Super bowl

There are plenty of opportunities for pubs and restaurants to provide a choice of soup offerings that can turn a profit. Sheila Eggleston reports.

The beauty of soup is that it can be a starter and a main course just by adjusting portion sizes and accompaniments, and caterers can do no wrong if they have soup on the menu. Its popularity hasn't waned and it epitomises wholesomeness and tastiness at an affordable price.

The sector has certainly held its own, with innovative exotic flavours comfortably mingling with traditional ones.

"The soup market has proven to be a resilient one during the economic downturn," says Nick Phipps, marketing manager at 3663. "With annual sales growth up by more than 5% since 2008, consumers have increasingly relied on soup as a filling, comforting and cost effective meal.

Operators should ensure a good variety on menus to cater for various customers' needs.

"The perception of freshness is key for soup success; a fifth of adults agree that fresh soup is of better quality than canned options, but readymade options can be just as enjoyable.

"Some customers will be attracted to well known brands when ordering soup, so it is good to advertise this well as particular varieties are often associated with quality, freshness, organic and wholesome ingredients."

A range of award winning Glorious! Soup made by TSC Foods is exclusive to 3663 including the 'skinny' range with less than 3% fat and 275 calories per 500g portion.

The variants take their cues from across the globe and include: Mexican Azteca soup combines tomato, blended corn tortilla and beans with cayenne pepper and coriander; Japanese miso has a touch of butternut squash, ginger, spring onion and a pinch of chilli; and Vietnamese hot and sour soup contains a blend of lemongrass, ginger, lime, chilli, cumin and coriander.

Phipps says they work well across a number of outlets because they offer quality and good value food, fast.

TSC Foods has also been working with Whitbread's development chefs on the chain's range of lower salt soups to ensure they comply with the Food Standards Agency's 2012 criteria for salt content. Using home grown produce, four soups are being introduced to complement every season.

Also looking at the health benefits, Heinz says its ready to serve condensed soups are used by chefs as they are free from the common ingredients linked to allergies such as MSG and celery spice, which is reassuring for both them and their customers.

Its foodservice line up includes cream of tomato, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and country vegetable soup.

The company says they offer a value for money alternative for caterers and an easy to use back of house solution, giving them the opportunity to double their soup volume with half of the storage capacity – nine servings per 830g can.

Making a comeback into the foodservice sector is Baxters. The Scottish company has just launched a soup range under the Baxters Kitchen brand that will be available throughout the UK and Ireland. It is working in partnership with distributor Petty Wood to target the licensed trade, caterers, and quick service restaurants via key foodservice wholesalers.

Its first listing has been secured with 3663. Variants include: tomato and basil, lentil and bacon, carrot and coriander, spicy parsnip, pea and ham, aromatic chicken and Thai herbs, butternut squash and red pepper, as well as Baxter's iconic royal game soup.

The range, which is available in 2.2kg resealable containers, contains no artificial colours, flavours or added preservatives and each vegetable based recipe contributes to at least one of the 5-a-day requirements.

"This is an exciting time for us as we launch a dedicated ambient soup offering for the foodservice sector," says chief executive Bill King. "Baxters is extremely proud of its decades of soup making know-how which has been passed down through generations, and we are confident the new range will tick all the boxes in terms of quality, flavour, convenience and cost."

Repositioning soup as an accompaniment to sandwiches and other lunchtime food would increase consumption across the board, according to analyst Mintel. This way profits can be maximised by serving smaller portions and even using special packaging for consumers wanting a takeaway option.

Caterers could also target specific groups – for example introducing chunky and heartier soups to appeal to men, as it says soup was consumed by only 48% of all males last year.

How soup is served and what it is accompanied with matters too. Sensory tests carried out on consumers in the past have shown that soup without a garnish or an interesting accompaniment created little or no interest with consumers and resulted in lost sales.

Lantmännen Unibake UK says its Bakehouse branded cheese twists solves the problem as they are the perfect accompaniment to soup. Made from all butter pastry with a dash of Dijon mustard, twisted and topped with cheese, they bake off from frozen in 15 minutes and can be served hot or cold.

"For simplicity, bread is the natural accompaniment for soup, so it is a good idea to offer a selection of continental bread when serving and give customers a choice of butter or a spread alternative," says Phipps from 3663.

"To emphasise the freshness perception of soup options, think about presentation. Swirl cream or crème fraîche through the soup, or sprinkle with croutons or chopped fresh herbs just before serving.

"Easy touches like this will indicate quality and value for money for your customers."