TASTY RECIPES TO SET SALES ALIGHT DURING BRITISH SAUSAGE WEEK!

Monday, August 11, 2008

As the eleventh annual British Sausage Week (3-9 November 2008) approaches, pubs and restaurants have good reason to put sausages on the menu! And thanks to BPEX, caterers will have no shortage of recipes to tempt customers.

This year, as well as celebrating the quality and variety of what is of one of the nation’s favourite foods, British Sausage Week is also paying homage to the great many regional types of sausage and regionally inspired recipes. For chefs, this is a great opportunity to capitalise on local produce and boost sales of sausage dishes.

BPEX foodservice trade manager Tony Goodger said: “We not only know that six out of ten consumers will opt for sausages when eating out but that two thirds also have a favourite variety*. And when an establishment uses a locally produced sausage or one that combines local ingredients or flavours then we often hear that its popularity soars. British Sausage Week is an ideal platform to encourage even more customers to try a new variety or sausage-based dish, increasing the opportunities for profit.

“We have a number of inspirational sausage recipes for the foodservice sector, all of which are simple to prepare and cost effective yet really deliver on taste and make the most of popular ingredients that can be sourced locally and regionally across the UK.”

Recipe ideas are available from the BPEX website www.porkforcaterers.co.uk and include:

·Toasted Ciabatta with Pork and Apple Sausages and Blue Cheese
·Easy Toad in the Hole with Roasted Root Vegetables
·Warm Puy Lentil Salad with Sausages, Black Pudding and Poached Egg
·Ham Wrapped Sausages with Bubble and Squeak Cakes

BPEX is also helping caterers make the most of British Sausage Week through the use of point of sale material. Posters, serviettes and balloons are all available from BPEX, along with a copy of a useful guide ‘Selling Sausages on the Menu’.

This guide recommends ways that caterers can successfully promote sausage on their menu. Tony says: “Giving customers more information about the sausage, as well as giving the dish an attractive and descriptive name will generate added interest. Putting sausages on the special’s board is also a great way to encourage customers to choose them, so too is offering more than one sausage dish or offering a choice of varieties.

“Outlets can also use ‘theme nights’ to increase awareness and generate greater footfall, particularly during quieter periods. The top accompaniment for sausages is mashed potato, so a ‘Sausage & Mash’ night fits perfectly. British Sausage Week also coincides with Bonfire Night, providing even more opportunities for themed events to help sales rocket!”

When serving sausages, quality plays a vital role. Pork and pig meat that carries the BPEX Quality Standard Mark has been produced to higher welfare standards than that of imported pork. By choosing sausages that carry the Mark, caterers will not only increase customer confidence in the quality of the dish and their establishment, they will also support British pig farmers when the industry is under pressure from rising costs.

For more information about British Sausage Week, recipe ideas or to download a guide to holding a Sausage & Mash night visit the BPEX website www.porkforcaterers.com. For point of sale material, contact Karen Eaton or Denise Price on 01908 844 114 or email foodservice@bpex.org.uk.

Notes to editors:
* Data source – Sausages: A Category Update, October 2005.

For further information please contact Toni Connolly at HD Communications Limited.
T: 01372 824206 E: toni.connolly@hdcommunications.co.uk