HIGH HOPES:

Scotch eggs made in North Staffordshire are hoping to make it onto the shelves of Aldi stores. Husband-and-wife Colin and Deborah Hodgkinson have pitched their Staffordshire Scotch Eggs to the budget retailer.

The Stanley couple have been married for 22 years and make their scotch eggs using retired teacher Deborah’s grandma’s secret recipe. Their pitch is on tonight’s edition of Aldi’s Next Big Thing at 8pm on Channel 4. The six-part series sees suppliers compete in categories such as dinners, baked goods, treats and store cupboard essentials in the hope of securing a place on Aldi’s shelves. Products are presented to Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, who deliberates on factors such as price, packaging, shopper demand, and the ability to scale up, before whittling contestants down to just two.

The finalists are then given four weeks to address any feedback, before presenting improved products to Julie who decides which product will appear as a Specialbuy in all stores.

Colin and Deborah first started making scotch eggs in their farm kitchen back in 1997. They are competing against peanut butter sausages, chilli and chocolate cheese, samosas, charcuterie and vegan cheese. Former sales rep Colin, aged 65, said: “It would be fabulous to see our humble little scotch eggs on the shelves of Aldi. We enjoy making them but to win a contract of this size would be absolutely life changing for us.”

Julie added: “More and more shoppers are seeking out locally sourced, high quality products. But it’s a balance, offering fresh, great tasting ingredients while having the ability to service a supermarket like ours.”