Peggy's Pick of the Products

Shocked by suggestions that she has been lowering the tone, our pure-as-the-driven-snow pub cook Peggy checks out some of the latest food and snack lines on the market.

Let's get something clear. I've never put up with rudery or filth-mongering in my pub, and I won't put up with it on this page. So I was quite appalled when someone wrote in suggesting that you could interpret some of the things I write as being a bit on the rude side.

Here I am, doing The Publican a favour by offering the benefit of my years of experience at the sharp end, and some people have nothing better to do than search every word for a double meaning. Anyone else who starts casting aspersions will get a stiff dressing down and feel the rough edge of my tongue So let's get on, and there's nothing quite like starting with a nibble...

• Pretz​
  Supplier: Sun Valley​

Pretz is a brand new range of low-fat pretzels from Sun Valley. There are two flavours - worcester sauce and sour cream & onion. They are already proving a real hit with customers watching their weight, although there are plenty more who ought to be thinking about it. They have less than half the fat of a standard packet of crisps, with only 125 Kcal per pack, and are extremely low in sodium with the worcester sauce flavour containing only 0.5g per 30g bag.

Sun Valley, 0151 482 7100, www.sun-valley.co.uk

Whitby Seafood Platter​
Supplier: Whitby Seafoods​

I'm still not sure how I feel about customers sharing food. I once barred a couple who used to take up a whole table for hours over two halves of bitter and one bag of cheese & onion. They've got three kids now, so they obviously found something else to do with their evenings. But you've got to move with the times, and sharing dishes are all the rage, I'm told. Whitby Seafoods offers this lovely new seafood platter, with white fish fillet, whole scampi tails and unsoaked queen scallops, all dusted in a light and crispy breadcrumb coating. That should go very nicely served with a creamy dip such as mayonnaise or tartare sauce. But they'll have to buy their own chips.

Whitby Seafoods, 0800 731 6596, www.whitby-seafoods.com

Woodward Wild Mushroom and Peppercorn Tart​
Supplier: Woodward Foodservice​

Times change, don't they? There was a time when mushrooms and pepper were what we served with steak and chips. Now they're a dish in their own right, in this frozen wild mushroom and peppercorn tart from Woodward. The herb tart is filled with a creamy mushroom sauce, finished with sliced potatoes, spinach, wild mushrooms and pink and green peppercorns. It can be cooked from frozen in just 10 minutes and works on any menu, so they tell me. It's one of three new vegetarian products in the range, including roast vegetable cannelloni with spinach and goat's cheese, and three cheese pasta and broccoli bake. Much nicer than our Aggie's nut rissoles, I bet.

Woodward Foodservice, 0870 600 6465, www.woodward-foodservice.com

Hand-Sliced Lasagne​
Supplier: Glendale Frozen Foods​

Oooh, I winced when I read that name. It bought back that dreadful incident with the bacon slicer. You can still see the marks, in the right light. This is a good idea, though. Glendale Frozen Foods has developed eight different hand-sliced lasagnes, including top-of-the-range Aberdeen Angus, a vegetarian roast red pepper and a sumptuous five cheese version. It keeps its shape on the gastronorm pan or plate, too.

Glendale Frozen Foods, 0161 736 8652, www.glendalefoods.com

Yes Chef!​
If I'd said "yes" to everything chefs have suggested to me over the years, I'd have some grim stories to tell. But Yes Chef! is the latest in gourmet ambient food - it's a great idea. The eight dishes, which include venison and steak in shiraz red wine for a delicious pie filling, chicken and chorizo, and belly of pork in port wine and pear glaze, just need to be warmed and served with an accompaniment. They don't need refrigeration, and have a one-year shelf life. What chefs will be doing with all the time they save is a bit of a worry, though.

Yes Chef!, 01207 588783, www.yes-chef.com

If you've got a product you'd like Peggy to put through its paces, please email details, including a picture, to chosbbq@gurchoyvpna.pbz​​