Pret A Manger has today announced the biggest menu change in its 33 years. The company is introducing 20 new recipes that reflect the UK’s changing consumer tastes and can be eaten any time of the day.
Of the 20 new products, eight are vegan, five are vegetarian, and the new menu also includes avocado-based salads pots and open sandwiches made on Pret’s first gluten-free bread.
Next Tuesday, April 9, will see Pret launch the new menu and it’s filled with vibrant colours, flavours and textures.
Pret’s classics will still remain, but the new menu will see unprecedented expanded choice with customers at the heart of this change.
Two thirds of Pret’s salad pots (such as the Egg & Avocado Protein Pot) are eaten outside of lunchtime and the newly expanded range will ensure even more choice through breakfast, mid-morning, lunch and mid-afternoon.
The 20 new products include colourful salads, delicious salad pots, vegan and meaty open sandwiches on Pret’s Gluten-Free Bread, new desserts, two new vegan breakfast birchers, and a bircher smoothie.
New ingredients
Inspired by food development trips around the world and evolving consumer tastes, Pret is introducing a variety of new ingredients from smashed avo (smashed by hand in Pret’s shop kitchens each day), to chilli salt and roasted chestnut mushrooms. The mushrooms are roasted for 55 minutes in a sticky tamari, miso and brown sugar marinade and offer a delicious umami flavour to two new vegan dishes.
Pret’s gluten-free bread
Pret’s customers have been asking for gluten-free bread for years. After trying to find a gluten-free bread Pret could be proud of, Pret’s chefs gave up…and instead, made their own recipe. The bread – a result of nine months of development and 30 different recipes – combines oat, teff, buckwheat and quinoa flours, with millet, red quinoa, sourdough and a dash of treacle. The soft, flavoursome bread slices will be topped with three delicious toppings and served as a range of open sandwiches.
Pret’s Head of Food Development, Hannah Dolan said, “We’re so excited to launch our colourful new spring menu, our biggest change in our history, which is a result of listening to what our customers want. Our team of chefs have taken inspiration from all over the world for this new menu and have worked incredibly hard to perfect each and every ingredient. From flavoursome roasted mushrooms, to our own gluten-free bread, which we honestly believe is one of the best out there right now.
“I’m particularly excited about our new salad pots and open sandwiches. Two-thirds of Pret products are now purchased outside of the lunchtime period, and we think these filling snacks and smaller meals will fit really well with our customers’ busy schedules.”
Menu highlights
< Pret’s three new salad pots are crammed full of vegetables, protein and flavour. They make a great mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack - or side dish at lunch. The range includes poke-inspired smoked salmon with edamame beans, diced mango, pickled cabbage & carrot on smashed avo, a vegan mushroom version with roasted mushrooms, and a chicken and smashed beets pot with a hard-boiled egg.
< Pret’s four new salad boxes take inspiration from around the world, including a Cali-style Salmon Salad, a Greek Salad, an Asian-style Veggie Box and classically British Ham, Egg & Beet Salad.
< The new range of open sandwiches (pictured) will see Pret’s gluten-free bread topped with chicken caesar & smashed avo (a twist on Pret’s popular Chicken Caesar & Bacon Baguette and Chicken Avocado Sandwich) and two vegan options - freshly smashed avo, and coconut yoghurt, berry compote and blueberries. (The open sandwiches are only available in a selected number of Pret shops but these recipes are well worth tracking down!).
< Pret’s new Mocha Pot combines coconut yoghurt with chocolate & hazelnut sauce and organic espresso from Pret’s coffee machines, before being topped with caramelised pecans. It will be joined by a brand-new Lemon & Blueberry Cheesecake pot.
< Two new Chef’s Specials join the menu from 9th April – 10th June. The Chicken & Pea Crush Baguette is a fresh spring option with added feta, cucumber, basil and mint. The Bang Bang Veggies Wrap is a veggie take on Pret’s popular Bang Bang Chicken Wrap.