Popping with style

Popcorn fanatics Joe & Seph’s are taking onboard snacking to a new level with a range of airline specific products and packs with gourmet credentials

A funny thing has happened to popcorn. For years the humble kernel was renowned only as a cheap and cheerful, super-size-me, serve-me-ina-bucket cinema ‘snack’, but in recent years it has found a new niche – as an experiential gourmet treat.

Where once salty or sweet were your only options, now there is a vast portfolio of flavour combinations and innovative popcorn pairings to explore.

Handmade to perfection

Leading the charge have been the popcorn gurus at Joe & Seph’s, still a family-run operation, launched in 2010 by Joseph Sopher, his wife Jackie and son Adam.

They discovered through experimenting in the family kitchen, that by using 100% natural ingredients and a unique flavour-sequencing they could lock in flavours so a variety of taste experiences would be released on the palate as they were eaten.

The subsequent journey into food flavours and combinations has brought us the headline-grabbing Marmite Popcorn, Gin & Tonic Popcorn, Mint Popcorn and a host of cheese, chilli and other savoury flavours; but also radical innovations to enliven air-popped corn with lush chocolate, caramel, toffee and sea salt combinations.

And with the elevated image and gourmet credentials has come another bonus for airlines – the fact that the process to lock in flavour also locks in the crumbs – putting an end to the traditional mess created by popcorn.

new vegan and halal popcorn for airlines

Latest to the mix are new airline packs suitable for vegans, gluten-free and Halal travellers, and two new airlinefocused snacks created to help lift inflight movie watching to a new level.

The Vegan Collection comes in Salted Caramel, Toffee Apple & Cinnamon, and Coconut & Cacao; while Popcorn Bites, come in a range of gourmet flavours including White Chocolate & Raspberry Popcorn, newest in the Popcorn Bites range. These feature extra-large kernels air-popped, hand-coated in Joe & Seph’s signature salted caramel sauce, and then dipped in chocolate. joeandsephs.co.uk