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School caterers are continually balancing a complex set of priorities.

Every dish needs to deliver on nutrition, cost-effectiveness, operational efficiency and pupil appeal, while meeting the requirements of school food standards. At the same time, today's students are more adventurous than ever, with global flavours and street-food-inspired dishes influencing food choices both in and out of school.

That's exactly what this new recipe concept from Essential Cuisine and Tilda Foodservice has been designed to support.

At Essential Cuisine, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a core principle that guides every aspect of how we source, manufacture, package, and deliver our products. Since 2020, sustainability has been embedded deeply into our business model, driving meaningful changes that reduce environmental impact while supporting chefs and foodservice professionals across the UK and beyond.

For years, tofu has hovered on the edges of foodservice menus - often well-intentioned, but rarely exciting. Too often it’s been treated as a compromise; a substitute for meat rather than a hero ingredient capable of delivering real depth, texture and flavour. Yet for centuries, tofu has been a cornerstone of East Asian cuisine, valued for its versatility, protein content and ability to carry bold, savoury flavours.

From the ingredients we choose to how we package and deliver our products, every decision is made with the planet in mind. A key part of that journey has been our move toward FSC-approved cardboard packaging, a meaningful step in reducing environmental impact while still meeting the needs of busy kitchens everywhere.