Along with the disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us – including myself – have had our own disasters in the kitchen (Let’s not talk about the time I tried to make mozzarella sticks with Babybels). With all the free time we’ve had, many of us have turned out attention to the kitchen and thought…’let’s try and learn some new cooking skills.’
Anyone who knows me, knows that food and content creation is my jam. Social media marketing and foodie PR makes my heart sing, why? Because it’s all down to the food. Food is life. Food is pleasure. Food is comfort. Afterall, one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well (thanks Virginia Woolf). I’ll go easy on the quotes now.
It’s a fact that more and more people are choosing to reduce their meat consumption when eating out. There is a fundamental shift in consumers’ diets, and it isn’t only vegetarians and vegans seeking out plant-based menu options within hospitality. 65% of Europeans are looking to reduce their meat intake, which means there is a real need for operators to increase their meat-free options.
Vietnam is definitely my favourite country for food that I have visited so far. The variety is stunning, from Pho to spring rolls, strange looking fish to omelettes, stunning fresh vegetables to Banh Mi (breakfast baguettes) plus locally brewed beer and wine.
“I’ve got good news and bad news…which would you like first?”
We all know it takes a special kind of psychopath to ask for the bad news ahead of the good, but today’s Arena ‘From Re-Opening Roadmap to Recovery’ webinar really was a tale of two acts, top-loaded with bad, but tinged with some thumbs-to-the-troposphere optimism, arriving a little while after the interval.
The pandemic has already had many far-reaching repercussions and will undoubtedly continue to shake up the landscape of the foodservice industry as we know it. Yet one positive we can take is the increased uptake of new technology which is estimated to have been accelerated by three to four years in a few short months.¹
It’s been a long road, but despite the threat of a third wave, the roll out of vaccinations does mean there is light at the end of the tunnel for the hospitality sector, which has been devastated by the past 16 months. 2020 saw 11 weeks of normal trading and 41 weeks of restrictions, not to mention the joys of Brexit uncertainty. This led to a total market decline of -47.8%, with an outlet percentage decline of 1.2% in 2020. However, as we head towards the second half of 2021 hopefully things are looking up.
It is estimated that almost 1 in 5 people in the UK suffer from an allergy and that 10 deaths a year are caused by people not knowing what ingredients are in the food they are eating. In the wake of the death of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse from an allergic reaction and her parents subsequent lobbying, new legislation is being introduced to protect allergy sufferers and give them confidence when buying pre-packaged food.
As the Spanish bean of the team, I have known from close experience what hospitality means and what it brings to our everyday life. Spain receives every summer millions of tourists from abroad who are welcomed with open arms and who we take care of the very best way possible, providing them with one of the best food and drink experiences available.
What a hell of a year we have all had, the ups & downs, the isolation and the lockdowns. We have all suffered in one way or another. Hospitality took a big hit during the lockdowns, with the closures, tier systems and curfews being introduced, making it harder for them to do what they do best.
On the 17th May we were finally allowed to dine-in in British pubs and restaurants. No more hunkering under heaters or shielding our plates from hail stones – Hurrah! As foodies through-and-through the bean team were delighted to be able to finally eat inside and enjoy some old favourites and even try some new experiences.
Here at jellybean we pride ourselves on our ability to offer clients our expertise across a vast number of specialist subjects. With 25 beans across five divisions, there’s scope to have our fingers in lots of pies and hone our crafts at the same time. Whilst some of us get giddy with excitement at the thought of planning a face to face press launch, others get their kicks from activating shopper marketing solutions, creating video animations and even getting to the heart of a brand with a complete redesign and repositioning project. We’re a close-knit bunch of beans – thanks Microsoft Teams for helping us keep it that way during the past year – and as well as sharing gossip from our out of office lives we make it a priority to regularly share our professional learnings, latest insights, new tools and platforms which we and our clients would benefit from knowing about.
As part of Public Sector Catering’s fantastic Plant-Based Week, the jellybean team was in high attendance at the publication’s ‘Future of Plant-Based Meals’ webinar, where industry experts weighed in on the key issues around plant-based eating in the public sector.
When anyone entered my Nana’s house she would always ask them three questions. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Are you warm enough? For those of us lucky enough to have known her, they will concur that this dedication to great hospitality was just one of the reasons she was so loved. Any answer in the affirmative was followed by mountains of scones, toast, pots of tea and fruit cake arriving on hastily arranged occasional tables. Keeping people well fed and watered has always been, and will always be one of the most fundamental ways to care for the wellbeing of those around you, and that sense of satisfaction lives long in the memory.
As a leading food and drink agency we make sure we stay ahead of the game when it comes to the latest foodie trends. So we always look forward to see what trends The Food People predict will be shaping menus and shopping baskets. We may be nearly half way through 2021, but with a rather stuttering start to the year due to Covid, now seems as good a time as any to take a look at what they are tipping to be the next big foodie trends. So, here we go…
There are currently over 10,000 fish & chip shops in the UK with a market value estimated at a staggering £1.2bn. They serve around 382 million meals a year of which 167 million are just fish & chips. That’s six servings for everyone in the UK. In fact, 80% of people visit at least once a year and 22% of people visit every week! Whether enjoyed on a harbour-side dodging pesky seagulls, or impatiently snaffled from under the paper on the way home – it’s fair to say Brits love fish & chips, especially when covered in salt & vinegar.
Having spent quite a few years of my life working in pubs and restaurants, the hospitality industry is one I hold close to my heart. The past year and a half has been hard for many of us including the hospitality industry so hearing about Hospitality Action’s 2021 To Hell and Back challenge, I along with many others from the jellybean team decided it was time to give back and pledge a few miles to help raise money for the hospitality industry.
The past year has certainly been a bit different, to say the least! I think everyone at one point or another has experienced some degree of personal ‘hell’, whether that be malfunctioning Zoom calls, not being able to see family, queues at the grocery store, or not being able to buy loo roll.
