Contribute to the development of recipes and menus

This standard is about developing or introducing new menu items.
Menu development is an important element of many businesses. Updating the menu to offer new and interesting items provides variety and keeps customers engaged.People often have very different requirements from their food and this diversity offers some fantastic opportunities. So when developing a menu it’s important to use as many different sources of information as possible. For example, food combinations, dietary requirements and flavours are just three things to consider. Add to this the opportunity to get the costing right, source suitable suppliers and develop recipes that are sustainable over time.

It’s important, of course, to keep colleagues up to date with your thinking and your plans for future developments and make sure those who will deliver your new recipes have the skills, knowledge and correct information to do so.

This standard begins at the first stage of menu development – the research – and continues through to the final stage of gathering feedback from colleagues and customers to help evaluate the sustainability of each new menu item.

When you have completed this standard you will be able to demonstrate your understanding of and ability to:

• Contribute to the development of recipes and menus

1. Take account of food combinations, flavours and dietary requirements when introducing new recipe and menu suggestions
2. Calculate ingredient ratios, cooking times and temperatures for producing the recipe in varying quantities
3. Identify suitable suppliers or supply sources
4. Identify methods of presenting, holding and distributing the product
5. Cost recipe suggestions and take account of available resources
6. Register and pass on relevant information about the suitability of the new menu item according to organisational systems in your place of work
7. Offer suggestions on menu layout and presentation
8. Introduce recipe suggestions in accordance with the style and policy of your organisation, available resources and the expectations and standards of your customers
9. Ensure staff have the information, skills and resources required to support the introduction of the new menu item, according to the individual jobs that they do
10. Collect and take account of feedback from staff and customers

1. What the existing style and policy of your organisation is in relation to recipes and menus and how location and styles of operation can affect proposed menu items
2. What the concept of a balanced diet is and why it is important to good health
3. Current government guidelines for healthy eating and how to stay abreast of this information
4. The types, combinations and proportions of ingredients that make up a healthy dish and how to select them
5. The nutritional benefits of minimising the fat, sugar and salt content of dishes
6. The nutritional benefits of starchy foods, fruit, vegetables and pulses
7. Healthier flavourings that can be used as alternatives to salt and sugar
8. The effect supplier choice can have on food quality and how to identify and assess suitability of suppliers or supply sources
9. Who to consult to gain feedback on proposed recipes and who to make records of proposed recipes available to
10. How to carry out and evaluate test runs of recipes and record information relating to proposed recipes
11. What quality standards are required for each recipe item you are considering including how to assess the quality of potential ingredients
12. How available equipment can affect the production of food items
13. The factors that need to be considered in identifying presentation, holding and distribution methods
14. How to cost proposed recipes and work out gross profit
15. What lead times are required by your organisation for the preparation and implementation of  new menu items and how to estimate these
16. Why staff skills should be assessed prior to proposing new recipes and menu items and what training may be needed to support the implementation of new menu items
17. How to brief your staff on new menu items and implementation plans and  gain feedback from your staff on operational problems which may  arise
18. How to allocate resources to your staff to enable them to implement new menu items
19. Why measures should be closely monitored when introducing new items
20. Why it is important to gain feedback from customers on new items and ways of doing this

The following behaviours are provided as guidance to underpin effective performance of a hospitality supervisor

1. You develop and monitor products that are sustainable over the medium and long term
2. You identify and work with people and organisations that can provide support for your work
3. You make best use of existing sources of information
4. You check the validity and reliability of information
5. You recognise the opportunities presented by the diversity of people
6. You present information clearly, concisely, accurately and in ways that promote understanding
7. You keep people informed of plans and developments

This standard is a sector specific standard and has particular links with NOS the following standards in the Hospitality Supervision & Leadership suite of standards:

• HSL1-7
• HSL28
• HSL30
• HSL31