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Bennett Hay is celebrating British Food Fortnight with promotions in its client sites to highlight local and regional produce, as well as suppliers and artisans.
Bennett Hay’s two-week campaign will be brought to life through social media activity, in-house activations and personal recommendations of favourite British artisans and makers from Bennett Hay’s team. The campaign also draws on new trends caused by the effects of Brexit and a new consumer mindset towards eating and personal wellness post-Covid.
- Community
Consumers are hungry to share and experience food together as food and drink connects and engenders camaraderie and conversation. It is therefore an integral component to encourage employees back to the office or workplace in a hybrid work-scape.
- Well-being
Vegan and plant based are welcome additions to the menu planning process. However, consumers now want to embrace a wider sense of wellbeing in their diets and are looking for products and foodstuffs that can help relax, focus and boost cognitive function.
- Purpose
Consumers don’t only seek to know the provenance and sustainability of their food; they now want to know that the supplier is having a more positive impact on the planet as well as its local community and the people it employs.
Robin Hay, co-founder of Bennett Hay, comments: “It’s an uplifting time for British produce which is being driven by a new set of dynamics. For some time, Bennett Hay has focussed on bringing the best of British to the plate and we see the next two weeks, and far beyond, as a huge opportunity for everyone in the hospitality profession to fly the flag for British farmers, growers and makers.”
Vernon Mascarenhas of Natures Choice says: “There is a huge emphasis on British grown produce as menus become less reliant on imported perishables. For suppliers such as ourselves it’s great news as demand is up and from a chef’s perspective, they are having to create menus that genuinely reflect the seasonal harvest from the British Isles.”
He adds: “We’re all very used to the term ‘nose to tail eating’ and we’re now seeing chefs bring the zero-waste value to vegetables and fruits as they seek to eat ‘flower to stalk’. Beetroot, which is in its prime during British Food Fortnight, is a brilliant example; the root is eaten, the stems are eaten and the leaves too. We are also encouraging our people to be savvier to the value of available food per sq. foot. For example, we encourage the use of purple sprouting as it’s a brassica that can be cut and it will grow again unlike broccoli. We are trying hard to address our consumers’ awareness about provenance and the importance they place on the wider protection of the planet.”
Bennett Hay’s British Food Fortnight campaign will highlight the abundant UK-sourced larder with menus focussed on Kentish apples, beetroot, carrots, courgettes and runner beans. Fish will be from day boats with catch dependent on the local weather and sea conditions as well as from certified British seafood farms.
Alistair Day, Bennett Hay’s Executive chef, says; “We are delighted to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of British Food Fortnight as our values are very much aligned: we too look to work with sustainable, high animal welfare suppliers who are focussed on protecting the wider environment. our supply partners uphold these values too and I’m delighted to share the British food story with all our clients and their employees.”
Bennett Hay has challenged and led the workplace management sector since it was founded in 2010.
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Hospitality & Catering News: Bennett Hay celebrating British Food Fortnight. – 20 September 2021 – Bennett Hay celebrating British Food Fortnight.
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