A new PR campaign has been launched to promote Spanish salads in the UK during their main winter season.
The initiative has been set up by Murcia-based grower Natural & Salads, sister company of Das International, and focuses on products including celery, iceberg lettuce, cos/romaine lettuce and little gem.
The company's stated goal is to increase awareness via the consumer press, highlighting the season for Spanish salads and offering easy recipes for hot and cold meals during the winter months.
Yesterday, journalists were invited to sample some of the salad-based creations of chef Johnnie Mountain, of BBC programme the Great British Menu, at his new restaurant, The English Pig.
Dishes included halibut with braised cos, celery soup, spicy hot beef with iceberg and an unusual dessert, celery rice pudding.
Simon Allgood of Das International expressed his excitement over the new campaign and stressed the importance of connecting with the end-consumer.
'The Winter Salads campaign sets out to address the opportunities in the category,' he said. 'It is about driving awareness amongst shoppers of key winter lines and highlighting availability and usage while they are on the shelves.'
A key goal was to encourage more up-market shoppers to purchase iceberg lettuce, he revealed, 'by drawing on its taste and quality, and to provide inspiration for using it during the winter and beyond'.
