Make more of Christmas with our guide

Being known for great roasts brings in the bookings

DID YOU KNOW?

Of 2,000 people surveyed 34% would refuse to return to a venue where they had been disappointed before at Christmas.1

1Source: SMG Insight Agency, published MorningAdvertiser.co.uk, Dec 2012

34%

2,000

02 Unilever Food Solutions The Pub Christmas Guide 03

Christmas is the most important time in your calendar:

• The trade you generate over this period can be the difference between profit and loss for the entire year

• It’s your opportunity to build relationships with customers old and new

• Do it well to maximise your food and drink sales and capitalise on function and large party bookings

You’re only as good as your last Christmas dinner

Here is our guide to help you:

• Plan your menu• Promote your Christmas offer• Make Christmas an experience • Pre-prepare• Make the big day run smoothly

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• Keep it simple – set menus are easy to sell at a fixed price. Have a maximum of three starters, three mains and three desserts

• Cater for everyone – offer gluten free and vegetarian options

• Offer party menus – a selection of festive nibbles and sharers is a great way to attract large groups and increase spend per head

Fixed price menus

• Plan early to stay ahead – your competition will start promoting their offer from early Autumn so plan early

• Order early to stay ahead – this will give you more time to get the best deals on ingredients

Don’t lose time

• Check the competition – you can increase your prices and margin but don’t price yourself out of the market

• Create a unique selling point – this might just be a free bottle of wine per table or a table gift – be creative

Don’t price yourself out

• Give customers a treat – don’t be afraid to include highly priced fine food items

• Consider a range of price points – not everyone is on the same budget

• Offer sharing platters – price per platter on sharing starters and desserts

Pitch the offer right

• Make it Clear – ensure allergens are clearly labelled and communicated on your menus, make sure your staff know what allergens are in each dish

• Always use gluten free gravy – KNORR Gluten Free Gravy Granules for Meat Dishes are gluten free, suitable for vegetarians and have no allergens to declare*

• Download our allergens guide at ufs.com/allergens

Be Allergen Aware

The Pub Christmas Guide 05*This product does not contain allergenic ingredients which require declaration under EU 1169/2011 [Annex II].

Planning your menu Planning your menu

04 Unilever Food Solutions The Pub Christmas Guide 05

Planning your menu

We have lots of seasonal turkey recipes for you to try: • Festive burgers with Brussels sprout relish• Turkey escallops with bacon, prunes and stuffing• Christmas brined turkey crown• Tuscan style turkey • Persian turkey sandwich• Turkey, stuffing and chestnut pie

• Consider other fowl – other options could be goose, pheasant and partridge

• Do more with pork – it’s easily affordable, simple to cook and can have a high margin. Try our Spiced Marmalade Glazed Gammon

• Make fish special – farmed fish is consistent and relatively cheap, but make a dish worthy of the occasion

• Don’t forget the extras – COLMAN’S Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix and COLMAN’S Mustard are an essential part of the Christmas meal experience

To find out more and try out our recipes visit ufs.com

Do more with turkey

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Planning your menu

Start promoting• Contact previous group customers – consider

offering menu tasting nights• Make the most of last Christmas – use

imagery and testimonials from last year

• Use blackboards – place blackboards in hotspots to capture passers-by

• Less cash but more time – plan how to fill otherwise empty seats. Consider early bird menus and better value fixed price menus for Monday to Wednesday

• Print up menus – have extra menus printed up so visiting organisers can take them away

Start promoting

• Use social media – share your promotions and consider Facebook exclusive promotions for extra shares and likes

• Make sure the menu is downloadable – make it easier for organisers and provide a downloadable version

• Be mobile friendly – many people use mobiles to check menus, so ensure your site is mobile friendly

Don’t miss out• Get our Tweets – check out our website for

seasonal Tweets you can cut and paste to use to promote your business

• Download our Social Media Guide – 52% of Operators and Chefs say social media helps drive footfall. Download the social media guide at www.ufs.com

Promote digitally

Start promoting

80% of new customers will look at your website before they choose to visit3 – make sure it is at its best

Update your website

80% 3Source: inapub issue 43, May 2015

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10 Unilever Food Solutions The Pub Christmas Guide 11

Make Christmas an experience

• Rationalise your wine list – take low volume and low profit wines off sale and reintroduce them as ‘bin ends’ in January ‘sales’

• Manage your drinks margins – use low cost reds for mulled wine and get the best deal on sparkling wine

• Trade up on ‘wine by the glass’ – use more expensive fine wines as guests are willing to pay at Christmas

• Look after the driver – offer them free non-alcoholic drinks

• Create a welcoming environment – more than just a Christmas tree

• Think about crackers – give them some thought and create some fun, don’t just go for the cheapest

• Don’t wear out the Christmas classics – consider live music to add atmosphere

Christmas drinks

Spirit of Christmas

TOP TIPS!Make your pub smell of Christmas with

seasonal candles or incense

• Batch cook where you can – if a soup is on the menu, then make enough for three days of parties as opposed to one

• Use pre-prepared stuffing to save time – COLMAN’S Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix can be made in 4 easy steps, comes in a resealable tub and provides consistently good stuffing

• Carve like a pro – and avoid leaving any expensive meat behind

• Bone and roll – ask your butcher for a ‘boned and rolled’ turkey, it makes for easy carving and minimal wastage

• Repeat menus – this means that over-catering on one day can be utilised on the next

• Get customers to pre-order where you can – this makes portion control easier

• Don’t overload the plates – consider an option of moderate portions, and offer ‘seconds’ should customers wish

Be prepared – save money and time

Avoid waste

Be prepared

Visit ufs.com/pubs for recipe ideas

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TOP TIPS!• Set a limit to numbers – then you can lavish care

and attention on your Christmas day guests

• Christmas gifts – give each table or customer a small gift or hold a prize draw or raffle on free meals later in the year

The big day itself

Be prepared

Get ahead on Christmas Eve:• Pre-prepare as much as possible

- Peel, wash and blanch potatoes for roasting- Peel wash and cut veg ready to cook- Make stuffings- Do as much as possible to get starters and

desserts ready to go• Get the turkey oven ready – consider taking

off the legs, bone, stuff and roll into an easy to carve roasting joint. Remove the wishbone from the crown to make carving easier and consistent

• Make the most of your gravy – enhance KNORR Chicken Gravy by roasting turkey giblets, then simmer in the gravy with red wine and a good bunch of thyme for an hour or so. Chill and keep in fridge overnight, and add turkey roasting juices for an even deeper flavour

Prepare before the big day

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34%APPLE SAUCE

44%MINT SAUCE

23%ENGLISH MUSTARD

23%HORSERADISH SAUCE

ALLERGENSTO DECLARE*

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Our ingredients for your Christmas menu

KNORR Gluten Free Gravy Granules for Poultry Dishes 25LKNORR Gluten Free Gravy Granules for Meat Dishes 25L

KNORR gravy granules are gluten free, suitable for vegetarians and meets UK Department of Health 2017 salt targets

Stuffing

Made with sage & onion and real breadcrumbs, COLMAN’S Stuffing helps you get it right every time

COLMAN’S Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix 1.5kg

Bouillon Paste & Bouillon

KNORR Jelly Beef Bouillon 800g

KNORR Vegetable Bouillon Paste 1kg

*This product does not contain allergenic ingredients which require declaration under EU 1169/2011 [Annex II]

For your Baking and DessertsMustards & Condiments

Make the most of your meats

COLMAN’S English Mustard 2.25L

COLMAN’S Wholegrain Mustard 2.25L

COLMAN’S Dijon Mustard 2.25L

COLMAN’S French Mustard 2.25L

COLMAN’S Tartare Sauce 2.25L

COLMAN’S Mint Sauce 2.25L

COLMAN’S Horseradish Sauce 2.25L

Meadowland Professional 1LIt’s hard to split and stays stable in your kitchen

Meadowland Professional 250gChefs who like butter, love Meadowland. 72% of chefs thought Meadowland performed the same or better than butter3

The Pub Roasts Guide 14

3Source Kadence International Meadowland Professional 250g Product Test March 2013 n= 99 UK chefs were asked to blind taste test hot dishes made with Meadowland Professional 250g and the same dishes made with a leading brand of butter (based on Nielsen Grocery Value Sales 52 w/e 03 Jan 15). 68% of chefs rated the buttery taste of Meadowland Professional 250g as just right vs 64% of chefs who rated the buttery taste of butter as just right.

The Pub Christmas Guide 15

UFS consumer survey, January 2016, n=1,026 UK consumers

Condiments consumers consider essential for a roast dinner

Unilever Food SolutionsUnilever House, Springfield Drive,Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7GR, UK

E solutions@ufs.com W www.ufs.com

For more ideas and inspiration please visit www.ufs.com/pubs