The big word in Indian in the past year has been biryani, with both Sharwood's and Patak's launching new ranges.

Sharwood's three-strong range of Biryani sauces, launched in July, comes in an unusual format a jar of sauce with a separate helping of ground spice (rsp: £2.09).

"Until now you could only buy biryani in restaurants or takeaways, or maybe buy spices and make it from scratch," says Carine San-Juan at Premier Foods. "Now all you need is a pan and you can make one in 30 minutes tops. The encouraging rate of sale shows the benefits of building product innovation on good consumer insight."

Patak's has gone further its three-strong Biryani offering, launched in September (rsp: £1.59), is the first to capitalise on the oven-bake trend, it claims.

"Designed to be poured directly on to uncooked rice and placed in the oven for 35 minutes, the sauces' unique offering provides a convenient alternative to products that need to be cooked on the hob," says AB World Foods consumer and trade marketing controller Tracy Hughes. Patak's is confident the new launch will help boost the brand's flagging sales. Although value sales have risen 3.3% in the past year, volume has fallen 8.6% [IRI].

The brand has also added a butter chicken variant (rsp: £1.59) to its cooking sauces, and has refreshed packaging across the range.

Focus On Cooking Sauces