Premier Foods is expanding its much-loved McDougalls range with the launch of a vegan and reduced fat* Cocoa Powder, alongside a nationwide recipe competition to inspire caterers and get them cooking with the new addition to the portfolio.
With many caterers looking to create dishes from raw, quality ingredients to help meet demand for a variety of dietary needs, the new McDougalls Cocoa Powder offers a healthy, premium and naturally gluten free option for schools and healthcare operators. It also has the added bonus of being suitable for vegans, and those caterers following the Food for Life accreditation. The recipe competition will not only help to highlight the quality and versatility of the product, but also encourage caterers to get creative, crafting some innovative recipes which could be publicly showcased across Premier Foods’ social channels.
Holly Marrero Easson, Innovation Manager at Premier Foods comments: “We are confident that our new McDougalls Reduced Fat Cocoa Powder will become a firm favourite in schools and healthcare outlets, with initial feedback from caterers extremely positive about the texture, taste and ease of use.
“Value for money continues to play a key part in ingredient choice and our cost-effective product enables caterers in both education and healthcare to include chocolate treats on the menu in recipes such as our Chocolate & Cinnamon Shortbread and Chocolate & Sweet Potato Muffins. Both of these recipes are perfect for care and school settings and are included in our new recipe book showcasing the flexibility of the cocoa powder, along with specific recipes tailored for dementia patients.”
Holly Charnock, School Caterer at Woodlands Primary School, previous McDougalls Young Baking Team of the Year winner (2019) and current School Chef of the Year 2020, comments: “The new McDougalls Cocoa Powder is amazingly easy to use. One thing that really impressed me was that it melts really well into a sauce and doesn’t leave a powdery texture like some other cocoa powders do. The bag and box combo makes for simple and neat storage too, which is always a bonus as we don’t have a lot of room in our school kitchen. I look forward to incorporating it onto my menu permanently.”
For those caterers wanting to enter the nationwide recipe competition, email mcdougalls@cirkle.com with your address to request samples to help create your masterpiece. The 10 most innovative recipes will be showcased across Premier Foods’ website and social channels. Once samples are received, caterers have until Friday, 26th February to send their recipe to the same email address along with imagery and recipe inspiration.
