Saucy numbers
Just because they go on the side of the plate doesn't mean they're beside the point. Sauces, relishes and condiments can add good business, says Amanda Marcus.
A good selection of relishes and condiments is not the most obvious selling point when it comes to food presentation, and indeed they're often neglected or forgotten altogether in some restaurants. But, says Tara Buck, food service brand manager for Premier International Foods, a little extra care when it comes to sauces and pickles can go a long way towards improving profits.
Her advice is: "Don't ruin a carefully prepared meal by using a cheap condiment or relish. Relishes and sauces can add significantly to the overall experience for the customer - especially, for example, when served in ramekin dishes and placed on a full tray."
She continues: "They can also add a touch of theatre to the experience and it's nicer to let the customers serve themselves - this enhances your image as a generous rather than stingy establishment, and can help to build customer loyalty."
Customers relate to brands they buy themselves, according to Buck, and branded relishes and condiments can provide an opportunity for caterers to use branding on their menus, along the lines of: "XXX relishes served here." She believes that caterers should stop seeing them as something to give away and more as a source for adding perceived value to a meal.
Premier's best seller is Haywards Hamburger relish, but Buck believes that the relish market is set to expand, and Premier is pushing branded products because it is convinced they play a vital role in building customer loyalty and profitability in the long term.
Offer more options
Relishes and condiments can also be used to capitalise on the growing market for healthy-eating options. It can be difficult to convey to the customer that you take their health seriously through low-fat or low-sugar recipes, says the Low Sodium Sea Salt Company, but it is easy to offer a low-sodium alternative to regular salt. The company is now supplying Solo sea salt (fine grain) in single-serve sachets, as well as in 2kg bulk packs and as coarse grain in bulk for salt mills and grinders.
Solo is unique, according to the supplier. It is produced from Icelandic seawater, so it is a natural product, but with 60% less sodium than other salts, and enriched levels of magnesium and potassium. It tastes just like regular sea salt but dissolves four times faster, making it more convenient for cooking and baking.
Organic options To add organic options to a menu, MasterFoodServices has launched the Seeds of Change brand into food service, and it claims that it is the fastest-growing and most widely recognised organic brand in the UK.
The Seeds of Change 100%-organic, culinary sauces can be used as relishes, toppings or dips, it says, and suggests that both the Tomato and Basil sauce and the Spicy Roasted Garlic sauce can accompany steaks, burgers, chicken or pork, as well as roasted Mediterranean vegetables, pasta salads, baked potatoes or potato skins.
Part of the growing popularity of relishes and dipping sauces has been the increasing influence of Asian cuisine in Britain, and MasterFoodServices has recently added two new products to its Uncle Ben's Far Eastern culinary sauce range: Uncle Ben's Sweet Thai Chilli and Uncle Ben's Cantonese Sweet Soy Sesame. Both sauces can be used as relishes or dips, it says.
The company's executive development chef, Mike Carter, says: "Classic dipping partners for Uncle Ben's Sweet Thai Chilli and Cantonese Sweet Soy Sesame sauces are king prawns, chicken wings and dim sum. I particularly enjoy using them to add a bit of spice to good old British favourites such as baked potatoes or chips. They make perfect relishes for potato skins and are great binding ingredients for rice and pasta salads."
Dispense with mess Nestlé Foodservice's new Thomy range of condiments has been launched specifically for food service, and come in Tomato Ketchup and Mild Mustard varieties. Designed to be dispensed through a Thomy pump-pot dispense system, the condiments come in 3kg vacuum-sealed pouches and case sizes of 3 x 3kg. The dispenser is said to have an easy pump action for controllable dispensing. Its compact, rectangular shape takes up little space and it has a metal case for robustness.
Universe Foodservice has introduced a pump-action dispenser as an optional extra for its own-brand range of Salad Makers dressings, toppings and dips.
The 2.2-litre jars are delivered with heat-sealed foil membranes for freshness, and the plastic dispensers screw neatly on to the jar tops, the supplier says, to deliver controllable servings quickly and without wastage.
The Salad Makers dressings range includes Caesar, Prawn Cocktail and extra-thick Sour Cream and Chives, as well as French, Garlic and Herb, Thousand Island and Blue Cheese.
Cut the mustard
The Tracklement Company has been making 48 kinds of mustards, relishes, chutneys, sauces and ketchups by hand since 1970, winning multiple awards. The company, owned by William Tullberg and his son Guy, claims to have been the first to launch an English wholegrain mustard, the Original Urchfont Mustard. Last year, the company launched Chilli Jam, made from fresh chillies, and Salsa Balsamica, with a sweet-sour tang of balsamic vinegar.
Tracklements recommends filling filo pastry parcels with prawns and Salsa Balsamica and serving them with a cheese and herb fritter.
"We don't cut any corners," explains Tullberg. "We grind our own mustard from whole seed and spices and we use wine and cider vinegars. We use fresh garlic and chilli. The flavours are simple and direct, allowing many uses."
Contacts
MasterFoodServices 0800 952 0011
Nestlé Foodservices
0800 000030
Premier International
01406 367323
Low Sodium Sea Salt
020 8402 6079
Tracklements 01666 840851
Universe Foodservice
01932 838000
3663 0870 3663000
Saucy ideas all year round
Old El Paso's ready-prepared Mexican range includes Picante Sauce, a salsa-style, all-purpose sauce made with tomatoes, onions and garlic blended with green bell peppers and jalapenos. Picante can be used to add a Mexican flavour to dips, or to embellish spare ribs, wings and drumsticks. Because it has a medium spiciness, it is also said to be suitable for spreading on pizza bases, as well as Mexican favourites.
Universe Foodservice has produced a leaflet with recipes and examples of folding techniques as a guide for caterers (see Contacts).
Premier International Foods (Foodservice Division) has a wide range of pickles, relishes and condiments, from Haywards Pickles to St Nicholas Side of Plate Sauces. The Haywards range includes Crunchy Pickled Onions, Silverskin Onions and Mild Sweet Onions; Sliced and Baby Beetroot; Sliced Red Cabbage; Sliced, Whole or Cocktail Gherkins; and Mixed Pickles. All are available in 2.27kg jars which have a two-year shelf life.
Haywards Relishes include Chilli, Cucumber, Hamburger, Sweetcorn, Piccalilli, Sweet Pickle and Tomato, and Mango Chutney. All are available in 2.44kg jars. Haywards Sauces can also be added to a condiments offering. They come in Apple, Mint, Tartare and Prawn Cocktail varieties, in 2.3kg containers.
St Nicholas Side of Plate Sauces include Tomato Ketchup, Brown Sauce and Salad Cream, the first two in 4.5kg containers and the last in a 4.1kg container.
For sweeter palates, there's Hartley's Redcurrant Jelly and Haywards Cranberry Sauce.
