Wine List with BBQ TIME!
It’s offi cial: BBQ season is here! Even if the weather in the UK’s somewhat unreliable, as soon as the temperature creeps into the high teens Brits are ready to embrace the fun of cooking outside.
Pubs can make the most of this opportunity - Hosting BBQs over the summer season is a great way to increase footfall and encourage punters to stay for longer.
Hosting a BBQ also provides an opportunity to suggest appropriate wine matches. Here are some ideas:
• Grilled prawns are a delicious seafood treat and pair well with a crisp white wine, or even a lighter red such as Explorer Pinot Noir – being medium bodied, it pairs well with the meatiness of the fish. Grilled tuna is another good match. • Sales of rosé wine always go through the roof during the summer. This wine style tastes great on its own or with food. Poultry on the BBQ such as chicken kebabs are a good match to Casillero del Diablo Shiraz Rosé. Crisp, dry, and bursting with fruit flavours, it also pairs well with salads and seafood. • Red meat is always a popular choice – sausages, burgers or steak are easy to prepare and rich in flavour. Try Sunrise Cabernet Sauvignon – its well-balanced and refined character works well with a succulent steak or classic pub burger. • Vegetarian options are always essential at any BBQ - why not try a clever stuffed pepper recipe, grilled vegetable skewer or a crisp baby leaf salad accompanied with a refreshing Mountain Range Sauvignon Blanc. • And last but never least, don’t forget dessert! If you’re feeling adventurous you could make fruit kebabs or grilled pineapple on the BBQ.
Or prepare in advance and offer an indulgent sundae. Sweeter foods need a sweeter wine to match so will pair well with an off-dry rosé with a fruity character like CyT Blush Rosé.
Remember to promote the BBQ in advance to ensure a good turnout – you could develop striking point of sale materials to display in your pub, or send out information in an e-newsletter
to prospective customers. Summer meal deals will also increase popularity, for example offering ‘two BBQ meals with a bottle of wine’ for a great price. If successful, you may even want to make BBQs a regular fixture over the summer, to draw the customers in.
Taking the heat out of BBQ risk
HE barbecue season represents a major opportunity for pubs and restaurants – but it can be undermined unless chefs and operators tackle the food safety challenges that go with it.
Al fresco cooking brings a raft of challenges, says supplier T
That’s the warning from The Big Kitchen, a supplier of cooked, frozen and chilled meat products to the foodservice industry. Cooking food outwith the sterile kitchen environment brings its own set of challenges for caterers, according to the company’s commercial director Jonathan Ashmore. The variable heat and temperature of a barbecue only adds to the pressure, he said.
“Everybody loves a barbecue and it is a fantastic business
opportunity for the foodservice industry – but there is a downside for caterers because barbecues also represent a major challenge in terms of food safety,” he said. “Popular barbecue foods such as sausages can be diffi cult enough to cook at the best of times on a standard cooker but preparing them on a barbecue is even more challenging.
“Another factor adding to the pressures facing caterers is that customers are used to fast delivery times and so expect their food to be served up very quickly.
“This cannot always be achieved on a busy barbecue, especially with raw meat.” Given the challenges, Jonathan reckons there is an opportunity for some caterers
to switch to pre-cooked meat products. “This approach also allows caterers to reduce preparation times, as the products need just a few minutes to be heated, while guaranteeing a consistent result for customers,” he explained. “Another major benefi t of using pre-cooked items is that it makes food preparation
Barbecues are a great business opportunity but they bring extra food safety challenges.
www.cyt-uk.com The Big Kitchen supplies a range of cooked, frozen and chilled meat products. 40 - SLTN - April 28, 2011
much simpler and can speed up the level of service. “This has advantages for caterers in terms of the number of staff needed and their level of skills which can ultimately help reduce costs. “The barbecue season is a huge opportunity for caterers because nothing beats a great barbecue on a summer’s day but, at the same time, the risk of food poisoning is signifi cant when you are catering outdoors. This is something that caterers need to face up to if they want to make their barbecue memorable for the right reasons.”
MOT Your
catering - barbecues
The variable heat and temperature of a barbecue can add to the challenges of al fresco cooking.
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