To demonstrate the versatility and value of pork during the busy festive period, BPEX has produced a short film, ‘How to Cook a Christmas Ham.’
It features a special Christmas recipe developed on behalf of BPEX by executive head chef Alan Paton, along with top cooking tips and an overview on the importance of traceability.
BPEX foodservice trade manager, Tony Goodger, said: “Around Christmas time, we often receive requests from caterers who are looking for cost-effective recipes to serve to customers throughout the festive period.
“In our short film, Alan demonstrates how to cook a glazed horseshoe ham, an ideal festive-themed dish which delivers impressive margins. The mango purée glaze offers a tasty alternative to the traditional honey glazed ham, perfect for enticing customers.
“Ham offers caterers superb versatility and value throughout the year and not just at Christmas. Not only does it make an attractive centre plate, hot or cold, ham is a fantastic filling for sandwiches and salads. What’s more, it is a great ingredient for soups, pies and pasta-based meals; thanks to its versatility, caterers can offer customers a range of tasty ham-based dishes – meaning there is no waste from the meat.”
While ham is a favourite at Christmas, pork is also an excellent flavour-carrier and hugely versatile, making it a great addition to festive menus. For caterers working within strict budget guidelines, forequarter cuts such as shoulder, collar and pork mince, offer superb value for money.
As suggested in the film, it is a good idea to choose quality assured pork, such as pork and pig meat products carrying the Red Tractor logo. Tony said: “As customers become more discerning, providing information about the quality of pork and pork products served is extremely important. Promoting the provenance of your pork will reassure customers; they can be confident that the meat is fully traceable and good quality, so it is more likely to deliver on taste.”
The film, ‘How to Cook a Christmas Ham’, can be viewed at www.porkforcaterers.com.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
