CATERING
agreed – in all of the sessions around 80% of hands went up.
We are really conscious when developing our recipes, if we can make something gluten-free then we always will, because often it’s not the more expensive option and nor does it affect the taste or flavour in most cases. We have an amazing brownie recipe that’s gluten free and you would never know the difference!
TFM: You have a dedicated food development centre, and Jim’s job is focussed heavily on finding new trends and how to make them work for Gather & Gather customers, but how do you decide between what is a food trend and what is a fad diet?
KT: They’re kind of similar in my opinion. There’s certain things that are fashionable at the moment, like Kale, which is actually one of the most expensive greens on the market, yes it’s really good for you but because it’s trendy it’s pushed the price up, when really there are so many other greens out there that are just as beneficial but are being overlooked.
Ultimately we do need to include it in our menu, but also to make sure we stay focused on the balanced living: everything in moderation. We make sure these popular things are available but we try not to harp on about it.
This low-carb thing, it’s a fad but it’s been going on for a while, it’s still going on at the moment, but not as much as it was 10 years ago, so we make sure to have those options on the menu, but we try not to advocate them; so customers get the best of both worlds.
Coconut water is another example – we sell it, but some people like it and others don’t, it comes down to personal choice; coconut water sells brilliantly in some places but not others.
JN: For me it comes from experience, I’ve been doing this a long time and I think you can spot a fad. A great example of a fad is the Kronut; the sorts of things that come from people not really having any new ideas, so they just hybridise existing produce.
www.tomorrowsfm.com
Whereas, if you look at the health products, like seeds and Kale, they’ve actually been around for centuries so they’re unlikely to go away; although they’re trendy at the moment I don’t think they’re faddish. A fad is something that’s created for the sake of creating it and I think we’re pretty good at spotting those now.
TFM: Have you noticed any foods becoming more popular?
JN: With the health and well-being stuff absolutely, we’re quite forward- thinking on that and we’re quite quick in getting those straight to market. We jumped on the Kale bandwagon probably about a year ago now, and Kate’s been working hard to keep those fresh. Also any kind of ancient grains are really popular at the moment, people love those on the restaurant counters; all of the big leafy vegetables, seeds and nuts, seaweed – they are the trendy things at the moment.
But also we’ve seen a lot of south American influence that’s come through very heavily in the last twelve months; there’s a lot of great ingredients from there like pulses, herbs and spices so that’s given a lot of inspiration.
TFM:What goes on at the Food Development Centre?
JN:We’ve got a big team up there who develop dishes, they’ll either take some inspiration from the high street, a retailer or restaurant, take them apart and put them back together again, re-engineering them in our own way, and Kate will do her nutritional work and make sure they’re balanced and nutritious and that they are a real Gather & Gather dish; they must have the look, the smell and the taste that’s right for our customers.
The team to seem to be developing a good reputation as well as tasty treats in their kitchen, they have created the right balance for their clients, to ensure they get the best of both worlds, I’m looking forward to what they’ll be cooking up next.
www.gatherandgather.com TOMORROW’S FM | 25
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