Real local sourcing

Helping to maximize fruit and veg on menus through creative twists and a promise of constant supply is a task experts in the field relish. Sheila Eggleston reports

No one can dispute the fact that being able to get quality fresh produce all year round from all over the world is a bonus for caterers. But local sourcing rides high in consumer polls.

In the latest survey by analyst Mintel, British food and locally produced food was in the top five of consumers' food issues. When it came to locally produced food 35% of those polled supported it, but interestingly organic was important to just one in 10 (11%) of Britons.

Senior food and drink analyst Kiti Soininen says provenance has forged a permanent place on the food agenda. "Various food scares, the focus on food miles as part of ethical consumption and a wider trend for authenticity and premiumisation are driving interest in food provenance," he said.

Mintel's research also finds that age has a big impact on the importance of where produce has come from. Almost half (44%) of over 55s is committed to British food versus just one in four (26%) of 16-24 year olds. The tendency is even stronger when it comes to local food, which is important to 20% of the youngest age group and 47% of the oldest age group.

Food miles is an issue in today's economic downturn, says DBC Foodservice, which has just launched a 70 core range of fresh produce to tackle this concern. Senior buyer Peter Neuman says it launched its fresh fruit and veg range to help pubs and restaurants cut costs by saving on food miles.

"Previously, some of our customers sourced ambient, chilled and frozen products from us and then travelled to their local wholesaler for fruit and veg.

"Now we are saving valuable time for them while reducing food miles, as we deliver all categories to a customer in the same vehicle. "Consumers are becoming more aware of the impact food miles have on the environment and therefore more likely to choose dishes that include seasonal ingredients. We help our customers achieve this by offering local British produce whenever possible."

Neuman says keeping up with trends in the fruit and veg category is also important. "If your menu includes a fruit or veg which a customer has just read about in a weekend supplement, or seen featured on a TV programme, they are more likely to order it.

"Rhubarb is particularly popular at the moment, and this fruit has been featured in all the lifestyle and food magazines in various different guises, such as rhubarb tart, rhubarb and orange crumble, or rhubarb compote."

With Reynolds Catering's massive larder at its chef director Ian Nottage's disposal, the opportunities to be creative are huge. He is in charge of the company's new development kitchen where he can showcase new ideas with fresh produce.

Recent dishes he has presented to hotel restaurants, pubs and food to go chains range from purple potato chips with broad bean humous, char grilled Wye Valley asparagus, speciality English tomato salad and shredded chayote and coriander cress salad on oyster leaf.

"We bring produce up from the warehouse and call it 'bringing it to life'. Sometimes it's something exotic that no one knows what to do with, or what's best in season to showcase seasonality," he says.

From Indian curry leaves and fresh green peppercorns to British asparagus, the range varies from the unusual to mainstream in the depot. There is even a separate area for people who want small amounts, which is popular and great for small operators, says Nottage.

A popular line is a catering pack of mixed mushrooms. "It doesn't matter about size because they are going to be cooked," he says.

The biggest incident with fruit and vegetables recently has been the volcanic ash fiasco following the volcano erupting in Iceland in April. Reynolds says there were a few issues initially with supplies being affected.

Nottage says having contracts helped and the company didn't suffer too much. "It affected mange tout and passion fruit but sugar snap peas was the veg that was a real problem.

When the flights were back on, carrying people got priority over fresh produce."

Local sourcing means meeting suppliers and getting knee deep in fields and Reynolds encourages this activity. Tomatoes for example can be sourced from a grower seven to eight miles away from the business. Nottage says part of his job is to visit growers to understand more about the produce. "I know what a chef knows but this is about field to fork. I understand better now that the reason why asparagus is expensive is because of the amount of work that goes into it, and when I'm in the kitchen I can pass that on to customers. It's not a monster version with no flavour."

The asparagus Nottage has just been to see is produced by celebrated grower John Chinn from Cobrey Farms in the Wye Valley. He has also been to see root veg in Norfolk and strawberries in Kent. "This is my crash course in fresh produce. There's more to know; more technical knowledge."

Reynolds is about to go live with a speciality range from the French international market at Rungis outside Paris. It will be called Connoisseurs Choice aimed at the whole foodservice sector but more for people who appreciate high quality – "top end restaurants and directors' tables". It will consist of fresh produce plus items such as eggs, oils and vinegars, and it will be heavily focused on Rungis but also celebrating the best of British too. Nottage says it doesn't mean getting heavily into dried goods but there are a couple of things that he says are stunning. "If we are selling the best leaf, why not sell the best oil or vinegar to go with it," he explains.

There are some customers who are sensitive about food miles but many are also price driven, he says, but more caterers like provenance.

"It's dictated by price but becoming more popular," says Nottage. "For one customer we are providing the 25 mile salad with named varieties and distinctive leaves if it is a lettuce. To get ahead you have to research your customer, eat in their restaurants, and get their brief on whatever they are working on menu wise."

The final word goes to feeding the very young and the difficulty in getting them to eat more fruit and veg – common in and out of home. Making them look interesting is a way to achieve it, and Brakes for example has created lines such as the Teddy Bears Picnic to tempt kids. Sweetcorn, broccoli and teddy bear shaped carrot pieces in a 60g pouch contain one of a child's 5-a-day portions and, where food miles are concerned, these come straight from the freezer.