Chef Works UK – August Barometer

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S HOT
AND WHAT’S NOT IN UK HOSPITALITY RIGHT NOW!

UP

Red Velvet Lattes

The pink drink social media trend continues, and the latest Instagram favourite is Red Velvet coffees.

Baristas are practising the art of lattes made with beetroot and millennials are going mad for it. Drinking your veggie juice in latte form is a hot new coffee trend, made even more appealing when it’s vegan and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. A morning brew with a superfood-boost thrown in? Sold.

 

Pigs Trotters

The unlikely ingredient is rising up menus as the ‘nose-to-tail’ dining trend continues to gather pace in the UK. More and more restaurants are on a mission to reduce wastage by utilising every conceivable part of an animal – even the bits traditionally considered inedible.

Eating ethically and consuming more consciously has never been so high on diners’ agendas, which in turn has made them more willing to embrace ‘scary’ ingredients such as heads, trotters, offal and bone marrow.

 

Temperatures

With summer temperatures in the UK reaching record-breaking levels, no-one’s felt it more than those of you working in sizzling hot kitchens.

So it’s no surprise that we’ve seen orders for our Cool Vent™ products soar along with the Fahrenheit. The collection is designed to whisk heat and moisture away from skin and allow cool air in with our award-winning fabric technology (think sporty side panels on your chef coat like a football jersey, or much needed extra ventilation in areas where you need it on your trousers).

And an extra #chefhack? Best worn fresh out of the fridge!

 

DOWN

‘Lifestyle’ Allergies

High on the list of chef pet peeves this month is the growing number of customers with claimed allergies which aren’t actually allergies. Rather, just food preferences.

Those diners who can be allergic one minute, and then when told a dish can’t be changed due to ingredients, will have it anyway. Chefs always go the extra mile to make sure allergies are catered for, and that goes for food preferences too – so honesty is the best policy!

 

Food Waste

It’s widely reported that food waste has been reaching crisis levels in the UK, and it continues to get worse with food insecurity and fears of post-Brexit food stockpiling.

Food poverty campaigners are working harder than ever to reverse the crisis. This month, Kathleen Kerridge made a national call for people to relearn the skill of making new meals out of their leftovers, while social enterprise The Real Junk Food Project announced its new wedding catering service – creating gourmet buffets for conscious couples’ special days, made entirely from food intercepted from the bins.

 

Veg Crisis

The heatwave struggle is real for the food industry, whether it be the sweltering kitchen temperatures or the rising cost of ingredients.

The long hot summer of 2018 has hit crops hard with the UK now facing an ‘unprecedented shortage’ of some of its favourite foods including onions, lettuces, carrots and potatoes (leading to a national ‘crisp crisis’). Generally, it’s claimed there is a 20-25 per cent lower yield on all veg in the ground. Proactive chefs: plan your menus accordingly.