- Nation’s favourite hot pie brand[1] unveils limited-edition Sausage, Leek & Cider pie for the summer
- New recipe uses Westons premium, refreshing apple cider – Stowford Press – to create a golden cider gravy
Pukka, the nation’s favourite Hot Pie brand[2], is giving retailers the opportunity to drive Hot Pie summer sales with the launch of a brand-new, limited-edition Sausage, Leek & Cider pie, in partnership with the country’s leading authentic cider maker, Westons Cider.
Landing on supermarket shelves from 15th March, the Sausage, Leek & Cider pie sees Pukka’s 144 layers of signature puff pastry wrapped around tasty slices of pork sausage with diced leeks and apples, in a golden Stowford Press Cider gravy.
The launch will be highlighted with an eye-catching ‘limited-edition’ flash on the front of pack. What’s more, Pukka has swapped its trademark orange packaging for a summer-themed box complete with colourful summer cues, bunting imagery and a pint of refreshing Stowford Press. Along with Pukka’s entire range, the packaging is fully-recyclable.
Rachel Cranston, Head of Marketing and Innovation at Pukka explains: “As The People’s Pie, we are the nation’s favourite, and the leading brand driving category growth. Our mission is to put more pies on more plates more often, which means continuing to innovate to make pies more relevant throughout the year, including in the summer. With Sausage, Leek & Cider, we have achieved just that. This is thanks to working with the Westons team to add their well-loved Stowford Press to our recipe along with our combination of tasty ingredients – because nothing says summer quite like sipping on a refreshing cider. With the addition of sausage, leeks, apples and our flaky, golden puff pastry, we’ve created a one-of-a-kind recipe.
“What’s more, we’ve had fun bringing the summer theme to life through the packaging, which we’re confident will help retailers drive incremental sales within the Hot Pie category over the coming months, when shoppers are on the lookout for summer-themed food and something new.”
This isn’t the first time Pukka has partnered with a drinks brand to bring new and exciting recipes to the market. Last year, the brand announced that it was adding Marston’s Pedigree into its Steak & Ale pie.
Cranston continues: “Since adding Pedigree into our Steak & Ale recipe last year, retail sales have increased by +32%[3] and we expect our tasty Sausage, Leek & Cider pie to be just as successful. We’re particularly confident because in our independently commissioned consumer research into how shoppers feel about certain flavour profiles, ‘Sausage, Leek & Cider’ performed strongly[4] – especially with our younger pie fans.”
This launch comes hot on the heels of a year of rapid growth for Pukka – which remains the leading brand driving the category – with retail sales growing +25% to reach £45 million[5]. On top of its strong sales success, Pukka has gained recognition for its innovative raft of new pies, including scooping a prestigious Grocer New Product Award for the popular Vegetarian Cheese, Leek & Potato pie[6], as well as earning the Brand of the Year accolade at The Grocer Gold Awards.
The new NPD will help drive further growth, supported by the return of Pukka’s award-winning[7] multichannel campaign – ‘The People’s Pie’ – which returned to TV screens during British Pie Week on the 3rd March, supported across digital, retail, foodservice, social, OOH, shopper marketing and PR.
Sally McKinnon, Head of Marketing at Westons Cider says: “Stowford Press is bursting with the flavour of crisp cider apples – and the refreshing, medium-dry and sparkling taste profile makes it the perfect partner to Pukka’s new recipe. We’re excited to see this partnership come to life over the summer, and we’re sure households up and down the country will enjoy tucking in.”
Pukka’s limited-edition Sausage, Leek & Cider pie launches into Morrisons from 15th March (RRP £1.89, 213g) and will be available throughout the summer. The recipe uses Westons Cider’s Stowford Press, which is also available in Morrisons in a 500ml bottle.
[1] IRI 52 w/e 27.12.20
[2] IRI 52 w/e 27.12.20
[3] IRI 52 we 27.12.20
[4] Vypr Research commissioned by Pukka
[5] IRI 52 w/e 27.12.20
[6] The Grocer New Product Awards 2019
[7] The Grocer Top Campaign 2019: Meat Snacks category
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