Feature: Easter special

(Image: Lanchester Wines)

The Easter weekend 2024 kicks off on 29 March – an annually-occurring Friday so pleasant that it comes with the prefix ‘Good’. And it certainly kicks off a weekend of opportunity for the on-trade, marking the start of this year’s only national four-day weekend. In the words of Phil Neale, managing director of Tabology: “Easter is the first ‘big’ weekend of the year for pubs, so an important one for both customers and operators.”

Revitalise your menu

As one of spring’s most highly anticipated occasions, Easter is the ideal chance to set your venue up as a community hub where memories can be made, and where food is placed at the heart of the celebration.

“It is generally the time of year that most places refresh their menus,” says Karl Watts, food development manager at Star Pubs & Bars. “We’ll be introducing more world flavours, blending British dishes with global influences to create new flavours in a familiar format. We’ll also be adding theatre and excitement with fun, ‘Instagrammable’ desserts.

“For pubs with skilled kitchen staff, the focus around Easter is on provenance-led menus, featuring seasonal produce such as new lamb, fresh spring vegetables and lighter dishes.”

Pubs saw a 43% rise in lunch bookings over the Easter weekend in 2023, while dinner bookings were up 22%, with many of these likely being families bonding over a Sunday roast, or friends making the most of four days off work. With so many group bookings to take care of, a buffet or banquet-style dining offer could be a great way to go, in terms of both convenience and profit.

“While many outlets will opt for the more formal sit-down dinner, there is also the chance to create informal sharing menus for larger parties,” says Michael Eyre, product director at Jestic Foodservice Solutions. “You can create a range of loaded fries or snack platters that can be ordered for the whole table to enjoy.” This type of dining gives operators the flexibility to create a set sharing menu with a range of dishes for guests to tuck into – including vegetarian, vegan and meaty options, inclusive of every group member regardless of their preference.

“For those wanting to be even more adventurous, why not offer a pizza menu?” adds Eyre. “A firm consumer favourite whether it’s a deep-dish or Neapolitan-style offering, pizza is a core menu item that can be tailored to the seasons.”

Shoulder of lamb roast, The Cricketers Arms. Recipe featured in Premier Foods' Bisto Easter Guide

At The Cricketers Arms in Rickling Green, Easter revolves around the traditional Sunday dinner. “Look to maximise sales across the whole of Easter with enticing food and drink specials that make the most out of seasonal and gross profit-boosting ingredients,” advises chef-operator Harry Kodagoda. “Add theatre to your pub’s Sunday roast experience by offering a pre-booked ‘Host Your Own Roast’ for bigger groups and a ‘Sunday Roast Sharer’, where everything for the perfect roast is piled on a big board for guests to serve themselves.”

Water into wine

While food may be top priority, Easter presents another fabulous opportunity to trade up your wines. Customers will be eager to celebrate and socialise, and what better way to give them a bang for their buck than offering the ideal wine pairing for their meal?

“Many will stick with the traditional roast lamb and, fortunately, lamb pairs perfectly with wine,” says Tom van der Neut, business unit controller for Lanchester Wines. “A hearty red such as a Rioja Reserva or Shiraz/Syrah will take the meat to an extra dimension, combining with the bolder tannins to make the lamb feel more tender. Seek out wines with a hint of spiciness and a touch of oak,” he suggests.

And, of course, many will be hankering for a taste of chocolate – an obligatory indulgence at this time of year. It can be tricky to pair chocolate with wine, as many varieties of chocolate share the same flavonoids and polyphenols with red wine, which give off a dry and bitter taste in the mouth. “This is why fortified sweet wines go very well with chocolate, but if you fancy something a little lighter, seek out a wine with a touch of sweetness. My perfect pairing would be the Raboso Frizzante, a sparkling red wine which is light (only 11% ABV) and a hint of sweetness.”

And, of course, many will be hankering for a taste of chocolate – an obligatory indulgence at this time of year. It can be tricky to pair chocolate with wine, as many varieties of chocolate share the same flavonoids and polyphenols with red wine, which give off a dry and bitter taste in the mouth. “This is why fortified sweet wines go very well with chocolate, but if you fancy something a little lighter, seek out a wine with a touch of sweetness. My perfect pairing would be the Raboso Frizzante, a sparkling red wine which is light (only 11% ABV) and a hint of sweetness.”

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While many still acknowledge and celebrate the religious roots of the Easter holiday, others feel the celebration centres on one irresistible treat: chocolate!

If you’re looking for a creative spark to level-up your seasonal snacks, Mondelēz International has the ideal resource for you in its brand-new seasonal inspiration series. Starring chef Philli Arimitage-Mattin and featuring the consumer-favourite Cadbury and Oreo Inclusion lines, the video recipe series has been designed to help caterers produce head-turning sweet dishes to tempt guests into impulse buys. And how could punters say no to a nibble on a piece of rocky road traybake with Flake Pieces and Crunchie Bits this Easter?

Focusing on recipe inspiration and product versatility, the campaign taps into consumer desire to see familiar and beloved brands out-of-home. The six-part series, presented by Armitage-Mattin, is available now on the new Mondelēz Professional YouTube channel, and is set to be serialised on the brand’s Instagram profile, both of which are searchable via @MondelezProUK.

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Contacts
Jestic
Lanchester Wines 
Mondelēz International 
Premier Foods
Tabology 

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