Little Dish, the award winning small-batch, nutritionally balanced children's food brand, has reported an uplift of +39% in average weekly sales against November and December 2020, reflecting a trend in the way parents have been feeding their children throughout the third national lockdown.
Comforting recipes such as Salmon & Pollock Fish Pie, British Chicken & Veg Pie, British Beef & Veg Cottage Pie and British Beef & Pasta Bolognese were best-sellers during January - dishes which enable parents to feed their children a healthy meal, whilst earning themselves a much needed night off from the cooking and washing up.
Hillary Graves, Founder of Little Dish, commented, “Home-schooling children isn’t easy. Parents up and down the country are being pulled in every direction at the moment and we want to do everything we can to help them during these challenging times.
'Our fresh Little Dish meals are made from 100% natural ingredients and packed full of veggies, containing at least 1-2 portions of the recommended 5-a-day. We have always nutritionally tailored our recipes for 1-5 year olds, but since lockdown we have been hearing that many older kids are enjoying them as well. My boys are now aged 11 and 14, and Little Dish has become my go-to for a quick and nutritious home-school lunch.”
A major social study conducted by University College London (UCL) supports this trend, and suggests an entirely different collective mood between Lockdowns 1, 2 and 3.
Compared with the first time that restrictions were imposed, people are now more likely to spend more time watching TV, streaming films and gaming than doing more to keep fit. This change in tempo is reflected in our cooking habits; the first lockdown saw a flurry of scratch cooking and home-baking, but now more people are looking for convenience, while still seeking to eat more healthily to build up their immunity.
Happiness scores are down and pre-prepared meals that are nutritionally balanced are, for many, a helpful way to cope with the current circumstances, while protecting their health and that of their family.
With the ever-looming possibility of self-isolation and encouragement to make minimal trips to the supermarket, customer shopping habits are more geared towards bulk purchasing.
Retailers are responding quickly to this increased appetite for healthy, convenient food purchased in bulk; Ocado is currently offering an unprecedented 6 for £10 promotion on Little Dish kids meals.
Graves added, “We have partnered with Ocado to offer this promotion to families, so they can stock up on Little Dish meals for the week. It’s one less thing for parents to think about – and they know they have a quick, healthy lunch or dinner at hand while they are navigating home-schooling.”