Ready meals costing £29.95 to hit UK shelves
Charlie Bigham creations to become one of the most expensive ready meals ever seen in UK supermarkets
Food entrepreneur Charlie Bigham has launched a range of ready meals which will cost consumers slightly less than £30.
Listen to this article
Brasserie beef wellington, wild-caught venison, and venison bourguignon are all part of the range, which is being sold for up to £29.95 in supermarkets including Waitrose and Tesco.
Read also: 'Not fit for purpose': Vets under fire for 'lack of transparency' over pet treatment costs
Read also: Household energy debt hits eight-year high before winter
But Bigham has told the Guardian that the idea is to help consumers save money, with the ready meals providing an alternative option to a meal out in a restaurant.
“If you go out to a restaurant or a gastropub or whatever, you might notice at the end of the meal that the bill seems to have crept up quite a lot,” said Bingham, who launched the business in 1996.
“I can safely say that our food is better than a slightly soggy takeaway pizza and far more nutritious and far better for you.”
The new range will be almost triple the cost of the best-selling Bigham fish pie, which at £9.95, is already near the top of the price list.
Here is how some of the others on sale compare.
Cheapest ready meals for two
Among the cheapest we found on sale are:
Aldi: Fisherman’s Pie - £2.70
Aldi has its single serving pies on the shelf for £1.35 and buying two is a cheap date night.
Iceland: Cathedral City Our Cheesy Cottage Pie - £4
Can’t go wrong with this price - and customer reviews are also favorable for Iceland’s creation.
ASDA Steak & Gravy Puff Pastry Pie - £4.36
A low price for a pie that goes even further and serves three.
Most expensive ready meals for two
Among the most expensive we found on sale are:
Cook: Cornish Monkfish Wrapped in Dry-cured Ham - £25
Using sustainably caught monkfish, this is a treat of a ready meal from Cook, which also advertises two slow-cooked lamb shanks on offer for £18 and roasted chicken breasts in a “port & merlot jus” for £15.
WR Indian Takeaway Box for 2 - £12.50
For half the price of the monkfish, you can enjoy Waitrose’s Indian selection.
M&S Best Ever Beef Lasagne - £10
Cheaper still is this beef lasagne, made with wine and pancetta, available from M&S via Ocado.