Celebrating Chinese New Year

January 23rd marks Chinese New Year and the year of the Dragon. The ultimate auspicious sign, it signifies happiness and success and with 2012 undoubtedly Britain's year, it is a great time to embrace festivities.

Enjoying food with friends and family is central to the celebrations and with the British love of Chinese food long established, you have a great opportunity to give your menus a Chinese twist. "Chinese New Year is a big fixture on the calendar now here in Britain," says Mark Rigby, Premier Foods Development Chef. "Arriving as the Christmas festivities have just died down, it's the perfect time to shake up your menu, attract customers looking for different dishes, and create a celebratory atmosphere at what can be a quiet time of year. Our Sharwood's ready-to-use sauces are the ideal base for your Chinese food creations, instantly giving you a varied menu from Hoi Sin and Spring Onion, to Chow Mein and Chinese Mushroom."

It's no surprise that healthy eating is one of the top New Year's resolutions. According to research carried out by Oxfam last year, 50% of consumers make a New Year's resolution to lose weight.

After the indulgences of Christmas and New Year, many consumers are determined to do this, or to adopt a healthier lifestyle come January and although, for many us, resolutions rarely last into February, we shouldn't ignore the intent. "A menu highlighting healthier options is a great idea for kick-starting January," says Mark Rigby, Development Chef at Premier Foods. "For that month at least, offering low-fat and low calorie meals, and shouting about it, is going to appeal to a lot of your customers, and help to attract new ones. At Premier Foods, we have a wide range of low-fat products but also healthy recipes to help you make the necessary changes to your menu".