Down-to-earth and satisfying, one-pot meals are ideal for busy cooks - whether you favor hearty soups, aromatic stews, comforting casseroles, or delicious baked items. One-pot cooking is also a terrific way to incorporate organic veggies, meats, dairy, and other foods. These dishes are self-contained meals, needing little accompaniment - perhaps just a simple salad or a loaf of bread.

With that in mind, merchants can give a push to organic items all over the store. One-pot cooking is not only easy for the customer, but it's ideal for an in-store demo! Nearly any food item can be included in a soup, stew or casserole, which makes this promotion appealing to all tastes! Pasta, rice, and other grains are often the base of a one-pot meal, and are accompanied by meat, veggies, and herbs and spices. Dairy items often are the bond that holds the dish together, but there are other items as well. Pick a recipe that incorporates a broad range of foods and dish out samples to your customers. Give them recipe cards and point them to the aisles in your store and they'll fill their carts with organic goodies!

You might want to consider an organic cookbook, put together by your employees, to help promote the items throughout your store. For more information on this, please see the March/April 2004 editorial.

Promoting organic one-pot cooking is also a great way to push your canned and frozen items (March is Frozen Food Month, so timing is perfect!). Canned broths, vegetables and beans are one-pot cooking essentials, as are frozen vegetables. Frozen items can do double-duty during this promotion (promoting National Frozen Food Month as well as your organic one-pot meal options), and because many of them are "heat and eat," they are very appealing to busy people.

One-pot meals are the perfect solution for today's busy cooks. Whether it be a fortifying main-meal soup, or an aromatic au gratin, a one-pot meal can look after itself while the cook does other things. They are also flexible, and can easily be kept waiting for late arrivals, without compromising taste. Leftovers are often better the second time around, too!

Haddon House offers a vast line of organic soups, stews and chili, which fit well into a one-pot cooking themed promotion. We also carry frozen soups and stews as well as dry packaged soup mixes - organic and conventional - and many of them are just as tasty as a homemade meal! For more information on a successful organic one-pot cooking promotion, please contact your customer service representative.

Photo by Dena O'Hara.