WO2006129089A1

WO2006129089A1 - Product assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2006129089A1
Application number: PCT/GB2006/001988
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ronald H. Mellow
Original assignee: Hain Celestial Uk Limited
Priority date: 2005-06-01
Filing date: 2006-05-31
Publication date: 2006-12-07
Also published as: GB0610755D0; GB2428552A

Abstract

Provided is a method of preparing a product, which method comprises: (a) providing a base; (b) providing a filling assembly comprising a filling shaped to substantially fit the base, and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling; (c) placing the filling assembly and the base together such that the filling is in a desired position with respect to the base; (d) removing the flexible sheet from the filling, leaving the filling substantially in the desired position, to form the product.

Description

PRODUCT ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to a food product, a method of manufacturing a product, an apparatus for manufacturing a product, and a system for manufacturing a product. More particularly, the present invention relates to a food product such as a savoury, ready-to-eat food product, (e.g. a sandwich product) and methods, apparatus and systems for producing such products. The invention is particularly advantageous for introducing a filling into or onto a carrier, such as a base when the base has a short shelf life, since it allows the base to be made at the point of sale so that it is fresh, but facilitates introduction of the filling into or onto the base, allowing higher throughput in producing the final product.

There is currently a desire amongst consumers to buy more natural food products that are made up of fresher, more natural components. These components generally have different shelf lives, often from a matter of hours to several days (e.g. from 4 hours to 4 days). This results in the shelf life of the finished product being constrained to the shelf life of the shortest lived ingredient, or short shelf life ingredients having preservatives or additives included to extend their acceptable life. Different shelf lives lead to difficulties and added cost when managing product availability, not to mention a wastage of food. There is an ongoing problem in respect of products comprising certain types of bread that have a particularly short shelf life to achieve the most desirable eating characteristics. For example, a crusty baguette (French-style bread) may ideally have only 4 hours shelf life, whilst a protein- and/or salad-based filling may have a significantly longer shelf-life (a matter of days) if stored correctly (e.g. 2 days' shelf-life). Because of this, the product must be combined from its distinct components immediately prior to sale and consumption. This is typically achieved by hand, for example in a sandwich shop where each sandwich is prepared by hand with an a Ia carte filling.

hi addition to the above problems, products may be made up of components where product life is. significantly-reduced due to the interaction between the components. For example, a pavlova (a meringue-based dessert product) typically comprises an ambient meringue with circa 3 months' shelf life, fresh cream with 3 days' shelf life and fresh strawberries with 4 days' shelf life. Moisture from cream reacts with meringue texture and juice from strawberries affects cream appearance, such that the shelf life of the product may in fact be less than 2 days (or may even amount only to a matter of hours), depending on the conditions of storage and the individual nature of the specific ingredients involved.

A further problem occurs when products are formed from expensive components that have a high mark-up. In such cases it often becomes impractical to involve a 3rd party for assembly into finished product since the mark-up added by the 3rd party makes the final product too expensive to be competitive in the consumer market. Problems of this sort are well known for cheesecake or gateaux products that include, for example, fresh strawberries.

Moreover, products may be preferred in different forms by customers, which can in turn make stock management very difficult. For instance, a chicken salad baguette may be preferred with butter or mayonnaise or low fat spread. It may be preferred in a white baguette or a wholemeal baguette or in a sandwich — permutations are significantly increased even a small number of components.

Thus, there is currently a need for finished product to be identical irrespective of the store or the location in which it was made or sold. There is also a need for simplicity to minimise skills, training and supervision needs, in order that such products can be produced more easily and economically. There is a further need for minimisation of store work to keep store costs low and exploit factory elements of automation and efficiencies.

Attempts have been made to address some of these issues. It is known that individual ingredients (e.g. smoked salmon) may be pre-prepared and separated into portions, which are then used to make-up the product. To improve upon this, it is known to employ a group of cassettes containing fillings to help speed up formation of sandwiches. However, the known method requires materials to be vacuum packed onto a cassette prior to use, which limits the freshness and is deleterious to the physical characteristics of the products. In operation, the cassette is pushed in through an end of a baguette, and the lid of the cassette is then pulled out, followed by the cassette itself, leaving behind the filling. However, the system is not particularly effective, in part due to its poor design, but also because the final product is unattractive; the filling remains hidden inside the product rather than on show along the cut edge of the baguette base.

Thus, a system for the efficient assembly of food products at or close to their point of sale is still required. Up to present, the concept has not been manageable within retail stores where skill set is completely different to that of manufacturing or catering.

The present invention aims to solve the above problems associated with known methods and products. It is thus an aim of the present invention to provide a fresh food product having a short shelf-life which can be assembled easily on the day of sale, close to or at the point of sale. It is a further aim of the invention to provide food products that may be 'made to order' and offer a wide variety of product variants from a selected range of components or sub-assemblies. It is also an aim of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing or assembling the food product. It is a further aim of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a system for manufacturing and/or assembling the food product.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of preparing a product, which method comprises:

(a) providing a base;

(b) providing a filling assembly comprising a filling shaped to substantially fit the base, and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling;

(c) placing the filling assembly and the base together such that the filling is in a desired position with respect to the base;

(d) removing the flexible sheet from the filling, leaving the filling substantially in the desired position, to form the product.

The principle of the invention is in practice applicable to both food and non-food products, since it may be useful in preparing any product comprising a plurality of components, in which interaction between distinct components prior to sale would be deleterious. However, it is particularly preferred that the invention is applied to a food product. The invention works particularly advantageously in respect of food products where eating attributes (such as organoleptic eating quality and customer interaction with the food product) are compromised due to individual components degrading or due to deleterious interactions between the various components over time (e.g. hours to days), prior to consumption by the consumer. The invention also allows the various components and sub-components to be manufactured oh-site or remotely at one or more locations and then these separate and distinct components combined quickly and efficiently at a point, typically at or extremely close to (e.g. from minutes to hours away) the point of sale. This segmentation in the manufacturing process not only improves the products' organoleptic eating quality and customer interaction, but also provides the following positive attributes:

1. Due to limited sales in multiple outlets the invention allows complex, high value, and/or unusual components (generally filling components) to be produced at remote location(s) where consolidation of orders allows scale economies.

2. The remote location enables automation to further enhance final assembly (generally by producing a filling assembly, preferably in the form of a cassette.

3. , The remote location allows consolidation of skills to provide recipe and portion control which delivers consistency in safety, quality, quantity, appearance and nutritional control.

4. Segmentation of the product assembly allows the consumer more choice than existing products on sale, because the carrier and filling(s) may be selected in an a Ia carte manner by the consumer; as such the final product is unique or bespoke to the customers individual needs and desires.

5. There is a reduction or elimination of additives (preservatives, acidity regulators etc. etc) needed to maintain stability of the product, since the components with the shortest shelf-life do not need to be produced remotely from the point of sale to facilitate final assembly of the product, but formation of these sensitive components and final assembly can take place at or near to the point of sale.

The invention is particularly advantageous for introducing a filling into and/or onto a carrier, or base. Normally the carrier or base is starch based but not exclusively so. The carrier may be bread, baguette, pizza, meringue, or a sweet dessert such as a sponge or cake, and is discussed in more detail below. When one or more of the components has a shorter life, for example the base (carrier), the invention is especially advantageous, since it allows the base to be made at the point of sale so that its eating quality is at its very best, whilst facilitating introduction of the filling into or onto the base. This allows an eating experience that is not typically possible outside of the home and also the design and automation used in the invention enables a higher throughput when combining the distinct components or segments of the product to produce the final food product at or extremely close to (e.g.. in minutes) the point of sale.

The food product is not especially limited, providing that it is a type of product that comprises more than one component, such as a base (or carrier) and a filling. Preferably at least one component of the food product has a short shelf-life such that the food product should be prepared at or close to the point of sale, because pre-preparation and then delivery of the food product would result in loss of quality (e.g. freshness) by the time the prepared product reached the shelves.

Typically, a short-shelf life means a shelf-life of 24 hours or less, more preferably 12 hours or less, more preferably still 6 hours or less and most preferably 4 hours or less. Any of the components of the food product could be one having such a short shelf-life, including the base or one or more of the filling components. Typically with savoury food products, the base (carrier) is a bread product having a short shelf-life, such as French-style bread including baguettes (e.g. crusty baguettes), pain, and croissants and Italian style bread such as panini, focaccia, and ciabatta, and other less well known breads from around the world. The base may thus be an appropriate base for a sandwich such as a sliced bread sandwich, a bagel, a wrap, a tortilla, a burrito, a croissant, a roll, a bap, a baguette, a sub, a cake, a tart, a meringue, finger food, a cream horn, a patisserie, a cheesecake, a gateau, a mousse, or a pavlova food product. Typically with sweet food products the base (carrier) is a cake type product (e.g. with flour as a key component) or a meringue type product (e.g. with sugar as key component).

The method of the invention is simple in operation, but allows a larger quantity of food product to be assembled or prepared more cost effectively at or close to the point of sale than is presently possible (e.g. on the shop premises or the cafe premises, such as in a kitchen area). The base can be baked or made on the premises, or alternatively may be brought in from elsewhere, and the filling assembly can be pre-prepared, either at another site or on the premises. The food product is then assembled quickly, preferably using the highest quality and/or the freshest materials and put straight onto the shop shelves before any quality and/or freshness and/or organoleptic quality attributes are lost. This is particularly appropriate for large shops and cafes or canteens, where hand-filling each base is not practical for the volume of product involved. In addition, employing filling assemblies leads to greater control of fill components from a cost and nutrition standpoint and enables the filling to be more consistent in composition and volume than was previously possible for such products.

The invention will be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the following Figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows a baguette base and a filling assembly (cassette) being formed into a food product by the present method — the cassette of the filling assembly is formed from a folded flexible sheet, and the filling is placed into a cut in the baguette and the applicator (retention plate) having two 'legs' and a holding blade is employed to retain or hold the filling in place upon removal of the flexible sheet; and

Figure 2 shows an apparatus of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows how a filling assembly (cassette) of the present invention is advantageously used, with the difference in friction between the flexible sheet and the base and the filling and the base enabling faster and cleaner preparation of food products than known methods.

In a preferred embodiment, the filling component is held in the desired position by the base whilst the flexible sheet (on or in which the filling component is supplied) is removed from the filling. In this embodiment the base is adapted in shape so that a cut in the base may be closed around the filling assembly, with the flexible sheet supporting the filling component inside the base and with an end of the sheet protruding from the cut; the flexible sheet is simply extracted from the base with the base closed around the filling, holding the filling in place. In a further, more preferred embodiment, the filling is held in the desired position by an applicator whilst the flexible sheet is removed from the filling. This is more preferable, since it imposes less stringency on the cutting of the base, and avoids a tendency to squash the filling, which may happen for some fillings if an applicator is not employed. The applicator may be handled separately by the operator, but it is preferred that it is fixed to a worktable. This is particularly preferable where the food product is assembled or prepared by hand, since it frees up two hands for more precise working. When the filling is held in place by the applicator, it is not excluded that the base may also still play a part in holding the filling.

The applicator may be any dimension that allows assembly to take place, but typically the applicator is at least as long as the length of the base, so that it can hold the filling within the full extent of the base.

In one preferred embodiment, the method may comprise an additional step of applying a spread and/or sauce to one or more surfaces of the base, (a spreading step), usually before filling takes place. In this step, the base may be engaged by a holding mechanism (a 'grabber') which preferably holds the bottom part of the base in place whilst a spread is applied to it. The grabber is not especially limited, provided that it is sufficient to facilitate adding the sauce or spread to the base. The form and shape of the grabber maybe adapted to engage bases of differing sizes and shapes.

The flexible sheet may have any type of flexibility, provided that it facilitates transfer of the filling to the base. Thus, the sheet may comprise two substantially rigid portions of material, attached at a hinge, so that the two portions can be bent at the hinge to enclose the filling. In this embodiment, the hinge can be opened and one portion pulled to remove the sheet from the base and filling. Alternatively, the sheet may comprise one or more pieces of more flexible material that is not hinged, but is flexible enough to be bent, rolled or folded to wrap, or partially wrap, the filling.

The flexible sheet is a planar sheet adapted to be wrapped or folded partially or totally around a filling as desired. As such, it is not a box or tube, which is sealed to fully enclose the filling. Accordingly, if the filling is fully enclosed by the sheet it is done so by folding and wrapping rather than sealing. This planar configuration of the sheet is advantageous since it facilitates removal of the sheet with minimum disturbance of the filling. This is particularly important for layered fillings whose appearance is important in maintaining the positive appearance of the food products. Sealed cartridges containing filling are known in the prior art, but in use these are deleterious to the appearance of the final product since they require squeezing or piping of the filling onto the base. This is entirely inappropriate for layered fillings, and especially for fillings containing fresh ingredients such as salad.

The thickness of the sheet is not especially limited, provided that the function of the sheet is not impaired. Generally however, the thickness is such that the dimensions are appropriate for an object that could be described as a 'sheet' .

The flexible sheet may be wrapped around the filling in any manner, provided that the filling may be effectively transferred to the base. Thus, the sheet may wrap the filling completely, or it may only partially wrap the filling. In a preferred arrangement, the sheet may be hinged, rolled, bent, or folded around the filling, such that the sheet has two portions, both of which extend across different sides of the filling. In this latter embodiment, the sheet need not cover all of the filling on each of the sides, but it is preferred that it does so. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the sheet is arranged in such a way that substantially half of the flexible sheet is on one side of the filling and substantially half of the flexible sheet is on another side of the filling. Typically the filling is shaped to fit to an inside surface of the base, such as a surface exposed by a cut into the base material, or to an inner surface between two separate pieces of base material. Accordingly the filling is preferably substantially planar, with a small depth and a larger width and length. Generally, the flexible sheet covers both planar sides of the filing, but is open at the edges (except at the fold or bend), allowing it to be removed during preparation.

The filling and flexible sheet together form the filling assembly. This type of assembly is generally termed a cassette or cartridge.

When the filling assembly is placed on the base, the flexible sheet has a coefficient of friction with respect to the base and a coefficient of friction with respect to the filling such that the flexible sheet can be removed to leave the filling in a desired position on the base. It will be understood by the skilled person that these coefficients do not need to be measured but it can be determined whether a sheet has the desired characteristic in a straightforward fashion. If the friction between the filling and the sheet is too great, it will not be possible to remove the flexible sheet and leave the filling in a desired position on the base. Similarly, if the friction between the sheet and the base is too great, removal of the sheet will be difficult and some of the base will be removed with the sheet.

Materials having suitable characteristics for the sheet are described below. Alternative suitable materials can be identified by the skilled person in accordance with existing procedures.

As mentioned above, in one embodiment a portion of the flexible sheet is allowed to protrude from the base. For example, the side of the sheet on one side of the filling is removed from the filling and at least a portion of this is allowed to protrude from the base. In the method the flexible sheet is preferably removed by pulling the protruding portion.

The dimensions of the sheet are not especially important, provided that it does not interfere with removal of the sheet, but preferably the length of the flexible sheet is the length of the base or shorter. Typically the length and width of the sheet are sufficient to prevent the filling contacting the base, until the sheet is removed, hi this way the filling and base are kept apart for as long as possible, which increases the shelf-life of the product.

The flexible sheet may be formed from any suitable material provided that it is flexible enough to wrap the filling and be removed during the method. Generally, it plays a functional role in supporting, transporting and keeping components separate, safe and in good quality and freshness, until the time and point of assembly into the food product. Typically, the flexible material is a food-grade contact material, formed from a polymer and/or a plastics material, such as a cellulose, a paper or a composite material formed from one or more of the above.. It is also preferred that the sheet is impermeable to air and water to retain freshness and to retain the integrity of the base. The base may be formed from a single piece or from two, three or more separate pieces of base material. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the base.is formed of a single piece of material comprising a cut into which the filling is capable of being inserted.

The filling is not at all limited and may comprise any component that may be desirable for the consumer in the food product. Typically the filling one or more components selected from a spread and/or sauce (e.g. butter, margarine, a functional spread, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, brown sauce, and/or a dressing such as oil and/or vinegar based dressings, salad cream, cream, custard); a seasoning and/or pickle (e.g. salt, sugar, pepper, chilli, and/or herbs such as parsley, thyme, dill, marjoram, cress, oregano, basil, and coriander, gherkin, coleslaw, pickled onion beetroot or other pickled vegetable); one or more (optionally probiotic) salad components (such as egg, mushroom, leaves, e.g. lettuce, spinach, rocket, cos, cabbage; and other fruit/vegetables, such as tomato, potato, red yellow or green pepper, onion, avocado, olives, and sweetcorn); meat, (e.g. beef, pork, chicken, turkey, ham, bacon, and meat containing products such as sausage, (regular pork or beef, or pepperoni and salami) black pudding and the like); fish and seafood (e.g. salmon, tuna, cod, plaice, haddock, sole, sea bass, crab, prawns, crayfish and seafood cocktail), cheese (e.g. hard and soft cheeses, cheese spreads and cottage cheese, including any of the above based upon cows' cheese e.g. cheddar, Cheshire, Lancashire, double Gloucester, Wensleydale, stilton, red Leicester, brie, camenbert, edam, emmental, and parmesan cheese, and goats' cheese and sheeps' cheese) fruit (e.g. apple, pear, peach, plum apricot, orange, tangerine, banana, grapefruit, pineapple, cherry and berries such as strawberry, cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, loganberry etc.); - confection (such as chocolate, caramel, icing, sugar-based decoration, sweets, and honey etc.) and proteins and other common ingredients for savoury and sweet food products. These components may be present in chopped, minced, or sliced form, or may be present whole, as desired. Typically, but not exclusively, chopped components are held together using a spread such as mayonnaise. Typically the filling comprises a plurality of components, since consumers generally prefer a mixture of components hi a filling combination. Preferred combinations of. these components include bacon, lettuce and tomato, prawns and mayonnaise, chicken and tomato and lettuce, tuna and mayonnaise and sweetcorn, cheddar cheese and pickle, and cheddar cheese and ham. AU of these preferred combinations may be with or without a spread such as butter- or margarine. Preferably, the filling comprises a first component having a lower coefficient of friction relative to the flexible sheet and a second component having a higher coefficient of friction relative to the flexible sheet, and the component with a lower coefficient of friction is in contact with the flexible sheet, whilst the component with the higher coefficient of friction is substantially not in contact with the sheet. This facilitates removal of the sheet from the filling, without dragging the filling out of the base. The component having a lower coefficient of friction is not especially limited and typically comprises tomato, lettuce, and the component having a higher coefficient of friction is also not especially limited and typically comprises cheese, meat, a mayonnaise-based component.

As discussed above, the base is typically comprised of a bread, a meringue, or a cake base. It is particularly preferred that the base comprises a crusty baguette.

In the present method, a heating step may be employed if it is desired that the food product should be warm or hot. The food product may be heated after it is assembled, or alternatively, one or more of the filling components may be heated before combining the filling with the base to form the food product. Thus, for example, to form a hot chicken salad baguette, a first filling assembly (cassette) containing chicken and other sauce/seasoning, may be heated before placing it in the baguette, and a second cold cassette may be added to the baguette e.g. with cold salad components, to form a baguette with a mixture of hot and cold filling components.

The present invention also provides a food product assembly comprising a base and a filling assembly in a desired position with respect to the base, wherein the filling assembly comprises a filling shaped to substantially fit the base, and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling.

In the food product assembly of the present invention, preferably the base, the flexible sheet and the filling are as defined above. Most preferably, the food product assembly is a sandwich such as a sliced bread sandwich, a bagel a wrap, a tortilla, a burrito, a croissant, a roll, a bap, a baguette, a sub, a cake, a tart, a meringue, finger food, a cream horn, a patisserie, a cheesecake, a gateau, a mousse, or a pavlova assembly. The invention still further provides a system for preparing a food product, which system comprises:

(a) a base;

(b) a filling assembly comprising a filling shaped to substantially fit the base, and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling; and

(c) optionally an applicator.

Yet further provided by the present invention is an apparatus (an integrated work station) for preparing a food product from a food product assembly, wherein the apparatus is suitable for a food product assembly comprising a base and a filling assembly, the filling assembly having a filling shaped to substantially fit the base and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling, the apparatus comprising a worktable having:

(a) a wipe-clean surface;

(b) a fixed applicator for holding the filling in a desired position so that a flexible sheet may be removed from the filling to form the food product.

The position and fixing of the applicator is not especially limited, provided that the product assembly is not interfered with adversely, but preferably the applicator is releasably fixed with respect to the worktable. Typically the applicator is at least as long as the length of the base.

The apparatus may also comprise a cutting tool or mechanism, for cutting the base, the filling, and/or the product either before, during or after assembly. For example, the cutting mechanism may slice bread, form a cut in a baguette, slice a bagel or cut the final food product into portions. The cutting tool is preferably a knife or a blade. The cutting tool may be part of the applicator, or may be separate. The tool may be attached to the wipe-clean surface, or to the worktable, or to any other part of the apparatus.

Generally the apparatus is arranged such that the applicator comprises one or more legs and a holding blade, wherein the legs position the blade above the wipe-clean surface sufficiently to allow the food product assembly to be positioned between the holding blade and the wipe clean surface. Preferably the applicator comprises two legs, one at each end of the holding blade. The holding blade need not be a sharp blade since it is not important that it is able to cut. Instead the blade is a flat surface, typically formed from stainless steal or another wipe-clean material, adapted for holding the filing in the desired position during the method, and in particular during the discharge (filling) operation.

Preferably the wipe clean surface comprises food-grade construction material(s), such as a plastics material (e.g. PTFE (Teflon®), polypropylene, and nylon) and/or stainless steel, or other wipe-clean material.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the worktable is removably mounted in a work-frame. Advantageously, the apparatus may comprise one or more further removable components selected from cutting tool(s), shelve(s), basket(s), container(s), dispenser(s) and waste bin(s). Thus, typically the apparatus comprises a purpose designed table to allow an efficient layout of operation and a wide choice of 'implements' or 'appliances' to facilitate the efficient assembly and/or cutting or portioning of the finished or part finished product (see Figure 2).

The invention will be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the following specific embodiments.

EXAMPLES

Filled baguettes such as Chicken Salad

A chicken salad baguette is made up of a crusty baguette which has only about an eight hour life. It deteriorates even faster if kept in a chill environment and therefore needs to be sold at ambient temperature.

Chicken salad used to fill a baguette can have 2-4 day shelf-life if kept in chill but should be eaten in 4 hours if kept at ambient temperature (a legal requirement in the UK). Typically, the baguettes are supplied part-baked and already slit, to store and then baked off in the in-store bakery.

A cassette is made up with the filling in exactly the form it would be made in the baguette. This cassette is supplied to store.

In store, a person takes the fully baked baguette and transfers the cassette to it such that in a simple exercise they achieve a fully filled and finished baguette which they then transfer to a bag for sale, at ambient temperature with life of 4 hours.

In this example, firstly, butter, margarine, mayonnaise and/or other spread is added (this may be from a cassette, by hand or may be automated). The cassette is then slid in to the baguette and then removed, leaving behind the filling ready to be packed for sale. The transfer of filling from cassette to baguette is carried out using the retention plate or applicator (see Figure 1).

Sandwiches such as Chicken Salad

Slices of bread are selected. The chosen spread (margarine, butter, mayonnaise) is added. The cassette/cartridge is then added to the bread and then removed, leaving the chicken salad filling behind, just as in the above example. The sandwich is then cut into quarters or halves and packed or plated up for sale.

Desserts such as fresh strawberry pavlova

Strawberry pavlova is made up of a meringue base with fresh whipped cream on top and then decorated with cut fresh strawberries. The interaction between the cream and the meringue would cause the meringue to go soggy after about a day due to moisture migration from cream to meringue. Fresh strawberries are expensive and short life. If supplied to the factory, there would be a day's life lost in addition to extra handling cost and margin taken on the whole. Additionally, the strawberries in contact with the cream would eventually lead to excessive colour migration in to the cream due to the juice. A pavlova meringue base is topped with whipped cream using an impermeable membrane (e.g. a plastic sheet) as a separator between the cream and the meringue.

Fruit is prepared and cut at the fruit supplier's premises.

In store, the separation membrane (flexible sheet) is removed such that the cream is in direct contact with the meringue and the strawberry pieces are placed or dropped on top of the cream. Equally, the fruit may first be added prior to removal of the membrane.

It is placed in a patisserie box and sold fresh for consumption within a day. The operation may also take place with the product already supplied in the box, if desired.

Thus, the three key components: meringue, whipped cream and fresh fruit, are supplied separately or in part combined. The components are efficiently combined into a visual and fresh finished product, employing the meringue as the base, the fruit/cream as the filling and using the applicator.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of preparing a product, which method comprises:

(a) providing a base;

(c) placing the filling assembly and the base together such that the filling is in a desired position with respect to the base; .

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the product is a food product.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the filling is held in the desired position by the base whilst the flexible sheet is removed from the filling.

4. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the filling is held in the desired position by an applicator whilst the flexible sheet is removed from the filling.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the applicator is fixed to a worktable.

6. A method according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the applicator is at least as long as a length of the base.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein a portion of the flexible sheet is allowed to protrude from the base.

8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the flexible sheet is wrapped around the filling such that substantially half of the flexible sheet is on one side of the filling and substantially half of the flexible sheet is on another side of the filling.

9. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the side of the sheet on one side of the filling is removed from the filling and at least a portion of this is allowed to protrude from the base.

10. A method according claim 7 or claim 9 wherein the flexible sheet is removed by pulling the protruding portion.

11. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the length of the flexible sheet is the length of the base or shorter.

12. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the flexible sheet is formed from a food grade contact material.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the flexible sheet is formed from a plastic material, a paper material and/or a composite material.

14. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the base is formed from a single piece or from two or more separate pieces of base material.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the base is formed of a single piece of material comprising a cut into which the filling is capable of being inserted.

16. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the filling comprises a first component having a lower coefficient of friction relative to the flexible sheet and a second component having a higher coefficient of friction relative to the flexible sheet, and the component with a lower coefficient of .friction is in contact with the flexible sheet, whilst the component with the higher coefficient of friction is substantially not in contact with the sheet.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the component having a lower coefficient of friction comprises a salad component such as tomato, and/or lettuce, and wherein the component having a higher coefficient of friction comprises cheese, meat, fish and/or a mayonnaise-based component.

18. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the base is comprised of a bread, tortilla and/or a meringue.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the base material is a base for a sandwich, a wrap, a burrito, a croissant, a roll, a bap, a baguette, a sub, a cake, a tart, a pavlova, a canape or other finger food, a patisserie or cream horn.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the base comprises a baguette.

21. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the filling comprises butter, margarine, a functional spread, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, brown sauce, an oil based dressing, a vinegar based dressing, salad cream, cream, custard, a pickle, salt, sugar, pepper, chilli, a herb, parsley, thyme, dill, marjoram, cress, oregano, basil, coriander, gherkin, coleslaw, pickled onion, beetroot, one or more (optionally probiotic) salad components, egg, mushroom, lettuce, spinach, rocket, cos, cabbage, tomato, potato, red yellow or green pepper, onion, avocado, olive, sweetcorn, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, ham, bacon, a meat containing product, pork and/or beef sausage, pepperoni, salami, black pudding, sahnon, tuna, cod, plaice, haddock, sole, sea bass, crab, prawns, crayfish, squid, hard cheese, soft cheese, cheese spread, cottage cheese, cows' cheese, goats' cheese, sheeps' cheese, apple, pear, peach, plum apricot, orange, tangerine, banana, grapefruit, pineapple, cherry, strawberry, cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, loganberry, chocolate, caramel, icing, a sugar-based decoration, a sweet, and/or honey.

22. A product assembly comprising a base and a filling assembly in a desired position with respect to the base, wherein the filling assembly comprises a filling shaped to substantially fit the base, and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling.

23. A product assembly according to claim 22, which is a food product assembly.

24. A product assembly according to claim 22 or claim 23, wherein the base, the flexible sheet and the filling are as defined in any of claims 6-8 and 10-18.

25. A product assembly according to any of claims 22-24, which is a sandwich, a wrap, a burrito, a croissant, a roll, a bap, a baguette, a sub, a cake, a tart, a pavlova, a canape or other finger food, or a patisserie or cream horn assembly.

26. A system for preparing a product, which system comprises:

(a) a base;

(b) • a filling assembly comprising a filling shaped to substantially fit the base, and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling; and

(c) optionally an applicator.

27. A system according to claim 26, which is a system for preparing a food product.

28. An apparatus for preparing a product from a product assembly, wherein the apparatus is suitable for a product assembly comprising a base and a filling assembly, the filling assembly having a filling shaped to substantially fit the base and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling, the apparatus comprising a worktable having:

(a) a wipe-clean surface; and

(b) a fixed applicator for holding the filling in a desired position so that a flexible sheet may be removed from the filling to form the product.

29. An apparatus according to claim 28, which apparatus is for preparing a food product from a food product assembly.

30.. An apparatus according to claim 28 or claim 29, wherein the applicator is releasably fixed with respect to the worktable.

31. An apparatus according to any of claims 28-30, wherein the applicator is at least as long as the length of the base.

32.. An apparatus according to any of claims 28-31, wherein the applicator comprises one or more legs and a holding blade, wherein the legs position the blade above the wipe-clean surface sufficiently to allow the food product assembly to be positioned between the holding blade and the wipe clean surface.

33. An apparatus according to any of claims 28-32, wherein the wipe clean surface comprises PTFE (Teflon®) and/or stainless steel.

34. An apparatus according to any of claims 28-33, wherein the worktable is removably mounted in a work-frame.

35. An apparatus according to any of claims 28-34, comprising one or more further components selected from shelves, baskets, containers, dispensers and waste bins.

36. An apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the one or more further components are removably attached to the work-frame and/or the worktable.

37. A filling assembly for use with a base, comprising a filling shaped to substantially fit the base, and a flexible sheet at least partially wrapping the filling, wherein a whole or a part of the flexible sheet has a coefficient of friction with respect to the base and a coefficient of friction with respect to the filling such that when the filling assembly is placed on the base with the filling in contact with a surface of the base and the sheet in contact with a surface of the base the flexible sheet can be removed to leave the filling in a desired position on the base.

38. A filling assembly according to claim 37 wherein said filling comprises a plurality of components.

39. A filling assembly according to claim 38, wherein said plurality of components are layered.

.

40. A filling assembly according to claim 39, wherein the layering is horizontal or vertical with respect to a plane of the sheet.

41. A filling assembly according to any one of claims 38 to 40, wherein the flexible sheet is sufficiently rigid to maintain the integrity of the filling assembly.

42. A method of preparing a filling, assembly for use with a base as defined in claim 37, which method comprises:

(a) providing a flexible sheet;

(b) placing one or more filling components onto the sheet; and

(c) wrapping the flexible sheet around the filling to produce the filling assembly such that the flexible sheet is able to maintain the integrity of the layered filling.

43. A method according to claim 42 wherein a plurality of filling components is layered onto the sheet.

44. . A method according to claim 42 or 43 wherein said layering is horizontal or vertical with respect to a plane of the sheet.

45. A method of preparing a batch of filling assemblies, which method comprises:

(a) using the method according to claim 42 to produce a plurality of filling assemblies; and

(b) placing the plurality of filling assemblies into a container.