Menus
Building a café menu around five pantry-ready ingredients
Baked beans, black olives, baby corn, sweet corn and jalapeños: five cans that cover breakfast to dinner.
A café menu has to work hard: breakfast, lunch, snacks and an evening crowd, often from a small kitchen. Five pantry-ready ingredients can carry a surprising share of it.
1. Baked beans
Beans on toast, breakfast plates, jacket potatoes and wraps. Heat and serve.
2. Black olives
Pizzas, pasta, focaccia and mezze platters. Sliced olives give an even topping every time.
3. Baby corn
Stir-fries, Thai curries and salads. It holds its crunch through cooking.
4. Sweet corn
Sandwiches, corn chaat, salads and soups. A cup of butter masala corn sells itself.
5. Jalapeños
Nachos, burgers and pizzas. A little heat lifts a lot of dishes.
Stock these five and your menu has a backbone you can build specials around all year.
