Creating quick, tasty, gastropub and restaurant dishes is easy with Whirl

Whether it’s a quick lunch break, or dining out for a special occasion, eating out at pubs and restaurants has become increasingly popular, with OpenTable discovering Brits now eat out 1.5 times a week.

We’re also spending more than ever at pubs and restaurants – with an average of 25% of our annual income spent on dining out, with millennials leading the way, eating out twice as much as their elders.

Despite this popularity, the hospitality sector is still weathering the storm it is facing from high energy bills, and ingredient and staff shortages. With this in mind, many venues are going back to basics and focusing on traditional dishes that bring comfort and familiarity to diners.

Whether you serve breakfast, brunch, dinner, or desserts, you’ll be using a fundamental ingredient: butter. It is key in cooking – often the first thing to hit the pan as a base for tasty sauces, and usually the final flourish to finish off a dish.

Whirl, from AAK Foodservice, is a tasty liquid butter alternative you can use in every dish. It is easy to use – simply pour, brush or mix it into your recipes to add a delicious, rich buttery flavour.

Whirl is available in three different varieties: Original, Unsalted, and Garlic and Herb – which are all plant-based - meaning you won’t need to switch between products for vegan and non-vegan dishes, saving you valuable time and money.

Brunch ‘n’ lunch

According to the research by OpenTable, breakfast and brunch bookings have increased by 65% over the past two years. So, if you’re looking to introduce a brunch menu, or take your breakfast recipes to the next level, Whirl is the perfect addition to your kitchen. It can be used across your menu – to create everything from French Toast, to fluffy American Pancakes.

Egg-based dishes are a brunch staple, and you can use Whirl to create creamy, buttery scrambled eggs, pairing them with an Avocado Muffin, or adding them into a Breakfast Panini or burrito.

For lunch, Whirl can make the pub classic toasty extra golden and crispy. Treat vegan diners to a Hummus and Caramelised Onion Toasty, whilst non-vegan diners can enjoy an indulgent Bacon, Brie and Cranberry Toasty or “BZT” Panini.

Pub grub

Pies feature regularly on pub and restaurant menus – and their popularity is on the rise, with BBC Good Food reporting 3.2m page views on pie recipes last year. While pies topped with buttery mash like cottage, fish and shepherd’s pie topped the BBC’s most popular list, next up were old favourites made with pastry, such as classic Steak and Ale Pie.

You can use Whirl in your mash or in your pastry, or brush on top of your pies for that golden-brown finish. You can even make vegan pies filled with delicious vegetables like leeks and mushrooms with Whirl, and still maintain that delicious buttery flavour.

You can also use any leftover pastry for tasty bar snacks like cheese twists, tomato and cheese tarts, or classic sausage rolls.

Elsewhere, pub seafood favourites like a delicous Garlic & Herb Whirl Salt & Pepper Squid starter and succulent meat dishes like Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with a Buttery Port Sauce can be made incredibly easily using Whirl.

Comforting desserts

Whirl is ideal for desserts and can be used in both your vegan and non-vegan treats.

According to research by The Food People, one recent trend that’s big in pubs and restaurants is the resurgence of the school dinner pudding – such as bread-and-butter pudding or jam and coconut sponge – which are perfect to create with Whirl, alongside lashings of custard for the perfect comforting nostalgia hit.

Whirl is a great staple to have in your kitchen, saving you time and money whilst making your recipes rich with flavour.

To discover more about Whirl, get in touch today or request a free sample and give it a Whirl.