Menu Ideas

Top 50 Gastropubs

How to make: Stephen Harris of the Sportsman's pot roast red cabbage

19-Feb-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

Chef-patron Stephen Harris's Michelin-starred Kent pub the Sportsman in Seasalter was back on top of the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs awards last month. This dish has become a favourite on the award-winning pub's menu.

Sweet wise: how to get desserts right

04-Feb-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

Though desserts are traditionally the final taste diners have of a meal, it also means the dish will be their last impression, making it crucial operators get it right.

In association with Bidfood

How to make: jambalaya

17-Jan-2018 By MA editorial

A staple dish from the Deep South of the US, jambalaya is a great meal using a tasty mix of meat, seafood, vegetables and rice that can be used on any menu. It has a touch of spicy heat and is filling, and it could give you an offer no rival can match.

Menu planning: made to measure

12-Jan-2018 By Andrew Don

There is an abundance of opportunity throughout the year to create special dishes tailored to key calendar dates – but there is more to it than the obvious major occasions.

How to make: the Unruly Pig's grilled mackerel

10-Jan-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

Brighten up a grey weekend with this recipe for grilled mackerel with hay-smoked beetroot and sunflower seeds courtesy of Top 50 Gastropub the Unruly Pig, in Woodbridge, Suffolk

How to make the most of Great British Sausage Week

01-Nov-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

The Morning Advertiser’s sister title Meat Trades Journal is running The Big Sausage Week from 31 October to 6 November and pubs should get involved to make some porky profits.

6 recipe ideas for leftover Halloween pumpkins

31-Oct-2017 By James Beeson

With Halloween festivities over for another year, pumpkins across the land are being thrown out and left to rot. However, There are loads of great dishes pubs can make with this seasonal ingredient.

Toby Carvery reveals Yorkie wraps on new menu

31-Oct-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Mitchells and Butlers brand Toby Carvery has unveiled a new midweek menu, which includes Yorkshire pudding wraps.

Eight meat alternatives to use in your pub

18-Oct-2017 By James Beeson

For many years the standard food offering in UK pubs was dominated by meat-based dishes. Now, things are changing.

Scare their pants off – top tips for Halloween in the pub

16-Oct-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Everyone loves a theme, especially around Halloween. Whether it is a spooky drinks menu, a ghoulish food offer or a full-blown American-style fancy dress party, Halloween is the perfect time of year to boost sales.

Five of the best beer and curry pairings

10-Oct-2017 By James Beeson

For many years, the universally accepted combination of curry and mainstream lager has ruled supreme.

7 ways to combat food price inflation in your pub

09-Oct-2017 By James Beeson

Food price inflation is nothing new, and many a pub operator will be used to that one local who sits in the corner complaining that his ploughman’s and pint of bitter is far more expensive than it used to be.

Sunday roast pie a sell out in Manchester pub

09-Oct-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

A Manchester pub has created a Sunday roast dinner pie, including Yorkshire pudding, which has proved a huge hit with customers.

6 ways to make black truffles go further

24-Aug-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

They are potentially the most expensive fungi known to man, with prices regularly exceeding £30 per gram, but there are ways to extend the use of truffles beyond thinly shaving them over a dish.

Gluten-free and vegetarian off the Christmas menu

23-Aug-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Free-from foods have fallen to the bottom of Brits’ Christmas party food wish lists, while traditional turkey and British cuisine top the charts, new research has claimed.

In association with Farm Frites

Burgers: what's the future of the beefy beast?

21-Aug-2017 By Michelle Perrett

They’ve been a staple of the British high street for many years now, but burgers, which are constantly being modified and reinvented, are still growing in popularity in an ever-widening variety of outlets. 

Avoiding jargon can increase interest in beer and food pairings

10-Aug-2017 By James Beeson

Using less specialist vocabulary can help pubs and restaurants sell beer and food pairings to customers, according to the US Brewers Association (BA).

Bidfood unveils Christmas range with 'free-from' focus

19-Jul-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Bidfood has revealed its Christmas range for this year, which includes more than 120 new products and taps into the ‘free-from’ trend.

Walkabout announces new ‘heritage-focused’ menu

19-Jul-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Stonegate Pub Company brand Walkabout has announced its new menu, which taps into the company’s Australian heritage and is due to hit sites later this month (25 July).

In association with Alaska Seafood

Why frozen fish could be the new 'fresh'

19-Jun-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Working with frozen fish and seafood could help pub chefs meet growing consumer demand for a greater variety of fish dishes, be more creative and cut wastage, they just need to cast aside preconceptions first, finds The Morning Advertiser.

Pieminister launches pub charity initiative

14-Jun-2017 By James Beeson

Pie-making company Pieminister has launched three new pies for UK pubs as part of a new charity initiative.

The future of food in the on-trade revealed

14-Jun-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Meat-free options, inspiration from food festivals and experience-led occasions are the future of food, according to creative think-tank The Innovation Group.

How to cook 8 Top 50 Gastropub dishes

13-Jun-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

The Morning Advertiser (MA) takes a look at how some of the country's best gastropubs prepare their world-class dishes.

London pub to focus on Asian food after £250,000 refurb

31-May-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Star Pubs & Bars will focus on Asian food at its new south London pub following a pricey refurbishment later this month.

Pub brunch and breakfast trends revealed

31-May-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Eggs, Millennials and food-to-go are the latest trends operators need to look out for in their brunch and breakfast offer, according to foodservice bakery company Kara.

Optimising menus is key to combat rising food costs

24-May-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Customer analytics can help pubs make more money in an environment of rising food costs, according to private equity firm Livingbridge.

National Vegetarian Week: what pubs were doing

17-May-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Pubs took to social media to showcase the vegetarian fare available on their menus, throughout National Vegetarian Week (15 to 22 May).

Harvester launches £20 Groupon meal deal

17-May-2017 By Helen Gilbert

Harvester, the Mitchells & Butlers brand, has launched a Groupon deal offering a meal and drink for two for £20.

Premiumisation of Mitchells & Butlers sites results in sales boost

17-May-2017 By Helen Gilbert

Mitchells & Butlers has credited an "innovative agenda" including vegan meals, low-calorie Prosecco and its Miller & Carter steakhouse format for the rise in food and drink sales across the group.

Cooking with Red Stripe: pub to launch Caribbean menu

11-May-2017 By Helen Gilbert

A soon-to-open London pub is to debut chicken wings cured in Red Stripe lager as one of the choices on its Caribbean-themed menu.

Fuller's pub and Italian restaurant 'menu swap'

11-May-2017 By Helen Gilbert

A London pub is ‘swapping menus’ with a neighbouring Italian restaurant to offer customers more choice. 

Slug & Lettuce targets vegetarians and sharers with new menu

09-May-2017 By Helen Gilbert

Stonegate-operated pub chain Slug & Lettuce is expanding its vegetarian and sharing plates offer.

Beefeater launches new menu with dishes as cheap as £5

04-May-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Whitbread steak pub arm Beefeater has unveiled a new Daytime Saver menu with dishes available for £5.

Ale house launches 'first' crackling menu

04-May-2017 By Helen Gilbert

A London alehouse has debuted what it claims is the UK’s first ‘crackling menu’ aimed at complementing the venue’s craft-ale offering.

Coeliacs shun pub food in favour of restaurants

04-May-2017 By Helen Gilbert

Coeliacs are shunning pubs in favour of restaurants, The Morning Advertiser (MA) has learned.

Slow food tops 2017's culinary trends

02-May-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Reducing food waste and slow-cooked food are the two main trends operators must keep an eye out for this year, according to research from Mintel.

How to make: 'perfectly wobbly' panna cotta

30-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Emily Scott’s Cornish pub the St Tudy Inn came 39th in this year’s Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs awards. Here’s a classic dessert ideal for ending a lavish meal.

Some of the 'best' TripAdvisor responses from pubs

30-Mar-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

TripAdvisor has come under fire many times from the hospitality industry and operators have previously blamed the review site for staff resignations, sleepless nights and police intervention. Here we look at some of the responses pubs have given to irate...

Celeb gastropub owner James Tanner launches pre-made dessert for pubs

29-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

A top gastropub chef, who starred on the BBC's Ready Steady Cook, has unveiled a new pre-made dessert for foodservice operators created with Arytza Food Solutions. 

Bye bye, Boardy: how tableware is leaving those dreaded wooden boards behind

15-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

You’ve all seen the pictures – a flaccid steak sits on a stained wooden board, drenched in greyish peppercorn sauce slowly seeping to the edge. It's futility incarnate.

How to make: stone bass with sauerkraut and Toulouse sausage

14-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

This dish, served up at Cheshire Cat Pubs sites, is delicious and deceptively simple. 

Yates launches new spring menu

14-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Yates, the Stonegate-owned high street chain, is launching a new menu later this month (21 March).

Chefs’ Choice Awards 2017 winners revealed

10-Mar-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Hundreds of foodservice suppliers battled it out to have their products named the best at the inaugural Chefs’ Choice Awards in London earlier this week.

JD Wetherspoon adds hot dogs, bagels and quinoa salad to menus

07-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has added a range of new dishes to its menu. 

How to make: Steve Smith of the Freemasons' chicken, mushroom and asparagus

21-Feb-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Steve Smith’s Lancashire pub the Freemasons at Wiswell, rose from sixth to fourth place in this year’s Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs. This dish fuses fresh, seasonal flavours with a lavish foie gras sauce.

How to make: Andrew Pern of The Star Inn's Whitby lobster with cod roe pâté

15-Feb-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Andrew Pern’s Michelin-starred Yorkshire gastropub the Star Inn at Harome was named the best in the country at the Top 50 Gastropubs awards in January. This dish is exemplary of the skilled, sensitive cooking on offer at the 21-year old business.

‘Sexy craft beer’ launch exclusive to swanky London eatery

10-Feb-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

A new craft beer has been created especially to pair with dishes at London Mayfair’s Sexy Fish restaurant, indicating the segment has more room to grow alongside food.

How to make: Mark Dodson of the Masons Arms' chocolate and passion fruit delice

02-Feb-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

This recipe by Mark Dodson of the Michelin-starred Masons Arms, Devon, which came 15th in this year's Top 50 Gastropubs, elegantly toes the line between classical French high-end cooking and British comfort food.

Cut your pub a slice of the profit with pie

31-Jan-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

More and more people are choosing to eat out rather than at home and, with a growing demand for increasing informality when doing so, pubs are ideally placed to cash in on the British public’s enduring love affair with pies.

Inside Fuller's Ale & Pie pubs

27-Jan-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Pies and pubs go together like a horse and carriage, so it should have come as no surprise that London brewer and pubco Fuller’s would make the most of the relationship through a hugely successful on-trade brand.