Saturday 3 September 2011

Mushroom Fondue .... Could Be A Great Sharing Plate For Your Pub's Autumn Menu ... and other fungi stuff

Glancing through the "i on Saturday" newspaper today (which by the way is a great little quality newspaper that any pub could afford to put out for free - 30p) I came across some recipes by Mark Hix - quite a renowned London restaurateur - that celebrate the use of mushrooms.

Clipart from www.pdclipart.org


One of the recipes is for a Mushroom Fondue you can find the recipe by   clicking here. I think this recipe would lend itself to the average pub's food gross profit targets as the ingredients listed, perhaps with the exception of the wild mushrooms, should be in stock in most pub kitchens.


What struck me was not only the simplicity of preparation and cooking but the idea that this was perfect for sharing. I've costed this recipe out at approximately £4.00, which at 58% gross profit, would retail at £10 (and seeing as it serves 4 people) is more than reasonable. I think I would add some crusty bread or hot sliced baguette to bulk it up and charge £12 for the same level of profit.




Perhaps with nostalgia marketing being so prevalent these days and customers looking for interesting and inexpensive dishes, combined with the sharing concept that this hark back to the 70's could be a winner.

If you want some more ideas for both savoury and sweet fondue ideas click here.


There's also a great recipe for Mushroom Salad, should we squeeze a few more Indian Summer Days out of the year  which you can find by clicking here. 


I'm going to offer the Mushroom Fondue to my Sunday lunch guests tomorrow - it'll keep them busy (and quiet) whilst I bring the roasts together.


Top Tip for all you budding pub caterers ... take a look at the quality paper websites for recipe ideas you can adapt or scale down (in terms of cost) ... they're a great way to keep you menus and specials boards fresh.





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