Five Minutes with…John Peplow

Posted on 16 October 2024

Fresh from the launch of our new Autumn / Winter lunch menus we thought it would be a great time to corner our Group Head Chef John Peplow for a few minutes to chat about our menus, what goes into the design of them and what favourites we’ve got to look forward to over the colder season.

Got 5 minutes? Grab a cuppa and get reading!

 

What are the main considerations when planning new menus?

We’re always looking to keep our menus fresh with enough variety available so a client and their guests can enjoy different options every day, even if they were here with us for a week! When we’re putting together new menus it’s important we take into account seasonality of ingredients and we are always including totally new options for our many returning clients but we tend to find there are some real favourites too that people always want to see making a return so we like to include a mix in every menu cycle.

We take into account that most guests are here for the day and will often have a busy afternoon session ahead of them so when thinking about lunches they of course need to be wholesome and filling but in a way that will get guests energised for a productive afternoon rather than have them dreaming of an afternoon nap!

Visually we’ve got to ensure that all of the options we provide are appealing and of course we have dietary considerations we have to take into account too. There is a lot to think about to ensure we have a well balanced menu that suits everyones needs.

In addition we have to consider the practicality and capability of being able to deliver the menu to the same standard in all four venues, for groups from 20 – 450!

 

What process do you have to go through to develop new menus seasonally?

It’s actually quite a long process. We’re just launching our Autumn/Winter 24/25 menus but attention will quickly turn to Spring/Summer 25. We’ve got to review what worked really well on the previous menu cycle and consider whether we bring those items back or not. From there we look at new options and that is a collaborative process between myself and the head chefs at all four of our sites who pitch in with their individual suggestions. We’ll then look to create and test them whilst making sure they tick the boxes in terms of seasonality, catering for a range of dietary and allergen requirements, are going to be enjoyed and act as fuel for our guests rather than weigh them down whilst also making sure they look great and offer value for the price our customers are paying.

 

Have you seen an increase in the number of dietary requirements being sent through from clients in recent years?

Undoubtedly. People are more and more aware of what they can and can’t eat and rightly it is becoming more and more of an expectation that catering businesses can accommodate an ever increasing range of dietary requirements.  We always provide gluten free dishes and we always provide vegan options which cater for dairy free diets too. We tend to find this covers the most common dietary requirements but we will still have a list of other specialist requests that we need to cater for each day. It is an important part of The Studio philosophy that we are able to cater for all dietary requests and requirements. As all of our menus are cooked fresh on site each day we can accommodate requests that have been submitted as late as on the day, though we do encourage as much notice as possible to avoid a chef meltdown!

 

What is the biggest challenge you are faced with when creating new menus?

 Aside from ensuring everyone is catered for one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced recently has been costs, which have been spiralling over the past 18 months – 2 years. Trying to creatively develop menus that cater for everything I’ve already mentioned within ever increasing budget constraints is tricky. It’s a challenge we relish though!

 

We’re big on sustainability at thestudio. How does that feed into menu design?

A few ways really. We’re all proud of our environmental and sustainability credentials and the recognition we’ve received in the past couple of years has been great. In terms of catering the big thing a lot of people want to consider is food miles, and a locally sourced menu but we find that very expensive. We offer it of course but at a supplement charge per delegate. Away from this there is a huge amount we do without having to deal with increased costs and a big one is to ensure all lunches are at least 50% plant based as standard. This cuts down on our event carbon footprint enormously, we do get plenty of clients who see this and then decide they want the whole menu plant based, which is even better. We aim to get everything sent to venues on minimal deliveries to reduce journeys to the venues wherever possible and we have removed single use items from our service which at the volumes we operate makes a huge difference. We’ve placed a huge emphasis on food wastage too, ensuring that we aim for zero waste everyday and what is left over is available to be taken away via initiatives like Inside-2-Out or Too Good To Go.

 

What do you enjoy the most about the process of creating new menus?

Any chef enjoys being creative and I’m no different. It’s a creative process that is made more interesting by working with the ideas that come from working alongside a team of talented chefs although they occasionally have to be reminded they may be catering for 450 rather than 2! I particularly enjoy the process of creating menus that reflect seasonality, and using seasonal ingredients, especially setting the chefs the challenge of celebrating seasonal occasions with a sweet treat reflecting the day be that a heart shaped biscuit for valentines or a spooky themed cake for Halloween. The chefs protest but secretly enjoy the competition!!

 

What is your favourite new item on the new menus?

A new item on this autumn/winter menu is the chicken and mushroom pie, a traditional staple but comforting food during the cold weather, a real treat for lunch.

 

What item was so popular you have brought it back this time around?

We’ve bought back Vegan Katsu breaded pea protein, this is back by popular demand from not just the chefs but most Studio team members, who have hoped that the delegates had enjoyed a good breakfast on the days this was on the menu!!

 

Big thanks to Pep’s for his time. We look forward to catching up with him soon!