Findus is bringing back its fish fingers after an 11-year absence to capitalise on the revival of interest in old 1970s staples.

It hopes the relaunch, which comes ahead of a wider refresh of its classic frozen food offer, including the relaunch of Crispy Pancakes and ready meal expansion, will tap into the nostalgia trend.

The recipe for the new The Fisherman 10 Fish Fingers has been updated to meet modern health demands and contains sustainable Alaskan pollock fillet rather than cod, while the crumb coating is designed to be oven-cooked or grilled, rather than fried. However, Findus had tried not to alter the product too much, said Lynn Saul, head of marketing at Findus. "Aside from the odd limited edition, we will keep fish fingers simple and stay true to their heritage."

The relaunch of the fish fingers will be followed by a refresh of another 1970s classic, Findus Crispy Pancakes, later this year with a new recipe and updated packaging. The revival of these iconic products is a key priority of company owner Geir Frantzen, who bought out Findus's British arm in 2005 from EQT, a Swedish private equity company, which in turn acquired the company from Nestlé in 2000. Nestlé ceased production of fish fingers in 1997 claiming they didn't suit its European brand fit.

Saul said now was the right time to revive the classics. "Thanks to fish finger sandwiches at upmarket gastropubs they're trendy again," she said. "Fish has boosted the frozen food category as a whole thanks to its Omega-3 health benefits and a wider choice of premium products."

The range will benefit from a £5m TV campaign later in the year and further NPD was planned, said Saul. "We are looking at expanding ready meals, building up snacks and, with Geir at the helm, I wouldn't be surprised if even a move into chilled could be on the horizon."

Findus's UK sales have leapt 33% to £42m in the past 12 months while the fish finger market has grown 7% to £87m [TNS].

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