Sexy Soup is a Winner!

In February, the team at KNORR challenged readers of PubChef, and its sister publication Restaurant, to ‘sex up their soup!’. The competition inspired chefs from all over the country to share their ‘sexy’ soup offerings with us. Entries ranged from clever twists on classic recipes to imaginative varieties made using locally sourced ingredients, creative toppings, unusual accompaniments and the use of quirky crockery.

After selecting their favourite three finalists, the panel of judges visited each chef to sample their ‘sexy soup’ for themselves. The judges were ‘bowled over’ by the exceptional standard of all three, however there could only be one winner...

Chris Prow, Chef Proprietor of The Cross Keys in Pangbourne, Berkshire impressed the judges with his Asparagus soup with smoked haddock and poached quail’s egg. A deliciously moreish soup, it was vibrant in colour and presented to perfection in contemporary china with a topping of fresh garlic sprouts and chervil. It combined asparagus, baby spinach, potatoes, shallots and garlic – all grown locally and delivered fresh to the pub each day. The smoked haddock flakes immersed in the soup delivered a complementary intensity of flavour, whilst the perfectly poached quail’s egg revealed a wonderful burst of yellow yolk when spooned open. Freshly baked sour dough, made in house, formed an ideal accompaniment.

Commenting on the role soup plays on his menu, Chris says: “Soup is key to our food offering throughout the day, whether as a starter, light meal, bar snack or part of one of our set menus.”

Soup’s a winner

“I’m a great fan of giving customers what they want – so I love making gazpacho and lighter soups using fresh, seasonal ingredients in the summer and more hearty varieties later in the year. Autumn and winter customer favourites include wild mushroom soup with white truffle oil, Tuscan bean soup with a chunk of homemade bread and broccoli and Stilton soup with Walnuts.”

Chris continues, “Customers always expect to see soup on the menu but as an establishment we have to ensure we encourage them to order it as soup presents such a great profit opportunity for us. Our soup changes every two days and is advertised on the specials’ board and via the waiting staff. We try to be savvy in terms of the varieties we offer so that the customers are satisfied whilst we are minimising costs, labour and wastage. For instance, today’s soup is the ever popular Mediterranean Vegetable that’s been made using yesterday’s Ratatouille as a base.”

With a career encompassing roles at The Milestone Hotel, The Wolseley in London, Le Petit Square in Newbury and helping Mike Robinson set up & run the ever popular Pot Kiln, Chris knows a thing or two about the importance of offering great food that presents well and ensuring customers feel they are getting good value for money.

A recent scientific experiment commissioned by KNORR has found that consumers are governed by their senses when it comes to choosing soup on the menu, with diners showing much stronger and more positive emotions towards imaginatively presented soup, as recorded in their brain activity.*

Bowl over consumers

By simply introducing new types and flavours of soups onto the menu with tasty toppings, interesting accompaniments and attractive crockery, chefs can sell more and ultimately increase revenue from soup sales by charging customers a premium. This approach has certainly proved to be a winner for Chris as his ‘sexy soup’ has won him £1,000, a KNORR product hamper and two select All-Clad pans that offer an unparalleled cooking surface, therefore perfect for creating soups.

The two runners-up are Vivian Casson of Casson’s Restaurant, Tangmere, West Sussex and Vaunda Goddard of Trevenson Restaurant in Redruth, Cornwall, who will both receive a KNORR product hamper and two select All-Clad pans.

* Study on 14 diners by The Mind Lab, 14.01.08.