Sobeys and Jamie Oliver launch delicious new line of products in time for the holiday season

STELLARTON, NS, Nov. 7, 2013 /CNW/ - Just in time for holiday entertaining, Sobeys is launching a new line of products today developed in collaboration with its partner, Chef Jamie Oliver. The line, labeled Compliments presents: Jamie Oliver Discovers Canada, is the next step on the brand's better food journey and features Canadian flavours, quality, fresh ingredients and higher welfare meat. A total of 14 items are included in the line ranging from Herby Lemon Flattened Chicken made with Certified Humane chicken and Scrumptious Seafood Pie to Sweet Cherry Focaccia and Banoffee Cakes.

"We worked closely with Jamie to create this delicious new product line, which will make holiday entertaining easier and tastier while maintaining our commitment to better food," said Gillian Kerr, Vice President, Brand Marketing, Sobeys Inc. "We know how busy Canadians are, especially during the holiday season, but that shouldn't mean having to sacrifice eating better. The new line offers customers fresh, ready-to-cook solutions that Canadians will be proud to serve."

The co-branded product line, a year in the making, can be found throughout Sobeys stores in bakery, meat, seafood and deli departments. Additional products are continuing to be developed with a range of new items set to launch for summer. The classic Canadian dishes with a Jamie Oliver twist were tested and tasted multiple times by the celebrity chef and Sobeys' product development team. Each meat dish, prepared fresh and ready to cook at home, is made with Certified Humane poultry, beef or pork.

"Working with Sobeys on this new line has been a real pleasure. I'm incredibly proud of each and every dish and I really think that, together, we've come up with something that Canadians are going to love," said Jamie Oliver. "Holiday entertaining can seem overwhelming to some, so we thought we'd help out and take away a lot of the hard work by creating a range of super-tasty products that can be served up in next to no time, with brilliant results."

The launch of Compliments presents: Jamie Oliver Discovers Canada coincides with a new television commercial featuring Jamie Oliver. The 30-second spot was filmed in Toronto in October and begins airing November 8. The campaign features Jamie Oliver bringing some of the new holiday dishes to families.

With 14 items to choose from this holiday season, there's a taste to please every palate in the new line, including:

• Easy Cookin' Herby Lemon Flattened Chicken: This Certified Humane chicken has classic roast flavours - aromatic herbs, garlic and lemon.
• Old-School Holiday Ham: The perfect winter roast, this heat-and-serve boneless ham is brined in festive flavours, smoked over maple wood and comes with a sticky orange and rosemary glaze.
• A Dolce Twist Sweet Cherry Focaccia: Loaded with juicy sweet cherries and sprinkled with Madagascar vanilla and sugar.
• Heart-Warming Apple & Berry Crisp: Made with Nova Scotia apples and berries all cooked into a glorious fruit syrup, with a crunchy oaty top. Jamie added his twist with a hint of thyme to bump up the flavours.
• Simply Incredible Banoffee Cakes: Similar to classic British sticky toffee pudding, this banana cake has an amazing soft texture and a gooey toffee sauce with a hint of salted bourbon.
• A Taste of Tuscany Italian-style Bean Dip: A classic garlic, white bean and balsamic dip is mixed with Greek yogourt and topped with roasted and sundried tomatoes and basil.

The Compliments brand, exclusive to Sobeys, was developed and introduced in 2005 to satisfy the needs of increasingly time-challenged, yet value-conscious consumers. There are currently 3,500 products under the brand available at stores across the country.

About Sobeys Inc.
Proudly Canadian, with headquarters in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Sobeys has been serving the food shopping needs of Canadians for 106 years. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited (TSX:EMP.A), Sobeys owns or franchises more than 1,500 stores in all 10 provinces under retail banners that include Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Lawton's Drug Stores as well as more than 330 retail fuel locations. Sobeys and its franchise affiliates employ more than 124,000 people. The company's goal is to be widely recognized as the best food retailer and workplace environment in Canada. More information on Sobeys Inc. can be found at www.sobeyscorporate.com.

About Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver is a phenomenon in the world of food. Most famous for his Emmy-Award winning television series, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on CBC, Jamie has become a campaigner for better school food and food education. The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation has created an annual global day of action - Food Revolution Day www.foodrevolutionday.com - inspiring people all over the world to stand up for real food, and Canada has been one of the most active countries for the past two years.

His television programs are broadcast on Food Network Canada and the accompanying bestselling cookbooks are published by HarperCollins Canada. Jamie lives in London and Essex with his wife, Jools, and their children, Poppy, Daisy, Petal and Buddy.

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SOURCE: SOBEYS INC.