“Why we buy local and how you can waste less”

Head Chef at The Angel Inn in Wangford, Suffolk, Sam Taylor, shares his advice on creative deals to bring in more customers and how to make the most of favourite ingredients

“Why shop local? We’d be mad not to use the stuff near us!” says Sam (above, middle). “I use Smoked Norfolk Dapple cheese in our burgers, Cromer crab in salads… It’s so important to shop as locally and seasonally as you can, especially now. It makes sense cost-wise and keeps money in your local area.”

What we do best

“At The Angel we like to focus on quality rather than quantity. You won’t get a heaped-up plate of food from us, but you will get a great-value, tasty dish. We stand out by doing pub grub with an upmarket twist – we make our own burgers, get fresh fish daily and source our burger buns from a local bakery.”

Think about the numbers

“It’s a difficult time at the moment for lots of people in our industry. We’ve had to increase some prices. However, I think sometimes it’s more important to have more people in your pub and if you put prices up too much, then no one will come in.”

Boost lunch trade

“We’ve started a lunch offer to give customers a good deal and increase trade. Monday to Friday we give everyone 35% off their food, up to £10 per person. It’s gone down well, with big increases in our covers.”

“The specials menu is there to help you experiment and it’s a great way to use up ingredients that might otherwise go to waste”

- Sam Taylor, Head Chef at The Angel Inn in Wangford, Suffolk

Be clever with ingredients

“We’re using our specials menu wisely, too. It helps you experiment and is a great way to use up ingredients that might otherwise go to waste. Just make a few portions so you won’t lose much if they don’t go down well. If they’re popular, add them to the main menu.”

Sam’s top tips for buying smart and saving money

Sausages

We serve breakfast to our overnight guests so sometimes have leftover sausages. My favourite thing to do with them is a sausage ragu with a roast tomato sauce, which can be put inside arancini balls or stirred through pasta.

Poultry

I always get whole birds as they are better value and can be turned into many dishes. For example, from a guinea fowl you can get roasted breast, confit leg and stock from the carcass, and use the wings for a starter.

Roast beef

If you have leftover beef from your Sunday roast, don’t just put it in a sandwich. Beef sirloin is amazing in a nice stir fry or crisped up in a Korean chilli beef dish. Both would make ideal midweek specials on a menu.

Desserts

Why spend time (and money) on creating new dishes all the time when you could tweak your bestsellers? We pair our dark chocolate fondants with different garnishes each season – salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, or honeycomb with banana and whisky ice cream.

The Angel Inn’s local favourites on the bar

1 ABBOT ALE – From Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, this award-winner is fruity, hoppy and malty. Pair with Sunday roasts and local cheeses.

2 ASPALL CYDER – The first Aspall apples were planted in Suffolk nearly 300 years ago. Suggest the Draught Cyder with mild curries.

3 SOUTHWOLD BITTER– Named after the popular seaside town it’s made in, this bitter has a herbal hoppiness with toffee notes. Brilliant with fish and chips.