WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE…

It seems to be one hard knock after the other for the pub industry and they don’t come worse than a recession. However, plenty of watering holes are simply refusing to lie down and are going all out to use their creative nous to pull in the punters and save money without comprising on quality. The Goshawk in Cheshire is one such pub spreading its wings in an attempt to fly in the face of economic downturn. Local producer Essential Cuisine is helping them on this journey towards a lucrative nest egg…

Soaring high
Since the credit crunch hit on the back of the 2007 smoking ban, food has become more important to pub trade than ever.

Country pub, The Goshawk in picturesque Mouldsworth, has taken on the challenge with vigour, introducing some simple but enlightened incentives to tempt customers in for a bite. Reimbursing train tickets for diners travelling from Chester or nearby Cuddington, for example, not only saves customers’ money but encourages the use of public transport, doing its bit for the green agenda and sustainability.

Rewarding staff who bring in the most coffee sales and hosting theme nights such as Casino Royale on Tuesday, March 24th, with fitting menus and backdrops to get the imagination ticking, are also part of Goshawk’s mission to keep the tills ringing and customers happy.

It’s all about taking proactive measures, not cutting costs, according to Duncan Falconer, operations director for The Goshawk and its three sister pubs in the Woodward Pub Co portfolio. “When the Goshawk was the Station Hotel back in the day of the horse and cart, it became renowned for its late night dances and easy going manner, serving traditional ales by the log fires and really treasuring customers,” he said.

“Re-launching six years ago, we also now have a reputation for creating an experience equal to a fine dining restaurant, while retaining the warm charm that is an English country pub. We are not prepared to lose that. To every dish, our creative brigade of highly trained chefs apply the same principle, refusing to compromise on quality, which we feel needs to be maintained during the current climate.

“Corners should not be cut and we will continue to serve up a good range of home cooked dishes ranging from everyday meals to those for a special occasion. If customers need value for money, we are content with turnover as opposed to GP right now.”

The pub, which overlooks the magnificent Peckforton Hills, serves around 90 covers on weekdays and 300 on Saturdays and Sundays, mostly to locals and repeat business. Full menus are available all day as well as a lunch menu and a daily fish special.

Credit crunch comfort
What has become apparent is a change in customers’ tastes. “The response to the downturn is we are seeing less adventurous consumers who want comfort foods,” he said.

“We do everything from Lobster Thermidor to freshly prepared risottos but since the recession hit, comforting classics such as our toad in the hole with mash and onion gravy and famous steak and kidney pie made with Timothy Taylor’s Ale have been incredibly popular. This kind of makes sense really.”

To make these types of dishes as wonderful as possible, The Goshawk sticks to its strict quality policy and, where possible, uses only local and seasonal produce. Sausages come from Littlers Butchers in nearby Sandiway, while fruit and veg comes from wholesaler Fresh Choice in New Smithfield Market, Manchester, which prides itself on great, seasonal produce.

Creating gravies and sauces worthy of such dishes, however, was until recently proving costly, with finished sauces taking up to eight hours to prepare from roasting bones in a stockpot. They had tried a few pre-prepared products but nothing met the mark.

Goshawk looked into sourcing a superior jus to inject a certain je ne sais quoi into its comfort food gravy bases as well as the likes of its homemade port and cranberry sauce, poured over its mouth watering braised lamb shank with dauphinoise potatoes.

Based down the road, creator of kitchen-made tasting stocks Essential Cuisine hit the spot with its Premier Veal Jus and Lamb Jus, giving body and taste to finished sauces with a mirror-like sheen and tacky viscosity on the tongue.

Developed to remove the need for costly sourcing and preparation of veal and lamb bones, whilst eliminating this sensitive area of food safety, each 1kg tub makes 8 litres of finished jus and is better value than buying in a chilled jus. In fact, Premier Jus is now proud to be one of the leading foodservice jus.

Goshawk head chef Darren Hughes, who has been there for nearly three years and makes up a team of four chefs, said it was the first product they had been happy with using in this capacity. “It helps create clean, proper restaurant sauces with the right balance to adapt, and is as close as to what you would make fresh. It also saves man hours in the kitchen.

“Consumers are now more careful about where they spend, but the point is they are still spending, and we can’t afford to be complacent. This kind of product is invaluable in delivering the highest quality of food and service within a relaxing pub environment.”

Managing director of Essential Cuisine Nigel Crane echoed his words. “While it is tempting to trade down in sauce quality in these lean times, this is not the way forward. “People might go out less often, but they will seek the same, if not better, quality,” he said. “Compromising really is a downward spiral.”

26/03/2009|