A quiet chew in: Charlie Bigham launches £29.95 prepared meals for house diners

[ad_1] B ritish customers want to deal with themselves with a substitute for eating out regardless of a squeeze on family funds, in accordance with the meals entrepreneur Charlie Bigham who's launching luxurious prepared meals costing as much as £29.95.

The grocery store provider is promoting a brand new five-option vary, which features a venison bourguignon made with wild-caught venison from the Scottish Highlands, in an try to snare customers saving on the price of an evening out.

It places the corporate in competitors with cafes and eating places, which have been pressured to place up costs as prices reminiscent of labour, vitality and tax soar.

“For those who exit to a restaurant or a gastropub or no matter, you would possibly discover on the finish of the meal that the invoice appears to have crept up rather a lot,” says Bigham.

He mentioned Britons had change into accustomed in current a long time to eating out often, whether or not it was a “date night time” or “sitting down with another person and having a superb chat”. His thought is to “create the chance for folks to do this at house with actual top-notch meals.”

Bigham launched his eponymous meals enterprise from his kitchen desk in 1996. The corporate is bought in supermarkets together with Waitrose and Tesco, and its founder seems in its TV adverts in animated kind.

Charlie Bigham’s Brasserie venison bourguignon. The vary, which has been a yr in improvement, will initially launch in 70 Waitrose shops this week, with some meals costing triple the £9.95 usually charged for its bestselling fish pie. “It’s pretty and squarely aimed toward that weekend event,” he mentioned.

“I can safely say that our meals is best than a barely soggy takeaway pizza and much more nutritious and much better for you.”

He prompt the vary, which additionally consists of duck confit and salmon wellington crammed with a sashimi-grade fillet, may very well be “spot on for some Christmas celebrations” and if the vary is effectively obtained there may very well be extra choices on the best way.

Bigham mentioned the squeeze on family budgets had been “barely overstated” and sure customers, who've had current pay rises, had extra money to spend.

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has struggled to get the economic system transferring shortly this yr, and customers have confronted rising grocery costs and excessive vitality payments, placing stress on spending.

Bigham mentioned: “We’re speaking ourselves into everyone feeling poorer, and really, the details would counsel perhaps in any other case.”

Confit duck can be included within the five-option vary. {Photograph}: Equipped Talking over video name from his vibrant lounge, Bigham mentioned UK customers have been “waking as much as the truth that making meals cheaper has penalties” each for the atmosphere and well being. “Going through into these points does price a bit extra but it surely’s value it,” he mentioned.

“I’m not a type of doom and gloom retailers. I do know terrible issues are taking place on the planet and we're in an unpredictable place however fortunately we've got the enjoyment of meals.”

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Bigham’s gross sales point out that treats are usually not off the menu. Gross sales rose 8.8% to £144.3m within the yr to 31 August 2024, when pre-tax earnings rose greater than a 3rd to £7.7m. Shareholders led by Bigham himself paid themselves a £2.3m dividend, up from £2m a yr earlier.

Within the yr to the tip of August 2025, development has been stronger once more with gross sales up greater than 14%.

“There’s nonetheless tons of people that’ve by no means tried our meals. So we’re within the foothills,” Bigham mentioned. In occasions of instability consumers needed worth for cash and that might take many kinds, he added.

Bigham was coy about whether or not the model must put up costs once more – amid rising meat, fish, labour and packaging prices, however mentioned: “We hate placing costs up, as a result of customers don’t prefer it. Nonetheless, if our prices go up, then we type of have a alternative: we are able to both … salami the standard off a bit and say, let’s scrimp and save, or we've got to move on these will increase.”

New taxes on packaging have hit the enterprise, which makes use of eco-friendly wood-based cartons which can be compostable moderately than recyclable.

Nonetheless, he's supportive of the thought normally, saying companies have been pondering “very fastidiously” about easy methods to use recyclable supplies.

On wider taxes, Bigham mentioned companies recognised Reeves had a monetary gap that wanted to be crammed and the principle worry earlier than the 26 November funds was that the federal government “would possibly select the mistaken taxes to place up”.

Bigham, 58, is irritated about adjustments to inheritance tax on household companies. He mentioned “these companies are the engine of development within the economic system” and have been going through a tax that doesn't apply to company equivalents.