Veggie heaven

28th April 2007, 4:19pm

Vegetables are in the ascendancy and their status on menus has been elevated. Hilary McDermott reports.

Vegetarian dishes as main courses are winning over a more health conscious public and meat eaters watching their intake of red meat. In the coming weeks the media too will be focusing more on meat free dishes. The Vegetarian Society is running National Vegetarian Week from May 21-27, and on June 30 London plays host to The Incredible Veggie Show organised by Viva! While these shows celebrate vegetarianism in its broadest sense, consumer trends show vegetarian cuisine in general is on the rise. The total UK vegetarian food market stands at £670m per annum according to Key Note’s Vegetarian Foods Market Assessment Report 2006, and by 2009 analyst Mintel forecasts meat-free products will have a market value of £699m. Among those in the catering industry to see vegetables in a new light is Bob Renshaw. Since 2002 he has catered for 250 students a day as head chef of Whiteknights Hall at Reading University. A committed meat eater and chef for 40 years, he found his road to Damascus last year after attending a three-day intensive course at the Cordon Vert School with other university head chefs. Founded in 1982, the school specialises in innovative vegetarian cuisine and is based at the Vegetarian Society’s headquarters at Parkdale, Manchester. Professional training courses are held throughout the year and attendees include House of Commons chefs. Course manager Christine Tilbury finds chefs often arrive with a blinkered view and leave inspired. Renshaw agrees. “We spend our lives learning to cook meat but this course opened my eyes and I got a different view of vegetables, hot and cold. I have been going a long time and was in a rut with vegetarian cuisine. I came back with new ideas and introduced tabbouleh, couscous, pulses and guacamole to our salad bar. It looked spectacular and the students loved it. Some of the dishes are not necessarily quicker to cook than meat but they can be pre-prepared and you can put the finishing dish together as quickly, if not quicker.” The course, added Renshaw, had a domino effect on new dishes; the more they were liked, the more imaginative dishes became. Savings were made against traditional meat dishes helping costs, and the salad bar’s overall takings rose by 20%. He believes that more chefs should be similarly enlightened. “There was only one restaurant chef that had the foresight to go on the course. I think more in the hotel and restaurant trade should attend and keep up to date on vegetables so as to avoid bland dishes. It will help them progress, and teach them vegetarian cuisine is economically viable.” Further reasons to examine menu options are given by Tilbury: “Restaurants need to look at their own markets and realise people don’t always want a meat dish. Also, vegetarians do influence where people go to eat. “The market evidence shows vegetarian cuisine is increasing and some are missing out on extra sales. Also, if a dish is prepared well, diners don’t feel they are being cheated and will pay the going rate.” That is certainly true of diners at the Bull Inn in Hinton, Gloucestershire. They are happy to pay £15.95 for head chef Nicholas White’s truffle and chive potato pancake tower with asparagus and hollandaise sauce. Meanwhile at the Bird in Hand Inn in Hailey, Oxfordshire, diners are paying £15.50 for head chef Graham Aimson’s pommes fondant coddler. These dishes, which are now regular menu options, were created for the British Potato Council’s annual Great Potato Challenge, respectively winning in 2006 and 2007. As well as chefs creating their own dishes, foodservice operators are producing products with a handmade appearance for authenticity. A prime example is the Authentic Food Company’s asparagus, spring onion and cashew nut cigar. Part of its Mediterranean portfolio of vegetarian dishes, it is easy to prepare and can be deep fried from frozen at 170ºC. Food innovation controller Lee Tynan, who along with his team created the dish, says: “Too often consumers’ perception of vegetarian food is a limited choice of dishes. Our vegetarian products offer outlets the opportunity to expand their customer base and increase profits based on the quality, variety and appeal of the dishes available.” Variety and appetising dish descriptions are core messages from RHM Foodservice. It has developed recipes to help caterers add interest to menus. Brand director Phil Cummings says: “Caterers really need to raise their game, and what better way to showcase their wares than during National Vegetarian Week? This means offering something more than a platter of vegetables or a vegetarian lasagne.” Some caterers are already being more innovative. According to Fresh Direct there has been an increase in sales of previously considered rare and exotic foods. It reports notable year-on-year growth of soya beans, white asparagus, portabella mushrooms and vine plum tomatoes. Providing menu flexibility and convenience are ready made vegetarian dishes. Danby’s Foods’ choices include three cheese pasta bake and vegetable curry. Commercial controller Graham Thornton says: “We meet salt and fat guidelines and have added extra protein by way of pulses to some of the vegetarian dishes to meet the child feeding rules and to make the products suitable for patient feeding.” Brakes has added a vegetable tagine to its veggie range that comprises roasted red and yellow peppers, butternut squash, spinach, chickpeas and courgettes in a sweet, spicy tomato sauce. Other options include butternut squash and cashew nut roast with redcurrant and orange sauce and Moroccan-style filo pastry vegetable b’stilla. Marketing manager Anne Mulcahy says: “We believe a true high quality meat-free dish will stand on its own on a menu and not just vegetarians will be enticed by it.” Aiming to look beyond its core vegetarian audience is Marlow Foods with its halal approved Quorn dippers for health conscious consumers, meat reducers and children. Coated in a light tempura batter with less than 10% fat, they can be oven baked from frozen in less than 15 minutes. Exploring the exotic and spicy route, the menu suggestions from Moy Park include sweetcorn chilli sticks as appetisers or light bites and its wasabi tempura vegetable mix for the more adventurous dipper. Main course ideas include filled red peppers, which are stuffed with a creamy cheese risotto and can be accompanied by Mediterranean style flame roasted vegetables with a balsamic glaze. Vegetarian dishes play a substantial part in the offerings of Indian restaurant and wholesale group Tiffinbites. Its concept is inspired by the traditional ‘tiffin’ lunchboxes of home cooked food that are whisked through the streets of Mumbai during the lunchtime by ‘tiffin wallahs’ to workplaces and schools. The company provides a branded on-site Indian food solution nationwide, and reports that its catering proposition results in a 30% increase in turnover for clients. Themed meals work well. In the education sector, staff and students are tucking into Tiffin lunches, while Southampton University holds a Tiffin Tuesday. Given that the value of the Indian food market last year stood at £494m, and the meat-free products market is set to rise by £29m in the next two years, chefs may need no further encouragement to spice up their vegetarian cuisine. SUPPLIER CONTACTS Authentic Food Company 0161 495 4117 www.theauthenticfoodcompany.com Brakes 0845 606 9090 www.brake.co.uk Daloon Foods 01636 701000 www.daloon.com Danby’s Foodservice 01765 689595 www.danbys.biz Fresh Direct 01869 365600 www.freshdirect.co.uk Marlow Foods 0870 607 0182 www.quorn.co.uk Moy Park Foodservice 0800 085 2749 www.moyparkfoodservice.co.uk RHM Foodservice 0800 328 4246 www.rhmfoodservice.co.uk

Related Articles:

• 26 Jan 2012 - The search is on to find the Big Veggie Breakfast Butty
• 02 Mar 2010 - The Cordon Vert School searches for future vegetarian chefs
• 30 Apr 2009 - Seasonal recipe competition opens for entries