Magic of pudding

Once just a privilege of the aristocracy or a rare treat, it wasn’t until the rise of the middle class in the 19th-century – with sugar also becoming cheaper and more readily available – that we have been able to indulge our sweet-tooth more often. The development and popularity of desserts has since spread accordingly.

And, one dessert that is particularly enticing in the cooler months is pudding – a thick, soft dessert, typically containing flour or some other thickener, milk, eggs, a flavouring, and sweetener.

The old-fashioned treat is front-and-centre on the menu at J.B. O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in West Leederville, near Perth, which attracts locals, as well as Irish and British travellers, yearning for the tastes of home. And, puddings certainly work a treat, when washed down with a Guinness.

BISTRO discussed puddings and all things sweet with the eatery’s Tod Gorey, who has twice been awarded Australian Chef of the Year.

Tod, what percentage of your dining customers has dessert?

I would say 40 per cent, which is up 10 per cent from 12 months ago. We have heard that customers are dining in our restaurant, so they can have a pudding they haven’t had since boarding school.

How do dessert dishes compare with the profitability of entrees and mains?

Our puddings are very profitable – simple steamed and baked puddings, presented with no fuss. Being a pub restaurant, our meals are a little more generous than most restaurants, so it is hard to sell three courses. The puddings are a high-margin item and their keeping quality is good, so there is no wastage compared with expensive meat and seafood dishes.

From your experience, please specify the type of desserts that have a higher margin?

A lot of the traditional steamed pudding recipes were created for and by households with limited means. Most consist of inexpensive and excess produce, preserved fruits purchased when at their cheapest.

Can you nominate the type of desserts that have a low profit margin?

Desserts and puddings made with good chocolate, fresh berries and nuts can be quite expensive, so we limit these to balance the menu. Our summer pudding menu will cost more with fresh, summer fruit, whereas the winter menu uses more preserved produce, reflected by the season.

Is there a reason why you would have low-profit dessert items on your menu?

To add variety to the menu. There will always be a customer wanting a chocolate dessert and, for the summer menu, fresh berries, as they are a large part of the British taste.

What are the advantages of cheese plates on the menu?

For our lunch (business) clientele, who generally don’t eat dessert, the cheese selection keeps them around for another drink and coffee. We are in the process of setting up a cheese display fridge in the restaurant to prompt sales. We have a good supply of farmhouse cheeses from the British Isles and Ireland.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of making deserts in-house as opposed to using suppliers?

The obvious advantage is we are able to use up excess and inexpensive produce. The downside is the labour cost. It is also a big selling point that all of our menu is produced ourselves, including our ice creams.

The cost of ingredients for making desserts has gone up considerably over the past year – butter is a case in point – how have you adapted?

A number of our traditional desserts are based on utilising excess produce, stale bread, suet (beef kidney fat), soft fruit, and so on. All of our bread off-cuts are used. Suet costs us half the price of butter. Fruits can be purchased at their cheapest and preserved for winter months as is the age-old tradition of peasant households.

How often do you update your dessert menu, and how do you find new items to include?

We change our menu with the main seasons, summer and winter. I research old books and learn more from occasional trips to the UK. We also listen to our customers, who love to tell us about the food of their youth.

Any tips on up-selling desserts?

We find that if the customer knows exactly what pudding is available when ordering their meal, they are more likely to ‘save some room.’ This is done by displays on the table, with the pudding menu attached to the main menu. We sell a few less ‘starter’ courses, but the puddings are a lot higher profit.

Can you explain more about The Pudding Club at J.B.’s?

Our clientele is largely Irish and British, who come here for the traditional food and beers. It was natural to offer them what we call ‘boarding school puddings’. They became so popular that we expanded to the 10 puddings on our current winter menu. We really captured the imagination of our diners, with the atmosphere of the roaring fire on a winter’s night. Eating an old-fashioned pudding . . . so many tell us it feels just like home!

Any last culinary tips?

Some advice I can give is to keep to the style of the establishment. For example, don’t try to incorporate Asian flavours into an Irish pub. You need to create a style and atmosphere that reflects your customers’ tastes. All of the food we produce is designed to complement our large range of beers, ales and ciders.