Founded | 1996 |
---|---|
Founder | Charlie Bigham |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people |
|
Charlie Bigham's is a British brand of fresh ready meals founded by Charlie Bigham.
Charlie Bigham, a former management consultant from London, started the business in 1996. The delicatessens of Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, and later Waitrose stocked the meals. [1]
In 2012, Allan Leighton joined the board of directors. [2]
In 2013, Bigham's created "Swish Pie", the world's most expensive ready meal at £314.16, as a publicity stunt. The pie contained lobster, turbot, scallops, smoked salmon and oysters, poached in Dom Pérignon champagne, topped with truffles and a gold leaf crumb, and a side of Beluga caviar. [3] [4]
In 2016, Bigham's bought Dulcote Quarry, a disused quarry in Somerset, to build a new factory after outgrowing its premises in London. [5] The first phase of the food production campus was designed by Feilden Fowles and completed in 2017. [6] [7]
In 2020, Bigham's became a certified B Corporation. [8]
By August 2020, annual sales had reached £80 million. [9]
In 2021, Bigham's launched a £3 million advertising campaign, including radio and podcast adverts voiced by Richard Osman. [10]
The product range includes lasagne, cottage pie, salmon en croûte, steak and ale pie, and beef bourguignon and dauphinoise potatoes. They are intended to be cooked in an oven, rather than a microwave. [11] The packaging, designed by Perry Haydn Taylor's big fish design agency, [12] uses wooden or ceramic containers instead of plastic, although foil trays were temporarily used during a supply shortage in 2012. [13]
The Sunday Times restaurant critic Marina O'Loughlin wrote: "I've never been drawn to this brand – it seemed like a mix of low-rent ready meal and aspirational boujie, invented by someone a bit posh and, um, chinless," but concluded that the lasagne was "delicious". [14] [9]
Charlie Bigham studied English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, before working as a management consultant at Andersen Consulting and ABL. [1] He also owns the Derreen Estate in County Kerry, Ireland. [15]
In 2013, it was reported that Bigham had insured his senses of sight, smell, taste and touch for £12 million. Under the terms of the insurance policy, he was required to avoid dangers such as tasting hot chillies, piercing his tongue or looking directly at bright light. [16] [17]
Brunch is a meal, sometimes accompanied taken sometime in the late morning or early afternoon – the universally accepted time is 11am-2pm, though modern brunch often extends as late as 3pm. The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word brunch is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. The word originated in England in the late 19th century, and became popular in the United States in the 1930s.
Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least 150 °C (300 °F) from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelization and Maillard browning on the surface of the food. Roasting uses indirect, diffused heat, and is suitable for slower cooking of meat in a larger, whole piece. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted. Any piece of meat, especially red meat, that has been cooked in this fashion is called a roast. Meats and vegetables prepared in this way are described as "roasted", e.g., roasted chicken or roasted squash.
Adam Jared Brody is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series The O.C. (2003–2007). Brody appeared in films including Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Thank You for Smoking (2005), In the Land of Women (2007), and Jennifer's Body (2009). In the 2010s, Brody had supporting roles in comedies including Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) and Sleeping with Other People (2015), and dramatic films such as Lovelace (2013). He appeared in a number of television series during this time, and starred in and produced the television series StartUp (2016–2018).
A frozen meal, prepackaged meal, ready-made meal, ready meal (UK), frozen dinner, and microwave meal is ultra-processed food portioned for an individual. A frozen meal in the United States and Canada usually consists of a type of meat, fish, or pasta for the main course, and sometimes vegetables, potatoes, and/or a dessert. Some frozen meals feature Indian, Chinese, Mexican, and other foods of international customs. Another form of convenience food, which is merely a refrigerated ready meal that requires less heating but expires sooner, is popular.
Béchamel sauce is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine, made from a white roux and milk, seasoned with ground nutmeg.
Lunchables is an American brand of food and snacks manufactured by Kraft Heinz in Chicago, Illinois, and marketed under the Oscar Mayer brand. They were initially introduced in Seattle in 1988 before being released nationally in 1989. Many Lunchables products are produced in a Garland, Texas, facility, and are then distributed across the United States.
Swanson is a brand of TV dinners, broths, and canned poultry made for the North American and Hong Kong markets. The former Swanson Company was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, where it developed improvements of the frozen dinner. The TV dinner business is currently owned by Conagra Brands, while the broth business is currently owned by the Campbell Soup Company. TV dinner products currently sold under the brand include Swanson's Classics TV dinners and pot pies, and the current broth lineup includes chicken broth and beef broth.
Walter S. Mossberg is an American retired technology journalist and moderator.
Bisto is a popular and well-known brand of gravy and other food products in the United Kingdom and Ireland, currently owned by Premier Foods.
Cook is a Sittingbourne-based manufacturer and retailer of frozen ready meals founded in 1997 by Edward Perry and Dale Penfold. Their founding statement is to 'cook using the same ingredients and techniques you would at home, 'so everything looks and tastes homemade'. Ed ran the business with his brother James from 2000 to 2009. In 2017, Dale Penfold retired and now Ed leads the business alongside his sister Rosie, as co-chief executive officer.
The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States is Thanksgiving dinner, a large meal generally centered on a large roasted turkey. Thanksgiving is the largest eating event in the United States as measured by retail sales of food and beverages and by estimates of individual food intake.
Findus is a frozen food brand which was first sold in Sweden in 1945. Findus products include ready meals, peas and Crispy Pancakes, the latter of which were invented in the early 1970s.
Taran Hourie Killam is an American actor and comedian. He first garnered attention for his brief stint on the Fox comedy series MADtv during its seventh season between 2001 and 2002, followed by his wider success as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2016. He has also appeared in other television series such as Wild 'n Out, The Amanda Show, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and in the main cast of Single Parents. Killam is also known for his portrayal of a teen pop star in the 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie Stuck in the Suburbs. He voiced the title character on the PBS children's cartoon series Nature Cat.
Country captain is a curried chicken and rice dish, which is popular in the Southern United States. It was introduced to the United States through Charleston, Savannah, New York City, and Philadelphia, but has origins in the Indian subcontinent. The dish was also included in the U.S. military's Meal, Ready-to-Eat packs from 2000 to 2004, in honor of it being a favorite dish of George S. Patton.
An entremet or entremets in Medieval French cuisine referred to dishes served between the courses of the meal, often illusion foods and edible scenic displays. The term additionally referred to performances and entertainments presented between the courses. After the mid-17th century, the term referred to certain types of savory and sweet culinary preparations, and to the stage of the meal in “Classical Service” when they were served. Since the early 20th century, the term has more commonly referred only to the sweet preparations of the entremets stage of the meal.
Dulcote Quarry is a disused limestone quarry at Dulcote, near Wells on the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. The quarry measures around 600 metres (2,000 ft) from West to East and around 350 metres (1,150 ft) from North to South, with an area of 18 acres (7.3 ha), which is surrounded by 80 acres (32 ha) of woodland.
A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves food of a similar quality to a restaurant. The term was coined in the 1990s in the United Kingdom, though similar pubs already existed.
Linda McCartney Foods is a British food brand specializing in vegetarian and vegan food. Available in the UK, as well as Norway, Ireland, Austria, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, the range includes chilled and frozen meat analogues in the form of burgers, sausages, sausage rolls, meatballs, stir-fry dishes and pastas.
On 15 January 2013 it was reported that foods advertised in the European Union as containing beef were found to contain undeclared or improperly declared horse meat—as much as 100% of the meat content in some cases. A smaller number of products also contained other undeclared meats, such as pork. The issue was discovered through DNA testing on frozen beefburgers and lasagna sold in several Irish and British supermarkets.
Feilden Fowles is an architectural firm based in London. It was formed in 2009 by Fergus Feilden and Edmund Fowles, who first collaborated while studying at the University of Cambridge. The practice has been recipient of several awards including Young Architect of the Year 2016. Alongside practice, Feilden Fowles has taught a studio unit at Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University since 2015.