The latest article from The Publican draws attention to the fact the landlords need to be thinking about offering their customers more than just packets of crisp and peanuts to snack on.

The article suggests a snack menu of ‘mini food’ – smaller versions of pub meal favourites like sausage rolls, fish fingers and pies – or homemade, luxury snacks to tempt customers.

Read the full article for more advice.

While it’s obviously important to provide pub customers with a diverse range of food, the Morning Advertiser has recently drawn landlords’ attention to the fact they should also be placing value on the way they actually present their menu.

The latest article from the Morning Advertiser is packed with clever ideas for increasing food orders. Ideas include personalising menus by naming dishes after the pub (or even staff members) and adding extra information about where the dish has come from to emphasise that produce is fresh and locally sourced.

Read the full article for more hints and tips.

We’re celebrating after completing another successful series of food presentation events in partnership with Booker wholesale.

We visited Cardiff, Tottenham, Cambridge, Derby, Kingswinford, Barnsley, Haydock and Chester during the course of the last two months, giving Admiral Taverns landlords the chance to get help and advice on increasing sales and footfall through their food offering.

We hope everything that our landlords learned will allow them to grow their pub business, whether it’s simply by introducing bar snacks or by giving their entire menu an overhaul.

Traditional roasts have long been a pub food favourite, and landlords can ensure their pub is packed out on a Sunday afternoon by offering its customers something a little different, says the Morning Advertiser.

In its latest article, the MA highlights a number of pubs that are thinking outside the box when it comes to Sunday serving.

Whether it’s offering entirely organic options, the chance for indecisive customers to enjoy all meats on the menu for an extra cost or even allowing bigger parties to ‘host’ their own roast, carving their own meat at the table, these pubs are ahead of the curve when it comes to satisfying their customers’ appetites.

Read the full article for inspiration on how to shake up the Sunday roast at your pub.

We’re giving you the opportunity to learn about the benefits of offering food at your pub through a series of special events held in partnership with Booker wholesale.

The food presentation events will give you the chance to meet with the Admiral Food Team who’ll be providing useful help and advice on improving your food menu.

You’ll also be able to watch live food demonstrations, test products and discover how you can arrange to print menus and promotional material through the mypubsuperstore website.

The food presentation events will take place in Derby (3 February), Kingswinford (22 February), Barnsley (24 February), Haydock (1 March) and Chester (3 March).

Book your place by contacting the food team on 0844 800 6671 or emailing food@admiraltaverns.co.uk; pre-book your place and you’ll receive a goody bag and £100 of vouchers.

The start of a new year brings with it new opportunities and a chance to start afresh. If you’re thinking of introducing food for the first time this year or want to refresh your menu here are some top tips from Admiral’s food team to help get you started.

New to food

Taking your first steps into catering can seem like a daunting prospect, but with the right guidance and support it’s easy to get going and find the right solution for your pub. Your first port of call should be the food team on 0844 800 6671. They can help with all aspects of starting a food in your pub, from training and supplier selection, through to menu creation and the food launch.

Steven Gilmour, Admiral’s development chef, provides on-site training to landlords, so you get hands-on learning and an opportunity to talk through your requirements and options with an expert.

Don’t be put off if you don’t have a kitchen, there are options available even if you have limited space. The Admiral food team website www.mypubfood.co.uk is packed full of ideas suitable for pubs of all sizes.

Things to consider…

Scope out the competition

Do your research and find out what your competitors are offering, at what price and how they are marketing it. It’s always important to establish your point of difference from the competition and the best way to do that is by knowing what is already on offer.

Planning is key

Don’t rush into it. Take a measured approach and do your homework. Depending on the level of offer you’re planning to launch there are a number of considerations that need to be made, such as staffing, training, costs and equipment. Researching each element of the process will enable you to minimise costs.

Speak to your customers

What food would your customers like to see on the menu? What are they willing to pay for a pub meal? Where do they regularly go to eat and why? By speaking to your customers you can gain some fantastic insight and get a feel for what will work with your regulars.

Promote your offer

Once you’ve decided on your menu, the key to generating sales is by vigorously marketing your menu to existing and new customers. Food opens your pub up to a whole new audience, particularly families, so think about how you can make them aware of your food offer and entice them into the pub.

Changing your menu

It’s important to keep your offer fresh to keep customers interested and encourage repeat business. What better time to do it than the start of the New Year.

Looking at your menu also provides a perfect opportunity to review suppliers and the price you’re paying for products. Are there cheaper alternatives available? Can you strike up a deal with a local butcher or greengrocer? Are you taking advantage of Admiral’s links with key suppliers?

However you want to change your offer, speak to the Admiral food team for inspiring ideas and practical help.

Things to consider…

Customers would always rather see less on the menu knowing it will be good than a huge list of food. It’s much easier to deliver a compact, well thought out menu.

Don’t over-complicate the menu. Keep things simple that way you will always deliver them well.

Be aware of portion size and base you costs accordingly. Every time you put a few extra chips on a plate your profit suffers- if you want to serve big portions make sure your selling prices reflect this.

Offer a balanced menu. Don’t repeat ingredients too many times, offer a range of dishes and of course as a pub there are certain dishes that should be on there like fish or scampi & chips and a good pie. Sandwiches, baguettes and jacket potatoes are an ideal lunch time offer but might devalue your main courses and make them look expensive if you continue to offer them in the evening.

Think about the presentation of your menu. Most pubs don’t suit leather bound menus with gold tassels - a simple A5 or A4 format is fine - have a look at the www.mypubfood.co.uk print creator, there are menus, leaflets, posters, table talkers and loyalty cards available for you to personalise at very reasonable prices. Items are printed by a professional printer and delivered to your door.

For more information contact the food team on 0844 800 6671 or visit www.mypubfood.co.uk

The Morning Advertiser is encouraging landlords to make it easier for pub goers to stick to their dieting New Year Resolutions by offering healthier food menus.

Market analysts him! recently revealed that 51% of customers would be more likely to eat pub food if there were healthier options available.

To ensure they’re not losing custom by offering a limited menu, landlords should consider cutting down on the fried food they offer and swapping the oil they use to cook. They can also try highlighting the more wholesome meals on their menu by printing the calorie content alongside it.

For more hints and tips from the Morning Advertiser, read the full article. If you’re an Admiral Taverns landlord who’d like advice on updating your menu, contact our My Pub Food Team.

It may not even be November yet, but it’s time for landlords to start thinking about their Christmas plan.

The Publican has put together a helpful guide on festive food that’s a great starting point if you’re looking for inspiration.

You should also think about your drinks offering – how about adding mulled wine or egg nog to the menu, or putting together some special seasonal drinks offers?

For further advice, Admiral Taverns landlords can visit the Mypubfood website.

It may only be October but we’re already looking forward to British Pie Week, which takes place from the 7th to 13th March next year.

It’s a great chance for our pubs to bring this British staple to the forefront of their food menu (and a good excuse to sample plenty of delicious pastry!).

In addition, this year pub chefs with a passion for pies can enter the Pub Pie Champion 2011 competition by submitting their recipes online.

Customers can also nominate their favourite pubs to receive the award.Find out more about British Pie Week and enter the competition on the British Pie Week website; Admiral landlords who want to get involved can contact our My Pub Food team for advice on how to make the most of their menu.

The winter months are crammed with opportunities to draw people into your pub, whether it’s for bonfire night, Christmas parties or ringing in the New Year. To help landlords make the most of the season, we’ve put together some helpful advice about what to do food-wise for customers. 

Be prepared

Planning is the key to a successful event – a food offer needs to be well organised and costed, taking into account the price of decorations, marketing and incentives.

Introduce a booking system that all members of staff know about and understand. 

Create a table plan that comfortably fits the pub and arrange multiple sittings to give the kitchen time to prepare meals well and waiting staff the time to deliver good service.

Be family-friendly

Families are key customers at seasonal events so landlords should cater for people eating with children.

Have small portions available for young diners and offer a variety of options as well as the traditional festive dishes in order to accommodate fussy eaters.

Have colouring books and crayons available on the table to keep children occupied and avoid disturbing other diners.

Make sure there are enough highchairs and booster seats available and ensure there is suitable baby changing facilities that are kept spotlessly clean.

Appeal to groups

Lots of people head out for meals and drinks in large groups over the festive period so it’s important to create an offering that appeals to this type of diner.

Create set menus with up-front prices so groups on a budget know how much their evening will cost before they book.

Offer incentives, such as a free bottle of wine for larger bookings to entice groups to your venue.

Give the option of a buffet for large parties, giving guests the chance to mingle while they eat and reducing the amount of crockery and cutlery needed.