Pasties and slices maintain their appeal in a category which is worth £700m and growing. Ginsters, an old hand in the sector, claims market leadership with a 30% value share of the pasties and slices market. Original Cornish Pasty is Ginsters' bestselling product and in the past year it has launched multi-packs of pasties and multi-packs of sausage rolls aimed at those doing a weekly shop for the lunchbox. It is promoting both multipacks heavily through the multiples in five-for-four and six-for-four pack deals. Ginsters has taken Scotch Egg, another of its traditional products in the savoury range, and adapted it to today's hectic lifestyle by producing it in bar form so it is easier to eat on the move. Other launches from Ginsters in the past year include Microwaveable Melts and a range of three pasta salads. The most recent addition to Ginsters range is its bacon and cheese slice, launched in May, and it is promising to add a chicken and mushroom slice soon. Another supplier providing a realistic lunchbox alternative to sandwiches is Pork Farms which has just launched a range of cooked mini pork pies and pork and pickle pies, both packed in resealable tubes. Each has achieved listings in Asda, Safeway, Morrisons and Waitrose. Pork Farms marketing director Gary Johnston says: "Pork pies are the biggest product in the chilled savoury category. There has recently been a move away from larger products, which were part of a meal centre, towards smaller snacking products." Proper Cornish is another manufacturer showing innovation with its launch of a premium range of pasties at this year's Food & Drink Expo As busy mothers seek more ways to present their children with an appetising lunchbox, Princes says it plans to revitalise the sandwich spread category later this year. Marketing controller for sandwich solutions at Princes and Shippams, Chris Bartlett, says the company's major target group is mums with primary school children. He adds: "There is a huge potential for the ambient spreads and pastes market." Princes acquired Shippams in February 2001 and leads the category. The Perkins Food Group also supplies pre-prepared sandwich fillings and cooked cold meats. It relaunched its range of fillings for Tesco this year, increasing the varieties and introducing bold graphics on its packaging. Pack sizes were increased from 170g to 250g and from 300g to 450g. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}