Ready Meals
The first chilled ready meal to hit the UK's shelves, Chilli Con Carne, was made in the late 1970s by Northern Foods on behalf of one of its customers, M&S.
Thirty years later, the ready meal market continues to grow and we're still finding new ways to serve up the latest in convenience meals ideas from around the world. With the trend of eating-in and the growth in 1 or 2 person households, we believe this market offers good long-term growth potential.
We offer a wide range of ready meals, from traditional British classics like Cottage Pie and Casseroles to authentic Chinese meals and outstanding soup ranges. Our production is based in sites in Carlisle, Grimsby, Sheffield and Swansea, employing over 2,000 people.
A growing market
The chilled ready meal category has been extensively developed over the last 10 years by the UK retailers and their suppliers such as Northern Foods.
The large majority of ready meals bought in the UK are under the retailer's own label and we are the leading manufacturer in the market.
Today Northern Foods supplies ready meals to a cross section of the leading retailers. We're committed to using the best ingredients and most authentic cooking methods to produce the tastiest and most enticing meals available.
Convenient, tasty and good for you
In the early days, ready meals were all about convenience. Busy lives, different meal times and more people living alone mean that's still a key consideration. But today there is a renewed interest in food and consumers expect more.
Whether it's the quality of the ingredients in an everyday meal, a healthy meal or a special meal as a weekend treat, shoppers are looking for new ideas and exciting choices. That marriage of convenience, classic recipes and great new ideas is at the heart of why our ready meals are so popular.
We know our onions
It's not surprising that we spend lots of time talking to consumers and finding out what they like. Then we set about developing recipes and cooking techniques to translate these trends into meals people want to buy again and again.
The appointment of our Group Technical Innovation Director reinforces our commitment to investing in recipe science and food technology.
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Thu, 14th Jan