Fray Bentos has unveiled an upgrade of its tinned pies to provide better value - with improved recipes that now contain 33% more meat.
Updated packaging across the range of Steak & Gravy, Just Chicken, and Steak & Kidney will feature a flash highlighting the changes to consumers.
The development was led by the Fray Bentos Group innovation chef, Darren Sivewright.
A Masterchef The Professionals semi-finalist, Mr Sivewright oversaw the six-month process to increase the quantity of meat while ensuring the taste of the pies remained unchanged.
He explained: “Our primary objective in this process was to provide a better value product for consumers while maintaining the overall flavour profile that has made these pies so popular for so long.
“It was a challenging process but we successfully boosted the meat content without any impact on the taste and consistency of the gravy, which is such a key component to the success of the product, alongside the golden puff pastry, which remains unaltered.
“We’re delighted with the results, which in our opinion makes a great British dish, even greater.”
The six-month development process also saw their vegetarian range improved - with a third more cheese added to the Cheese & Onion recipe.
Lorraine Rothwell, marketing director at Fray Bentos, adds: “Our iconic tinned pies are a firm fixture on the nation’s dinner plates.
“But as we enter more challenging economic times it’s more important than ever to refine our products and their value offering - to exceed expectations for returning customers and entice new ones to the range.
“We’ve achieved this through diligent work in our test kitchen that has seen us boost meat content by a third.”
The new meat recipe pies are available at all major retailers with an RRP of £2, with the Cheese & Onion pie set to launch in November.
The relaunch comes as Fray embarks on a new marketing drive - to celebrate their tinned pies provide the convenience and comfort of a classic pub meal straight from the cupboard.
Activity includes the Fray Bentos Home Pub of The Year Competition.
Entries can be made via the Fray Bentos Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #FrayBentosHomePub.
Following the successful launch of PepsiCo’s Extra Flamin’ Hot range last year, the brand is set to build upon the momentum and bring the heat to Britain’s most loved crisps this January. A limited-edition variant, Walkers Extra Flamin’ Hot will join the existing Walkers MAX, Doritos and Wotsits Crunchy line-up, available for eight weeks only.
The move comes as spicy flavours grew faster than the savoury snacking category average last year. In fact, the hot and spicy flavour segment has grown +8.7 per cent YoY, presenting a significant trend for retailers to leverage through their Crisps, Snacks and Nuts offering. PepsiCo’s existing Extra Flamin’ Hot range is a key player in driving this growth, having generated £22.1m RSV since launch.
“The launch of our Extra Flamin’ Hot brand platform earlier this year brought some much-needed heat to crisp aisles across the UK, but we’re not done yet," said Rob Pothier, Senior Marketing Manager at PepsiCo. "We know that shoppers consistently seek bold, new innovations of their favourite snacks. So, there was no better time to pair Britain’s most loved crisps with our incredibly popular Extra Flamin’ Hot flavour portfolio, which has sold over 13.9m packs since launch.
“As the first spicy Walkers Core offering, expanding our Extra Flamin’ Hot range with a limited-edition Walkers SKU will generate excitement and drive trial of the range, helping retailers to boost their savoury snacking sales in-store. Additionally, the variant will roll out in sharing bags, price-marked packs and grab bags, ensuring the Extra Flamin’ Hot range can help retailers to appeal to all shopper snacking occasions.”
Walkers Extra Flamin’ Hot will begin hitting shelves across all channels from the first week of January in a 150g sharing pack (RRP £1.65), 70g PMP (RRP £1.25) and 45g grab bag (RRP £1.10). The launch will be supported by a multi-million ATL campaign, spanning TV, social media, digital, OOH and PR.
Despite a challenging year in 2024 for ice cream manufacturers, Mars has continued to outperform the overall market in value sales (+two per cent) and notably multipack unit (+five per cent) and value sales (+3 per cent) which was its best performing sector for 2024.
Kerry Cavanaugh, general manager at Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats, says: “The real driver of our multipack performance was the roll out of our new four pack Bounty, Twix and Maltesers ice cream bars, suggesting consumers are increasingly buying ice cream for at home consumption as a dessert or treat, rather than on the go.
“Snickers has long been a hero product of our range in the UK, and the white flavour has proved to be extremely popular in other European countries. In Germany, the Snickers White Ice Cream bar runs at 70 per cent of the original Snickers ROS.
“In the UK, 13 per cent of all multipack ice cream sales are a white chocolate variant, and coupled with the popularity of the Snickers brand, we see a great opportunity to appeal to ice cream and white chocolate fans alike with the launch of Snickers White Ice Cream bar in 2025!”
Snickers White Ice Cream bar is packed with real roasted peanuts, nougat and caramel, covered in a white chocolate. Snickers White Ice Cream bar multipacks are available in convenience and wholesale channels. Multipack RSP £2.50.
Global snacks giant pladis has been granted a new Royal Warrant of Appointment to His Majesty the King, for use in connection with their McVitie’s and Jacob’s biscuits and snacks.
“We’re delighted, especially as our UK brands have a long history of being granted Royal Warrants, since as far back as 1841,” the company said.
“Our royal connections have been a great source of pride to our brands over the years, from the creation of a grand wedding cake for the Duke of York and Princess Mary, to a chocolate biscuit cake for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011 and the gift of a cake for the King’s Coronation.”
Sharwood’s, a leading brand in the Indian cooking sauces market, is expanding and modernising beyond traditional curry sauces with its latest launch: the Street Food Sizzler range.
Designed to bring the vibrant flavours of modern Indian street food to homes across the UK, the latest range includes meal kits, sizzle sauces, and roti wraps.
Indian food is one of the most popular cuisines in the UK, yet 22 per cent of consumers only opt for Indian meals during the weekend [Kantar, 52w/e 07.07.24]. The Street Food Sizzler range aims to shift consumer perceptions of Indian meals. Offering a fresh and versatile approach to Indian cuisine, the convenient, on-trend products can also be enjoyed at lunch or as snacks, broadening occasions throughout the week and time of day.
The new Street Food Sizzler range includes meals kits, sauces, and roti wraps, providing everything consumers need to easily create flavourful, modern Indian dishes. The meal kits are available in Masala Tikka Sizzler, Shashlik Tikka Sizzler, Spicy Tikka Sizzler, Tandoori Tikka Sizzler flavours and include a seasoning sachet, a sizzler sauce, and a mango chutney drizzle which can be added to vegetables or a protein of choice.
The range also includes Sizzler Sauce accompaniments and deliciously soft roti wraps which shoppers can buy alongside the meal kits to enjoy at home.
“We know consumers want to recreate the street food meals they’re eating when out and about, but currently there is little choice on shelf beyond more traditional options. Our new range offers consumers a modern and versatile way to enjoy Indian food – packed with punchy flavours and with a more concentrated finish than a traditional curry, shoppers can now enjoy light and vibrant meals inspired by Indian street food,” Andrey Sokirkin, global marketing director of cooking sauces at Premier Foods, commented.
“Our new Sharwood’s Street Food Sizzler range will help to unlock new occasions so that retailers can make the most of this untapped opportunity. From wraps to sandwiches or even as standalone snacks, this new range is set to help retailers offer consumers popular Indian flavours in a brand-new way.”
Kellogg’s has revealed a bold new visual identity for its cereal portfolio, to build on its legacy of 117 years at the breakfast table and to spur a new growth era for its iconic cereal brands.
Cornelius the Cockerel, Kellogg’s beloved mascot since 1958, has been reimagined in a new integrated marketing campaign, See You in the Morning, which celebrates Kellogg’s legacy of being the ‘OG of breakfast’. The new 3D Cornelius will now feature across more of Kellogg’s iconic cereals as part of a 360° full-funnel campaign for the Masterbrand. It will be supported by a £12 million investment in the UK across TV, digital, social, OOH, retail and instore.
The integrated campaign debuted in the UK online with a 60 second film on 16 December and on TV from 23 December, rolling out across the UK in January 2025 and across Europe from February 2025.
The heart of See You in the Morning is the all-new Cornelius the Cockerel, who has never before been brought to life as a fully developed character. Brimming with personality, 3D Cornelius has been concepted and developed with cutting-edge animation by Framestore – the multi–Academy Award-winning studio behind major global hits like Paddington and Harry Potter.
The film opens with Cornelius strutting confidently through the city streets, with effortless swagger, catching the attention of passersby. The vibrant scene is set to iconic hip hop soundtrack – Jurassic 5’s Jayou – marking the first time the track has ever been used in an advertising spot.
See You in the Morning was shaped by Kellogg’s largest ethnographic study across Europe, including the UK. The research uncovered the truth about mornings, that everyone needs ‘you do you’ time when they wake up and if they don’t get that, they start their day compromised. That insight linked to the fact that Kellogg’s, as the OG, has been waking up the world since 1906, so it simply ‘gets’ mornings and understands that everyone needs to do mornings to suit them.
The launch of social films from January, focussing on You Do You moments, will see Cornelius appear in various morning scenarios, engaging with different breakfast routines from kids rushing to school, to couples sharing quiet moments. The social-first approach invites people to share their own personal morning rituals, further driving engagement and creating a community around the brand.
Set to reach 150 million people across Europe through TV, digital, social and OOH, the campaign will tap into evolving viewing habits through a progressive AV approach and ensure messaging is highly relevant to consumers through advanced use of data and targeting. A high-impact wave of OOH advertising will also appear on billboards across Europe. The creative features Cornelius alongside the message, “The OG,” in Kellogg’s distinctive typography.
In retail, commerce activations across Europe will bring Cornelius and the new brand world to life, establishing Kellogg’s as the original and the best breakfast cereal for everyone’s morning routine, and encouraging shoppers to interact with the brand while purchasing.
See You in the Morning is the beginning of a bold move from Kellogg’s, in which its portfolio of cereal brands, which include Cornflakes, Coco Pops, and Rice Krispies will be advertised under the masterbrand and newly-created visual identity. The masterbrand strategy has been designed to recapture Kellogg’s category leadership, reclaiming its crown position on the shelf and in minds.
“Breakfast is deeply personal, and with See You in the Morning, we’re celebrating the unique ways everyone approaches mornings,” Jenn Carkner, VP, Kellogg’s Cereal, said.
“This campaign brings Kellogg’s iconic status to life in bold and modern ways, ensuring we remain a trusted and loved part of the breakfast table.”