Charlie Bigham launches £30 ready meals

Charlie Bigham is launching a range of supermarket ready meals costing up to £30 to appeal to consumers balking at the soaring price of dining out.

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The entrepreneur's new Brasserie range launches in Waitrose for shoppers prepared to pay £29.95 for pre-prepared beef wellington, £19.95 for a salmon wellington and £16.95 for coq au vin, duck confit and venison bourguignon.

Mr Bigham said the rising cost of eating in restaurants was the motivation for the new range.

He said: "Dining out has got more expensive - we love eating in restaurants but you look at the bill at the end of the night now and you think 'ooh, this has gone up'.

"And that's not to criticise our wonderful hospitality industry at all.

"Their costs keep going up.