PROFESSIONALS

Veganuary is the month-long challenge to embrace a plant-based diet while taking a break from meat products. And what better time to do it than at the start of a new year, after a blow-out Christmas and when resolve is at its strongest.

For chefs and the foodservice industry in general, it’s important to get your offering right in January as more consumers than ever before are set to sign up to the month of plant-based eating.

We chatted to our new Culinary Development Chef Ben Davy to give you five tips to make the most of Veganuary and leverage what has become such a huge occasion in the seasonal calendar.

Meatless Farm has partnered with Leeds-based Rola Wala to give the nation's favourite curry a plant-based makeover during World Vegan Month.

The limited edition Meatless Farm Meatball Rogan Josh uses Meatless Farm's meat-free mince to create juicy meatballs, accompanied with the flavours and spices that Rola Wala have become known for.

The dish is available in either a naan roll, rice bowl or low-carb cauli bowl and is available from Trinity Kitchen in Leeds.

Michelin starred chef Josh Eggleton has added two Meatless Farm dishes to his menu at Bristol's Breaking Bread.

The pop-up, in the city which is often referred to as the vegan capital of the UK, is one of the hottest foodie events of the year and sees the former Great British Kitchen contestant creating a Meatless Farm Burger with all the trimmings, and a Meatless Chilli Hot Dog.

Josh, traditionally a meat-love, said of the partnership: "I’ve always worked with meat so this is a fantastic opportunity to apply my knowledge of flavour to plant-based alternatives. They can feel a little unfamiliar for chefs and people generally, we’ve tried to turn that on its head and what we’ve come up with is pretty impressive."

Celebrity chef and Masterchef: The Professionals runner-up Matt Healy has chosen Meatless Farm's plant-based range as he creates a vegan junk food revolution in Leeds.

Embarking on MörkGrön, which means dark green in Swedish, Healy and his executive chef Natalie Firth have created a menu of stacked Meatless burgers, hot dogs and mac and cheese, all tailored to those looking for plant-based options.

"After opening our third Grön, we've decided to launch something a little different. MörkGrön is for everyone. Trust me when I say you won't miss the meat. It's exactly what you want, especially when you've had a few cocktails, beers or glasses of wine.

"We’re revolting with food. Vegan options don’t need to be boring. So put down the broccoli and pick up a dirty bacon cheeseburger with CBD mayo. We’re working closely with Meatless Farm who are a real forward thinking brand, that share our plant based tastes and beliefs."

Meatless Farm has partnered with former Masterchef: The Professionals runner-up Matt Healy to launch a plant-based pop-up venture in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The celebrity chef shot to fame in 2016 and runs a fine dining restaurant in Leeds, along with three vegan-friendly Skandi-inspired cafes called Grön Kafé (meaning Green Cafe in Swedish).

After trialling our plant-based foodservice range, Matt and his team have created a premium Meatless Farm-branded menu, including the headline 'Revolt Burger' and 'The Hot Dawg'.

"Trust me when I say you won’t miss the meat. Vegan options don’t need to be boring. We’re working closely with Meatless Farm who are a real forward thinking brand, that share our plant-based tastes and beliefs," commented Matt.

Britons are set to reduce the amount of pubs and restaurants they visit in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over a third of consumers say that they will eat and drink in a smaller number of ‘trusted’ places as the industry re-opens its doors once again.

The research, commissioned by Meatless Farm and carried out by OnePoll, shows that operators need to ensure their offering is not only delivering value but also attracting customer footfall and driving loyalty.

Jade Dodds, Foodservice and QSR Director at Meatless Farm, says: "Operators have a lot on their plates with ensuring safety is top of the agenda. Now’s the time for consumers to show their support but for operators it’s also the time to keep innovating, there are challenging months ahead but as always offer and experience will help get the sector back in the driving seat."

"Our industry is currently going through some of its toughest ever times and we have to stick together more than ever.

"Once restaurants reopen, the 2-metre rule will make it incredibly hard. Small, intimate restaurants will lose a lot of tables which will impact revenue and may force them to close. If the rule is relaxed to a 1-metre rule, which I fully believe it should be, restaurants will have a much higher chance of surviving.

"Implement a one-way system for staff and guests in the restaurant and create simpler menus where you may not need as many staff on each shift. Try offering an incentive to returning guests, such a glass of bubbles on arrival, to show that you truly value them and help drive their support. Some landlords have been incredibly helpful while others have made it much tougher; continue or establish conversations with them regarding reduced rent.

"Support your colleagues, other restaurants and the industry as much as you can and when it becomes an option, eat out as frequently as possible."

Discover Lee’s Meatless Sausage & Bean Cassoulet Recipe

"Although the pandemic has meant the café had to momentarily close, the team at LELE’S didn’t stop for one second. Thanks to the launch of our mixes earlier this year, we have been able to focus on selling and promoting our new products. Inspired by the treats we prepare for the café, we created three different cake mixes (Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Brownies and Vanilla Cupcakes). They are all vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free and completely customisable. We are supplying wholesale, providing local organic shops with our best cakes and savoury treats.

"We have also been very fortunate to stock all Planet Organic shops for more than a year. Our plan for the future is to take LELE’S directly into people’s homes and more of their favourite shops. Being flexible, open to change and unafraid to innovate is key in order to get through this current climate."

"We are going to have to adapt to a new and unknown situation. It’s not a one-off task. We need to be continually making changes and reviewing as we learn from the positive or negative outcomes of our actions.

"Safety of staff and customers is of uttermost importance so we will need to take effective measures to ensure this and install a level of customer confidence too. Observing and learning from customer behaviour will be crucial, this may include menu tweaks and expanding or establishing on-the-go offerings.

"Profit margins are notoriously tight in the catering industry and locating the best deals for produce and services will be high on everyone’s agenda. Unfortunately, some suppliers may have folded in light of Covid-19 and with less competition between suppliers, we may see a rise in prices. Businesses like ours will need to have clear budgeting strategies and continual reviews."

"Restaurants need to be able to flex their business models to allow for social distancing guidance and takeaway concepts but also revert with little expense to how they were before the pandemic. They also need to be able to continue to adapt in case we face a similar situation in the future.

"The tronc system may need to be reviewed to ensure employees are well looked after should another epidemic happen.

"With the closure of many restaurants, recruitment may become easier for restaurants who survive."

Discover Richard's Miso Meatless Balls & Asian Salad recipe

"The major concern for our industry is the financial impact and I worry that some smaller restaurants will not recover.

"We all need to adapt our business outlook to the current situation – whether that’s looking at the functionality of how you serve people or the actual food you’re serving them.

"If there’s one message I had to convey it’d be try to stay positive. It’ll be a different world after this but it’ll be a world where people still enjoy eating out and can appreciate good food, perhaps now more than ever."

Discover Mark's Meatless Sausages with Summer Vegetables recipe