Tasty morsels

Promoting healthy eating – tips for caterers

As reported in this and previous issues of Coretalk, due to new European legislation, as a caterer you will soon be unable to label specific healthyliving choices with the apple logo on menus or at servery areas.

However, we do still expect you to make good use of our other resources, such as posters, to promote the healthyliving award within your establishment. If you already hold the award, you must still display your current certificate and award charter.

We would encourage you to inform your customers of healthier cooking methods or ingredients that you use by making information posters. Some good examples include:

  • ‘We only use low-fat milk’
  • ‘We only use reduced fat mayonnaise’ 
  • ‘We only use lower-fat cheese’
  • ‘We grill all breakfast items’
  • ‘All of our sandwiches are made using a reduced fat spread’
  • ‘Contains 1 of your 5-a-day’

Other ways you can promote the healthyliving choices include:

  • Grouping healthyliving drinks, snacks or bakery items together and displaying at eye level
  • Displaying healthyliving dishes at the top of the menu or the front of the servery
  • Positioning fresh fruit where it is easily seen by your customers

You can find more healthyliving promotion ideas in section 3 of your guidance folder.

A flavour of…

Hot smoked salmon and puy lentil aubergine based tarts

Recipe courtesy of Natalie Carlton, healthyliving award assessor

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C, gas mark 3.
  2. Cook the lentils in 300mls of cold water for 20 minutes until soft. Drain and leave to cool.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the aubergines. Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Cut aubergines into 1/2-inch slices and lay out on a large flat surface such as a baking pan. Spray lightly with olive oil on both sides. Cook the slices on the griddle pan, covered, for 4 minutes on each side, until they are nicely browned and softened.
  4. While the aubergine is grilling, lightly stir-fry the onion for 3 minutes in a saucepan with a light spray of the oil, without colouring.

Making the tart

  1. Place the slices of aubergine in 12 individual tartlet tins and press down firmly.
  2. Add a spoonful of the onions, then lentils, followed by a piece of hot smoked salmon.
  3. Combine the cream cheese with the beaten eggs, beat well and season with pepper and approx 3 tablespoons of the chopped coriander.
  4. Pour into the tartlet tins.
  5. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
  6. Garnish with remaining coriander.

Serve with crusty bread and a side salad for a delicious starter or light meal.

Makes 12 tarts

Ingredients:
50g puy lentils
2 aubergines
50g low fat cream cheese
2 free range eggs, beaten
200g hot smoked salmon, flaked (approximately 2 fillets)
1 small white onion, finely chopped
Bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Cracked black pepper
Can of olive oil spray

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issue nineteen:
August 2011
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The healthyliving awardNHS Health Scotland - Scotland's health improvement agencyHealthier Scotland - Scottish GovernmentHealthier Scotland - Scottish Government