Bar Snacks to Elegant Starters

Each item combines bold Mediterranean flavours with operational efficiency, allowing chefs to deliver luxury dishes with minimal prep, reduced waste, and consistent quality. From indulgent bar snacks to elegant starters or premium salad toppers, the collection offers versatile menu solutions that elevate the dining experience while protecting margins.

Martin Finegan, Managing Director at Pacific West, highlights the focus on creativity, flavour, and ease of use, empowering operators to leverage high-impact Mediterranean trends while delighting diners with sophisticated seafood options.

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Find more news and recipe inspiration from Pacific West as well as other foodservice brands.

The post Truffle Prawns & More: Pacific West Redefines Premium Seafood appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

Fun, Creativity and Premium Flair

Designed for pastry chefs, ice cream, and gelato artisans, these toppings allow operators to add fun, creativity, and premium flair to desserts without excess waste. David Cratchley, Purchasing and NPD Manager at Henley Bridge, emphasizes that the smaller packs give chefs flexibility and ease, enabling inventive creations while managing stock efficiently.

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Find more news and recipe inspiration from Henley Bridge as well as other foodservice brands.

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Extremely Versatile

Each sauce delivers bold, authentic flavour while being easy to use, allowing operators to refresh menus without adding prep time or operational complexity. Vegan-friendly (with one vegetarian option), the sauces work across multiple formats and dayparts – as glazes, dips, toppings, or sides – enabling chefs to create craveable, shareable dishes like ribs, wraps, salad bowls, and indulgent comfort foods.

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Find more news and recipe inspiration from Santa Maria as well as other foodservice brands.

The post Authentic BBQ Sauces for Modern Foodservice Menus appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

This isn’t just another chocolate bar – it’s a versatile, single-serve snack designed to boost sales and delight customers across multiple occasions:

• Grab & Go: Perfect for on-the-move snacking, offering convenience without compromising on taste.

• Work & Study: A sweet pick-me-up for busy professionals or students – ideal between meetings, with lunch, or during study breaks.

• Social Moments: A modern upgrade to traditional treats, great with a hot drink, shared with friends, or savoured solo.

• Drive Footfall & Sales: Already a retail success, Club Layers Orange is gaining momentum in out-of-home channels, increasing spend per head through incremental sales.

The post Introducing McVitie’s Club Layers Orange – A Bold New Treat! appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

Published this month, Prove It: The Trends Driving Sandwich Consumption in 2026 highlights the key components of this rising consumption as expanding dayparts and evolving expectations around quality and format propel the UK sandwich market into a period of renewed growth.

Stéphanie Brillouet, Marketing Director for Délifrance, says:

“This is a clear sign that the simple, versatile sandwich is keeping pace with changing lifestyles. Far from being limited to lunch, sandwiches are now appearing across multiple dayparts, from breakfast to dinner, and increasingly serving as a convenient, satisfying option for busy households, young professionals and on-the-go consumers.”

This shift is strongly linked to consumer perception that the quality of sandwiches available on the market has improved, with 46% of consumers saying better quality is the main reason they are eating more of them.

Fresh, Fast and Flavourful

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of consumers associate freshly made sandwiches with great taste and 39% say the dough of the carrier influences how tasty a sandwich is. As operators experiment with bread formats and fillings, this has given rise to inventive hybrids that tap into the demand for unexpected global flavours and over-filled, indulgent variants that play into the Gen Z trend for treating.

Convenience is also key, with 47% of consumers citing ease and accessibility as the main factors that influence them to purchase sandwiches. Here, technology, pre-ordering, and elevated grab-and-go offerings enhance convenience for those with busy lifestyles without compromising quality. 

According to food and drink insights innovation consultants Harris and Hayes, who contributed to the report: “Convenience is evolving far beyond speed, and the sandwich category is adapting quickly to meet the needs of increasingly time-pressed consumers. It’s now about smarter systems, elevated experiences and delivering quality wherever the consumer happens to be.”

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Researchers surveyed 1,000 UK adults who regularly eat sandwiches to gain insights for Prove It: The Trends Driving Sandwich Consumption in 2026. For a deep dive into these trends and more, download the full sandwich trends report.

The post Délifrance report reveals 50% of Brits are eating more sandwiches than they were a year ago appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

Simply add hot water to create a smooth, indulgent drink in seconds, offering the comforting experience of a coffee shop favourite whenever you need a pick-me-up. The NESCAFÉ Frothy range is known for its balanced flavour and texture, providing a consistently smooth and satisfying cup.

With no hydrogenated oil and no artificial flavours, it’s a coffee you can feel good about enjoying.

The post Enjoy Velvety Lattes and Cappuccinos in Seconds appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

The six-strong line-up is positioned as a convenient, high-quality option to deliver satisfaction throughout the day and the sandwiches are all ready to heat and serve within 18 minutes.

What the range includes

It includes an all-day breakfast wrap – a tortilla filled with sausage, bacon and hash brown in tomato relish – alongside traditional favourites such as a ham and mature Cheddar cheese ciabatta and a ham and cheese toastie. For a more indulgent offer, the range also features a ham hock sourdough melt, made with pulled Irish ham, mature Cheddar and mustard, topped with a Cheddar and stout lid. Mediterranean-style and Cajun chicken ciabattas complete the range. 

What the research found

Stéphanie Brillouet, marketing & innovation director, Délifrance UK, says: “The new range has been developed to offer convenient, top-quality sandwiches. Our latest research shows that The UK sandwich market is experiencing a period of renewed growth, driven by rising consumption, expanding dayparts and evolving expectations around quality and format.

“It’s a market defined by both comfort and exploration, so we’ve focused on offering premium, familiar favourites as well as some more artisan options like the ham hock sourdough melt.”

Want to see more from Délifrance?

Looking for more Délifrance inspiration? Visit the Délifrance brand page for the latest news and recipes.

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The post Délifrance Launches Premium Hot Sandwich Range appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

KitKat Hot Chocolate delivers the familiar blend of smooth milk chocolate and crisp wafer notes that KitKat fans love – now in a creamy tasting, drinkable format. Each cup offers a moment of nostalgia and bliss, perfectly aligned with KitKat’s heritage of helping people take a break.

Built for Hospitality

At launch, the product comes in easy single serve sachets (40 per box), ideal for offices, cafés, hotels and wider hospitality settings. Preparation requires only hot water, with no equipment needed. Nestlé Professional has also confirmed that a format for hot drinks machines is in development for release later in 2026, giving high volume outlets the ability to serve KitKat Hot Chocolate at the touch of a button. The campaign line, “Your break just got hotter,” highlights how the drink elevates an everyday pause.

“We’re excited to introduce one of the world’s best loved chocolate brands to the hot drinks category,” said George Burrell, Senior Brand Manager at Nestlé Professional UK & Ireland.

“KitKat Hot Chocolate offers a new, warm way to take a break – perfect for an afternoon treat or a cosy drink. With growing demand for indulgent beverages, this launch gives our out of home partners something truly distinctive through the trusted KitKat name. We believe the creamy KitKat taste in a cup will delight consumers and encourage repeat visits.”

KitKat Hot Chocolate (sachet format) is now available to Nestlé Professional customers in the UK & Ireland as part of a global roll‑out across more than 60 countries through 2025–2026. After nearly 90 years of KitKat history, this launch represents the next evolution of the brand: bringing “Have a break” moments to consumers in a delicious hot drink.

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Event Information

Taking place on 22nd September 2026, the festival presents a unique opportunity to network with peers, exchange best practices and explore innovative solutions that enhance care catering and clinical services. Participants will leave equipped with actionable strategies to implement in their own workplaces, whether
in care homes, hospitals or community settings.

An Earlybird ticket rate of £55 is available for bookings made before 1 May, making this high-value professional development accessible to all. Beyond practical skills, the event emphasises the importance of quality, consistency and compassion in mealtime care, helping organisations raise service standards and improve outcomes for people with dysphagia.

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To learn more about the event and secure your place, visit the IDDSI website to find out more.

The post UK IDDSI Festival 2026 appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

Midweek remains the busiest period for orders, with Thursdays particularly popular, while seasonal trends show October and July as peak months for workplace meals. The report also reflects a growing appetite for global flavours, with Middle Eastern cuisine leading the charge (+22%), followed closely by Thai (+21%), Mediterranean (+19%), Mexican (+19%), and Vietnamese (+17%) options. This demonstrates how cultural diversity is reshaping office menus, offering employees both variety and excitement in their meals.

Beyond flavour trends, the report underscores a broader shift toward choice, convenience and wellbeing in workplace dining. Health-conscious, ethically minded and flexible eating preferences are influencing decisions more than ever, signalling that food at work is no longer just fuel—it’s a valued part of the employee experience.

Inspiration, Innovation & Insight from Leading Foodservice Brands

Discover more about your favourite foodservice brands. Indulge in delicious recipes, unlock expert tips, explore the latest product innovations, and get insights directly from the brands themselves.

The post Middle Eastern Tops the List of Fastest-Growing Office Cuisines appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.