Anyone fancy a bit of menu planning for my GDs new business.

felice's post 're the "stewp" reminded me of this place at Old Street in London. Their meat soups are extremely hearty and when I'm in the area around lunch time, I head straight there:
www.nincomsoup.co.uk/menu/

Brilliant name: "Nincomsoup".

Another place springs to mind, hugely popular, their menu advertises a salad base of leaves, tomato, cucumber and home made salad dressing, and "village bread", with choices of the following toppings: steak strips, chicken, tuna or grilled haloumi, with additional choice of side orders of guacamole or a chilli chutney. So basically you "build your own". They always have a carafe of tap water and glasses available on each table. They then have a daily special usually based around chicken and rice. There's always a queue at lunch time!

phoenix DH would choose leek and potato soup all year round

or felice's stewp - I can't eat a huge meal at lunch-time

Followed by lemon tart to fill the gaps.

ooh yes, cauliflower cheese!

Even in just a baked potato it's lovely (if done properly and not watery)

Oh, dishes of cauliflower cheese and green vegetables were circulating too, we were part of a party of 12. The veg were fine but the (apparently excellent!) cauliflower cheese never got as far as us and we were too busy talking and eating to notice or care!
The British Oak, Stirchley, Birmingham, on the website a garden was mentioned, we didn't get that far!

Flossie - my 3 courses were: scallops 2 big ones perfectly cooked on a bed of pea risotto
Our generous mains were a substantial piece of fresh, pearly cod with a good helping of well flavoured tomato couscous, my friend had the generous, melting 12 hour cooked lamb which came with roast potatoes, carrot and parsnip and good gravy. I think horseradish sauce was offered.
Embarrassingly I don't remember my dessert. My friend enjoyed her cheese plate including Cornish Brie and Herefordshire Hop, doesn't like blue so had extra Hop. It was served with a little pot of pear pickle.
Desserts on offer included chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream, the fondant was well received and bigger than the scoop of ice cream! A glass of lemon posset came with shortbread and some berries for garnish. What did I have myself? Must have been very naughty, sticky toffee pudding perhaps ...
Anyway, a lovely meal for £19.50, I can't wait to revisit!

Flossie the pub sounds lovely so please tell us where it is ! All the best to your daughter and the pubs new owners

On a family Sunday outing recently we stopped in an old village for a main meal at 5pm. DGC had chicken nuggets and chips from the childrens menu which was served as soon as the fresh nuggets were made. DS had a roast from the carvery and was 'served' at the same time as DGC. DIL and I chose different vegetarian meals and had to wait until they were both freshly cooked. No complaints from any of us as all the food was excellent, service was unobtrusive and efficient, and the bill was extremely reasonable. If we lived locally it's certainly somewhere we'd go again, probably on a monthly basis.

PS we were pleased DGS and his dad were served first as DGS would not have sat patiently until all the meals were ready. It gave mum and I a chance to enjoy a nice glass of wine while we waited anyway

When I was running a small bar/cafe here I did lunches and the most popular were my pots of Stewp,,,, a sort of stew soup.
Anything from Scotch broth to Chunky Courgette and apple.
I can pm recipes if wanted.
Another popular one was a Chorizo and lentil with chunky veg.

I charged 5€ which included bread and either a soft drink, small beer or coffee.

The Police in the station across the road used to bring piles of Tupperware dishes with names on the lids and a list then collect them later.

I made 3 different ones, one vegan, gluten and dairy free.

Feedback from has been very positive so far. Obviously the concern is that there is a novelty value at the moment, people curious to see the new owners. They have put in some very small tables as she has noticed that several single people come in to eat. They tell the staff that they cannot be bothered to cook at home.

My GD has asked me to pass on her thanks for all of your enthusiasm and good ideas.

For background, if any one is interested. The previous owners bought the food in vacuum packs, defrosted and cooked. The new owners are taking a bit of a gamble on buying only fresh locally sourced ingredients. These are much more expensive and have to be reflected in the price. From my GDs experience, the older people, appreciate and value quality and have the time to wait for food to be cooked. They are they only venue in the village, but 15 minutes away are several eateries Catering for every taste.

The pub itself can only seat 20 in the restaurant area, although people can eat In the bar if they want to. It is a 16th Century Inn and is a listed building. The kitchen can hold no more than three staff and no improvements or enlargements can be made. They only do food at lunch time and there is definitely no music. TV in the bar is only on in the evenings and Saturday Afternoon.

I also hate being outfaced by portion size. You should be able to ask for a large, medium or small portion and pay accordingly.

On holiday last week I had a really lovely starter of scallops with crispy bacon on a pea puree. Simple and delicious.

Some vegetarian ideas.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/category/vegetarian

www.recipes.vegsoc.org/results.aspx?cMenu=0&keywords=&andor=all&cMain=yes&submit=Search

www.vegsoc.org/caterers#

Look at things like falafals and greek salads. They go down very well don't serve "seasonal vegetables" with pasta it does not work. Ask for an interesting salad.

Do not go too bland. Just because veggies do not eat meat or fish that does not mean they do not like food with strong flavours. I have tended to slam places on trip advisor whose menus were lacking in vegetarian imagination.

This is a vege menu near where I live.

Vegetable Lasagne (V) £8.95
Layers of Mediterranean vegetables & lasagne sheets, topped with tomato, Béchamel sauce & cheese served with
garlic bread or chips

Mediterranean Vegetable Goats Cheese Rigatoni £9.95 (V)
Roasted Mediterranean vegetables with tomato basil sauce and Rigatoni pasta, topped with goats cheese

Mediterranean Vegetable Risotto (V) (GF) £9.95
Arborio rice and Mediterranean vegetables in a rich tomato sauce
(V) for Vegetarian (GF) for Gluten Free (Please Spec

Penne Arrabiata (V) £8.95
Pasta tubes with a spicy onion, chilli & tomato sauce.

This is really uninspiring, when I go out for a meal I want something a little more special that I would not usually make at home.
(Good job you don't know where this is the owner can get quite nasty if he is criticised,)

Portions size options, yes, because :
A) As long as they are priced accordingly, then It's ok
B) Please don't assume age = reduced appetite (ok, I'm on Gransnet, but I'm 58 and a right piggy when it comes to some things!

But in all seriousness, coming up with a viable menu for a pub (or anywhere, for that matter) is a challenge.

You have to be affordable, serve things that people want to eat whilst still keeping an eye on profit.

Plus looking at demand versus possible wastage.

Perhaps do some standard things that can be bulk cooked and frozen down in portions, then a few "specials of the day" , limited to perhaps 6,8, portions of each, (when they've gone, they've gone!) This would obviously depend on the usual trade at the particular establishment.

Another thought, seasonal! I saw leek and potato soup on a pub menu in July!!!

WRONG! That is an Autumn/Winter soup

Another vote here for smaller size options, plus a plea to not have broccoli with everything! I know it's good for you but I've had too many servings where there's been too much stalk or it's been overcooked or just too much of it on the plate. Sauces and gravy served in individual jugs are well received.

Good fresh soups and home-made chips are usually winners and home-made pastry for pies and tarts, savoury or sweet. Tangy mousse for a sweet option is a good palate freshener after a mighty meaty main course, ready for good (decaffeinated?) coffee to end with. Cheese boards are too much for a lunch menu IMO. I will often have starter and dessert or main only, whether for lunch or evening meal.

I agree with the poster who asked for soft background music. If the food is good there is enough noise from conversation and cutlery to contend with Price will vary with location so keep it reasonable.

Good luck to your GD, she obviously has a caring family supporting her

Agree a good range of fresh vegetables is top of my list. My appetite is much less than Mr C's so anywhere with a 'smaller appetite' option is useful. Vegetarian food that meat eaters enjoy is a good staple. I prefer a meal without potatoes and also need gluten free. Not always easy to find. So consideration for those who have a restricted diet is a winner for me. Price depends on location I think. Volume of customers will show if it's right or not. I do wish your granddaughter luck, flossie, I don't think older people are that hard to please. If chairs are comfy, cutlery and crockery impeccably clean, food is fresh and tasty and service efficient and friendly the older customers will come. Now I've written that it does seem quite a lot to ask .

When I worked in a similar establishment we found home made soup was very popular as were Shepherd's pie, Ham, Egg and Chips, Omelettes, Quiche and Salad and Jacket Potatoes - perhaps with a Chilli filling or Mushroom and Garlic. I think Jumbo Fish Fingers would be fun and easy to make.
Normally you would price the ingredients and add the same amount for overheads and the same for profit.

Personally I hate stodgy puddings although I do love a nice warm chocolate brownie. Really cheap to make in a tray bake and delicious served warm with a dollop of cream or ice cream. I also like a decent slice of cheesecake (baileys is my particular favourite).

I like the idea of light bites as an alternative to a large main (then I have room for a pudding). Love croque Madame and croque Monsieur, salmon and cream cheese bagels, eggs Benedict, scrambled egg with salmon etc.

Spell check strikes again Eirel

What did you have Eiffel?

Plenty of veg please, they are cheap enough!
A local pub recently changed hands became a gastropub. Dubious, we tried it out. Menu had good choices, all £19.50 for 3 courses, less for 1 or two. Great ingredients, carefully prepared and presented, mains filling, which many are not.
Excellent meal all round, we'll be back!

I've never heard of Hollygog Pudding so I've been googling it, sounds heavenly in an old fashioned stodgey way, sure it would be a hit. I think a lot of people love those sort of puds. I believe there is a place somewhere in the Cotswolds called "The Pudding Club" which attracts devotees of all those delicious deserts from a bygone era

A good selection of veg would be on my list and enough for everyone who are sharing it. I once went for lunch with a friend and the veg selection was good but on the sparse side - so much so that there were only 3 small potatoes for the two of us. We havn't been back and others have avoided the place too. Lost trade for the want of one potato !
Please don't assume that all of us have small appetites. I went out for dinner once and did not have a starter as I can usually only manage a main and a pud. It cost £25 and I came home and had a bowl of cereal. I havn't been back there either.
Can I also add that if there really must be music playing then it is turned down VERY low. When I used to take my mum out for lunch I was always having to ask to turn it down as she found it difficult to hear what I was saying to her.

I ve never paid more than £8 95 for two courses but then of course I m not in a city just a medium sized town