Little Puds Of Chocolate Heaven

Ever noticed how the chiller cabinet has become a hot bed of food and drinks innovation? As the word chilled is often synonymous with a premium pricepoint, one tends to find that brands nestling in this neck of the wood refuse to skimp when it comes to their marketing budgets, because the price of standing still is simply too painful to contemplate. Stunning packaging, regular npd and bold brash initiatives are often the name of the game in this most exciting of foodie enclaves.

Looking beyond the Innocent masterclass in understated brilliance, there are so many maverick brands that Purple Pilchard would like to recognise for the sheer clarity of their thinking. For one there's Firefly who've taken Purdey's forward-thinking interpretation of adult soft drinks, added a more approachable tone of voice and jumped on the blossoming 'mood food' bandwagon. Then there's Grove Fresh, who've made organic juice more accessible and Yeo Valley who could give brands like Ben & Jerry's a masterclass in hard-core social responsibility. Yet my fav without a doubt would have to be Gu who have provided some much needed choccy relief from the all conquering yogurt.

Every recipe is simplicity personified. In each classy little pot the lucky recipient secures equal measures of indulgence and self-imposed portion control. From a retailer's perspective the stunning look of the packaging and support photography is second to none and as such adds an extra dash of class to any aisle, whilst the sheer addictive nature of the brand name demands that 30+'s the length and breadth of the country abandon their despised diets for a few spoonfuls of melty heaven.

But can you have too much of a good thing? The Gu range would now appear to be proliferating at such a rate that it's in danger of losing it's niche brand sparkle. Ok if sell-off''s the ultimate name of the game that's great but if one's trying to produce a product range with real longevity there will come a time when the brakes will need to be applied.