Guernsey restaurants get creative with menus as price of salad items skyrockets

ITV Channel's Roisin Gauson reports...

Restaurants in Guernsey have been forced to adapt their menus as the price of salad items skyrockets.

Cucumbers, lettuces and tomatoes are just some of the items that have increased in price, some of them doubling, according to wholesalers.

Abnormal weather across the UK, Europe and further afield means that produce like salad is in short supply for this time of year, and businesses in the Channel Islands who rely on fresh food are paying the price.

Caterers like James Ferguson are still catching up post-Covid, and re-scheduled functions still need to be delivered on pre-agreed budgets, despite the spiralling costs.

Mr Ferguson, who owns 'Cooked by James Ferguson', said: "It's proving difficult for us in the catering industry as a whole.

"I think the answer is reverting to avoid waste and make sure you don't over order at the moment and things like that.

"The offcuts that perhaps previously would have gone in the bin will now go into stock pots - we can make soups out of those as well, so it really is, it's a zero waste policy at the moment."

Fruit and vegetable wholesaler, Nigel Stewart, says it's a problem that many wholesalers are facing.

He said: "Another local wholesaler I spoke to said that 25 of their salad lines had rocketed in price.

"Take peppers for example - they used to cost £8 for a 5 kilo box, and they now cost £21.50.

"And an old Guernsey favourite, the tomato has doubled in price at £20 for 6 kilos… and that's to the wholesalers."

While some wholesalers are optimistic that warmer weather will bring more crops at cheaper prices, others are worried that the cost of fresh food will continue to rise.

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