Smart Butchery & Sustainable Menu Solutions for Casual Dining

The team at IMS of Smithfield were delighted to be invited to the Restaurant Associates Casual Dining Forum. This was a chef‑focused innovation event created to inspire culinary teams with practical, flavour‑driven and commercially viable menu solutions.

Hosted at KPMG Canary Wharf, the forum brought together chefs, operational leaders and long‑standing IMS partners for a day that focused on creativity, value and sustainable menu engineering.

Celebrating smart butchery

With casual dining and staff restaurants being a key part of the brief, we built our presentation around the theme “Smart Butchery for Casual Dining.” We wanted to demonstrate how the intelligent use of secondary cuts, traditional butchery skills and thoughtful product development can deliver exceptional results in high‑volume foodservice environments. This included improved flavour, reduced waste, stronger margins and simplicity for chefs.

Showcasing secondary cuts

On our stand, visitors could see raw product displays, taste finished dishes and learn about different cuts designed to showcase both provenance and practical application. Lamb middle neck, Henry Lane six‑cut shoulder and hand‑tied noisettes highlighted how underused cuts offer outstanding quality and value. Secondary beef cuts such as ranch steak, chuck tender and flat iron showcased cost‑effective alternatives that deliver that quality.

Promoting plant-forward products

Plant‑forward innovation played a key role in the day as we showed how operators can reduce carbon impact while retaining flavour and nutrition. Products such as pork‑and‑bean sausages, blended burgers and lamb‑mushroom‑lentil koftas showed how meat content can be reduced by up to 50% without compromising taste or texture.

Our sustainability stories

There was lots of interest in our new provenance brochure which shares our sustainability story, highlighting regenerative farming partnerships, responsible sourcing, transparent British supply chains and our continued commitment to ethical production standards.

Positive feedback from our client

Throughout the day, the response from Restaurant Associates teams was overwhelmingly positive. Chefs, leaders and finance teams were so enthusiastic about our products, particularly around secondary cuts, sustainability and plant‑forward development. The forum also provided a valuable opportunity to reconnect with chefs who have trusted IMS for more than 25 years, reinforcing the long‑standing partnerships we build across the hospitality sector.

We love attending events like this and having the opportunity to talk to our customers in-person, and we are looking forward to learning more about their menu development over the coming months.