Anyone fancy a bit of menu planning for my GDs new business.

I agree re smaller portions and also not cheese in everything. Round here you can get a pasta/pizza/ risotto lunch with a glass of wine for £6-7. I also like a small pud with tea/coffee though friends often ask for a pud with two spoons.

Jalima that would be expensive in London!

£13 for a pub lunch main course seems expensive but then I am not in the Home Counties area

Thankfully I do not like desserts and as I am usually driving, I never have a glass of wine. A main course followed by a coffee is fine for me.

When my mother was in her 80s she used to have a child's portion but when it came to her knicker bocker glory she could always manage a large one!!!

Food should be tasty as many older people can loose their taste somewhat.

One of my complaints is in places like the Beefeater,is that all
the puds are super sweet ( me not my old mother). They used to have melon as a starter which I had as a dessert, or fresh fruit salad.

I agree on 'senior sized' portions. I'd often like to have 3courses but can't manage it. At our local very generous pub I can only have a main or a starter and pudding.
More washing up for the kitchen but maybe a slightly bigger spend per person?

I live in a city, where I'd be happy to pay up to about £15 for a main. Same with a pub lunch, but around here it's either all-you-can-eats where I waste a lot, or a basic meal overloaded with chips.

I think, though, £15 is quite a lot for your average pensioner; however a meal comprising main course, small dessert and maybe a glass of wine thrown in for £15? Yes to that!

I have a particularly tight pensioner friend who's constantly complaining about the price of stuff, no matter what. She usually manages to haggle herself a large Sauvignon Blanc free with the meal. .

I love restaurants where most things are gluten free rather than just having a gluten free option. Most meals can be gf without a great deal of effort Eg reduced gravy rather than thickened, gf rolls and foccacia (sp) and not only the obligatory gf brownie for puds.

flossieturner how lovely that you're helping your GD like this.

When I'm out with my female friends, we often order sharing platters - they're great because you can nibble and each have a taste of whatever is on the plate.

I agree with the suggestion of various portion sizes, some places will offer all the main meals also as a starter at a lower price. I always think that's a good idea.

Finally, Pizza Express offer tiny desserts (three on a plate, so again, nice for sharing) with a coffee/tea - it's an all-in-one price if you choose that (hot drink+dessert), and costs less than ordering a dessert, which is often too large a portion when you've had a meal.

All the best to your GD with this venture.

Just come home from lunch with school friends We as older folks don't always need anything different as young people we had jacket potatoes with cheese beans ( or other fillings) a nice salad and a few crisps £4.85 another had a veggie omelette another Brie bacon and cranberry baguette and all were the same price A really good caring server who went out of her way to offer comprehensive choices to a cealliac in our group she had a sandwich stack of cheese mushrooms cranberry on gluten free bread and served last so it did not get polluted by the other meals Service and price is as important as variety

The price depends on what part of the country you're in.

£13 for a pub lunch main sounds reasonable; I don't often have puds but they're usually around £6.

Evenings would be more expensive with a wider menu.

Of course it all depends on the quality of the ingredients and the pockets of the clientele! If you're offering locally-sourced free range ham as opposed to industrially-produced catering stuff then you can obviously charge more.

Flossie, Hollygog pudding:
Make 8oz pastry using 8oz plain flour,
4oz butter. (It must be butter, NOT margarine).
Roll into a rectangle and spread with warmed syrup.
Roll rectangle into a sausage like a swiss roll.
Place in an oven proof dish and pour in milk to half way up.
Bake in a moderately hot oven at 200°c until golden brown.

Serve cut into slices with custard.

We went to a pub/restaurant in Kent where the menu was very good and also reasonably priced, next to each item in the children's section it said "or for the smaller appetite" I liked that.

Some pubs offer a Senior Lunch on certain weekdays. We tried it once but the food was a bit ugh!
The idea is good - smaller portions, main course and pudding for about £8 I seem to remember but it still needs to be decent fresh food, not something you'd fob off on anyone.

i would guess that the small soup is a starter. When I eat out, if the main course is on the pricey side, then I may only have one course rather than choose a dessert. I wonder if people have a budget in mind of what they are prepared to pay. I sometimes think that puddings are expensive compared to the main course.

She said that the midweek customers seem to be local and are coming on regular days. Some of the men come in twice or three times. I suspect they come in just for a beer, but then are tempted by the menu.

She does not really have a say with the prices. This is being decided by the owners. What would you pay for a main course, gettingo abit?

Ah I see she is already doing a small soup. I think that's priced just right; perhaps even a bit on the low side. Given that a serving of supermarket sushi costs about the same, that's very reasonable for a meal out, in my view.

I like the idea of soups and stews too. Anything "hearty" would win my vote, as, in my experience, there is already a glut of places selling pizza, chips, pasta and the ubiquitous baguette.

So, for me: hearty, tasty, small portions. I wouldn't eat a traditional pudding personally, bit no doubt many would.

I think salmon is a good idea too as it can be eaten hot or cold.

I'm not sure your gd has priced quite right for an older market. Would she be prepared to offer to halve the portion size for half the price?

Many older people I know are quite ...um....tight when it comes to eating out.

Or a "special" lunch menu perhaps, comprising a main and sweet, but in a smaller size?

Easier to offer suggestions than to put them into practice, I know!!

Meals at the moment are £5.50 to £7.50 for cold food. £9 - £13 for a hot main course. Gravy and sauces always in side dishes. All inclusive of vegetables or salad and bread.

Pudding prices are still being discussed in view of time they take to prepare. It is not possible to batch cook large amounts because of limited kitchen size/freezer space. Home made soup is £3.50 or £4.50 depending on small or very large bowl. Lots of people are just having the soups and desserts.

Any views

I really don't like having to pay extra for vegetables - I like it all included in the price.

Flossie as the weather is getting colder yes things like fish pie, stews, chicken casseroles, etc will be popular. Poached salmon is considered a 'summer' dish in the catering trade.

I saw a programme about the suppliers of M&S sandwiches - they pay a lot of money for weather forecasts. If it's going to be sunny they make more salmon, and prawn mayo s/wiches; if it's to be colder then more roast beef!

I like a nice homemade pie - steak, chicken or meat and potato. Or as winter comes on how about some dumplings?

We often take Mum to a smart hotel - the portions are always just right always in season and absolutely delicious. Thats the real secret employ a good chef.

If she is good at making a stew, she could make a large one and keep it in the fridge. When required, she could put a portion in a small pot, top with suet pastry and put in a hot oven to crisp the pastry and reheat the stew.

I went out for lunch to a pub with a friend last weekend but what spoiled it for both of us was the gravy poured over the food. I like a teaspoonful of gravy and prefer to add it myself, my friend feels the same.