We’ve all heard of “Eating with the eyes” before and it’s widely acknowledged that many diners do this. In fact, research suggests that the eyes are the most used of all the senses during a meal.
Bringing your food to life with the perfect backdrop
Posted by Lockhart Catering
on 24 July 2018
This means presentation really is crucial for diners to get the best experience. We know that the industry invests a great deal in food presentation as well as flavour – but how much have you considered the crockery or display accessories that your food sits on? As the backdrop to your food, it plays a huge part in the presentation and ought to be given as much thought as the décor of your restaurant.
Presentation Inspiration
A group of chefs who truly know the value of presentation are the contenders for the National Chef of the Year (NCOTY) title. These talented professionals know that everything counts in the battle to win over and wow the judges with their food. After all, when you’ve invested so much in your recipe, your technique and the flavour, you simply can’t afford for presentation to let your dish down. To win this closely fought competition, you need all elements at 100%. That’s why the NCOTY competitors invest time and effort choosing the right plate upon which to properly display their culinary creation, with each chef carefully considering what will help bring their dish to life.
While you may not be preparing a dish for an all-star line-up of judges to critique, your diners are your judges, and they will be eating with their eyes. So, it’s worth taking onboard some of the NCOTY competitors way of thinking when it comes to food display. Take a look at some of these dishes from the semi-finals of the competition for some real presentation inspiration.
Aled Williams:
Matthew Ramsdale:
@Westycheflp
Josh Adams:
Reflecting your style
The crockery you choose should reflect the style of your establishment and the food served to really bring your menu to life. For example, if you offer a contemporary twist on some classic dishes, why not have a look at the Churchill Studio Prints Homespun collection?
Here’s a glimpse of this elegant range:
Churchill’s Studio Prints collections are a contemporary take on traditional studio pottery and celebrate the creative history of ceramics. Manufactured in the UK, Studio Prints are achieved with Churchill's print process. The Homespun range emulates traditional rustic hand thrown textures and provides all of the technical reassurance required for a hospitality environment. Could this collection help maximise your presentation?
Innovative menus deserve exciting food display
Serving up exciting, innovative dishes? It could be worth looking at Raku from Churchill, a range in the Studio Prints collection, inspired by the traditional glazing process, known as Raku firing which creates expressive and exciting results. It’s the ideal backdrop for creative, show-stopping dishes. Take a look at some of the beautiful food, complemented perfectly by the Raku range in this short video:
Set the scene with a beautiful buffet
Have you considered how ‘eating with the eyes’ applies to buffets and food displays too? Buffet food needs to look great, so once you’ve worked on making the food as tempting as possible, what about considering how it’s displayed? It’s a good idea to consider whether your display options match the style and quality of your food and if you are making the most of the space available. Could you benefit from more versatile or stylish options at your buffet table? We love the great range of buffet solutions from Churchill which include flexible, mixed material display concepts in ceramics, wood and melamine, which are adaptable to large or small catering spaces.
Here’s a look at the range in action:
Presentation to be proud of
Ultimately, if you’re proud of your food, you should be equally proud of its presentation and display. Choosing crockery or buffet display solutions that complement and enhance your food will help give your guests an all-round great experience.
How do you present and display your food? We always love to see inspiring food presentation, share your pictures and ideas with us by following @BunzlLockhart.
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