With plant-based diets growing in popularity, many foodservice outlets are now making plant protein and vegetables the ‘stars’ of the show.
The Sustainable Restaurant Association’s ‘Make veg a star, not a side’ campaign provides lots of tips and inspiration to get you started. Here are a few of their suggestions…
- Serve only meat-free starters or support meat-free initiatives, such as Meat-Free Mondays.
- Set goals to increase your veg and plant offer. Increasing the amount of veggie dishes or the amount of veg and plants in each dish.
- Make sure vegetarians always have at least two choices of mains.
- Make meat an addition to veg-led plates.
- Promote vegetarian and/or vegan daily specials.
- Tell the story behind the menu; showcase local suppliers, promote sustainable innovation, praise good practice and high standards. Share a story with your customers. Let them know they are part of the positive change and that every bite makes a difference.
- Choose your vegetable based on seasonality/locality.
- Work with different techniques to harness the potential of umami flavours.
- Use spices to enhance the natural flavour profile of your veg and plants.
- Work with textures to help make your veg and plants more interesting. Try various cooking techniques such as BBQ, smoked, roasted, poached etc.
- Think about the visual opportunities using various colours, showing depth through textures and garnishes – even use emulsions to raise the complexity and skill behind the dish if that
suits your brand.
