Are you creating desserts that consumers really want?

Five dessert trends that can help chefs to drive sales this year

CQA’s Food Insights 23 report found that more than a third of guests are ordering a dessert every time or most times they eat out and just over two in five consumers are buying desserts on impulse. Desserts are a fun and memorable element of the eating out experience and some diners even think about a dessert before they order their main course, ensuring they save room for it.

Desserts can also enhance the overall customer experience. It could be the part of the meal that diners remember most, impacting the likelihood of a customer returning or enticing them to shout about their experience online or with family and friends. Creating these positive recommendations and future visits can help pub operators to drive sales.

To maximise sales, operators need to know what’s on trend and adapt their dessert offering. We’ve delved into some of the most talked about dessert trends this year to help pub chefs generate more profit.

Retro desserts 

As consumers turn to childhood memories for comfort, retro is making a comeback. Nostalgia reminds people of happy times and food can help them re-live those much-loved moments. Think about everything from the 50s to the 80s and how you can bring back some of those dishes such as trifles, roulades and Eton Mess. Chefs are looking at popular retro dishes and then adding a modern twist to put their own stamp on them.

We have created a classic trifle recipe which you could adapt with your own twist or why not combine several dessert ideas like with our Ambrosia Eton Trifle? Another retro twist  to try is our Birds Hazelnut Meringue Roulade with Chocolate Custard. You can also use McDougalls Cocoa Powder to create chocolate meringues.

Sweet treats 

Whilst consumers are looking at saving the pennies they are still willing to spend money on things like sweet treats. High end cakes are becoming more popular, and we are seeing new openings of chef led bakeries offering pastry items that bring a little bit of luxury to people’s lives. Rather than making full sized cakes, think about how you can make smaller versions whilst still ensuring they are finished to perfection. Take a look at these stunning Ambrosia Pears Poached in Red Wine and Cassis with Crème Anglaise or try our hot chocolate fondant.

Shareable desserts

There is a growing interest in shareable dishes and this includes desserts. Consumers look to make special memories and enjoy dining experiences with friends and family. By sharing a dessert, this could help consumers to not only save money but also reduce the amount of calories they consume, without the need to go without a sweet treat completely.

You could allow consumers to select a few dessert options to share such as the McDougalls Jelly Whip Dessert and Apple and Blackberry Crumble and Custard. Alternatively they might opt for something that feels more indulgent and share one dish between two like the Toffee Apple Crumble Ice Cream.

Creating experiences

There is a growing trend for experiential dining and a tableside serving is just one of the ways you could bring this into your offering. Think DIY desserts where consumers can make their own dish using a series of ingredients or a dessert trolley where they can pick their own at a glance. Angel Delight and McDougalls Jelly are both perfect ingredients for DIY desserts especially when combined with fruit and other sweet treats. Our Angel Delight Knickerbocker Glory is a really fun example of this.

Sweet and savoury

You may have seen more variety in the fusion between sweet and salty, also known as ‘swalty’ as chefs look to add savoury twists to desserts. The trend for more savoury themed desserts is growing as sweet elements are also combined with spice, sour, herbs, bitter and sometimes even smoky flavours. This might sound complicated but bringing in savoury elements can be done simply. We have created these McDougalls Chocolate, Beetroot and Pear Brownies which can also be served with custard.

For more dessert recipes and new ideas for your menus make sure you head over to our website.