Winter Menu Ideas

Why Buy Seasonal?

There are many benefits to buying and using seasonal produce in your menu throughout the year. The most obvious reason to buy seasonal ingredients is their availability and freshness.

Seasonal produce tends to be much easier to grow – and often in abundance – which can mean lower prices when buying stock for your café or restaurant. Keep an eye out for local producers who grow their own organic fruits and vegetables to build relationships and ensure more economical supply chains.

There's also the benefit of sustainability. Since local produce doesn't have to travel far, it lessens the environmental impact. Sharing this fact with your customers can be a unique selling point – after all, when your customers are eating seasonally, they are supporting local farmers, communities and resources.

Eating seasonal fruit and vegetables during the cooler months also supports our immune systems – essential for fighting off the common cold and flu. In winter we naturally crave nourishing meals to keep us warm. Think soups, hearty stews and warming winter desserts. In short, eating seasonally just makes sense!

Are you ready to switch up your menu this winter? Here are some of our favourite ways to inject delicious wintry seasonality to your menu:

Article: Looking for more ideas and inspiration when it comes to seasonal ingredients? Check out this comprehensive guide on Planning a Seasonal Menu for tips and advice from the experts.

Winter Cocktails

You don't have to run a bar to master a cocktail. Many café and restaurants are increasingly expanding their drinks list to appeal to customers who may want to drop in for a quick drink (or grab a takeaway cocktail!)

Winter is the ideal time to shout about your new cocktail menu, as there are plenty of warming options to attract thirsty customers. Even better if you can integrate some organic – and cost-effective – winter fruits and ingredients into your drinks. Some of the easiest winter cocktails to add to your menu include:

• Mulled wine
• Spiked hot chocolate
• Brandy toddy
• Warming schnapps
• Coffee with spirits
• Spiced punch

There are so many fun combinations – from the very simple to the agonisingly complex – that you can market to your audience. This is also a chance to elevate your winter cocktails with the right glassware.

Different cocktails match different cocktail glasses, so do your research and choose the right drink-and-glass combination. For straight-up winter spirits like brandy, sherry and cognac, smart-looking brandy glasses and shot glasses are a standout. Alternatively, jugs and decanters make group bookings more special with an eye-catching piece of glassware adorning their table.

TIP: Are some of your decadent winter cocktails more dessert than drink? Try mixing things up by serving them in dessert or sundae glasses - it'll really add a new dimension to your presentation!

Winter Soups

Some café and restaurant owners shy away from soups because they assume customers think they are outdated or unimpressive. But sometimes the one thing you want in winter is a delicious warm bowl of hearty soup. Using seasonal vegetables also gives you the option to put two or more different styles on your winter menu.

Some of our favourite soups are the classics – lentil soup and chicken noodle soup are winter traditions for many and will surely be popular with your customers.

You can also turn locally produced butternut squash or fresh organic corn into creamy creations that chase away the outside chill. If these classics don’t inspire you, a little twist to make it your own can add a final flourish to your winter menu.

You don't have to stop at soups, either. If the classics aren’t for you, change things up with other warming options like chowder, pho, vegetable chilli or stew.

If you're thinking about adding these creations to your seasonal menu, make sure your kitchen has the appropriate equipment to get the job done right – and quickly. After all, if your customers love your winter soups and stews, they’ll certainly be back for more!

A soup kettle can help your chefs whip up hearty meals in large portions while keeping them at the ideal temperature. Commercial blenders – whether it's a stick blender for soups or more heavy-grade options for bulk orders – are also essential. Finally, make your new winter meals sing with the right crockery to match the gorgeous colours from seasonal vegetables.

Winter Salads

Depending on the winter climate in your area, you might find that salad orders really drop off when the cooler season arrives. So is it best just to get rid of your salad options altogether until spring comes around? Not necessarily.

While it’s generally a good idea to take a break from raw salads that are served cold, you can switch them out for warming winter salads to ensure your customers get the vegetables they crave.

There are plenty of winter salad ideas to play around with, but just knowing a few basic tips can help your chefs build up unique winter salads from scratch. Grains are a fantastic base to begin with, and they will immediately attract customers who know their way around a warm salad. You can use tried-and-trusted rice, healthy quinoa or make your new salad intriguing with spelt.

Rather than juicy summer vegetables and creamy dressings that attract customers to cold salads, the most important part of a winter salad is the inclusion of herbs and spaces. Try a variety of them with different ingredient combinations to pack some extra flavour.

You might also want to substitute traditional lettuce with winter greens like kale, spinach, leek and zucchini. And if a splash of olive oil just won’t cut it for dressing, consider basing your entire winter salad around a warming savoury spread like hummus.

In terms of what you will need to get your customers coming back for more winter salads, there are a few items you can add to your kitchen. Salad spinners have come a long way since their 1970s roots, and there are some terrific commercial-grade units available.

If you plan on making salads a key part of your menu throughout the entire year, you might even want to invest in a salad prep fridge.

Last but certainly not least - the plates. Make sure you understand how your seasonal vegetable-based salads will look when plated, then use smart coloured plates to accentuate them and get your customers excited about their food.

TIP: Want to stand head and shoulders above what your competition is doing? Keep your menu proactive rather than reactive. One of the best ways to do that is by adding winter menu items that hero seasonal produce.