Bernard Matthews is taking on one of the nation's favourite meals the fish and chip supper with a new range of turkey fillets with flavoured batter.
Aimed at families with teenagers or young adults, there are four lines in the Taste of Britain range: turkey steaks in salt and vinegar, cheese and onion or beer flavoured batter and curry flavoured bites.
All are made from chopped and shaped 100% British turkey breast and the steaks are presented on-pack with chips and potatoes, in a similar way to battered fish products from frozen food rivals Young's.
Bernard Matthews hopes the four-strong range will attract new consumers to the brand by offering a product that bridges the gap between products aimed at children and those aimed at adults. The products would encourage people to see turkey as a more mainstream choice, said senior brand manager Charlie Papworth.
"Turkey's such a fantastic meat, we need to utilise it more. Putting it in this format will hopefully encourage people to make it a more frequent choice."
The flavours were inspired by the type of food that a family with teenagers might have during a family meal in a British pub, said Papworth. Cheese and onion was the "essence of a ploughman's lunch", salt and vinegar reminded people of fish and chip shops, "chefs frequently use beer when making a batter because of the light, crispy element it can bring to the mix" and curry was the nation's favourite dish.
Papworth denied the launch was directly targeting frozen fish sales, adding "we might hope that they might but it's not direct competition". The launch will be supported by marketing in the new year and new lines would be added but Papworth would not reveal further details or sales targets.
Major retailers started stocking up on the new range from last month and the product is rolling into stores now, priced £1.69 for a 200g pack (containing two steaks, or 10 bites).
Aimed at families with teenagers or young adults, there are four lines in the Taste of Britain range: turkey steaks in salt and vinegar, cheese and onion or beer flavoured batter and curry flavoured bites.
All are made from chopped and shaped 100% British turkey breast and the steaks are presented on-pack with chips and potatoes, in a similar way to battered fish products from frozen food rivals Young's.
Bernard Matthews hopes the four-strong range will attract new consumers to the brand by offering a product that bridges the gap between products aimed at children and those aimed at adults. The products would encourage people to see turkey as a more mainstream choice, said senior brand manager Charlie Papworth.
"Turkey's such a fantastic meat, we need to utilise it more. Putting it in this format will hopefully encourage people to make it a more frequent choice."
The flavours were inspired by the type of food that a family with teenagers might have during a family meal in a British pub, said Papworth. Cheese and onion was the "essence of a ploughman's lunch", salt and vinegar reminded people of fish and chip shops, "chefs frequently use beer when making a batter because of the light, crispy element it can bring to the mix" and curry was the nation's favourite dish.
Papworth denied the launch was directly targeting frozen fish sales, adding "we might hope that they might but it's not direct competition". The launch will be supported by marketing in the new year and new lines would be added but Papworth would not reveal further details or sales targets.
Major retailers started stocking up on the new range from last month and the product is rolling into stores now, priced £1.69 for a 200g pack (containing two steaks, or 10 bites).
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