Have A Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, perhaps the most widely celebrated holiday in the world, is coming soon, and Britain is gearing up to host some of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of Asia.

Events include celebrations in Liverpool, parades in Manchester, festivals and performances in Birmingham and Leeds to a street parade from Charing Cross to Chinatown in London!

Last year research by VisitBritain revealed that bookings from China to the UK were up 24% for the Chinese New Year, compared to the previous year. Furthermore, more than 700,000 people in London alone celebrated the Chinese New Year, illustrating the popularity of the event. Additionally, 349,000 people come to the UK specifically for the celebrations in the UK – spending around £722m in the process.

So, what better way to for the hospitality and on-trade sector to prolong the excitement of the holiday season than to celebrate another new beginning? This 25 January heralds the Chinese New Year, and the start of the Year of the Rat. Year of the Rat and falls between 24th January (New Year’s Eve) and 7th February, with New Year’s Day falling on 25th January.

A Growing Calendar Event

Once overlooked in favour of traditional British fare, international cuisine is not only well established in the UK today, but it’s also gaining rapid traction with consumers. The nation’s growing appetite for travel in the Far East has meant British tastes are becoming far more eclectic, with world foods and Oriental dishes now an established part of the British food and drink scene, whilst also prominent in many supermarkets.

Wing Yip Director Ennevor Yap says: “Historically, consumers were more familiar with a Westernised take on Oriental cuisine. However, increased media coverage is encouraging them to think more about the source of their food, with trends for more authentic cuisine continuing to develop and consumers putting more time and research into the dishes they eat.

“People are travelling further afield, looking to recreate holiday favourites on their return to the UK. TV chefs are championing authentic, exotic dishes and consumers are becoming far more interested in new flavours. These factors combined are putting international cuisine well and truly on British menus.

“With this in mind, Chinese New Year creates an opportunity that catering operators can capitalise on, by expanding their Oriental food offering and appealing to today’s consumers. Whether in the form of one or two additional dishes added to an established offering, or as an entire bespoke Chinese-themed menu, Chinese New Year should encourage operators to get creative, providing new taste experiences for returning trade, and targeting new customers looking for more variety to at mealtimes.”

Annette Coggins, head of foodservice at Tilda UK, said: “After the Christmas festivities we often see a drop in footfall and Chinese New Year is perfectly placed to bring some good fortune to operators by providing consumers with a reason to go out and celebrate. As Chinese cuisine continues to win over the hearts of the nation, the benefits of joining in the festivities are clear to see.”

Annette says that simply adding a selection of Chinese dishes to menus will allow pubs to take advantage of the festivities – and they should also look to premiumise dishes to improve profit margin.

Chinese families feast for the first 15 days of the year, every day comes with its own special tradition with food at the heart.

Lee Kum Kee Chinese sauce brand is inviting consumers to share in these ancient Chinese traditions, exploring the greatest celebration of food and discovering new and delicious authentic Chinese flavours that will inspire dishes throughout the year.

 

 

Maria Chong, Managing Director of Lee Kum Kee Europe Limited comments ‘There’s a real buzz around Chinese food at the moment and Chinese New Year is such a big opportunity for foodservice operatives who should be capitalising on this and maximising their sales with creative menu options, fusion flavours and most importantly traditional, quality ingredients. It’s key we inspire consumers and showcase the history, versatility and authenticity of Chinese food.”

Chinese New Year is increasingly acknowledged worldwide, adds a Wing Yip Director Ennevor Yap, “And in the Year of the Rat many British consumers will be seeking ways to enjoy the festivities and experience the traditions associated with this special time of year in China. This encourages consumers to open their minds – and taste buds – to new flavours, providing operators with a platform to introduce or strengthen an Oriental offering.”

“Operators can use this trend to their advantage by providing traditional options using carefully sourced ingredients, taking a part in educating customers about the best Oriental dishes, while providing an exciting array of more unusual options. It’s a combination of the flavours, not just spiciness, which gives Oriental food its consumer appeal. This is gradually moving to a new level as contemporary operators develop more imaginative, varied and authentic concepts. Consumers are opting for flavour-bursting, chilli-infused dishes as they become more educated about different types of peppers and embrace a more nuanced approach to chillies. We have seen stir-fry ingredients such as Spicy Szechuan Sauce and Sriracha Sauce flying off the shelves as they increase in popularity.

“The best strategy in trialling a new menu specific for Chinese New Year is to keep everything as simple as possible. Wing Yip sauces can be used to make speedy, delicious and authentic-tasting dishes, removing the time and cost of creating equivalent flavours from scratch. We recommend using our best-selling readymade sauces and condiments which are fast, convenience whilst still offering quality, authentic flavours. Our top products, like every year, remain the curry pastes. These include the Wing Yip Curry Concentrate Sauce, and also the Mai Siam range including their Thai Green Curry Paste, Red Curry Paste and Yellow Curry Paste.

Don’t Forget the Decorations

According to legend, every year, the horrendous monster 年 (Nián) would terrorize villages. It would eat everything, from mosquitos to human beings. As time passed the villagers realised that the monster came every 365 days to wreak havoc before disappearing back into the forests.

So the villagers decided that on that day, they would prepare a feast and dine before the ancestors for protection. After years of hiding like this, a youth came up with the idea to use firecrackers and scare the monster away once and for all.

Such goes the legend of the origin of Chinese New Year. Since the purpose was to scare off Nian and prevent it from returning, the holiday decorations are typically a bright and loud red. The colour red is much loved by the Chinese generally as it represents happiness and good fortune.

Just because it’s January doesn’t mean the fun stops, says Nick Peek of Peeks, the Event Maker.

“If you were born in 2008, 1996, 1972 or 1960 you share something with everyone born in 2020 – the rat is your zodiac animal. The cycle comes around every dozen years, but whatever the creature is celebrated, the festival always goes off with a bang – literally.

“At Peeks we have all you need to join in; tableware, danglers and huge party packs – so you can enjoy taking part in celebrations that have been going on for several thousand years.

“While the Spring festival goes on for weeks in the East, January 25 is when the major celebrations will take off.”

Peeks The Event Makers – www.peeks.co.uk
Lee Kum Kee Europe – uk.lkk.com
Wing Yip – www.wingyip.com