the garden refurbishment and the drinks menu; we wanted to create a place where guests wanted to be seen. Being Instagramfriendly is so important these days.”
24
Mark Fox, Coral Island, Blackpool
“The Buccaneer serves more than 1,000 meals a day during high season plus a further 800 carvery meals on a Sunday. Speed of service is crucial and will be more important than ever in 2022, especially if the season proves to be as busy as we expect it to be.”
54 COVER SHOT
Alan Olone, Elite Catering, Glasgow
“Our home delivery service is fully controlled, we have our own methods, our own routes and we use all our own drivers. We deliver to 14 different postcodes and we are mobbed! If you can get the takeaway home delivery concept right, you’re on to a winner.”
18
Mark Such revitalises a stunning Brighton sporting pub.
CATERING@BOOKER SHARE YOUR NEWS If you've got news, tips or feature ideas, get in touch with us 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.
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CONTENTS
24
12 BLACKGATE PORK
NEWS 7
30
44
FareShare fanfare Booker
New season breakfast Start the day the profitable way.
redistributed 773 tonnes of food to the needy in 2021. 9
Calorie counting New labelling laws
PRIC E
require caterers to state the calorie
50
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
ITY
I T Y •Q U A L I T Y
100%
UAL •Q
•Q U
ITY
Y •Q U A L I T Y
AL
PRO FILES
S ERV ICE
12
48
Joy Bar Turkish-themed bar shakes things up in Eastbourne.
•Q U
U •Q
ALIT
MONEY BACK
18
The King and Queen Revitalised sporting venues.
AL
ITY
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
ITY
and hopefully some better weather
24 30
footfall, sales and profits through their
home delivery opportunity. 57
Coral Island Blackpool family arcade
of great quality coffee.
REGULARS 52
that, Booker has launched a range of perfect for enhancing a carvery menu.
F E AT URES
The entire Blackgate range of meats
36
36
Blackgate pork New pork range
own brand range. 61
perfect for growing sales and profits. 42
Easter extravaganza Cashing in on a huge seasonal opportunity.
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 5
Own brand update Quality and value from Booker’s award-winning
eight new Blackgate pork products,
APRIL 2022
Bean scene Leveraging the power
Harry’s Diner A little corner of America flourishes in Filey.
carvery offering. To help them do just
guarantee.
Delivering growth Examining the
and dining complex geared for growth.
of opportunities for caterers to drive
comes with a 100% money-back
Meet the team Say hello to Meat Category Manager Alan Brett-Pitt.
54
pub among Brighton's busiest
With a host of seasonal occasions on the horizon, there will be plenty
Pricing lockdown Pricing on over 250 key lines guaranteed until 31st May.
content of their food from April.
Launch review New desserts and tips for adding value.
65
Guest Column Coffee expert Tim Sturk offers his advice.
5
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ing Spe Mak ci al
ty
METICULOUSLY SOURCED. ETHICALLY TRADED. DELICIOUSLY GRUMPY.
Cof
£2
bl
e.
WWW.GRUMPYMULE.CO.UK
f e e A cc e s si
OFF*
Product Code: M270845 *£2 off a bag 7th March until 31st May 2022. Promotional price of £11.99
KICKING OUT UNETHICAL COFFEE. Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 6
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BOOKER NEWS
BOOKERNEWS NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS BOOKER
BOOKER DISTRIBUTES 1.8 MILLION MEALS AMONG UK NEEDY IN 2021 Working with the FareShare network of charities Booker has redistributed 773 tonnes of food to the needy, enough to provide the equivalent of 1.8 million meals.
CASESTUDY
GLYN CEIRIOG Glyn Ceiriog is a voluntary support organisation run by Community Agent Davena Davies who works out of
Booker redistributed over 773 tonnes of food to
Catherine Marston, Head of Sustainability
the local community hall in
communities across the UK in 2021, the equivalent
at Booker said: “These are some impressive
Glyntraian near Wrexham.
of more than 1.8 million meals. Working with
achievements but it’s worth noting that
FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger
Booker only started working with FareShare in
and food waste, Booker is the first wholesaler to
April 2021 in a phased launch. It wasn’t until
redistribute food directly to FareShare’s network
October 2021 that all 198 Booker branches
of charities through the FareShare Go programme
were fully involved – so we expect the results
and the free sharing app OLIO.
to be even more impressive in 2022 when we have a full year’s activity across all branches to
OLIO’s ‘Food Waste Heroes’ collect food directly
report."
773
2,063
tonnes CO2 prevented from going t0 waste
tonnes
In 2021, Booker helped an astonishing 3,792 individual charities through its work with
1.8
FareShare. Over 8,600 families were fed and
million meals
almost 550,000 individuals were supported.
3,792
The activity also helped deliver enormous
charities
environmental improvements. Well over 2,000
1.6
billion litres water saved
2.6
million cars miles off the road
OLIO
8,600 local families fed
FARESHARE
more than 1.6 billion litres of water were saved and all, that’s the equivalent of planting 35,500 trees!
to buy food themselves and supports between 60 and 80 people. During the festive period, with a lot of other local organisations closed for was offered extra food by Booker Wrexham for a special Christmas community dinner. “Everyone loved it and we were able to supply it for free,” said Davena. “They were very, very grateful that they were able to enjoy a Christmas dinner. The food we receive
tonnes of CO2 was prevented from going to waste, some 2.6 million road miles were prevented. All in
to anyone that is struggling
the holidays, Davena
from Booker and Makro branches, which is then added to its app for local people to collect.
It supplies food packages
549,000 people supported
35,500
trees planted
through FareShare and Booker is very important."
Have you been working hard to reduce your carbon footprint and reduce the environmental impact of your business? Share your stories with us by emailing catering@booker.co.uk.
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BOOKER NEWS
BOOKER BUTCHERS AWARDED HIGHEST BUTCHERY HONOUR Three Booker butchers joined the elite ranks of Institute of Meat-accredited Master Butchers at their annual prizegiving last month. Booker's renowned butchery team further enhanced its reputation and accreditations at Butchers Hall on London on 24 February as three Booker butchers joined the elite ranks of Institute of Meat (IoM) accredited Master Butchers. Peter Howarth, Kevin King and Roy Mason all joined the hallowed ranks of Master Butchers. The new Master Butchers were honoured at the IoM's annual prizegiving last month. The event has been running for almost 30 years and was attended this year by HRH The Princess Royal. The prizegiving seeks to celebrate and reward individual achievement in
ROY MASON
LETITIA REDFERN
the meat and poultry industry. Keith Fisher, Chief Executive of the IoM, said: "Being granted accredited Master Butcher status is one of the highest accolades a butcher can achieve. In almost three decades of the prizegiving we have accepted less than 60 applications. "The process of assessing an application is rigorous and in fact we only consider applications from the most experienced and skilful butchers." Also recognised at the event was Booker apprentice Letitia Redfern who won the Best Apprentice award who was presented
PETER HOWARTH
KEVIN KING
with her certificate of achievement by HRH The Princess Royal.
HERTFORDSHIRE CATERERS SCOOP MAKEOVER PRIZE Caterers Steven and Harriet Mitchell have won a £5,000 prize after winning a competition run by Cadbury. The pair, who own The Orchard Café at Letchworth Sports & Tennis Club, were named as one of the lucky winners of Cadbury UK’s recent ‘Make It Yours’ competition. Caterers who purchased participating packs of selected Cadbury and Bourneville drinking chocolate lines were given the chance to win the prize towards a premises or equipment upgrade as well as thousands of hot chocolate kits. Thanks to their win, Steven and Harriet have been welcoming diners into their new-look café after investing their winnings in upgrading all their chairs, stools and tables. Commenting on the win Harriet said: “We chose to upgrade our furniture with the cash. We've never won anything and are all still in state of shock, so thank you so much Cadbury! "The chairs and stools have made a big impact and we are getting lots of wonderful comments.”
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BOOKER NEWS
NEW CALORIE LABELLING LAWS COME INTO FORCE IN APRIL A new law comes into force in April requiring businesses with 250 or more employees to display the calorie content of their food and drink.
INBRIEF
PERMANENT VAT CUT BENEFITS ‘UNDENIABLE Many of the UK's largest hospitality and tourism
From 6th April 2022, caterers will be required by
food is sold on a
bodies have joined
law to display the calorie content of their food.
website or mobile
forces to publish a study
Following a consultation in 2018, the Government
app, the business
demonstrating that the
is now requiring large food businesses with 250
responsible for that website or mobile app is
benefits of permanent
or more employees to comply with the new
required to display the calorie information of
VAT reduction are
legislation. The law affects the entire ‘out of
food offered for sale by any qualifying business.
"undeniable". The study
home’ food sector, covering all outlets where
states that a permanent
food or drink is prepared in a way that means it is
Caterers selling via third-party delivery websites
cut would save the
ready for immediate consumption, on or off the
or apps will be required to provide calorie
Government £4.6bn and
premises.
information to the website or app provider for all
create more than quarter
products listed for sale on the website or app.
of a million jobs over the next decade.
The regulations require calorie information to be displayed at the point where a customer chooses
For more information, visit www.gov.uk
The British Beer and
what food to purchase, such as on menus and on
Pub Association,
labels next to food on display.
UKHospitality, the
The Government says the new legislation is geared to making it easier for customers to make informed, healthier decisions when purchasing food out of the home but also to “encourage businesses to reformulate the food and drink they offer and provide lower calorie options” for their customers. Failure to comply with the Regulations may result in a food business being issued with an
NEW REQUIREMENTS: Under the new regulations, from the 6th of April, caterers must: l Clearly and legibly display the energy content of the food in kilocalories (kcal) l Reference the size of the portion to which the calorie information relates) l Display the statement that ‘adults need around 2,000 kcal a day’
Tourism Alliance and the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions commissioned the report which states that a permanent rate of 12.5% VAT would bring VAT on hospitality and attractions in line with the European average. The 20% rate is nearly double the
improvement notice while failure to comply with
European average.
an improvement notice could lead to a £2,500
A permanent cut would
fixed penalty being imposed.
create 286,850 jobs and generate £7.7bn of
The new rules will extend into the digital space
additional turnover over
and will cover food sold on a website or mobile
10 years, says the report.
app, including third party delivery apps. Where
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UNIQUELY WELSH. FREE TO GRAZE… As the warmer spring months beckon the countryside out of its wintry slumber, we welcome longer days, buds and blossoms, bees and birdsong. PGI Welsh Lamb is produced amongst dramatic and pristine landscapes through making the most of what nature has to offer. It is with good reason that Wales is rightly famous for its lamb. The perfect combination of centuries of tradition, and a unique environment, combining to make a delicious product brimming with natural goodness. Sweet, tender and packed with flavour, find out for yourself why Welsh Lamb is the envy of the world.
Choose quality. Choose Welsh Lamb.
Scan here for the recipe:
Rack of Welsh Lamb with herby mustard crumb
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 10
hcctrade.com
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BOOKER NEWS
INDUSTRYNEWS NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS THE INDUSTRY
UK FOODSERVICE DELIVERY MARKET TO 'GROW BY £700M IN 2022' PRICE CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS TO DRIVE DEMAND FOR DELIVERY IN 2022:
Lumina Intelligence predicts significant growth in foodservice delivery in 2022. The UK foodservice delivery market grew by 6.5% in 2021 to a total value of £12.6bn and the market will grow by a further 5.3% in 2022 to reach £13.3bn, according to research and insight specialists Lumina Intelligence. The report states that the pandemic has helped accelerate growth in foodservice delivery and, despite restrictions easing, demand is not expected to wane in the coming years.
INBRIEF PUBLICANS URGE TREASURY TO TACKLE TAXATION Publicans and trade bodies have called
Reasons for choosing a particular establishment to order delivery from.
By the end of 2022 Lumina predicts the market will
on the
Top 3 increases vs 2020
have grown by £5.7bn since 2019 but warns that price
Treasury to
l good value for money (+2ppts) l Healthy food options (+2ppts) l Lots of choice (+1ppt)
Top 3 decreases from 2020 I've been there before (-4ppts) It's local and an indie (-3ppts) Quality of ingredients (-2ppts)
consciousness will be the key reason
look again at the "over-
in consumers choosing one outlet
taxation" burden on the
over another. While familiarity ('I've
sector. In an open letter to
been there before') is the top need for
the Chancellor, the ‘One
customers, its importance has declined by 4%, while ‘it's good value for money’ has risen by a further 2%.
Voice for Beer’ group make clear their broad support for the Government’s Alcohol Duty Review, including key proposals that
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY URGES PROPERTY TAX REFORM
incentivise consumption of
Industry body UKHospitality has urged the Government to act to address “the unfair burden of
important role of pubs.
property tax on the hospitality sector.” The organisation highlighted how, in the decade before the pandemic, hospitality business rates rose by more than 58%, or £1bn.
lower-strength products and recognise the However, they urge further action following the pandemic. We
UKHospitality says a hospitality tax rate is now “one of the changes needed that will be essential to
“cannot ignore the fact
aid recovery”. Among the measures needed to make the system fair for the sector, UKHospitality is
that the tax burden on
proposing a hospitality multiplier for 2023 and an online sales tax to make up the loss of revenue from
UK beer and pubs is still
such a multiplier, an urgent investigation into whether the current pub valuation methodology is fit
disproportionally high,”
for purpose and better resourced pub valuations that take into account over-trading, the location of a
the signatories say. Pubs
property and historical changes.
pay over a third of their turnover in one form of tax
UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls, said: “The hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic
or another.
and needs further support and reforms in order to be able to fully recover."
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PROFILE l JOY BAR, EASTBOURNE
TURKISH DELIGHT Valuable outside space and Instagram-worthy cocktails are helping the Turkish-themed Joy Bar shake things up in Eastbourne.
The
value
entertainment
of
outdoor spaces
eating to
and
Garage in Eastbourne. Then, in late 2018
catering
he finally found a site that was the perfect
establishments has soared in recent years
place to turn his dream into reality.
given both the ups and downs of Covid-19 restrictions and some fantastic summer
“I had a very specific set of boxes that I
weather. One venue that has certainly
knew the site needed to tick,” Omur says.
THE LOWDOWN
reaped the benefits of its large and
“It needed to have a garden, it needed a
JOY BAR
beautifully appointed outdoor seating
prime town centre location and it needed
area is Eastbourne’s aptly-named Joy Bar.
a late-night licence until 2am.
Owned by Turkish-born caterer Omur
“However, getting a site like that really
Yoldas and managed with the help of
was like finding a needle in a haystack so
manager Ellie Shephard, the bar and
I almost couldn’t believe my luck when I
its Turkish-inspired garden is helping to
came across this site, which at the time was
spread joy and conviviality across the
called Bolton’s Bar.”
Outlet Joy Bar, Eastbourne Format Cocktail and shisha bar Established 2020 Caterer Omur Yoldas Staff 14 Opening hours: 12 noon-2am Time as a caterer: 20 years
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seaside town. The site is in the heart of the town, right by Omur had been looking for “the right
the shopping centre and other nightclubs
site” in which to open his first bar for
and bars; Umar could see the potential
several years while he was working as
straight away. “Crucially, unlike a lot of the
duty manager at Wetherspoons Cornfield
other bars and clubs in the area, this site
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PROFILE l JOY BAR, EASTBOURNE
OMUR'S SPECIALS BOARD GET OUT Make the most of
any outdoor space you have.
At Joy Bar we
have created an oasis had a large garden area although at that
he explains. “We used lots of authentic
point it was pretty uninspiring!” he admits.
Turkish
materials
including
tiles
to
construct an outdoor bar area and used “The garden was so important as my vision
lots of artificial plants and flowers to give
was always to create a Turkish-inspired
it a really lush feel.
taste of the Middle East with shisha and
“We also fitted a retractable roof which
hookahs, delicious cocktails and of course
was a huge investment, but we wanted
a beautiful, lush setting in which to drink
the space to be comfortable and usable all
it all in. There was, and still is, absolutely
year round so it was well worth the money,
nothing else like that in Eastbourne and
especially given the unpredictable British
sites are like gold dust.”
weather.”
Omur ran the site as Bolton’s Bar until
But the weather wasn’t the only unpredictable
early 2020, when, just ahead of the first
factor to hit the UK shortly after the venue,
national lockdown, he oversaw a total
which Omur had re-named as Joy Bar, re-
refurbishment of the garden area to
opened to reveal its fresh new look.
achieve his Turkish dream. “The garden was given a complete makeover, we
“Just a matter of weeks after re-opening
ripped almost everything up, put down
we were forced to close again which was
new flooring and improved the flow,”
tough but thankfully, due to the garden
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town using our large outdoor space.
MIX IT UP Cocktails are a big
venue that could offer guests a real
APRIL 2022
in the middle of the
trend at the moment,
especially gin-based ones. They draw customers from near and far.
PICTURE PERFECT Invest in adding
Instagram-worthy
features for guests
to picture themselves with. It is certainly working for us!
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PROFILE l JOY BAR, EASTBOURNE
Omur on Social Media
“We had Instagram in mind the whole time when planning out the garden refurbishment and the drinks menu; we wanted to create a place where guests wanted to be seen.”
40 different flavours of gin makeover, we were perfectly set up for
serve in fruits, and we also create our
when restrictions eased and guests were
own.”
allowed to return to socialising outdoors,” Omur says.
Many of Omur’s cocktails feature an innovative technique which creates an
“The garden at that time was such a jewel,
edible smoke bubble on the top, adding
it was like a magnet and while so many
to the theatre of the experience.
other venues in the local area were still closed due to the restrictions, we were one
“The Cloud 9 is our best-seller, it looks
of the lucky ones able to resume trade and
absolutely amazing with its big smoke
we were booming.
bubble on the top and creates a real buzz,” smiles Omur. “Guests love these types of
“The garden has seating for 100 people
innovative cocktails, the bubbles create an
while the inside can take a further 400 so
awesome visual effect that is perfectly suited
when the restrictions were eased fully, the
to Instagram.
business just took off,” he says. “Being Instagram-friendly is so important
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“As a venue we are entirely wet-led, we
these days. Social media has played and
don’t serve any food. It’s all about the
continues to play a big role in our success.
drinks and by drinks, we mean cocktails.
We had Instagram in mind the whole time
That’s what we are famous for. We have
when it came to planning out the garden
a vast selection of different types of
refurbishment and the drinks menu. We
cocktails from classics to internationals,
wanted to create a place where guests
frozen cocktails, tropical ones which we
wanted to be seen.”
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PROFILE l JOY BAR, EASTBOURNE
And
the
Instagram-friendly
approach
doesn’t stop at smoke rings and impactful
my heritage and travels around the world
service which is also very good.”
but also by my travels to different bars.
furniture. “For large tables we also serve
To make sure he has access to the widest
the cocktails in ‘trees’ which again are
“One of my favourite pastimes is visiting
possible range of products, Omur makes
perfect social media bait,” says Omur.
different bars in different cities and
use of Booker’s Direct Delivered service.
seeing how they do things differently “The ‘trees’ are special metal stands which
and the types of innovations they are
“The direct delivery range is really broad
hold up to nine cocktails, when they are
trialling. It’s a fantastic way to get
and allows us to get almost everything
brought to a table, they create such theatre
inspiration and there are some incredible
that we need from there and have one big
that the guests can’t resist snapping
bars in this country doing truly cutting-
delivery a week,” he explains.
pictures of themselves with them.
edge things.” When it comes to drinks, gin continues to lead the way, says Omur.
“We also hire out the outdoor garden
“If we ever need something special we can easily source that from the big Brighton
for special parties and events and we’re
“Gin-based drinks are a huge seller and
branch but I also like to visit my local
becoming increasingly well-known for
we have more than 40 different types
Eastbourne branch to top up at least once
that, which is great.”
of gin behind our bar, the vast majority
or twice a week.
bought through Booker. In fact, almost On Friday and Saturday nights the bar
all our drinks and cocktail ingredients
“We also have a great relationship with the
always has a DJ on too, so it certainly feels
come from Booker. No one else can really
team at Booker. I’m constantly impressed
like a party even if there isn’t a private
compete with the prices, the range, or the
with how helpful they are. It’s a good
event on. To add another Turkish twist, Joy Bar also offers shisha. “The outdoor seating area offers shisha which is another key draw. So many of our features have been inspired by
SHAKING THINGS UP JOY BAR
INNOVATIVE COCKTAILS Joy Bar’s innovative cocktail formulas and show-stopping techniques have helped to make it a hot destination for Instagram-loving guests. The bar’s menu includes an eye-watering selection including classic mixes which it calls Icons, plus Frozen varieties, Mocktails and a unique range of ‘Joy’s Own’ creations. Many of the Joy’s Own cocktails employ innovative cocktailmaking techniques such as smoke bubbles to add crowdpleasing visual and sensory touches. A number of the creations also feature popular dessert and cake flavours such as Strawberry Shortcake, Candyfloss and Cookies & Cream.
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PROFILE l JOY BAR, EASTBOURNE
feeling to know that you have the support
‘Instagrammable’. We currently have just
“Getting any council to grant a new late-
of an organisation like that, especially in the
under 4,000 followers on Instagram and
night licence is almost impossible, so we
current climate.”
that’s climbing week on week.”
need to find a site with an existing one.
But for 2022, the climate for Joy Bar is looking
Plans for a second Joy Bar in Brighton
pretty hot. “I’ve just bought the freehold for
are also afoot. “The hunt for our second
the site so I no longer have to worry about rent
site is also on but, as with this one,
In the meantime, Omur is anticipating a
which is a big relief,” laughs Omur.
finding that perfect site is proving to be
brilliant year filled with many busy nights and
a challenge,” admits Omur. “It needs to
not much sleep! He concludes: “Working in
“We are also planning a mini-makeover of
tick all the right boxes, which once again
this industry does require some extraordinarily
the bar’s interior just ahead of the peak
will be location, garden and late-night
long hours but it’s a passion, a way of life and
summer season to make it even more
licence.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Those three things are mandatory. The rest we can build.”
“Many of our cocktails feature an innovative technique which creates an edible smoke bubble on the top, adding to the theatre of the experience.”
“Invest in adding Instagram-worthy features for guests to picture themselves with. It’s certainly working for us!”
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PROFILE l THE KING AND QUEEN, BRIGHTON
THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN Under Mark Such’s guidance, the King and Queen has evolved to become one of Brighton’s most popular sporting pub and event venues.
With its striking mock-Tudor façade, The King and
Brighton Corn Exchange and an Army barracks.
Queen pub in Brighton is certainly a venue that looks fit to receive royalty. Step through its imposing wooden
However, it was back in 2009 when, under the care of
doors and a venue that has been painstakingly crafted
new General Manager Mark Such, the venue took on
to cater for all is revealed. Built in 1779 as a farmhouse
its current form – an identity which has helped it to
and named in honour of George III and Charlotte,
become one of the most unique and popular sporting
the venue has lived through a number of different
and event venues in the town.
iterations over the years, including a spell as the Mark explains: “I’ve been a caterer since the age of THE LOWDOWN
KING AND QUEEN Outlet The King and Queen, Brighton, East Sussex Format Pub, sports and events venue Covers 330 Owner Mark Such Time as a caterer 27 years Staff 35 (including two chefs)
18 and worked in numerous outlets across England, Europe and the Canary Islands. However, from the moment I saw it, I knew The King and Queen was something special. It could hold up to 560 people and had such a rich history, so I could see the potential straight away. It was a venue that had lost heart and was in need of some serious TLC.” And Mark was just the medicine that the pub doctor ordered. “In the past 12 years I’ve turned the business around. It turned over £1m a year then and now does more than £3.5m a year," he says. "It’s a thriving business.”
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PROFILE l THE KING AND QUEEN, BRIGHTON
CATERING FOR ALL KING AND QUEEN
Food, themed nights and social events While the King and Queen has made its name as one of Brighton’s premier sporting venues, Mark has endeavoured to create an offer for all walks of life and interests, with a packed social calendar of events and themed nights and equally crowd-pleasing menus including classic sellers such as burgers, fish and chips, nachos and sharing platters. The King and Queen is also the proud sponsor of Brighton Rugby Club and The Sussex Swans Australian Rules F.C. It also supports an array of other local businesses by hosting training courses within its many function rooms and even hires its vast cellar space to local businesses.
One of the King and Queen’s key draws is its array of
and rooms are booked out months in advance,”
different bar zones and function rooms including a
Mark adds. “The main bar area has the longest bar in
banqueting hall and Heineken Bar in addition to the
Brighton and we have up to 18 servers on there on a
vast main bar area, all of which feature a table service
Saturday, our busiest day of the week. Above the bar is
offer or party buffet menus to suit various occasions.
The Royal Box, an area with the best seats in the house which can be hired out for sporting events.
“We are a sport-orientated establishment but that’s not our only offer. We strive to offer our guests something
“On the second floor we have our Heineken lounge
different and new so there’s something for everyone.
with pool tables and TVs and a mezzanine area called
We have karaoke nights on Tuesdays, Wednesday is Brighton Rugby Club’s social evening, Thursday is Salsa Dancing, we have Warhammer nights, the list is endless!" And, as Brighton’s premier sporting venue, the King and Queen also showcases sport from across the globe and live football from every league on its huge projector screens and TVs around the entire venue. “Fridays and Saturdays are just full-on birthdays,
Mark on Events
“We have karaoke nights on a Tuesday, Wednesday is Brighton Rugby Club’s social evening, Thursday is Salsa Dancing, we have Warhammer nights, the list is endless!”
parties and celebrations, and all of our private bars
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 19
19
31/03/2022 13:13:56
For a Sensational, Spring Sip CH O O S E A SIP S M ITH L E M O N D RIZ ZLE SP RIT Z
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Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 20
31/03/2022 13:14:01
“There's a space for every type of guest and every type of event, says Mark.”
MARK'S SPECIAL BOARD TAKE IT HIGHER Simple cost-effective menu
Prinny’s after the Prince Regent
around the world plus Champagne
which looks down on the rest of
and Prosecco. There’s a space for
your offer and rate of sale.
the pub. We also have a downstairs
every type of guest and every type
pool room with darts and arcade
of event. Running a place like this
machines, pinball machines and
is like a military operation though!”
other retro games, while outside
Mark laughs.
tweaks can really help elevate
GO VEGAN The vegan scene is huge so consider introducing a few
we have a large courtyard area that holds over 200 people."
simple vegan options to your menu.
TALK IT THROUGH Your Booker branch teams and
CDMs are a fantastic source of inspiration. It makes sense to
use them to talk through new concepts and latest trends.
FEBRUARY 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 21
A military-style precision is certainly employed
when
it
comes
to
The jewel in the King and Queen's
managing the King and Queen’s
crown, however, is the banqueting
fast-selling food and drink offer. “We
hall. "That's where we host weddings
are very wet led: 85% of our revenue
and large events," explains Mark. “It
is wet but food sales are growing,”
can accommodate up to 100 people
says Mark.
standing and 60 for sit-down meals and events.
“Well over 90% of all our products come from Booker and that includes
“We also have a Wine Cellar which
all of our food. Our menu is typical
seats another 60 people and offers
pub grub, but with a twist. We use
a vast selection of wines from
a lot of Middle-Eastern flavours to
21
31/03/2022 13:14:01
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PROFILE l THE KING AND QUEEN, BRIGHTON
Mark on Foods
“Our menu style is typical pub grub but with a twist: we use a lot of lovely middle-eastern flavours to elevate everyday classics and it’s a formula that is proving to be popular.” elevate everyday classics." The venue's biggest-selling dishes are sharing platters and burgers. "We have a small kitchen with only two chefs so we have to be organised and work with great quality products, tweaked or assembled to achieve the desired effect," he says. “Booker’s Chef’s Larder range is fantastic for that. We use the Southern Fried Chicken
90%
of produce is ordered from Booker
Breast Fillet for our Chicken Burgers and also for our top-selling Mexican Chicken Burger which adds bacon, chili cheese and salsa. We’ve turned a product that sells
by letting us trial new products as we
says. “The pub is Grade II Listed so any
brilliantly on its own into one that sells ten-
develop the offer.”
alterations or works are challenging but
fold with just a few simple tweaks.
we have hired a French polisher to re-do In terms of trends, Mark says that demand
the bar and are having some new LED
“Booker’s Chef’s Larder range of sauces
for craft ales and hard seltzers is continuing
lighting fitted along with what should be
such as the Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce,
to soar as is the popularity of gin.
a stunning new copper back to the bar.
Buffalo
Sauce
and
Blackened
Cajun
It should freshen everything up while still
Seasoning are also excellent. The quality is
“Gins are huge for us and we have almost
keeping it within the quirky mock-Tudor
outstanding and the price is even better. It
every flavour under the sun, all sourced from
style that we are so famous for.
lets us add simple twists that really up our
Booker. We have the luxury of a very large
rate of sale."
storeroom, so we are able to buy in bulk
"We’re also gearing up for the summer
and make the most of all the promotions.
and the banqueting hall is booked out
Mark and his team are working hard to drive
We’re large enough to be able to trial new
almost every weekend. We’ve even got
further growth in food sales in 2022 with
trends and see how they do."
bookings into 2023.
various ideas, including the development of more vegan and vegetarian options.
There’s
of
“The last couple of years have been
"The vegan scene is huge in Brighton
opportunities in 2022 for Mark to be
unimaginably tough as a result of the
now and we want to make more of it,"
excited about. “We’re just about to do on
pandemic but it certainly feels like we’re
he comments. “The Booker team at the
a mini makeover of the main bar area just
on the other side of it now. Onwards and
Brighton branch have been really helpful
keep it looking at its impressive best," he
upwards!”
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 23
certainly
no
shortage
23
31/03/2022 13:14:02
PROFILE l CORAL ISLAND, BLACKPOOL
RIDE OF A LIFETIME
Under the watchful eye of Mark Fox, Blackpool’s Coral Island family arcade and dining establishment is geared up for nothing but highs in 2022.
With
almost
40
years
of
catering
experience, including nine years as a Royal Air Force chef, Mark Fox describes his time as a caterer as a “roller-coaster ride” - a very appropriate description, given his current role as senior food and beverage operations manager of Coral Island, Blackpool’s largest entertainment and dining venue, and Europe’s biggest arcade. “I joined Coral Island 22 years ago now. There have been plenty of ups and downs but it’s been great,” Mark says. “I love the diversity. No two days are the same.” Part of what makes life so exciting at Coral Island is the array of different dining venues on the site which vary from smart tableservice restaurants to family-orientated snack bars and fish and chip shops.
THE LOWDOWN
CORAL ISLAND, BLACKPOOL Outlet Coral Island, Central Promenade, Blackpool Format Dining and entertainment venue Established: 1978 Caterer Mark Fox, Senior Food and Beverage Operations Manager Time as catereer 39 years
24
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PROFILE l CORAL ISLAND, BLACKPOOL
MARK'S SPECIAL BOARD SLICK AND QUICK We believe speed of
service will be key in
PEGGY'S
2022. We aim to get food out in under 20 minutes.
HOME COMFORTS Homemade dishes can really set your venue
apart and is one of our key USPs.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
CAPTAIN JACK'S
We have removed
a number of extra “We have seven different food and drink
and braised steaks are made fresh. The
outlets, including three fish and chip
business buys the ingredients from Booker
shops. We offer takeaways, a nightclub
and produces the dishes by hand in-
and three different restaurants, each
house, helping set Coral Island apart from
offering a different style of experience,”
competitors.
toppings and
complications to help
simplify things for our serving and kitchen staff in 2022.
explains Mark. “Then we have Captain Jack’s, a higher “We have Peggy’s which is a very busy
end table-service operation with more
family-orientated cafeteria style operation
of a steak and rib focus and 60 covers,"
that seats 300 diners. Food sits under hot
continues Mark. “However, our busiest
lights and diners pick what they like. It’s very
outlet is The Buccaneer Family Bar and
budget-focused and one of its key USPs is
Restaurant which does 380 covers.
that a family of four can eat for just £11. “It’s more of a pub-style operation and “There is significant demand in Peggy’s for
it’s styled like a Captain’s library, featuring
our range of kids meals, especially as ‘Kids
walls
Eat Free at Coral Island. That’s a big part
portraits and treasures hidden in the
of our USP and we give away over 100,000
floorboards. Diners queue to get in every
free meals to kids each year!”
day during the summer months. It requires
adorned
with
sculpted
pirate
very careful management and we have to All of Mark's curries, pies, lasagnes
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 25
be exceptionally organised in our kitchens
25
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Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 26
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PROFILE l CORAL ISLAND, BLACKPOOL
to keep the wait on food and queues at
relaxed I don’t believe holidaymakers will
“The big thing for us was to get rid of things
the door down.”
have the same levels of confidence travelling
that added time and complexity. So we
abroad that they did pre-pandemic, so
stopped up-selling and removed a number
many will still choose to holiday in the UK."
of the optional extra toppings on things
Mark’s military background helped him implement a rigorous management style
like burgers and fries. There are a number
that was put to good use in 2021 when
To streamline the business to cope with
of reasons, chief of which is that upselling
lockdown rules were finally eased and
growing demand, Mark and his team
slows transactions down and we just want
cooped-up British holidaymakers flocked
undertook a lot of work to make things
to turn as many tables as possible.
to Blackpool.
run more smoothly and take the pressure off the kitchen teams. “Staffing has been
"The second main reason was to simplify
“2021 was an incredible year considering
a challenge and in 2021 we undertook a
things for our kitchen staff. Huge menus
the challenges," he recalls. “We couldn't
forensic analysis of menus and operations
and optional extras mean there’s an hour
get going again until May but still had a
to continue delivering the highest levels of
wait on food because the kitchen staff
phenomenal year. We are anticipating an
service and quality despite the difficulties,"
can’t turn it all around."
extremely busy 2022. Even with restrictions
he explains. Mark says the business will carry these learnings over into 2022. "For us," he says, "2022 will all be about getting the food from fridge to kitchen to plate in the most efficient way. We are currently working to get the food out in under 20 minutes. We have to remember that our diners are here on holiday and having fun, it’s crucial that they go away with a positive feeling. For the amount of meals that we serve, which is more than 1,000 a day in the Buccaneer alone, plus a further 800 on a Sunday when we do a carvery, we do a pretty amazing job." Getting all these plans in place now will be crucial to the success of the business in 2022, believes Mark. And the changes don't stop there. “We’ll also be making a number of changes to our menus, including the removal of certain dishes such as loaded fries," he says. "It sounds odd to take something off that sells, but there’s no doubt that it will help to take
Mark on business
pressure off the kitchen." Additionally,
“Kids Eat Free at Coral Island, that’s a big part of our USP and we give away over 100,000 free meals to kids each year!”
Mark
doesn't
envisage
changing the menus once the season gets into full swing: "We are aiming to have all the menus prepared for the end of March, which is when Blackpool starts to get busy again, and they will stay more or less the same all season. In high season we expect
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 27
27
31/03/2022 13:14:08
OUR CATERING RANGE
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31/03/2022 13:14:13
PROFILE l CORAL ISLAND, BLACKPOOL
to be far too busy to offer any new specials.” Booker’s continued support will certainly play a key role in Mark’s quest for perfection. “Booker is our biggest supplier," he comments. "The vast majority of
our food and drink products come from Booker. We take at least three pallets a day, including all of our frozen chips. We’re on 300 cases a week plus 300 sacks of fresh potatoes for the chip shops. “I have two CDMs who look after me and are invaluable. If there’s ever a problem, I know I can ring them and it
1000 meals served a day
gets sorted. That gives you tremendous peace of mind.
RULES OF ATTRACTION CORAL ISLAND
I also buy a lot of fish from Booker for the fish and chip shops. I buy ‘Shatter Packs’ which are frozen at sea and offer great quality." Mark says that fish and chips is probably the best-selling item across the whole site. Peggy’s snack bar alone sells 18,000 portions a year!
Getting ready for a sizzling summer As one of the UK’s premier holiday destinations, the seaside town of Blackpool benefits from a huge seasonal trade. In fact, 18 million people visited the town in 2019 and thanks to a £1m investment by the local council to “kick-start tourism” post-lockdown, footfall on the seafront during July and August 2021 was more than 60% ahead of pre-pandemic levels. With views on the VisitBlackpool website currently 1.2m ahead of 2019, catering venues such as Coral Island are anticipating a sizzling summer of sales in 2022. Coral Island is implementing several initiatives to streamline its operations ahead of the summer season in a bid to offer diners the highest possible levels of service and quality.
Mark’s focus for 2022 will remain fixed on “stabilising the business,” honing it to its streamlined best. However, plans are afoot for exciting developments in 2023. “Next year the plan is to extend a couple of restaurants,” he concludes. “We’d like to increase the size of Captain Jack’s threefold. It had a great 2021 but it’s only 60 covers and we want to take it to 180 and run it 12 months of the year. It will be no small feat but we think it will be well worth it. “Fortunately, I work with a great team and together with them and the support of Booker I’m sure we’ll make a great success of it. It will certainly be a great ride!”
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 29
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31/03/2022 13:14:15
PROFILE l HARRY’S DINER, FILEY
AMERICAN DREAM John Robins and Josh Collins have created their own little corner of America in Filey in North Yorkshire and diners are flocking from miles around.
Move over fish and chips, a new diner is bringing a taste of the States to the seaside town of Filey in North Yorkshire and locals and holidaymakers alike can’t get enough of it. Founded by life-long caterer John Robins and business partner Josh Collins, Harry’s American Diner has transformed a once nondescript section of the main road between Bridlington and Scarborough into a highway to quality American-style fare and an utterly unique dining experience. John explains: “I’ve been in catering since I left school at 18 and ran pubs for most of that time while my business partner Josh was an area manager for ‘Five Guys’ in the US. We’re passionate about the industry but we’ve always held a similar dream of opening our own place that would offer diners something unexpected, quirky and cool. Finding the right site was always the difficulty.”
THE LOWDOWN
HARRY’S DINER, FILEY, NORTH YORKSHIRE Format American-style diner Owner John Robins Time as catere 25 years Covers 275 Staff: 16 and will hire another 10 for summer Opening hours: 9am-10pm seven days a week
30
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PROFILE lHARRY’S DINER, FILEY
John on Food
“The food offer is totally American – we do classic American-style breakfasts in the mornings like homemade pancakxes and waffles and we serve burgers, hotdogs and ribs throughout the day and into the evening.” That difficulty eased unexpectedly one spring day in early 2020 when Josh and his sister stumbled across a large former car garage site. Josh explains: “My sister had a caravan in a nearby park and one day we saw that it was up for let and thought ‘let’s take a look.’ It was a vast hangar-style structure and was a blank canvas for development. Its location on the busy A16 meant it would be a magnet for passing trade as well as for nearby holiday parks. There was also no other catering competition nearby.” However, with the pandemic prompting the UK’s first national lockdown just days after John and Josh took over the site, the challenge to convert it from hangar to banger was huge. “We took over in March 2020 just before lockdown," laughs Josh. “The upside was that we learned how to build, and we did most of it ourselves." The decision to turn it into an American-style diner "just felt right", he says: "The site lent itself to the concept perfectly. We knew we wanted the look to be cool and quirky and spent a lot of time sourcing all of the interesting features." The result is truly cameraworthy. Walls adorned with black and white photos of
JOHN'S SPECIAL BOARD Keep it fresh We buy fresh as much as possible to ensure we are selling the best quality dishes we can. All
our burgers are made fresh every single day, for instance.
Classic approach We major on classic American fare but if you are going down the classic road it is got to be top quality to help it stand out from the crowd. Delivered benefits Our partnership with Just Eat has become a
major driver of our success, especially during traditionally slower months.
American film stars, statues of sporting superstars and
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 31
APRIL 2022
31/03/2022 13:14:18
THE COMPLETE SOLUTION FROM THE NATION’S FAVORITE MAYONNAISE*
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Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 32
31/03/2022 13:14:19
PROFILE l HARRY’S DINER, FILEY
SOCIALSELLING SOCIAL SELLING
Harry’s Diner John, Josh and the team at Harry’s have spent hours scouring the country
famous historical figures and even classic
day and evening. It’s a simple menu but
American cars.
everything is high quality and fresh.
“Diners love with the look,” John says.
“Bacon Cheeseburger is by far the most
“They come from miles just to order a
popular thing on our menu. It’s the classics
milkshake and burger and take photos of
that sell all day long although we do
themselves to upload to Instagram and
shake things up with new additions every
Facebook. It sells itself really! We opened
couple of months to add interest. We’ve
as soon as we could after lockdown was
just added a Mexican Burger with loaded
lifted which was literally the best timing
nachos which is popular."
for “quirky” US-inspired decorative
as it was the fourth of July – American
features and touches to give the diner
Independence Day. We didn’t have a vast
All burgers are made fresh on site every
an utterly unique look and feel.
amount of time to prepare a grand opening
day and there’s nothing in them but 100%
The result has created a truly
but even so, the opening day was epic."
British beef, all from Booker. "Everything we sell is from Booker," says Josh. "We
Instagram-worthy space that diners can’t resist.
Since then, Harry's Diner has grown
work closely with the butchers in branch.
Diners come from miles around just to
and grown and the business turns over
They mince our beef up fresh every
order a milkshake and a burger and
upwards of £30,000 a week, and that’s
day and have it ready to collect. We get
spend the rest of it taking photos of
during a quieter time of year.
through at least 20 kilos a day.
to Instagram and Facebook. It sells
“The food offer is totally American," enthuses
“Soft drinks and milkshakes are huge sellers
itself. Social media sites such as
Josh. "We do American-style breakfasts in
and we do upwards of 600 milkshakes a
Instagram and Facebook are playing
the mornings with classics like homemade
day. We do a range of classic flavours such
an increasingly powerful role in raising
pancakes and waffles and then we serve
as vanilla and chocolate, but we also do
the profile of the business and they
burgers, hotdogs and ribs throughout the
‘Harry’s Shakes’ in on-trend Nutella and
themselves in the space to upload
now employ a dedicated person to help manage the businesses social feeds.
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 33
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31/03/2022 13:14:20
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15:00
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Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 34
31/03/2022 13:14:20
PROFILE l HARRY’S DINER, FILEY
Lotus Biscoff and Oreo flavours. All the ingredients come from Booker. Josh and the team also make a lot of their own accompaniments on site such as guacamole using ingredients from Booker such as herbs and fresh vegetables but they also buy a lot of the Chef’s Larder sauces too like the Mayonnaise, Mustard and BBQ sauce. “We are a very seasonal business and benefit from a huge lift in the summer but that’s not to say winter is quiet," Josh adds. "We are doing an increasingly big takeaway trade thanks to new partnerships
“Just Eat has become huge and it’s growing all the time; an exclusive cashback rate at Booker earns up to 7% cashback on almost every purchase, which has been an incredible help, especially during the quieter months.” another 200-plus people and is perfect for big events and functions. “We had our first taste of that in October when we put on a Halloween event. We built a large spooky maze out of old fences and scrap from recycling centres and themed it all with different zones: a zombie section, a scarecrow area, creepy clowns. It was banging! “We ticketed the maze and offered everyone who bought tickets 20% off their food bills. We thought we might sell 500 tickets but ended up selling more than
with Just Eat and Deliveroo and we have
“In the summer sales tend to skyrocket.
1,500. It turned a quieter time of the year
parking for 40 cars out the front so people
We currently have 16 members of staff but
into a great month.
can pop in for takeaways.
that will rise to around 30 in the summer.”
"Just Eat has become huge for us. As a
Unsurprisingly, Josh and John are excited
of what we’ve done here at Harry’s Filey.
Just Eat Restaurant Partner, there’s an
about 2022. "We’ve only been open eight
The last two years have been like nothing
exclusive cashback rate at Booker which
months so there’s a lot of firsts to come and
any of us have ever experienced before.
can earn you up to 7% cashback on almost
we’re really looking forward to building up
We’ve pushed ourselves to our limits
every purchase. That scheme alone has
to the summer months and making even
and all of that against the backdrop of
been an incredible help, especially during
more of our outdoor area at the back,"
a global pandemic, but it’s been so, so
the quieter months.
says Josh. "The outdoor area can seat
worth it.”
Josh concludes: “I’m immensely proud
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 35
35
31/03/2022 13:14:21
FEATURE l NEW BLACKGATE PORK RANGE
CARVE OUT MORE SALES
EIGHT
NEW BLACKGATE
BRITISH PORK JOINTS
ITY
NEW
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
100%
ITY
ALIT
Y •Q U A L I T Y
AL
U •Q
•Q U
Caterers can enhance their carvery offer and grow sales and profits with a versatile and fantastic quality new range of Blackgate British pork and gammon joints.
•Q U
U •Q
ALIT
Y •Q U A L I T Y
MONEY BACK AL
ITY
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
ITY
BLACKGATE PORK RANGES M272298
Boneless Leg of Pork 3kg
M272297
Boned & Rolled Rind On Pork Shoulder 3kg
M272322
Boneless Rind On Loin of Pork 3kg
M272296
Boneless & Rindless Half Pork Loin 3kg
M272299
Bone In Rind On Square Cut Pork Belly 3kg
M272323
French Trimmed Pork Rack 3kg
M272324
Pork Tenderloin 2.5kg
M271632
Triple Smoked Half Horseshoe Gammon
There are very few weekly sales opportunities to rival the Sunday
caterers the perfect base for some creative and delicious carvery
carvery, the one time of the week when families and friends gather
menu options to tempt their diners with and grow spend and visit
at their favourite restaurant or pub to tuck into a wholesome, hearty
frequency.
roast dinner together. It has been a great British tradition for as long as anyone can remember – and it’s also the perfect opportunity for
GET CREATIVE
caterers to grow their weekly footfall, sales and profit figures.
The new Blackgate range, like all Blackgate products, is covered by a 100% money-back guarantee, offering caterers complete
With that in mind, and as we leave the coldest season of the year
confidence when ordering the products and planning some
behind and plan for what will hopefully be a warm and profitable
engaging new additions to their carvery menu.
spring and summer, Booker has unveiled an exciting new range of Blackgate British pork and gammon joints.
The all-British range features eight different joints and cuts from tenderloin and pork belly to shoulder and rack, opening up a
The versatile and varied range of eight different joints offers
36
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 36
world of creative opportunity for caterers every Sunday – and
APRIL 2022
31/03/2022 13:14:23
ITY
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
100%
ITY
ALIT
Y •Q U A L I T Y
AL
U •Q
•Q U
FEATURE l NEW BLACKGATE PORK RANGE
PREPARED VEGETABLES
•Q U
U •Q
ALIT
Y •Q U A L I T Y
MONEY BACK
M248149
Peka Roasting Potatoes 6x2kg
M233207
Peka Gratin Dauphinois 6x2kg
M233209
Peka Mashed Potatoes 6x2kg
AL
ITY
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
ITY
VEGETABLES M106290
Red Onions 1x5kg
M106289
Mild Onions 1x5kg
M256165
Cooking Onions 1x5kg
M271645
Banana Shallots 8x1kg
M128788
Leeks 5x2kg
M215036
Mushrooms – Closed Cup 2x1.1kg
M170369
Portobello Mushrooms 1x1.81kg
M097910
Breakfast Flat Mushrooms 1x1.8kg
M215047
Button Mushrooms 1x2.5kg
M272995
Jack’s Broccoli 10x350g
And, as with the entire Blackgate range, the new pork joints deliver
M274817
Jack’s Cauliflower 8xsgl
outstanding value as well as premium quality, helping ensure that your
M272984
Jack’s Savoy Cabbage 12xsgl
Sunday carvery is as profitable as possible.
M272986
Jack’s Red Cabbage 12xsgl
M272988
Jack’s Large White Cabbage x9s
M099783
Carrots 1x10kg
M181639
Large Carrots 1x15kg
M121734
Parsnips 1x5kg
M273686
Jack’s Swede 11x700g
M273134
Jack’s Fine Beans 8x200g
No carvery is complete without all the trimmings like roast spuds
M217378
Mangetout 3x500g
and tasty roasted, steamed or boiled vegetables and Booker offers
M217376
Sugarsnaps 3x500g
throughout the rest of the week for that matter. The Blackgate Triple Smoked Half Horseshoe Gammon, for example, is a show-stopping joint that looks as fantastic as it tastes, the perfect ‘wow’ centrepiece of a stunning carvery offer.
PERFECT PLATFORM While the new pork joints may be the star of the carvery show, they also serve as the perfect profit-boosting platform to grow sales of a whole host of other products like alcoholic and soft drinks, accompaniments, desserts and coffees.
MARCH 2022
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Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 38
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FEATURE l NEW BLACKGATE PORK RANGE
POTATOES M103062
Potatoes Washed Maris Piper 1x20kg
M131323
Washed White Potatoes 1x20kg
M103075
Baking Potatoes – 50's 1x15kg
M103063
Baking Potatoes – 40's 1x15kg
M115542
Baby Potatoes 1x10kg
M253325
Boots Farms Washed Chipping Potatoes
M162732
Jumbo Potatoes 25kg
M226122
Value Potatoes 10kg
M263338
Boots Farms Washed White Potatoes 4x5kg
M131294
Sweet Potatoes 6x2kg
1x20kg
DESSERTS a full range of great quality, great value products to ensure that your customers have the ultimate carvery experience.
M273636
Chef’s Larder Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie 15ptn x 4 £13.99
As well as a full range of potatoes and vegetables, Booker offers some
M252785
excellent pre-prepared solutions that can remove a lot of the effort and time required to create the perfect Sunday afternoon occasion.
M267897 M219358
your kitchen team without fear that the end product will be anything
Red Velvet Cheesecake 14ptn x 6 £16.99 Honeycomb Golden Nugget Cheesecake 14ptn x 6 £16.99
Products like the Peka range of prepared roasting potatoes, gratin dauphinois and mashed potatoes can help alleviate the pressure on
Chef’s Larder Premium New York Baked Vanilla Cheesecake 16ptn x 6 £15.99
M231503
Strawberry Cream Cheesecake 14ptn x 6 £16.99
M275343
Salted Caramel Blondie Cheesecake 14ptn x
M231507
Vanilla & Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake 14ptn x 6
With the main course taken care of, what better way to round off a
M271929
Luxury Rock Fall Brownie 15ptn x 6 £16.99
delicious Sunday roast than with an indulgent, luxuriant dessert. You’re
M257877
other than delicious.
STYLISH FINISH
6 £16.99 £16.99
Booker that help grow spend with minimum fuss for your kitchen team. From Chef’s Larder Chocolate Brownies and the classic Chef’s Larder Premium New York Baked Vanilla Cheesecake to Luxury Rock Fall Brownie and Chef’s Larder Premium 3 layer Choc Fudge Cake, there
Chef’s Larder Premium 3 layer Choc Fudge Cake 14ptns x 6 £12.99
spoilt for choice with an extensive range of eye-catching desserts from M257875
Chef’s Larder Premium The Ultimate Fudge Cake 14ptn x 4 £18.99
M271589
Vegan Choc & Salted Caramel Cake 16ptn x
M275345
Vegan Sicilian Lemon Cake 16ptn x 6 £12.69
6 £12.69
really is something to tempt everyone. And if you’re looking for something brand new to freshen up your dessert menu, why not give Booker’s new Salted Caramel Blondie Cheesecake a go? It’s as indulgent and delicious as it sounds and, sold at a suggested price of £4.95, it will deliver a cash profit of £3.04 on every slice sold.
APRIL 2022
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the change iS In
YYour our HAnds
7 c s
✓ of ✓ su to S ✓ in
M203682
M201948
M201903
Did you know our metal coffee tins* are infinitely recyclable? That means when you buy and recycle Nescafé, you could help us save up to 400 tonnes of packaging from landfill.** It’s just one of the ways we’re improving our coffee from bean to cup. Because every step we take to produce it respectfully, can make a difference globally. It’s in your hands to choose a respectful coffee.
M R
Let’s make a change together. One cup at a time. To find out more go to: www.nestleprofessional.co.uk/ workplace-hub/sustainability
✓
*Lids and foils are also recyclable. **Based on sales figures and resulting packaging from 2021.
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 40
31/03/2022 13:14:39
WHAT GOES INTO A RED ENVIRON UCING OUR MENTAL IMPACT
CING SIBLE SOURCI RESPONSI
IMPROVIN FARMERS’ G LIVELIHOOD S
53% reduction in water withdrawal in our factories
75% of Nescafé coffee was responsibly sourced in 2020 ✓ Traceable to the group of farms where it was grown ✓ Produced in accordance with sustainability standards equivalent to our Responsible Sourcing Standard ✓ Verified or certified by independent third parties 10,000+ women and young farmers empowered
46% reduction in GHG emissions in our factories 20 Nescafé factories using spent coffee grounds as biofuel, saving the equivalent of 5 555’000 55’000 barrels of oil per year
EMPOWERNG ERING ERI COFFEE COMMUNIT UNITIES ITITITES IES
10,000+ farmers benefited from business skills training Strengthened human rights monitoring in Mexico and the Philippines, expanding to new origins
JOIN US ON OUR SUSTAINABILITY TY JOURNEY
MEASURING PROGRESS & REPORTING TRANSPARENTLY ✓ Independent certifications and programs 4C, Rainforest Alliance, others ✓ Impact measurement 13 origins assessed by the Rainforest Alliance
900,000+ farmers trained on best practices 230 agronomists providing hands-on support 235 million coffee plantlets distributed 15 new varieties released Improving farm economics in Mexico, Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras and Vietnam All figures and percentages refer to 2010-2020 period riod unless stated otherwise.
100%
100%
NET ZERO
responsibly sourced coffee by 2025
recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025
helping Nestlé achieve its net zero emissions target by 2050
Towards a regenerative and inclusive coffee sector Our vision is a resilient and regenerative coffee agricultural system that protects and restores forests, drives sustainable livelihoods for farmers, promotes human rights and develops a circular business.
GOOD PEOPLE DESERVE GOOD COFFEE
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 41
31/03/2022 13:15:00
FEATURE l EASTER
Alongside Christmas, Easter is one of the biggest seasonal opportunities to drive footfall, sales and profits as friends and family gather to treat themselves to a great meal and a few drinks. This year Easter Sunday falls on the 17th of April and should be a bumper period with the relaxation of Covid regulations and many
EASTER FEAST
customers keen to resume a normal life. Easter will be the first big opportunity for a long time for many customers to book a table at their local pub or restaurant and organise a great afternoon or evening out – so it’s a huge opportunity for caterers to make sure that the
SUNDAY 17TH APRIL EASTER SUNDAY
booking comes their way. This is where social media comes into its own: a little creativity can go a long way in tempting customers to pick up their smartphone and make that booking. You could simply post your Easter menus and
Easter represents one of the biggest seasonal opportunities on the annual calendar for caterers.
highlight any specials or promotions you might be running. Or organise an Easter ‘like and share’ competition, offering a themed prize or a free meal. Those posts could be enough to grow your audience.
GET CREATIVE WITH EASTER DESSERTS!
Of course, not all Easter parties will
A great way to boost profits this Easter is by getting a little creative with your
offering something to tempt the adults
desserts menu. By adding an Easter-themed dessert or two, you could unlock
as well. A free glass of fizz as an aperitif
even more sales and profits
or a complimentary bottle of house wine
•Q U Y •Q U A L I T Y
MONEY BACK ALIT
U •Q
AL
ITY
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
ITY
minimal effort from your kitchen team but a show-stopping Easter-themed
100%
with dinner? ITY
•Q U
off with Cadbury Mini Eggs and Cadbury Flake pieces. In other words,
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
Y •Q U A L I T Y
New York Cheesecake, all that's required is topping the cheesecake
ITY
ALIT
instance. Based on the best-selling Chef's Larder Premium Luxury Baked
AL
U •Q
Try Booker's new suggested serve, the Easter Egg Cheesecake, for
include children, so it might be worth
treat for your customers. Best of all, if you offer a slice at the suggested sell price of £4.95, you'll make 65% margin, which is £2.71 in cash profit.
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APRIL 2022
31/03/2022 13:15:04
FEATURE l EASTER
GET SOCIAL PRE-LUNCH DRINK For the meal itself, a traditional roast may be the star of the show but there are plenty of other opportunities to grow spend. The pre-lunch drink is a great way of adding sales while also ensuring your customers arrive at their meal hungry and in great spirits. Booker offers a full range of great quality beers, wines and spirits – but with gin still very much the on-trend drink, why not liven up your gin offer with Booker’s new Fever-Tree Sweet Rhubarb & Raspberry Tonic Water? The delicious and attention-grabbing new tonic will bring a fresh twist to a G&T. As for the main course, caterers are spoilt for choice with some great roasting joint options from Booker including eight new Blackgate British pork lines from just £4.29 a kilo, as well
Easter is the perfect occasion to leverage the power of social media. Why not… l Post your Easter menu on Facebook or Instagram and highlight any Easter specials or deals you are planning? l Post enticing shots of the roasts you will be offering this year to drive footfall? l Consider offering a free glass of fizz for every Easter lunch booked? SUNDAY
17TH APRIL
l Offer free desserts for EASTER SUNDAY children at Easter lunch or dinner? l Organise an Easter egg hunt for kids, if you have the space?
as traditional beef roasting
BUY ANY 3 SPIRITS GET A CASE OF MIXERS
joints like the 5 Bone Rib of Beef, both available at just £7.99 a kilo.
Talking of G&Ts Talking of G&Ts, don’t forget that Booker’s fantastic spirits and mixer promotion is back. Simply buy any three bottles of premium spirits and get a case of 24 Britvic mixers absolutely free – the easy way to boost your margins and make the
NT
ORGANISE AN EASTER EGG HU
most of the aperitif opportunity.
APRIL 2022
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FEATURE l BREAKFAST
START THE DAY THE PROFITABLE WAY With a new season approaching and ever-changing consumer trends, it’s the ideal time to take a fresh look at your breakfast menu.
After the challenges of the last couple of years, the recent lifting of most Covid restrictions and a forthcoming new season will present caterers with a host of exciting new opportunities to grow footfall, sales and profits. Among the biggest opportunities is that vital first meal of the day: breakfast. A well-planned breakfast menu that meets the evolving needs of your customers will help you get every day off to a profitable start – and Booker has everything you need to do just that.
BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS BACON M147175
Chef's Essentials Unsmoked Rindless Back Bacon 2kg
M147177
Chef's Essentials Smoked Rindless Back Bacon 2kg
M115362
Chef's Larder Unsmoked Rindless Back Bacon 2kg
M115364
Chef's Larder Smoked Rindless Back Bacon 2kg
M061745
Chef's Larder Unsmoked Streaky Bacon 1.5kg
M061748
Chef's Larder Smoked Streaky Bacon 1.5kg
M115366
Chef's Larder Premium Unsmoked Rindless Prime Back Bacon 2kg
M115368
Chef's Larder Premium Smoked Rindless Prime Back Bacon 2kg
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FEATURE l BREAKFAST
BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS EGGS
CLASSIC APPROACH Consumer trends are always evolving, of course, with lighter, healthier options arguably
M168774
Chef's Essentials 5 Dozen Mixed Weight Fresh Eggs 60pk
M168775
Chef's Larder 15 Dozen Large Fresh Eggs 180s
more popular now than ever and the growth
M273856
Chef's Larder 15 Dozen Medium Fresh Eggs 180s
of vegetarianism and veganism also having an
M168770
Chef's Larder 5 Dozen Large Fresh Eggs 60s
impact on the types of breakfast products that
M168769
Chef's Larder 5 Dozen Medium Free Range Eggs 60s
your customers are looking for, but a sure-fire
M273849
Chef's Larder 5 Dozen Medium Fresh Eggs 60s
way of ensuring great sales at breakfast time
M213923
Farm Fresh 10 Big Eggs 660g 10pk
is by offering a solid selection of traditional
M213924
Farm Fresh 6 Large Free Range Eggs 6pk
classics.
M213956
Fresh Farm 6 Medium Free Range Eggs 6pk
M156542
Chefs Brigade Liquid Egg Yolk 1kg
M156544
Chefs Brigade Liquid Whole Egg 1kg
M156546
Chefs Brigade Liquid Egg White 1kg
No breakfast menu is complete without bacon, eggs and sausages – whether they’re offered in traditional Full English Breakfast format or whether they’re offered in baps or on toast. Booker offers an extensive range of fantastic quality, great value products. The Chef’s Larder bacon range has something to suit every taste and delivers outstanding profit margins every time. When it comes to that other great British staple – sausages – Booker offers a comprehensive range of fresh and frozen bangers including seven Blackgate fresh options and nine frozen option including Chef’s Larder and Chef’s Essentials own brand products, helping maximise convenience and eliminate waste. When it comes to eggs, caterers again have a great selection of fresh eggs in all sizes and including free range, as well as convenient options like Chef’s Brigade liquid egg yolk, liquid whole egg and liquid egg white.
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CREATE THE MOST POPULAR ICED DRINK ON YOUR MENU THIS SUMMER* Millionaire’s Shortbread Iced Shake Kcal: 130 per 100g (650 kcal for 500g milkshake) Cost: £0.78 per serving**
100g Ice 250ml Semi Skimmed Milk 40ml Crusha Chocolate 40g of caramel sauce for drizzling (25g used for the glass) 30g Biscuit Optional Toppings: Cream, Chocolate/Caramel Sauce, Millionaires shortbread, chocolate shavings 1. Biltz all ingredients together in a high-speed blender until ice has broken down and milkshake is smooth and creamy. 2. Drizzle caramel sauce around the sides of the glass before pouring in the milkshake. 3. Add toppings if desired.
* Allegra Cakes, Shakes & Tea breaks UK report 2021. * At current time of production. December 2021.
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 46
M014433
Crusha Chocolate Milkshake
1 x 1ltr
M014385
Crusha Banana Milkshake Mix
1 x 1ltr
31/03/2022 13:15:10
FEATURE l BREAKFAST
LIGHTER OPTIONS As mentioned above, there will also be a number of your customers looking for lighter, healthier options, whether that’s porridge, cereal or continental bakery products like bagels, brioche and pain au chocolat. You can find a fantastic selection of products at www.booker.co.uk that will help you freshen up your breakfast menu and cater to customers looking for something different. One great option to consider is the new St Pierre Brioche Brioche Bagel, a great quality product that serves as the perfect platform to develop exciting new menu items both savoury and sweet. A little creativity can go a long in bringing products like brioche loaf and porridge to life and you’ll find some great serving suggestions on these pages.
BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS MEAT FREE M273654
Naked without the Oink Bacon NEW 10 Slices
M271438
Taste & Glory Vegan Sausages 48s 1.92kg
VEGAN FOCUS One huge trend of the last few years has been the rise and rise of veganism and it makes sense to ensure that you have some vegan options available to help drive footfall and sales. To help caterers target this growing market, Booker has continually grown its range of vegan options. A couple of good examples are the new Naked Without The Oink Bacon and the Taste & Glory Vegan Sausages. Both make fantastic alternatives in a Vegetarian Breakfast. There is no shortage of options to freshen up your breakfast menu and drive new customers to your door and with summer on the horizon, it’s a great time to start planning.
BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS BAKERY FRESH M234118
Chef's Larder Belgian Style Waffles 90g/20s
M224648
Les Brioches Croissants 6s
M275593
St Pierre Brioche Bagel NEW 4s
M199867
St Pierre Belgian Waffle 90g 90g/10s
M263043
St Pierre Brioche Waffle 50g 50g/12s
FROZEN – PART BAKED M131989
Les Brioches 6 Pains au Chocolat 270g 6s
M268989
St Pierre Brioche Loaf 500g
M077968
St Pierre Vanilla Brioche Tear & Share 500g
M235632
Les Brioches Brioche Rolls with Chocolate Chips 6pk
M080764
Bridor Butter Croissant (1.8kg) 30x60g
ALPRO FOR PROFESSIONALS UHT
M159133
Bridor Viennoiserie Mix (30 x Pain Aux Raisins 35g, 30 x Pain Au Chocolat 32g, 30 x Croissant 30g)
CHEF'S LARDER OATS
PROFIT: 61%
M105324 2kgÞ
CASH PROFIT: £1.52
M080763
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 47
Bridor Pain au Chocolat 20x75g
FOREST FRUITS PORRIDGE
M184109 1LTR
SELL PRICE: £2.95 COST PER SERVING: £0.94
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SERVICE l MEET THE TEAM
SAY HELLO TO...
ALAN BRETT-PITT HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE CATERING TRADE? As a youngster I wanted to be a professional footballer but that didn’t work out! I was eventually convinced to consider a role in sales when an opportunity for a trainee salesman came up and that’s how my journey in the catering trade began. Within five years I joined Booker – that was 25 years ago and I’ve never looked back! The meat industry is a passion for me. No other industry faces so many daily changes and challenges. No two days are the same, there’s always something new and different happening. I enjoy everything about it: the daily challenges, the changing trends and especially the people. The people in this trade are genuine, hard-working and so passionate.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
a real double-whammy of challenges and had a huge impact
There’s no such thing as a typical day! However, most days do
on the labour force globally. Trying to maintain availability has
tend to start out the same way with a daily 8.15am call with my
become a great hurdle but it’s one we successfully manage with
supply chain colleagues for a briefing. Meat is a short-life product
an unrelenting focus and fast, efficient action.
so it rolls every day. A whole host of things can impact on the
Y •Q U A L I T Y
100%
ITY
MONEY BACK ALIT
U •Q
•Q U
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
ITY
and traceability are so important for our
ALITY • Q UAL • QU
Y •Q U A L I T Y
Availability, availability, availability! Covid-19 and Brexit delivered
it does what it says on the tin. Provenance
ITY
ALIT
paramount. Whatever we sell at Booker:
AL
U •Q
At Booker the safety of our customers is
WHAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF ACTIVITY FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM AT THE MOMENT?
•Q U
TELL US ABOUT BOOKER’S PROVENANCE CREDENTIALS?
ITY
the rest of my day, so no two days are ever the same.
AL
supply chain. That first early morning call will quite often shape
ABOUTALAN BOOKER MEAT CATEGORY MANAGER
Alan Brett-Pitt started out in his young adult life dreaming of being a professional footballer, as so many people do. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t quite take off but after 30 years in the catering trade, the last 25 of which have been spent working for Booker, he’s certainly scored his fair share of goals and continues to win big with customers. He has worked his way up through the business over that quarter of a century and is now Meat Category Manager for Booker and uses his long experience to help and support his customers make the most of meat to drive footfall, sales and profits.
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SERVICE l MEET THE TEAM
The premiumisation of traditionally cheaper cuts of meat is definitely one I expect to see growing in 2022. customers and if you shop with Booker you can be confident that if you want Aberdeen Angus that is precisely what you will be sold. Equally, if you are looking for imported products for specific dishes, that is what you will be sold too. We deliver what we say and that is really, really important to us and our customers.
BOOKER’S RANGE INCLUDES OPTIONS TO SUIT ALL BUSINESS TYPES AND BUDGETS, DOESN’T IT? We operate on a ‘good, better, best’ policy but even from our entry level products we have the best out there. Our good quality entry level range is Chefs Essential, then we have Chefs Larder in the better category and at the top end we have the best: Chefs Larder Premium and Blackgate Signature. We are so confident on our quality even on our entry level products that we offer a ‘100% Money Back Guarantee.’ I think that highlights the confidence we have in our offer.
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN THOSE VERY HIGH STANDARDS? We have a great team that supports us and more importantly we have great relationships with suppliers who we have worked with for many years, who know our KPIs and what we expect. It’s our brand, our product, our name: that’s what we pay for and that’s what we expect to receive.
BOOKER’S MEAT INDUSTRY EXPERTISE IS SECOND TO NONE. TELL US ABOUT THAT. Booker is the largest catering butcher in the UK. We employ around 400 butchers and we have the largest number of Master Butchers in the UK also working for us. All Booker butchers are also qualified to Craft Butcher Standard. We have won countless awards for our training programmes, and we regularly put anywhere between 60 and 80 branch staff through our apprenticeship programme. Everything we do is also endorsed by the Company of Butchers and fully accredited. Customers will find the same high standard of qualified skilled butchers in all branches, and they can get expert advice from them on cuts, menu
WHAT’S ALAN HEARING... AMERICAN STYLE CUTS AND PREMIUMISATION We are seeing a growing amount of American-style smoke houses coming up so there is a groundswell of interest in cuts that traditionally would have been more used for braising such as brisket and things like that. That premiumisation of traditionally cheaper cuts of meat is definitely becoming an increasingly strong trend and one I expect to see growing in 2022. When it comes to meat, don’t penny pinch, especially with products such as steak. Booker has a good, better, best proposition to suit all business types and budgets from our good-quality entrylevel range Chefs Essential, to Chefs Larder, Chefs Larder Premium and BlackGate. Our branch butchers are all qualified to Craft Butcher Standard and have a wealth of knowledge about products, trends and recipes – talk to them to help drive positive changes in your business.
ideas and money-saving suggestions. I’m incredibly proud of that.
APRIL 2022
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PRICING l PRICES LOCKED DOWN
OVER 250 Booker is giving caterers the confidence they need when planning their menus by locking down the pricing of more than 250 key products.
PRICES
LOCKED
ON MORE THAN 250 PRODUCTS
PRICES LOCKED UNTIL
31ST MAY 2022
Planning ahead in the current market is a challenge for all caterers with a lack of clarity on so many
To access the full list of price locked products, scan the QR code with your smartphone or tablet.
fronts, but Booker is adding some much-needed certainty with a new pricing guarantee that sees prices locked down on over 250 key lines all the way through until the 31st of May. The pricing lockdown lets caterers plan their menus for the coming months with absolute certainty, safe in the knowledge that their profit margins are protected. The guarantees cover a wide range of product categories and the locked down prices include many of the most popular and fastest moving lines in catering, including everything from cooking oil, chips, roasting beef and burgers to Peroni beer, Gordon’s Gin, Smirnoff Vodka and classic Red Bull 250ml cans.
There’s more great news too, with the return of Booker’s immensely popular promotion offering a free case of 24 Britvic mixers with any purchase of three bottles of premium gin.
Booker’s hugely popular promotion offering a free case of 24 Britvic mixers with any purchase of three bottles of premium gin is back! The deal runs across an extensive range of top quality, popular premium gins such as Hendrick’s, Beefeater, Whitley Neill, Brockmans and Tanqueray.
GET
24
BRITVIC MIXERS
FREE
50
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 50
It also includes the fantastic value new Alfred Button London Gin which carries a standard RSP of £11.99 but nets out at just £8.49 a bottle with the free mixer deal. The free case of 24 x 200ml mixers is worth up to £11.79 at WSP and includes the most popular Britvic mixers such as Indian Tonic Water, Indian Tonic Water Low Calorie, Soda Water, Ginger Beer and Spicy Ginger Ale.
APRIL 2022
31/03/2022 13:15:18
PRICING l PRICES LOCKED DOWN
PRICES LOCKED IN EXTENDED AGAIN!!
CHIPS STILL ONLY £9.99 CHEF’S LARDER PREMIUM SUPER CRISP SKIN ON GOURMET FRIES 4X2.5KG M248235
ST PIERRE BRIOCHE BUN 7X6S M205315
£12.39/ CASE PERONI 24X330ML
CHEF’S LARDER PREMIUM SUPER CRISP SKIN ON GOURMET FRIES 4X2.5KG
CHEF’S LARDER PREMIUM GOURMET BURGERS 30X170G M195771
BLACKGATE ROASTING BEEF M203218
£7.99/KILO
£18.99
M248235
SMIRNOFF/ GORDON’S GIN MORGAN’S SPICED 70CL M466599/M627850/ M975813
£10.95
KOPPARBERG 15X500ML 15X500ML M108081/M083358/ M176178/M268777
£19.99
RED BULL 24X250ML M968313
£19.39 2 FOR £36
M606053
£20.99
APRIL 2022
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31/03/2022 13:15:19
FEATURE l AWARD-WINNING OWN BRAND
EVERY ONE’S A WINNER!
With value more important than ever to both caterers and their customers, Booker’s extensive own brand range offers both outstanding value and fantastic quality – and many lines have independent industry awards to prove it.
In the current uncertain economic
The Booker own brand range covers the
Competing against products from
climate, it’s no surprise that value is more
majority of key product categories and
across the entire industry and judged
important than ever to both caterers and
offers caterers high quality, better value
by experienced and objective panels
their customers.
alternatives when preparing their menus.
of industry experts, a rapidly growing number of Booker’s own brand products
Booker’s extensive own brand range
The outstanding quality of Booker’s own
delivers everything that caterers need
brand products has been recognised time
to create fantastic quality meals while
and again in independent industry awards
To give you a flavour of some of those
also keeping their costs under control,
and the long list of industry accolades
triumphs, here are just a few of the products
allowing them to maximise profits.
amassed by the range is testament to this.
that have claims awards for quality and value.
have triumphed and come out on top.
SEE THE FULL RANGE OF OWN BRAND PRODUCTS AT WWW.BOOKER.CO.UK
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FEATURE l AWARD-WINNING OWN BRAND
CRUNCH EXTRA MATURE CHEDDAR 1KG M239286 l
Expertly graded
l
Matured for 18 Months
l
From Taw Valley Creamery
l
Strength 7 - Extra Mature
CHEF’S LARDER PREMIUM SOURDOUGH PIZZA PUCKS 44X250G M267337 l
Ideal for a 12” thin and crispy pizza base
l
Made using an enriched sourdough recipe to give depth of flavour
l
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, halal
CHEF’S LARDER BELGIAN STYLE WAFFLES 20 X 90G (1.8KG) M234118 l
Individually wrapped
l
Ideal for desserts, breakfast and snacks
l
Made with real butter and pearl sugar
CHEF’S LARDER PREMIUM SUPER SKINNY GOURMET JULIENNE FRIES 2.5KG M263668
BLACKGATE SIGNATURE 18 PREMIUM PORK & THREE CHILLI SAUSAGES 1.2KG M248756 l
Made from prime cuts of pork shoulder
l
Suitable for coeliacs and gluten free
APRIL 2022
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 53
l
Ready to cook Grade A, 7mm straight cut potato fries in batter
l
Freeze/Chill
l
Extra crispy coating retains heat for longer
l
Pre-seasoned for great flavour
l
Made with sunflower oil
l
UK Salt Target Compliant
l
No artificial colours
l
Gluten free, suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs
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SERVICE l HOME DELIVERY
DELIVERING GROWTH Home delivery can be a fantastic way to grow sales and reach a wider audience. Catering@ Booker takes a closer look at what’s involved.
There’s little doubt the last couple of years have had a dramatic effect on the way your customers view home delivery. Many customers are now used to picking up their smartphone and ordering much of the food and drink they buy every week from one source or another. What this means is that many of your customers are now more comfortable than ever with home delivery and there is a ready-made audience out there for caterers interested in dipping their toe in the home delivery waters for the first time. And if you already do home delivery, now could be a great time to examine how you could ramp your operation up to help you grow sales and profits. But where do caterers start? Booker
The next step is to make sure you understand
SIZE OF THE PRIZE
Sales Director Darren Bown says:
the commercials of home delivery.“Home
The size of the home delivery market for
“The first step is to realise that help
delivery can be a hugely powerful way
food and drink is enormous. Statista, the
is already at hand. Booker already
of growing your business, but it can be
global business data platform, suggests
offers everything you need to get your
complex and caterers should ensure they
that the online food delivery market in the
business ready for home delivery. From
understand the commercials inside out.”
UK will reach over £13bn in 2022, almost
food and drink to consumables like
double the £7bn of 2020. More than
takeaway containers and packaging,
LOCATION, LOCATION
half of that is accounted for by catering
Booker already stocks literally
One of the most important factors is
businesses.
everything you need.”
location, as Darren highlights: “In urban
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SERVICE l HOME DELIVERY
areas, caterers will have
of drivers and vehicles, routing,
easier access to drivers and a
managing the order process and
bigger population of potential
more. Darren says: “Doing deliveries
customers for their home
can obviously add cost to your
delivery services. The opposite
business but if you do it well, the
tends to be true in rural areas.
extra business you generate will
That doesn’t mean it can’t work
more than cover those costs.”
in rural areas, but it can make it more challenging.”
Alternatively, you could use one of the third-party ‘aggregators’ like
THREE OPTIONS
Just Eat. They will provide you with
There are three main options
all the tools you need to get online
available to caterers considering
with minimum fuss – but it comes at
home delivery:
a cost of up to 35-40% commission on every order and delivery.
DO IT YOURSELF Recruit your own drivers
Booker has an existing relationship
and take care of the
with Just Eat and caterers who
management of deliveries
sell on Just Eat gain benefit
yourself.
from savings from Booker in key categories like chips, protein, packaging and soft drinks.of
CASE STUDY:
ELITE CATERING, GLASGOW
USE A 3RD PARTY
benefits including savings from
Work with a delivery
Booker in key categories like chips,
Glasgow-based Alan Olone’s Elite Catering
specialist like Stuart or tap
chicken, packaging and soft drinks.
business operates two main brands, Macarico
into your local gig ecomony
and Bistecca, across three sites in and
for people already offering
ORDERING SYSTEM
around the city offering both dining-in and
this service.
The next step is to organise your
takeaway options. The business prides itself
ordering system. If you go with an
on delivering “restaurant-quality food in a
aggregator, they have their own
takeaway format.” Increasingly, this involves
ordering systems which are easy
delivering right to the customer’s door.
USE A THIRD PARTY AGGREGATOR LIKE JUST EAT.
to set up and implement. If you choose to do it yourself, one of the
Up to 80% of sales are accounted for
easiest ways is by using one of the
by takeaway food. “Home delivery is
There are pluses and negatives
many ready-built plug-and-play
increasingly important for us,” explains
to each option and it’s one of the
apps that are available for popular
Alan. “We pride ourselves on the speed and
biggest decisions that caterers will
social media sites like Facebook.
quality of our own home delivery service. Our delivery service is fully controlled, we
need to take.Organising delivery yourself offers a number of obvious
The apps allow you to set up an
have our own methods, our own routes and
benefits, says Darren. You have
online ordering portal and start
we use all our own drivers.
full control over the process, you
taking online orders very quickly
manage interactions with the
indeed with a minimum of fuss
Location is key, says Alan. “Our Glasgow
customer and you have greater
Simply populate the app with your
Macarico is perfect. The motorway slip-road
control over the cost-side.
menu and prices, set a delivery area
is literally right behind the shop. It means
perimeter and you’re ready to go -
that we can get to areas that are five miles
It does, however, add considerable
and then it’s time to start shouting
away in just five minutes. We deliver to 14
workload having to manage a fleet
about your new delivery service.
different postcodes and we are mobbed!”
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FEATURE l COFFEE
BREWING BIGGER PROFITS Coffee is one of the biggest profit drivers in hospitality so having your coffee offer on point and on trend is a great way to grow your business. in context, that’s even higher than the number of people who regularly consume soft drinks (58%). Given the massive growth of coffee over the last decade or so, that finding perhaps shouldn’t come as much of a surprise – and it certainly highlights the enormous footfall, sales and profit opportunity that exists for caterers with a strong coffee offer. “Coffee simply is one of the biggest contributors to your bottom line,” says Tim Sturk of Cherry Coffee Training, a renowned and award-winning coffee trainer and the man responsible for training Booker CDMs in the fine art of making delicious and profitable coffee. The UK, as we all know, is a nation of tea lovers – so it may
Take the example of, for instance, a case of Lichfields Italian
surprise you to learn that, according to the latest research from
Espresso Beans. It costs just £56.99 and it will make around 450
global insight specialists Statista, coffee is now neck and neck
cups of fantastic quality coffee. When you’ve sold those 450 cups
with tea as the UK’s most frequently consumed beverage. The
at £2.50 each, you’ve made a gross profit of £1,000!
large-scale survey, which ran between June 2020 and July 2021,
“The potential to grow profits solely from coffee is enormous,”
found that 63% of people regularly consume coffee, exactly the
continues Tim, “and really that outcome depends on one factor:
same percentage as say they regularly consume tea. To put that
quality in the cup. It’s often overlooked how simple it is to make a
THE
PILLARS OF GREAT COFFEE
1. FRESH PRODUCTS Grind fresh. If storing, keep it sealed, airtight, cool and never refrigerate. 2. CLEAN MACHINERY Clean coffee kit and machines gives better-tasting coffee. 3. GREAT MILK Over 80% of UK coffee-based beverages contain milk, therefore, great milk simply needs to be well textured, ready to drink and under 70 degrees centigrade. 4. GREAT SERVICE Coffee made well... by people, for people.
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FEATURE l COFFEE
Coffee Beans LICHFIELDS ITALIAN ESPRESSO BEANS M132756 1kg M212519 8x1kg Arabica/Robusta Strength: Medium/Strong 4 Full of character and complexity, a typical continental style coffee. £7.49 single / £56.99 case LICHFIELDS GOURMET ESPRESSO BEANS M132754 1kg M212518 8x1kg 100% Arabica Strength: Strong 5 Rich and intense with dark chocolate and spicy notes. £11.99 single / £87.99 case
HELPING US HELP YOU… To help the team at Booker offer you
“We highlight how tea has a much wider
the best possible support and advice
‘operation window’. A badly made tea
when it comes to driving footfall, sales
doesn’t necessarily taste unpleasant –
and profits in your business through a
but a badly made coffee does. And the
great coffee offer, all Booker CDMs have
more we roast coffee, the smaller that
Ground Coffee
gone through professional coffee training
operation window becomes.
LICHFIELDS FAIRTRADE ORIGINAL GROUND COFFEE M196440 1kg M212532 8x1kg Medium roast coffee, smooth and well-rounded with a fine balanced flavour. Perfect for drinking any time of the day. £7.99 single / £58.99 case
The courses were run by Tim Sturk of
that espresso is only 30mls in volume
Cherry Coffee Training, a renowned and
and customers might pay £2 for one.
award-winning coffee trainer, consultant
If they were filling a 750 ml bottle of
and a World Barista Championship judge.
wine with espresso it would cost £50
Filter Coffee LICHFIELDS FAIRTRADE ORIGINAL FILTER COFFEE M132729 20x65g Medium roast coffee, smooth and well-rounded with a fine balanced flavour. Perfect for drinking any time of the day. £15.99
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Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 58
courses. “I always say that you should remember
a bottle! So, if they were paying £50 Tim explains: “We have delivered training
for a single bottle of wine, they would
sessions to over 125 Booker CDMs that
expect world class quality. That is what
gives them great insight into all aspects
customers are paying for every time they
of the world of coffee and helps them
buy an espresso. The question is, are they
help you make more of one of the most
getting it?”
popular beverages on earth. “We cover an array of topics from identifying what makes coffee good (and what makes it bad), and what role we all play in coffee… and yes, we all do play a role! We also covered the four pillars of great coffee: fresh products, clean machinery, great milk and awesome customer service.
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FEATURE l COFFEE
MAKE £,1000 GROSS PROFIT* From one case of Lichfields Italian Espresso Beans 8x1kg at £56.99
TOP 5 COFFEE TIPS Award-winning coffee trainer,
Makes at least 450 cups (16g dose) to sell at £2.50 a cup
consultant and World Barista
*Costings are for illustrations purposes and accounts for waste and addition of milk. Ask your local sales contact for further information about profit opportunity.
business:
Championship Judge Tim Sturk offers the following five tips for leveraging the power of coffee to grow your
1 Teach everyone who handles coffee in your business how to taste coffee. Even if they don’t like it, they should be able to tell a wellmade cup from one that is not. 2 Teach the same people what causes
great tasting cup of coffee – but it’s just as easy to make a poor tasting cup that will never encourage a second visit.”
those bad tastes and how to correct them. 3 Empower your staff to intelligently
Coffee should be treated in exactly the same way as food, urges Tim: “We know that a skilled, well-trained, passionate chef can make their ingredients sing! And exactly the same thing is true of a well-trained, passionate barista.” So what exactly makes a great cup of coffee? For Tim, it comes down to just four pillars: fresh products, clean machinery, great milk and awesome customer service. The importance of fantastic quality fresh products cannot be over-stated he says,
serve great quality coffee. A wellmade, delicious coffee should not be an accident, it should be intended. 4 Be relentless about quality. It pays dividends – literally. 5 Look after your staff and they will
recommending an Italian Espresso coffee like Lichfield’s as the perfect choice for
look after your business. Develop an
catering establishments.
in-house culture of coffee education and development.
“It’s a blend of 75% Arabica and 25% Robusta, it delivers a full bodied, intense coffee flavour with a rich creamy body and syrupy mouthfeel,” he enthuses. “It has flavours of sweet caramelised sugars, dark and milk chocolate with a very subtle hint of orange followed in the aftertaste by honeycomb sweetness.” Follow these four pillars and you are well on your way to increased customer satisfaction and increased profits. And it’s worth reiterating just how important a profit-driver coffee
Ask your local sales contact for more information.
is. How many other £56.99 investments deliver £1,000 of GP for your business?
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HAND-CRAFTED ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT
FREE•YOUR•SPIRIT I S L E O F WI G H T D I S T I L L E R Y.CO M | @ M E R M A I D G I N M241503 | M241504
Mermaid Gin Poster_Booker_210x280mm_AW.indd 1 Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 60
25/10/2021 11:47 31/03/2022 13:15:41
RANGE REVIEW l @DESSERTS
MAKE MORE WITH DESSERTS
NEW
With a new season and a host of celebratory occasions on the horizon, it’s a great time to freshen up your desserts offer with some brand new products and some fantastic new serving ideas. As excitement builds for the new season that lies ahead and the
Also new from Booker is a luxuriant Salted Caramel Blondie
many new opportunities it brings, it’s the perfect time to freshen
Cheesecake, the perfect way to round off a fantastic meal.
up your desserts offer. With some huge celebratory occasions like Easter and Mother’s Day on the horizon, giving your desserts
The new line offers margins of 73% when sold at the suggested
menu a new lease of life by adding some brand new products
sell price of £4.95 which should make it as popular with caterers
or getting creative with some existing products could be a great
as it is with diners.
way to grow footfall, sales and profits. Additionally, caterers can get as creative as they like with these To help you do just, Booker has unveiled some mouth-watering
new desserts, further enhancing the look and taste of the
new desserts and some creative new serving suggestions to make
products. Why not top them with some desserts sauces or add
sure that you squeeze every penny of profit out of every meal.
a few berries to make them even more tasty, and even more Instagram-friendly?
ALL NEW With veganism continuing to be an important trend in catering, Booker has launched an exciting new vegan Sicilian Lemon Cake that not only looks fantastic and tastes delicious, it also delivers
NEW
NEW
profit margins in excess of 70% when offered to diners at a suggested sell price of £4.95. According to Kantar, the UK plant-based food category is now worth in excess of £1.2bn a year, so this new vegan dessert allows you to add a great quality, great value vegan option to your menu and appeal to a wider audience of diners.
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STOCK UP FOR LAUNCH REVIEW l XXX
Spring Cleaning XXXX xxx
SPECIALIST
xxxx
MENU IDEA BEETROOT & BUTTERNUT SQUASH LATTICE WELLINGTON
xxxx
M272166
WITH PEKA ROASTED POTATOES M248162Þ
SELL PRICE: £7.99
EFFICIENT CLOTHS & SCOURERS TO CATER PROFIT: 70% FOR ALL BUSINESS CLEANING NEEDS CASH PROFIT: £4.97 COST PER SERVING: £2.13
10 MICROFIBRE CLOTHS M173033 • 6 GENERAL PURPOSE SPONGE SCOURERS M173015 • 6 NON SCRATCH SPONGE SCOURERS M173019 • 10 SPONGE CLOTHS M173012 • 10 HEAVY DUTY SCOURING PADS M172988 APRIL 2022
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NEW PRODUCTS l @BOOKER
FIVE WAYS…
that can be used as the base for a wide
Of course, adding excitement to your
array of delicious desserts. What’s more,
desserts menu needn’t always mean
with a little creativity you can even create
adding new lines. A great way of refreshing
occasion-specific desserts. A Smartie
the menu is by getting a little more
cheesecake for family occasions, for
creative with products you already buy.
instance. Or an Easter Egg Cheesecake
THE BASE
that will really bring Easter to life. The Chef’s Larder Premium Luxury Baked New York Cheesecake is the perfect
To offer you some inspiration that might
platform to help you and your team
help fire the creativity of you and your
unleash their creativity. A top-selling
team, here are five serving suggestions
product that delivers outstanding quality
based on the Chef’s Larder Premium
and value, it’s also a very versatile product
Luxury Baked New York Cheesecake.
ONE PRODUCT...FIVE IDEAS
Chef’s Larder Premium Luxury Baked New York Cheesecake M252785 16ptn
Summer Fruits Cheesecake
SELL PRICE: £4.95
M255066 Chef’s Larder Summer Fruits 1kg
COST PER SERVING: £1.25 % PROFIT: 72%
Smartie cheesecake
SELL PRICE: £4.95
M252785 Chef’s Larder Premium NY Baked Vanilla Cheesecake 16ptn
COST PER SERVING: £1.42
M273352 Nestle Smarties Mini Mix-In 500g
Kitkat cheesecake
SELL PRICE: £4.95
M252785 Chef’s Larder Premium NY Baked Vanilla Cheesecake 16ptn
COST PER SERVING: £1.36
M273337 KitKat Mix-In 400g M273002 KitKat Mix-In 3kg
SELL PRICE: £4.95
M252785 Chef’s Larder Premium NY Baked Vanilla Cheesecake 16ptn
COST PER SERVING: £1.40
M940140 Chef’s Larder Hazelnut Chocolate Spread 30x43g
% PROFIT: 66%
Easter Egg cheesecake
SELL PRICE: £4.95
M252785 Chef’s Larder Premium NY Baked Vanilla Cheesecake 16ptn
COST PER SERVING: £1.42
M254825 Cadbury Mini Egg Bag 80g M254825 Cadbury Mini Egg Bag 80g
Mar-Apr Issue 3.indd 63
% PROFIT: 67%
Kinder Bueno cheesecake M940140 Kinder Bueno 30x43g
APRIL 2022
% PROFIT: 65%
% PROFIT: 65%
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GUEST COLUMN l COFFEE
COFFEE CONSULTANT AND LEADING COFFEE TRAINER TIM STURK HIGHLIGHTS THE VITAL ROLE THAT GREAT QUALITY COFFEE PLAYS IN TODAY'S CATERING ENVIRONMENT.
WHAT’S IN YOUR CUP?
Coffee is a huge contributor to your business's bottom line with enormous potential to grow footfall, sales and profits. practices. That statement alone should resonate with many operators. A decent chef knows when they have got it wrong and will not serve a dodgy dish to a customer. A decent barista also knows when the coffee is not right and will most likely not serve it and remake it. The alternative is the barista who knowingly serves a poor-quality coffee because either he is ‘too busy’, doesn’t know how to fix it or is being pressured by his line manager/boss to just ‘get the coffees out’.
Put simply, coffee is one of the biggest contributors to your
There are two types of baristas (or employees for that matter):
bottom line! The potential to grow profits solely from coffee is
the ‘don’t knows’ and the ‘don’t cares’. The ‘don’t knows’ can
enormous – but realising that potential really depends on just
be taught, the ‘don’t cares’… well it is your business, you will
one factor: quality in the cup. That may sound like an old story
have to decide who you want to employ. Any business hoping to
but it is amazing just how often it is overlooked, and how simple
maximise its potential is spending the time, energy and money
it is to make a great-tasting cup of coffee. Conversely, it is just
on their food service to ensure it is the best that it can be. I
as easy to make a poor tasting cup that will never encourage a
appreciate that there will always be variable levels of quality
second visit.
based on cost/price of menu, but really, this is the difference between fast food and Michelin-starred food. However, both
Let’s get one thing straight: coffee is food. I saw an ad this morning
levels of service start with the exact same health, safety and
claiming that ‘barista quality’ coffee was coming to UK drive-thru
hygiene standards – those are non-negotiable.
outlets. What exactly is ‘barista quality’? This is marketing speak/ spin trying to confuse consumers and capitalise on their fascination
What varies as you climb the ladder will be quality of ingredients,
with all things barista.
decor of the premises, quality and levels of staff training, long term business vision vs short term business vision. Short term
Anyone who makes coffee can be called a barista because it
vision (taking money) focuses on cramming the till full of money
is actually the Italian word for bartender! There is no training
today, without any forethought to tomorrow. Long term (making
required to be a barista. Just as there is no training required
money) vision focuses on what the business will look like in one,
to be called a chef. We do not talk of food being ‘chef quality’
two or five years down the road.
because consumers would laugh at us. But it seems with coffee, consumers are often happy to be led down the most popular
What kind of business are you?
path towards the biggest voices. What we do know is that a skilled, well-trained, passionate barista
Tim Sturk is Director of Coffee Education
– or chef – can make their ingredients sing!
at Cherry Coffee Training and is an official trainer working regularly with Booker's
I reiterate, coffee is food, and it should be handled with care and
team. Tim is an industry leader in coffee
attention, with an eye towards proper health, safety and hygiene
training, development and education.
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YOUR SHOUT
YOURSHOUT BE A PART OF BOOKER’S GROWING COMMUNITY OF CATERERS AND HAVE YOUR SAY
SEASONAL OPPORTUNITIES With a host of major seasonal opportunities on the horizon, how do you suggest caterers go about maximising the opportunity now that lockdown restrictions are being removed? Omur Yoldas, Joy Bar, Eastbourne
Simon King, Sales Director – Catering, said: "Seasonal
CALORIE LABELLING ON THE CARDS I am aware that new legislation is due to come into force over the next few months requiring caterers to highlight the amount of calories that are in everything that's on their menu. Can you advise on what this will mean for caterers and how we get ready for the change in good time? William Sloan, The Number 10 Hotel, Glasgow
occasions like Easter are great
Simon King, Sales Director – Catering, said: "From the 6th of April this year, caterers
opportunities to grow sales
will indeed be required by law to display the calorie content of their food, although the
and profits – and this year
rules only apply to large businesses – those with 250 or more employees. Under the new
could be extra special. Booker
regulations, qualifying caterers will need to clearly and legibly display the energy content
has put together a package
of the food in kilocalories, reference the size of the portion to which the calorie information
of promotions, activities and support to help you really cash in on the first restriction-free Easter since 2019." See p40
relates and display the statement that ‘adults need around 2,000 kcal a day’. In practice, this will be a reasonably straightforward process with calorie labelling on menus. If you operate a delivery service, the rules will still apply and calorie information must be made available to the customer when the food is delivered in the form of, for example, a calorie-labelled menu with the order or stickers on food containers displaying calorie information. For more information, turn to page 9.”
HOW BIG AN OPPORTUNITY IS HOME DELIVERY FOR CATERERS? The growth of home delivery over the last couple of years has been phenomenal with many industry colleagues having great success with it during the difficult lockdown periods. Do you believe it will remain an opportunity in the long term with restrictions removed? Mark Such, The King & Queen, Brighton Simon King, Sales Director – Catering, said: "According to Lumina Intelligence, foodservice home delivery will have grown by an enormous £5.7bn between 2019 and 2022. It's flourished under lockdown but current data suggests the removal of Covid restrictions is not having a major impact on consumers' use of delivery services, perhaps because they've become used to the convenience and will continue to use the service into the future. It's not for everyone, but it works well for many caterers and is worth considering. Turn to p54 for more insight."
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