Restaurants, pubs and hotels promote British Food Fortnight
The hospitality industry may be about providing food, drink, accommodation and service, but sometimes you have to go the extra mile to pull customers in. To coincide with the start of British Food Fortnight (September 19 to October 4) we've selected a few ideas that businesses have come up with to promote the event and their own businesses.
Harvest Swap Shop
Harbour & Jones' restaurant at St Paul's Cathedral in London is giving a free Sunday lunch to green-fingered customers who bring in a box of home-grown vegetables. The restaurant's Harvest Swap Shop will be held on September 27 in the middle of British Food Fortnight. Produce given will be used in the restaurant’s kitchen with outstanding offerings highlighted on the following week’s menu alongside special thanks to the grower.
Guest chefs
Three chefs from the country will be joining their city counterparts at Harvey Nichols restaurants in stores in London, Leeds and Bristol over the next two weeks. The 3 Stars, 3 Cities for British Food Fortnight promotion will see Mark Teasdale, head chef at the Sharrow Bay Hotel in the Lake District join Jonas Karlsson, executive chef at the Fifth Floor Restaurant in Harvey Nichols, London from September 25 to October 1. The pair have compiled a special tasting menu highlighting Cumbrian produce and including Sharrow Bay's famous sticky toffee pudding, costing £55 for six courses or £85 with wines. A lunchtime menu costs £19.50 for two courses and £24.50 for three. Collaborations are also taking place in Leeds with Kenny Atkinson from Seaham Hall Hotel joining Richard Walton-Allen, head chef of the Fourth Floor Cafe and between Chris Horridge of Cliveden, Berkshire and Louise McCrimmon, head chef at the Second Floor Restaurant in Bristol.
Best of British menus and masterclasses
Selected Young's pubs have joined forces with some of Britain's specialist suppliers and artisan producers to create a special seasonal British menu to run throughout British Food Fortnight. Dishes include pan seared Cornish scallops with black pudding, featherblade of Exmoor beef, Bombardier and oyster pie and slow cooked Somerset pork belly with braised red cabbage. Participating pubs, which include The Ship in Wandsworth, The Devonshire in Balham and The White Hart in Littleton-on-Severn, Bristol, will run the menus costing £12.95 for two courses and £14.95 for three. The Ship and The White Hart will also be hosting free game masterclasses hosted by cookery writer and author, Maxine Clark on September 29 and October 1 respectively. Participants will be taught how to decipher and prepare different cuts and how to create great game dishes at home.
Supporting British
The Punch Tavern in central London is combining support for British Food Fortnight with support for British troops. From September 21 to October 3 the pub will offer 2-for-1 on selected British dishes such as pies and roasts. However, customers will be invited to pay full price for food with money from the second dish donated to the Afghan Heroes charity. The pub will also sell British flags on behalf of the charity for £1.
Send your promotional ideas to share with the rest of the industry to arjf@ovtubfcvgnyvgl.pb.hx.
