S&SN_126_March10_p24-26.qxd:Layout 1
9/3/10
11:56
Page 25
SANDWICH DESIGNER PROFILE “It was always a foodie company but what is certainly true is that there was no one leading the foodies until her appointment,” said an industry observer. “She's a good example of how the company is really being transformed. Most people would regard SSP UK as being a real power house for innovation now, and Camden Food is particularly outstanding on that front.” The Mexican range she rates as one of her biggest achievements so far, combining the increasing popularity of street foods and Mexican. According to Mintel, this particular market in the UK has grown by 6% per annum since 2002 to reach an estimated £250 million in 2010. Research has shown it has also emerged as the most dynamic market in ethnic foods and demand for Mexican food is expected to continue to grow, as penetration and frequency of purchase increase. It is also one of the fastest-growing markets in ethnic foods with scope for further growth, as consumers become more familiar with the cuisine and become more adventurous. “We ate out in a lot of Mexican restaurants. We spent a day in the development kitchen and worked with various ingredients and our suppliers, creating lots of different flavour profiles,” she said. “The Tex-Mex sauce was the first thing we came up with and we consumer tested it heavily. I’m quite a wuss when it comes to chilli, but the brand manager can eat a Scotch Bonnet (a very strong variety of chili pepper) without any problems. In the end we settled for a compromise.” Authenticity was a key factor. They sourced a Mexican grated pizza cheese with jalapeno & coriander particularly for the purpose and spent some considerable time working on the TexMex sauce and a fajita sauce that would work in a baguette. “We really did feel we pushed the boundaries with this one.” Eventually they ended up with three products for the Upper Crust baguette range. Steak Fajita, fajita flavoured steak strips coupled with crunchy red and yellow peppers and iceberg lettuce covered in cheese. Then there was Five Bean Fiesta, a medley of tangy beans topped with melted cheese, all with an authentic Tex Mex kick, served on a bed of lettuce. Finally Tex Mex Chicken Melt, with
spicy chicken pieces in a creamy dressing with melted Tex Mex cheese and red and yellow baked peppers, served as a pizza baguette and seasoned with black pepper. “The feedback from customers and staff has been fantastic,” she says. But there’s more to come, although because of the timing the detail is being kept under wraps for the time being. This month (March) there’s a new Upper Crust range out called Takeaway Baguettes, based on three key takeway cuisines: Chinese, Indian and Italian and geared particularly to the forthcoming World Cup as a promotion. And meanwhile there's also development of whole new brands underway with two new concepts in line to open soon. “I have to say that new brand and product development is what really lights my fire. In an ideal world, I would be working on future innovations all the time. I would say we are the ones to watch in that respect.” By rights, with so much on, she should be spinning like a top, although she looks amazingly unflustered and, I have to say, amazingly slim for someone who has to sample so much food. The job is undoubtedly massive. SSP UK, previously owned by Compass, until just before she joined, includes station outlet brands: Millies Cookies; Camden Food Co; Caffe Ritazza; Upper Crust; Delice de France and Pumpkin. Then there are the airport outlets: the Real Food Company and Food Village. But in addition they operate and run around 80 bars, ranging from gastropubs to traditional pubs, serving SSP created menus. Finally, there’s the Whistlestop convenience shop retail
brand, where the range includes premade manufactured sandwiches, made by The Sandwich Factory. She is also working on a new range of cold drinks due this summer and she is frequently involved in the hot food menus. It’s not quite as bad as it sounds, with range reviews spaced out every 18 months but, even so, it’s unlikely that their success rate would have been so high without the help of a crack team around her. One of her first tasks on joining, in fact, was to take on a couple of industry specialists to build up a department. These included Robert Dansey, recruited from Buckingham Foods as the product development executive and sandwich guru – he has also since trained as a head barista, so he also has a real strength on coffee. She also brought in Lawrence Sutton as the product development executive chef and hot food guru. Her own expertise and background was also not inconsiderable. Following a degree in food science and nutrition, she had a placement at McVities, where she did ‘blue-sky’ development work. When she graduated she won a place on the highly-regarded Geest
www.sandwich.org.uk March 2010 25