After almost three years of Covid, many of us hoped Christmas festivities would be back to normal. But the arrival of a brutal cost of living crisis concerns both the public and foodservice operators.
However, Bidfood is timely in releasing its latest research that provides operators with opportunities to tap into the right products and measures to satisfy everyone both pre- and post-Christmas.
Bidfood worked with 3Gem to conduct bespoke research among 2,000 consumers who celebrate Christmas and found that a third intend to socialise more this year to make up for lost occasions during lockdown.
But with many festive items affected by supply and demand costs, from meat and poultry to fruit and veg, plus rocketing energy bills, operators have to be savvier, particularly within the public sector, which is under pressure over costs.
“In terms of advice or tips for public sector caterers who are struggling, things like sweating your assets, being super-hot on portion control and minimising wastage in the kitchen are ways to be savvy and save money,” advises Martin Eshelby, food innovation manager at Bidfood. “Using ‘nose to tail’ and careful meal prepping for the week, such as using leftover meat following a roast in curries, are all ways to save and be savvy in this sector.”
He acknowledges that consumers will be mindful and watching the pennies, but they will still want quality. “We are working with our suppliers and their suppliers to make products with a balance of ingredients in them to make them cost-effective,” he says.
This year Bidfood has launched 35 new products especially for Christmas, which he believes will provide a more ‘normal’ festive period. In addition, more than 250 Christmas deals will be running through November and December to provide its customers real value. A festive offer running with Bidfood’s Safari Rewards loyalty programme also allows customers to earn more points that they can redeem on a huge range of items that can be reinvested into their businesses.
“With a variety of traditional favourites and exciting new products the Bidfood 2022 range includes a combination of great value food for consumers to enjoy as well as being easy to prepare, making Christmas that little less hectic for operators,” comments Bidfood campaign and brand manager, Vicky Tripp.
The new range also covers autumn; for example, chicken, chestnut mushroom and pancetta pie alongside baby hassleback potatoes and slow cooked red cabbage, plus a caramel and gingerbread truffle puddle cake for dessert.
Its menu options also tick the box for quality and price, such as a value for money slow cooked beef shin in Chianti sauce with baby pearl onions and duck fat roasted potatoes.
Meanwhile, Bidfood’s ‘wow factor’ desserts and on the go items include Phat vegan festive bake comprising pea protein in a rich creamy sauce with cranberry and herb, plus chocolate orange tiffin, mince pie brownie tray-bake and festive raspberry millionaire slice, which can also be transformed into food to go offerings.
Great desserts are about giving something with a twist, says Eshelby and, as an example, he recommends Bidfood’s lemon and raspberry parfait with a hidden centre that freshens the palate with its light zesty taste.
Interestingly, Bidfood’s research shows that people want more festive vegetarian options. “People actually want a vegetarian offering as opposed to a vegan offering,” explains Eshelby. “We’ve launched just one vegan main this year, which is a smoked bean pulled jackfruit Wellington with lots of pulses, while new kale, butternut squash and sun dried tomato roulade is vegetarian and gluten-free.”
The pre-Christmas period also includes World Cup activity that’s anticipated to encourage more eating out and provide a chance for additional revenue for operators.
This runs from November 20 to December 18, and Bidfood’s research shows that two in five people (39%) will watch games out of home, rising to two-thirds of under 25s, and their food of choice would include snacks, light bites, sharing platters and handheld food, citing special pies as a winner.
Eshelby recommends pies with a twist such as its cauliflower cheese and caramelised onion tart topped with double Gloucester. Another is an open top beef and peppercorn pie consisting of creamy sauce with slow cooked beef with Parmentier potatoes and vintage cheddar topping. “Again, this is not just about Christmas but autumn, winter and beyond,” he says.
Bidfood has also made it simple for operators to serve dishes, he adds, saying that it has introduced frozen pre-sliced gravadlax that will defrost in an hour, and 8” long squid strips, which are perfect for dipping and sharing platters. New products also include three 300g precooked sous vide meat options seasoned with just salt and pepper. There is slow cooked short rib of beef on the bone, and slow cooked pork shoulder and pork belly.
The hard work has been done for chefs, says Eshelby, adding that because the meat is simply seasoned, different sauces or glazes, for example, pork shoulder with a tamarind glaze, would enhance them, and this would work right into the New Year. “These products have the longevity to go through these seasons,” he concludes.