Time for small plates: the tableware blog from Goodfellows

This is part of a series of bi-monthly blogs from tableware experts Goodfellows showcasing some of their most innovative designs matched with some great recipes by top chefs.

Have you made your New Year resolutions? If you haven’t we would like to bet that your customers have and maybe they are looking to not only have a ‘Dry January’ but also to cut down on other things too! We all know how the trend for sharing plates has been a massive influence but why not turn it more to your advantage this month by tailoring some of your menu to smaller plates.

The versatility of the ‘small plate’ or Tapas-style menu is not only great for your diners who may want to cut down on their food intake but it is also a great opportunity to try out new things at little risk. For chefs and restaurateurs, it also presents a great opportunity to actually drive revenue up.

We have seen great creativity in compiling ‘small plate’ menus. We remember Jason Atherton starting it all off in a big way with Maze and since then the Social Dining revolution has been a great influence on the market. Whether you use ‘Small Plates’ or ‘Sharing’ an aspect of just your starter offering, or you dedicate your whole menu to it, it is a feature that you should make creative, appealing and satisfying for both you and your customers.

We have followed this culinary development with great interest and we continually look at how we can offer chefs and restaurateurs the plates and presentation options to suit. One of our New Year’s resolutions is to bring you even more options for the ‘Small Plate’ revolution, so watch this space. We will have some big news soon. In the meantime, here’s some options to whet your appetite. Follow Goodfellows on twitter @GoodfellowLtd to get our new product announcements first.