This invention relates to a method of forming an improved foodstuff and more particularly to the formation of a foodstuff which can be accurately portioned and simply and quickly cooked.

In restaurants or any other establishment which provides catering for employees or paying customers, it is important for the foodstuff to be accurately portioned to avoid waste and also for the foodstuff to be capable of being cooked quickly and simply on demand.

It has been realised by the present Applicants that if a foodstuff is provided in frozen form it is easy to accurately portion the foodstuff. This arises because the foodstuff can be cut to the size of portion appropriate for the foodstuff in question. Furthermore, if the foodstuff is frozen, it may be possible for the foodstuff to be cooked directly from frozen thereby expediting the cooking process.

However, problems arise with frozen foodstuff insofar as, if the frozen foodstuff is formed from many separate pieces of foodstuff, when cooked directly from frozen, the separate pieces may not clearly separate and this may have a serious impact on customer perception of the cooked foodstuff. Furthermore, with certain types of foodstuff it may be necessary to introduce some form of cooking oil in which to cook the foodstuff before the food can be cooked and in this case it is usually necessary for the foodstuff to be thawed before cooking which will necessarily increase

preparation and cooking time.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method by which a foodstuff can be formed which can be accurately portioned and which can be easily and quickly cooked on demand.

Thus and in accordance with the present invention therefore there is provided a method of forming a foodstuff comprising the steps of mixing together pieces of one or more foodstuffs, adding to the mixture an edible oil and freezing said mixture of said one or more foodstuffs and said edible oil to form said improved foodstuff.

With this method, it is possible to provide a foodstuff which is easy to portion since the frozen foodstuff can be easily cut into the required portion size and which furthermore can be cooked simply and quickly from frozen without the need to add any cooking oil.

Preferably the method also includes the step of separating said frozen mixture into portions of an appropriate size. Most preferably the separation can be achieved by slicing or by any other suitable method.

Preferably the method also includes adding seasoning, e. g. salt, pepper or herbs to the mixture prior to freezing.

Preferably the mixture is formed in a convenient shape, e. g. cylindrical shape prior to freezing. Preferably a casing of a suitable material is provided to encase said mixture prior to freezing and most preferably the casing is formed from plastics or collagen material.

Preferably approximately between 5 and 20% by weight of the mixture is formed by said edible oil.

Most preferably approximately 5 to 10% by weight of the mixture is formed by said edible oil.

Preferably said edible oil comprises a vegetable oil.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only.

In one embodiment of a method according to the present invention, pieces of raw shredded steak are taken and seasoning in the form of salt and pepper is added to the mixture. Finally, an edible oil, preferably vegetable oil, is added to the mixture and the mixture is stirred well. The mixture is next formed into a convenient shape such as, for example a cylindrical "sausage"shape and a fibrous casing is added to encase the mixture. The fibrous casing can be formed from a plastics material or a collagen material.

The encased mixture is then frozen in any suitable manner and at a temperature below 0°C, the edible oil will solidify.

The frozen encased mixture can then be cut into appropriate portion sizes. It is normally thought that an appropriate portion size will be a piece of, for example approximately 4oz weight when frozen.

When it desired to cook the foodstuff, the portion of frozen foodstuff can simply be placed in a pan over heat and the heat will thaw the product and will eventually cook the foodstuff. As the products thaws, the edible oil contained within the foodstuff will liquify and will be available for

cooking of the foodstuff. Furthermore, the edible oil, during thawing of the foodstuff during cooking, will ensure that the pieces of the foodstuff will separate cleanly without any falling apart thereby minimising any deleterious effect on the appearance of the cooked foodstuff. When placed in a saucepan over heat, the foodstuff will thaw and cook in the edible oil very quickly. It will also be appreciated that the fact that the seasoning is contained within the mixture prior to cooking means that nothing further is required to be added to the foodstuff when it is cooked.

It will be appreciated that with the method of the invention, an accurate portion of the foodstuff can be supplied to a customer on demand and, can be cooked very quickly since all ingredients necessary for the foodstuff are contained within the product which is cooked.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.

Whilst it is thought that the foodstuff formed by the method of the invention will find particular application in commercial establishment providing catering on demand, for example restaurants, public houses, it will be appreciated that the foodstuff can be retailed in appropriate portioned pieces in frozen form.