How to Turn Pork Pies Into a Higher-Value Lunch

If you sell pork pies already, you’re halfway to a higher-value lunch offer - you just haven’t named it yet.

A “Ploughman’s Corner” is one of those simple, familiar British concepts customers instantly understand. It doesn’t need chef skills. It doesn’t need a kitchen refit. It doesn’t rely on a complicated menu. It’s just a tidy corner of your counter that makes it easy for people to build a proper lunch around a pork pie… and spend more while they do it.

Think of it as a lunch solution, not a single product. You’re not asking customers to “add extras”. You’re helping them build something complete: pie + cheese + pickle + something crunchy + a drink.

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Why this works (in the real world)

1) It’s a known idea that customers don’t need educating.

Most people already know what a ploughman’s is. That familiarity lowers the barrier to purchase. Your job is just to make the choice obvious and easy.

2) It naturally creates add-ons without feeling like upselling.

A pork pie is a “main”. Cheese and pickle are “what makes it a ploughman’s”. Bread/crackers and crisps are “finishing touches”. Customers feel like they’re building a lunch, not being sold extras.

3) It feels generous even when portions are controlled.

A ploughman’s looks abundant because it’s made of multiple components. If you portion it properly, it can look premium while still protecting your margin.

4) It improves the look of the counter, and good-looking counters sell.

A well-merchandised corner with a hero sign, neat pots, stacked crackers, and a couple of cheese options looks purposeful. That “purpose” is what converts browsing into buying.

5) It gives you a clear “default” answer for lunchtime indecision.

When someone hovers and can’t decide, staff have an easy suggestion:

“Do you want that as a ploughman’s? We can add cheese and pickle.”

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What to stock (keep it tight)

You don’t need a huge range. You need a deliberate one.

Start with the essentials

Pork pies

• Individual format (grab-and-go lunch)

• Sharing format (weekend grazing / take-home / “treat lunch”)

Cheese (2 options is perfect)

• A dependable cheddar (what most people expect)

• A hero cheese (something local, smoked, blue, extra mature, or seasonal)

Pickle / chutney (1–2 options)

• Classic ploughman’s pickle

• Optional seasonal swap: caramelised onion, apple chutney, spiced chutney

Carb

• Crackers, crusty roll, or a wedge of sourdough (choose one default)

 

Fresh crunch / garnish (choose two)

• Pickled onions

• Apple slices

• Grapes

• Leaves / rocket

• Cornichons

Nice-to-haves (add later once it’s working)

• Mustard or piccalilli (especially if your customer base loves sharp flavours)

• Pork scratchings or crisps

• Scotch eggs or sausage rolls for a premium upgrade

• Mini chutney jars for take-home impulse buys

Rule of thumb: If it makes the choice harder, it goes.

This wins because it’s simple. 

“If you’re balancing price point and margin, Premium vs Budget Wholesale Pies breaks down how to build a tiered offer that actually sells

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Bundle options (turn it into a mini menu)

The trick is to make the choice easy. Give people 3–4 formats that feel familiar and cover your main shopping missions: desk lunch, eat-in lunch, meal deal, and sharing.

1) Mini Ploughman’s Pot (Grab & Go)

 

Pork pie + cheese cubes + pickle pot + crackers

Perfect for commuters, lunchtime queues, and “eat at desk” shoppers.

This is your volume seller: neat, quick, and easy to replenish.

 

2) Classic Ploughman’s Board (Eat-in)

 

Pork pie + cheddar + pickle + bread + garnish

Looks premium, feels like a “proper lunch”, and competes comfortably with café dishes.

 

3) Ploughman’s Meal Deal

 

Board or pot + drink (optionally crisps)

This is where AOV climbs without customers noticing.

Make the upgrade feel like the default rather than the add-on.

 

4) Sharing Platter (Weekend / Treat / Take-home)

Sharing pork pie + 2 cheeses + pickles + bread + crisps

Great for weekends, grazing tables, “we’re having a nice lunch” buyers.

Also, a brilliant option to position near local beers/ciders if you carry them.

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Portioning rules (where your profit actually lives)

Ploughman’s can drift into “throw a bit of everything on” if you don’t set rules. Portioning is the difference between a reliable margin builder and a generous-but-chaotic nightmare.

Create a simple “board rule”

• 1 pie (or 1 portion)

• 1 cheese portion

• 1 pickle pot

• 1 carb portion

• 2 garnish items

That’s it. Simple enough that any staff member can repeat it without thinking.

Make it hard to over-portion

• Use consistent pickle pots

• Pre-cut cheese into standard weights (or pre-cube into portion cups)

• If it’s a sharing pie, pre-slice into equal wedges so it always looks abundant and consistent

• Use a standard board/pot size so portions don’t creep

Tip: pre-prep is your friend here.

If cheese is already cubed and pickle pots are already filled, the “build” becomes assembly, not cooking.

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Display & labels (make the counter do the selling)

This concept lives or dies on visibility. Don’t tuck it away. Make it a “corner” on purpose.

One hero sign is enough

BUILD YOUR PLOUGHMAN’S

1. Choose your pork pie

2. Add cheese + pickle

3. Make it a meal with a drink

Simple, readable, and instantly understood.

Shelf-edge prompts (copy/paste)

• “Perfect with mature cheddar + onion chutney”

• “Add a pickle pot for a proper ploughman’s”

• “Make it a meal: add crisps + drink”

• “Local cheese available — ask us what’s on today”

Placement rule (non-negotiable)

Put cheese + pickle at hand height, right next to the pies.

If people have to ask, you’ve lost the impulse.

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Add-on checklist (what to place next to it)

If you want attachment rates, the add-ons need to be within reach.

• Pickle pots / chutneys

• Crackers / bread rolls

• Crisps / scratchings

• Drinks (apple juice, cloudy lemonade, ginger beer — or local options)

Merchandising trick: build “vertical logic” in the space.

Pies → cheese → pickle → crackers → drinks.

Your counter should suggest the build without anyone saying a word.

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Pricing examples (keep it believable)

Every shop is different, but the logic is the same: you’re selling a solution, not a single item.

Mini Ploughman’s Pot

Price it so it feels like “better than a sandwich” but still easy to grab without thinking.

Classic Board

Price it to sit comfortably next to café lunches — because it is one.

Meal Deal upgrade

Make the deal obvious: “Add any drink for £X” or “Board + drink + crisps for £X”

Optional Good / Better / Best ladder

• Good: pie + cheddar + pickle

• Better: upgrade cheese

• Best: add a second cheese or a “hero” chutney and name it “Farmhouse Board”

Customers love a ladder because it makes the “upgrade” feel like a normal choice.

 

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A simple 7-day rollout (so it actually happens)

 

Day 1–2: Choose your range and set portions

Day 3: Write signage + shelf labels

Day 4: Brief staff on the 3-step build + scripts

Day 5: Launch bundles + meal deal

Day 6–7: Track what sells, cut what doesn’t, and tighten the display

You’ll know quickly if it’s working because you’ll see:

• Cheese + pickle movement increases

• Higher lunchtime AOV

• More “I’ll have that as a meal” orders

Want a simple step-by-step rollout you can hand to the team? Use First 30 Days Selling Frozen: The Setup Checklist to lock in fixtures, labelling and routines.

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Staff script (it matters)

You’re not hard-selling. You’re helping them build a lunch.

• “Do you want that as a ploughman’s? We can add cheese and pickle.”

• “Most people add a pickle pot — shall I grab one?”

• “Make it a meal with a drink?”

• “We’ve got a local cheese on today if you want to upgrade it.”

Key detail: staff only need one question.

Ask it consistently, and the attachments follow.

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What to measure (keep it simple)

If you want proof it’s worth the space, track three numbers for two weeks:

1. Attach rate: % of pork pie sales that include cheese/pickle

2. AOV at lunchtime: before vs after

3. Meal deal take-up: how many “upgrades” per day

That’s enough to judge whether to expand, tweak, or simplify.