Menu planning / Naming dishes / Popular descriptions

Fresh

Use to describe food that has not been reconstituted or previously frozen.

Smoked

Use to describe food that has undergone a smoking process; not to be used to describe a food with smoke flavouring added.

Roast

When a food has been roasted for the whole cooking process it can be described as ‘roast’. Food steamed and then flash roasted cannot be described as ‘roast’.

Home-made

Use to describe food that has been made from scratch on the premises.

Origin

Brakes can advise on the origin of products. Unless a food is guaranteed from an origin it should not be described as such.

Vegetarian

All Brakes vegetarian products are indicated as such in ‘the list’. If stating that products are vegetarian the claim must be justified. Care must be taken when describing cheese and products that may contain gelatine or rennet.

May contain nuts

Any dish that may contain nuts or nut by-products should be described as ‘may contain nuts’. Extreme care must be taken if saying ‘nut free’ as nuts can kill. Staff need to know why some people ask about nuts. It may not always be clear from a label if a product contains nuts or nut by-products. Recipes need to be completely checked and ingredients checked with suppliers.

Brand names     

When including a registered trademark on a menu, written permission must be given by the trademark holder.