Across the UK and Ireland, we’ve seen such an incredibly devastating impact that the COVID-19 outbreak has had upon the foodservice industry leaving caterers trying their best to plan ahead when many key factors are still uncertain. As the sector looks to reopen its doors we’ve focused upon some of the main influences that we will see continue to shape our industry and how Country Range can support you during this time and beyond.
“THE GREAT THING IS THAT A LOT OF THE PRODUCTS COME IN DIFFERENT SIZES WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU’RE ON A TIGHT BUDGET. YOU DON’T WANT TO OPEN A MASSIVE TIN AND THROW HALF OF IT AWAY.”
– PRIMARY SCHOOL, HACKNEY
In March the government relaxed rules to allow pubs and restaurants to operate as hot food and drinks takeaways which has provided caterers with a revenue stream during lockdown. Many establishments will continue to utilise the takeaway and delivery model throughout the stages of reopening to supplement reduced footfall and profits overall.
The number of people working from home increased from just 5% prelockdown to 60% during the quarantine period and 43% of consumers are looking to work from home more often following lockdown. This will have a significant impact on establishments in certain areas such as travel hubs, but could also provide opportunities for hospitality caterers to appeal to those consumers in different ways such as providing ready to pick up hot lunch rice boxes or delivered prepped lunches for the week.
We have plenty of recipes utilising Country Range products and key seasonal fresh ingredients available on the website at www.countryrange.co.uk/recipes. Many of the recipes are already great for on-the-go, such as delicious sandwich and wrap ideas and several of our hot meal ideas could easily be adapted to be suitable for a takeaway or delivered option utilising food-to-go carriers.
Your money’s worth
In the coming months, as we begin to understand the economic fallout of the crisis it is inevitable that caterers will need to look at being as cost effective as possible in how they operate including the menu options they provide.
Country Range brand provides you with a value for money proposition without any need to compromise on taste or quality. The quality, consistency and affordability of our products makes the Country Range brand widely regarded as the best in foodservice.
We have everything you need from basic ingredients, such as our allergen-free bouillons and curry pastes to finished products like our handmade cakes which are frozen and pre-portioned for convenience.
For full details of the range visit www.countryrange.co.uk or contact your local Country Range Group wholesaler.
SAFETY FIRST
New cleaning standards and practices such as social distancing will become ‘the norm’ across our industry and wider environment.
It’s essential that catering establishments protect staff and ensure they can feel confident to come to work while also communicating cleaning protocols clearly to customers to alleviate the anxiety associated with returning to the out-of-home environment.
We have a large range of cleaning essentials, kitchen sundries and tableware that have been specifically created for the professional caterer across all foodservice sectors, from Bactericidal Hand Soap and Anti-Bacterial Surface Wipes to a wide range of paperware.
As with the rest of the Country Range products we continually test and benchmark the product quality vs. other leading brands and own labels within the industry. The most recent reviews of products resulted in several improvements being made across the range giving a much more effective clean. We also added colour to some of the cleaning products such as our Kitchen Cleaner Sanitiser and Spray & Wipe Anti-Bacterial Cleaner which helps with visual recognition of the product and demonstrates that they contain a cleaning agent rather than just water. COSHH sheets are available to download for all Country Range cleaning chemicals and hygiene products via the website at www.countryrange.co.uk