Southern Style Brings a Whole New Level of Comfort Food to The Poets Ale and Smoke House Pub in Hove

With 75% of Brits saying they would like to see a wider range of gravies on the menu when dining out*, The Poets Ale and Smoke House pub in Hove was keen to sample Bisto’s newest flavour, Southern Style gravy

Since Easter, the East Sussex pub has included four mouth-watering new dishes to its specials board, all featuring the flavour-packed Southern Style gravy.

Four dishes to delight every palette, the pub’s head chef, Robin Elwell, was excited to showcase the versality of the gravy and pair it with a range of protein options, alongside a dish suitable for vegetarians.

Robin Elwell, head chef at The Poets Ale and Smoke House

“When I first made a batch and tasted it – it got my mind racing. I thought, not only would it complement a protein like chicken or pork, but it also goes well very well with local seafood and on vegetarian dishes too. The result being Cheddar, jalapeno and wild garlic cornbread muffins: Glazed smoked pork chop, cavolo nero, red grape chutney and Southern Style mushroom fricassee: Southern fried chicken, with creamed corn mash and Southern Style gravy and Charleston shrimp ‘n’ grits.”

“What I like about this product is that it’s a well-balanced southern style sauce as it is, but it is also a great carrier for added ingredients. My chef’s tip is…don’t be afraid of using it as a base to create other sauces. If you want to achieve comfort food in your pub or restaurant, it is a quality product to consider – customer feedback on the new dishes has been ‘scrummy’ ‘comforting’ and ‘moreish’.”

With 47% of consumers enjoying gravy twice a week*, gravy isn’t just the perfect accompaniment with a Sunday Roast - it is a celebrated sauce craved by consumers. New Southern Style gravy now brings an exciting new flavourprofile to chefs, that is vegan-friendly, low in fat and sugar, and meets government salt standards for 2024.

Robin Elwell, head chef at The Poets Ale and Smoke House shares his experience of using the new Southern Style gravy.

“The four specials have been selling very well. We had a week during the Easter holidays where we sold out of all of them! The best-selling dish has been the Charleston shrimp ‘n’ grits. A renowned dish in South America, I wanted to incorporate the Southern Style gravy to it as I knew it would pair well with seafood. We fry off the smoked bacon to release the well flavoured fats which pairs beautifully with the shrimps and boosts the smoky aroma within the gravy.”

“Bisto has always been a staple in the cupboard of everybody’s domestic kitchen. That’s because it’s stressfree to make, simple, reliable and a tasty gravy. Using it in a commercial sense gave me confidence in knowing it would achieve all those points and fit in as a product with our workload. The gravy ties in nicely with our smokehouse, Deep South style of comfort food here at The Poets. If you are striving to deliver comfort food, I would recommend this product.”

Sarah Robb, foodservice marketing manager, Premier Foods Foodservice

“Gravy will always hold a cherished place in the British psyche. And as the market leader, Bisto has maintained its foothold, adapting its popular formulation to incorporate exciting new flavours and cuisines. With Bisto Southern Style Gravy Granules chefs can offer diners an exciting flavour profile and a new way of partnering their meals with gravy. We were delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with head chef, Robin at The Poets Ale and Smoke House pub to highlight the innovative range of dishes you can create with the gravy.”

Bisto Southern Style Gravy Granules are available in 1.8kg drums, which are 100% recyclable. Each produces approximately 13 litres, or 275 portions, of rich, flavourful southern-style gravy.

*Premier Foods independent research – Toluna Report, April 2023, 1066 consumers surveyed.