Following a year of extensive kitchen and factory trials, Borough Broth has brought back its phở broth in collaboration with Vietnamese food expert, cookbook author and supper club host, Uyen Luu.
The product has been reimagined from the ground up, following feedback from Borough Broth’s customers for “even greater depth and authenticity”.
The new recipe is slow-cooked overnight and made using organic chicken bones, organic vegetables and a blend of aromatics.
It also introduces shio koji – a natural seasoning made from fermented rice koji, salt and water – alongside charred onion, ginger and star anise.
“We eliminated fish sauce because there isn’t an organic-certified version and instead introduced shio koji, which did the job beautifully,” explained Luu. “For sweetness, we used parsnips and carrots.”
Borough Broth says the result is a richer, more balanced recipe, which is suitable for large-scale production.
Along with being ‘clean label’, the broth taps into other current trends; it’s high in protein, low in calories, and a natural source of collagen, supporting healthy skin and joints.
The phở broth is available from Sainsbury’s, Ocado and the Borough Broth at a RRP of £5 per 400g pouch; and is designed to be poured over flat rice noodles and topped with the customer’s protein of choice (e.g. chicken, tofu, egg, steak).
A brief history of phở
Whilst there is debate around the origins of phở, it’s generally believed to be a relatively modern dish, first appearing in Vietnam at the end of the 19th century.
During French colonisation, increased demand for beef led to large quantities of bones and offcuts being discarded. Vietnamese cooks began simmering these bones and pouring the resulting broth over noodles and meat – an evolution influenced by the French ‘pot-au-feu’, a slow-cooked beef stew with root vegetables.
Commenting on the relaunch, Ros Heathcote, founder and CEO of Borough Broth, said: “After listening to customer feedback, I knew our Chicken Phở Broth needed more than a tweak, it needed a fresh start. I reached out to Uyen to help us with the task, and from our first meeting sipping phở in her home, I knew she was perfect for the task.
“Together we worked through multiple test runs, from Uyen’s stove to full-scale trials in our West London production kitchen, until it was just right. Now, our phở broth has truly levelled up. It’s still organic and true to our values, but with bigger flavour and Uyen’s authentic Vietnamese touch.”
Luu added: “I’ve known Ros and her mission to make great organic and sustainable food accessible for many years, so I jumped at the chance to get involved in the reformulation challenge: to make phở using only organic ingredients (nothing refined or processed, no sugar or stock cubes) and create it in a way that works at factory scale. Producing chicken phở commercially is very different from cooking it at home, and it took many trials and discoveries along the way.”
