Health and Wellbeing Menus in 2020

The New Year brings with it the desire to shake the Christmas indulging, make changes to life and increase the healthy eating. For many this can feel like a challenge with cramming in lunch at awkward times of the day or just the desire to relax at the end of the day with a bag of chips!

Workplaces can help staff achieve their goals by providing settings to encourage healthy eating and an active approach to the tasks in hand.

Venues across our portfolio have menus designed for health and wellbeing, to aid in maintaining concentration and still taste delicious!

Our chefs focus on seasonal, fresh, quality and tasty ingredients to bring a plate to life – which in a conference or meeting room setting can have a huge positive impact on the outcome of the meeting itself.

To get the ball rolling in 2020, Tom Beauchamp our Development Chef would like to share this delicious breakfast recipe quite by mistake piecing together leftover ingredients to invent a wonderfully nutritious and satisfying breakfast feast.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 large avocado
• ½ lime
• 70g baby plum tomatoes
• Tsp white wine vinegar
• ¼ cucumber
• ¼ red onion
• 5g fresh mint – chopped finely  
• 5g fresh dill – chopped finely
• 5g fresh coriander – chopped finely
• 15g fresh mild red chilli
• 100g washed baby spinach leaves  

• 4 large eggs

• 15g flaked almonds
• 15g pumpkin seeds

• 100 ml extra virgin rapeseed oil
• Maldon sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Place the nuts and seeds on an oven tray and toast in a preheated oven at 160c for 6-7 minutes until lightly golden with the oils just beginning to seep out
• Slice the tomatoes in half lengthways and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the vinegar and a pinch of salt and toss gently
• Slice the cucumber lengthways, then use a teas spoon to gently scrape out the seeds so just the firm flesh is left, with the skin on. Slice thinly and add to the tomatoes
• Thinly slice the red onions and add to the tomatoes and cucumbers. Gather the spinach in to a tight pile and shred, then add to the bowl along with the chopped herbs and a gentle splash of oil and a little salt and pepper. Toss gently so all the ingredients are well acquainted with each other
• Using a small sharp knife, run the blade lengthways around the fruit, all the way to the stone. Gently twist the avocado to separate the halves. Use a dessert spoon to scoop the stone out. Then, starting at the narrow end, run the spoon between the flesh and the skin so the full half pops out in one piece, then repeat with the other side
• Place the avocados cut side down on a chopping board, and slice evenly horizontally about ½ cm thick. Once sliced gently press down with the palm of your hand to fan out the pieces. Immediately squeeze the lime juice over the avocados, drop a little oil on top the season with salt and pepper and reserve
• Slice the chilli’s very finely, discarding the seeds if you prefer a more gently warmth to the dish
• Now cook your eggs to your liking. They can be done any way you like, my preference is gently fried, flipped over for a final 10 seconds of cooking at the very end, then finished with a twist of black pepper and a few salt crystals
• To assemble, place a heap on the salad on a warm plate, nestle the avocado next to it then carefully place on the eggs, with the yolks fully intact
• Finish by scattering over the nuts and seeds and finish with the chillies

Productivity Enhancing Menus

Further, across the portfolio our productivity enhancing menus include:

MACRO NUTRIENTS: by offering the right balance of protein, complex carbohydrates and good fats, and minimising sugars,

our food can help maintain energy levels, improve focus, stabilise blood sugar, prevent fatigue and improve alertness.

MICRO NUTRIENTS: by packing in as many b, c, d and e vitamins as well as many other compounds, we could help improve memory, cognitive function

Within the menu delegates will benefit from super foods such as scrambled free-range eggs, porridge pots with fruit flax seed smoothies for breakfast. The morning snack includes dark chocolate and oats and cranberry pieces.

The lunch within this menu then has a choice of a perfect balance of nutrients from a choice of:

Grilled fillets of mackerel, spiced chick peas, wilted baby spinach,

lightly curried tomato sauce, fresh coriander leaves

OR

Roasted chicken fillet with crushed avocado, pomegranate seeds,

wild rice salad and Bois boudran sauce

OR

Griddled tofu, mixed grain rainbow salad with red and white quinoa,

wild rice, bulgar wheat, mixed crunchy vegetables, soy and yuzu dressing

As well as a side of fresh fruits.

Vegan Meeting Menus

Veganuary and switches to diets have seen an increase in demand for vegan menus at meetings and conferences around our venues and as part of our dedication to high quality, accessible food we have put together a vegan menu as well.

This menu is made up of Breakfast, Mid-morning snacks, lunch and afternoon snacks and includes:

Charred Portobello mushroom, crushed avocado and chipotle chilli bun

Honeydew melon and strawberries compressed in elderflower

Mini trail pot with toasted coconut and dried guava

For lunch options, a finger buffet includes:

Selection of crudités with homemade piri piri hummus dip

Wild rice salad pot with pomegranate, cashew nuts and coriander

Crispy falafel and spicy chilli dipping sauce

Mixed bean and hot sweet corn taco with smoky bbq sauce and shredded iceberg lettuce

Vegan pizzetta with tomato and basil sauce, balsamic roast onions, courgettes and fresh oregano

Think About Wellbeing in 2020

Whether it is menus, the environment, getting the most our of staff – team building for example – or just simply taking business to the next level, our events team can work with you to achieve your goals at all of our venues across the country.