PHILPOTTS’ HOT POT HEAVEN

It’s every Tom, Dick and Harry’s claim that what they serve up is different. Philpotts, which has 21 sandwich bars nationwide, has, however, earned the right to say this, with its homemade sandwiches winning awards such as the Sandwich Chain of the Year awarded by the Industry recognized body The British Sandwich Association. Philpotts’ soup has also made a name for itself, for example, its Scouse soup, which plays a part in Liverpool’s International Scouse Day, and Jamie Carragher soup, a carrot and coriander hot pot named after the Liverpool FC vice-captain. The question is - do caterers need to make stock from scratch to create their own signature soup? Professional stock maker Essential Cuisine says absolutely not...

Lunch wrapped up
Philpotts is a rare breed. Unlike some of the other industry giants, the independent sandwich bar company is corporate and yet prides itself on its fat slice of customer personalisation.

Aimed at the more discerning customer who desires something different, who wants to choose for themself with nothing set in stone or pre-packaged, Philpotts is also part of the community.

When Liverpool won Capital of Culture, for example, city centre office workers were treated to a special Philpotts salad, chicken and bacon Capital Culture Club Sandwich in celebration.

Neil Gitton, food development manager for the string of sandwich bars from Bristol to Edinburgh, said the Philpotts experience was akin to going into Harrods food hall, complete with sparkling glass and chrome counters brimming with delicious deli meats and fresh salad produce. “What we do is pretty unique,” he said.

“We make everything exactly how customers want it. Every shop has its own kitchen with trained chefs or staff with years of catering experience, we make all our own food on site with the best raw ingredients and everything is bespoke; you can choose any fillings you want on any bread, for example. You might think it but we don’t have direct competitors as we cater for a different market, similar to some smaller operators, but more corporate.

“Whether a customer wants diverse flavours or something classic, we ask what they’d like and go from there. It’s quite ‘posh’ food, but we are also about value; really competitive on price. People presume we’ll be more expensive, but sandwiches start from just £2. We also don’t use anything artificially manufactured or that contains preservatives. Our motto is food is made and eaten or discarded that day. Fresh and natural is possible.”

This pragmatic approach is arguably why Philpotts, which also caters for offsite activities such as office buffets, has not yet felt the pinch of the recession, serving up fifty thousand sandwiches every week. Part of its success also comes down to that phenomenal profit generator, soup.

Soup seller
Whatever the context, soup has a definite and much-loved place in modern day diets as consumers look to root out healthier, more filling light meals and fresher options, with the UK soup market worth £480 million in 20082.

According to the latest research by Mintel, 52 percent of customers will choose soup over any other dish at lunchtime, a three percent increase on its popularity four years ago.

Philpotts has benefitted from this trend and soup is made daily by professional chefs on site. While shops will swap recipes between each other, each soup differs slightly according to the individual technique of the soup maker.

In the depths of winter, Philpotts’ bigger shops can serve a massive 150 litres (9oz portions) of soup a day, for example, it’s laden with beef, veg and potato Scouse soup in Liverpool’s Exchange Flags shop. On the back of this soup success, Philpotts is about to launch its new Gourmet Range, including Roast Potato, Sausage and Onion; Curried Parsnip; Thai Chicken with Tarragon, and Beef and Spring Onion with Chilli.

Philpotts prides itself on its homemade approach. However, making stock from scratch is just not cost effective in the professional kitchen, according to Neil, and another solution that could step up to the plate was called for. Essential Cuisine provided the answer.

“Ours is not just any old soup to take away at lunchtime,” he said. “They are also so different, from chunky soups through to clear vegetable,” said Neil. Soup is only as good as what’s in it and you can’t add poor ingredients. You need the best possible stock, especially when a soup is extremely subtle.

“I was introduced to Essential Cuisine five years ago and, as a trained chef who has worked in the food business for over 20 years, I know good products. I first used a sample of the chicken stock in our chicken and mushroom soup and could tell the difference straight away; that it had been made from boiling and roasting chicken, which was important to us.

Serving up to 40,000 customers every week, around 15-20 percent of Philpotts’ sales are generated from dishes made with Essential Cuisine stocks, including its hugely popular tomato pasta with meatballs. But does the stock really make a difference?

“Absolutely,” said Neil. “With a lot of professional stocks on the market, you get a salty taste and need a lot of it to achieve great flavour. With Essential’s stock, however, there is minimum consumption for the greatest flavour.

“Our Jamie Carragher carrot and coriander soup in Liverpool, for example, is a real hit and is made with Essential Cuisine’s vegetable stock. They also don’t get much better than our pea and ham soup, which is made with their ham stock, a real enhancer with no scum, no film or fat. The stocks are also more bespoke, made by chefs for chefs.”