Sound bites

09 October 2002 by
Sound bites

As the festive season approaches, party time for many caterers means canapés. But making your own can be time-consuming and fiddly, and an increasing number of chefs are turning to suppliers to make their lives easier.

Colin Bussey, managing director of Simon Howie Foods, says that, under increasing pressure to keep labour costs down, even five-star hotels are buying in, "although they don't admit to it". The fact that companies such as Simon Howie can offer freshly made, just-in-time (same day/next day) delivery and bespoke products means that chefs can offer a fancy, high-margin product which looks home-made. Bussey adds that for delicate items, which may go soggy if not quickly consumed - if transported, for example - the company can send the components and chefs can assemble the canapés as needed for serving.

With items such as hand-dived scallops wrapped in bacon at the top end of the scale, labour-intensive, premium canapés don't come cheap - up to 80p a nibble, according to Bussey - but they command a premium price and can set a premium tone at any event. Top hotels can charge as much as £15 per head for canapés, says Bussey, before a three-course meal. And prices start at 25p for less exotic or labour-intensive choices.

In an age of increasing choice and the quest to offer the consumer something new, canap‚s also have the advantage of being different, fun and almost endless in choice.

"Canapés, hot or cold, have always featured strongly in our catalogue," says John Brittain, sales director for Delice de France. "They're a traditional item where we feel that completely outrageous new combinations are less important than giving the widest possible choice. For canapés, our rule is straightforward: lots of variety, lots of colour, lots of fun to look at and to eat, with a glass in the other hand."

He adds: "We've noticed that a lot of customers ordering canapés also order sweet finger-food items at the same time, so we've put together a dual finger-food package which offers a tray each of sweet and savoury buffet items, with 24 per tray."

Savouries from Delice de France include Roquefort and bacon; shellfish and avocado blinis; cheese, fines herbes and tomato; smoked fish and cucumber; foie gras and orange; and smoked salmon. But many of the company's products are mini-versions of popular favourites, according to Brittain, such as mini-quiches, mini-pizzas, mini-blinis and croque-monsieur. The classic cocktail range includes mini-toasts with toppings such as black lumpfish roe, marengo duck mousse, salmon, cured ham, and king prawn with saffron.

Bussey says there's also huge demand for ethnic options such as samosas, spring rolls and tempura king prawns - while one of the company's biggest sellers in Scotland is deep-fried haggis balls.

Not just for Christmas
While associated especially with parties, buffets and upmarket events, canap‚s are coming into their own all year round as caterers look for something different to offer consumers in a variety of situations, from vending to lunch.

Such was the thinking behind a new type of canapé from Diversity Foods called Snackapés, described as a European form of sushi. Managing director Ren‚ Lenain says all fillings are made on-site using a high-preservation cooking process which he developed himself. The raw fillings are marinated, cooked, mixed and pasteurised for an extended shelf life, and he claims that the process accentuates the flavours of the fillings.

Served as a sandwich, wrap or tapas-style, mixed Snackap‚s are available with 35 to 40 portions on a tray, for buffets, hors d'oeuvres and travel-caterer uses, such as on railways and airlines, as well as at events.

The company is about to launch a five-pack which could be sold as an alternative to a luxury sandwich - along the lines of a sushi box but without the rice or sauce, Lenain explains.

"This is finger food but not just one bite," he says, "and something you can instantly recognise, such as chicken tikka on a bread base. To satisfy a lunchtime appetite, the box is at least 50% filling. We can make a product to compete with a good sandwich at £2.50. Panini retails at £3.25, and a coffee shop could sell five or six Snackapés for that price."

David Hyde agrees that canapés are becoming more popular. He set up The Production Kitchen to provide canapés for corporate entertaining seven years ago, and business is booming. He says that one reason for their increase in popularity is the time factor. "People don't have time for a three-course meal at many events any more," he says. "They come straight from the office to a product launch, and want a light bite and a drink. And the canapés can even be made to a theme or colour scheme to suit the occasion."

Small is beautiful
There is still the element of luxury and indulgence about a miniature offering, too. The Production Kitchen supplies British Airways with canapés for its First Class and Concorde passengers. "It's essential they're right," says Hyde, "because the canapé sets the style for what's to come." A canapé made at The Production Kitchen can be eaten by a passenger less than 18 hours later.

But even at the other end of the scale, canapés are gaining in popularity. Hyde says that his company recently conducted market research which found that many people wanted to buy "upmarket party food" all year round. "The problem once you start mass-producing, though, is maintaining quality and consistency," he says. "We couldn't do it, but the demand is certainly there."

Christmas is coming…

  • Delice de France is offering a 50% discount on a range of products which includes two trays of 56 hot or cold canapés when you buy three cases from its Seasonal Saveurs selection.
  • Canapeum (from The Production Kitchen) has launched its first Christmas range of hand-made canapés, developed specifically for food service and hospitality. Available from November to January, the range consists of six cold and hot menu choices, including Scottish lobster with Glenfiddich and mango salsa served on a chestnut and thyme pancake topped with cranberry-flavoured crushed potato and crispy parsnip.
  • Brake Bros has a range of canapés, both sweet and savoury, running from the Black Caviar Delight (caviar on decorated cream cheese in a filo pastry nest) to the Bean Lover's Tartlette (a selection of marinated beans on a jalapeño cheese bed in a short pastry tartlette). Luxury Smoked Salmon Canapés are a mixed box of five different types of bite-sized smoked salmon canapés, from cream cheese and mustard spirals to lemon and dill squares and cream cheese and chive triangles. Sweet varieties include a selection of mini-pastry cases with chestnut and rum, chocolate and Grand Marnier among the fillings.

They're not exactly new

"Canapés are made by cutting bread in slices one-fourth inch thick, and cutting slices in strips four inches long by one-and-one-half inches wide, or in circular pieces. Then bread is toasted, fried in deep fat, or buttered and browned in the oven, and covered with a seasoned mixture of eggs, cheese, fish or meat, separately or in combination. Canapés are served hot or cold, and used in place of oysters at a dinner or luncheon. At a gentleman's dinner, they are served with sherry before entering the dining room."

Fannie Merritt Farmer, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, first published 1918.

Contacts

Brake Bros
0845 606 9090

Delice de France
020 8917 9600

Diversity Foods
020 8685 5200

The Production Kitchen
020 8992 5500

Simon Howie Foods
01764 684332

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