The hot dog – the epitome of fast food – a cooked sausage, wrapped in a bun and served from stands on the street. Traditionally the ‘dog’ is a German Frankfurter, steam cooked, slightly rubbery and usually smothered with ketchup and mustard. The UK has not attempted to produce its own version. Until now.
Food lovers and old friends, Mark Yates and Gregg Wallace have spent the last 12 months perfecting the ultimate hot dog for the 21st Century. Their company, Empire Dogs, the UK’s first British hot dog producer has been researching and tasting flavour combinations and sourcing ingredients to perfect the recipes. Using quality products – a combination of exotic spices and 100% British meat – they’ve finally succeeded in creating the first premium, British hot dog, which was launched at Olympia at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair.
Each recipe in the range is named after a character once familiar in London’s docks where spices from the four corners of the world were landed.
Meet (and eat) the Duke of Cajun made from Red Tractor assured chicken, the Earl of Frankfurt (100% outdoor reared pork) and the Baron of Pamplona (Red Tractor farm assured British beef). A low salt content and less than 350 calories (including the bun) these gourmet dogs have the lowest fat content of any hot dog today.
Says Mark Yates; ‘The concept is simple – we’ve taken a well known fast food and repositioned it as a premium, healthy product. We’ve used fantastic British meat combined with spices that originally were imported to the UK on ships along the River Thames. The characters reflect the men that worked the wharves and built their Empire south of the river. That said, our main goal is to change the perception of the humble hot dog, over the years it has been recognised as a cheaply made, high fat, high calorie snack. We’re proving that it can be low in fat, made from high quality ingredients and most importantly it can taste good! Finally a guilt free fast food!’
Empire Dogs
Comments are closed.