Latest news with #BirdsEye
Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Findus Crispy Pancakes to air-fryer chips: How the British freezer has changed though the years
The idea of preserving food by stashing it in a very cold place is as old as humanity itself. But the process wasn't successfully domesticated until a century ago, when Clarence Birdseye returned from a stint as a fur trapper among the Inuit community in Newfoundland between 1912 and 1926. Noting that the fish they caught would freeze immediately when pulled from the water at this latitude, Birdseye was impressed that it kept its texture and flavour when defrosted months later. He discovered that the same retention of flavour applied to peas if they were blanched after picking and then immediately frozen, even keeping their bold green colour. Fast forward to 1929 and, operating under the catchy moniker Captain Birdseye, Clarence introduced frozen food to the American consumer. It wasn't until the 1970s that home freezers (produced by brands such as Lec and Co-op) began to replace traditional larders on this side of the Atlantic. They've housed our homemade and processed comestibles ever since... Having smoked endless cigarettes and sipped Party Sevens and Lambrini until we passed out on our paisley bedspreads, our only hope of getting up in time for work was the teasmade going off. Which it almost never did. Our frozen-meal choices reflected our lack of concern for our health. Vegetables and homemade soups were considered suspicious interlopers while Crispy Pancakes and lasagne filled the drawers (courtesy of Findus), along with boxes bearing BirdsEye Steakhouse Grills and, for afters, Sara Lee gâteaux and Arctic Roll. Meanwhile Rodney ' Likely Lads ' Bewes enticed the housewives of Britain to buy BirdsEye products during ITV ad breaks with the pay-off line: 'Be a good girl, have a proper lunch tomorrow'. Different times indeed. Our freezers had to keep up with our frenetic, shoulder-padded lifestyles but the nutritional content of what was in them was firmly stuck in the epoch of Dennis Skinner and the three-day week. It was the advent of the frozen microwave meal – Vesta Chow Mein or Beef Curry? Take your pick – which could be heated up in our new Panasonic in minutes, meaning a near-instant dinner for the stressed, junior-executive coat-hanger salesman. The results were barely an improvement on boil-in-the-bag; questionable, too, was the noxious ooze of a BirdsEye Chicken Kiev, a common precursor to the glacial, impasted horror of a Wall's Viennetta. We maxed out our credit cards like avaricious Gulf sheiks in Harrods, but, looking back, our diet was in fact on the level of an Uzbek coal miner. Only we had McCain Oven Chips and a lot more plastic trappings to fill the pedal bin. By the end of the Thatcher era, home freezers were as ubiquitous as Gazza and Danny Baker's 'Daz' adverts. But we were starting to consider our life expectancy. Enter the health-conscious ready meal, a category dominated by WeightWatchers and Lean Cuisine, which tried to tempt us with 'meals' such as Honey Mustard Chicken with Grey Poupon, which, if you're wondering, is just another kind of mustard. Frozen-food manufacturers also assumed that we wanted smaller versions of things – which we did, buying up McCain Micro Chips and Chicago Town Mini Pizzas in our droves, perfect for that sensation of feeling both fiscally cheated and still really hungry come 9pm. We wanted to live longer but our new commitment to healthier frozen choices extended neither to our children – who, for the first time, were able to gorge on freezer treats marketed exclusively to them such as Turkey Dinosaurs and Calippo Shots – nor to our pudding choices, alternating as we did between Mars ice creams and tubs of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough. Happy type 2 diabetes to us all. As budget airlines made a trip to Bali a more tempting option than a fortnight in Benidorm, frozen food manufactures struggled to produce versions of pho, sushi and nasi goreng that tasted even remotely like what we ate on holiday. In response, produce actually became more parochial, but with a premium twist. The downmarket reputation of the freezer-friendly microwave meal for one was rescued by M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury's launching top-rung ranges of dinners, from beef bourguignon to 'luxury' fish pies. If the concomitant prices were too high, there was also the option of a frozen Yorkshire pudding from Aunt Bessie, one of the most successful ways in which a dish perfected in the 1920s gas oven could be transposed to the era of Big Brother and Benetton. One of the few outliers with international aspirations was Sharwood's, which branched out from sauces into frozen Indian meals. More redolent of Doncaster than Delhi, they were at least an improvement on the Vesta curries of the 1970s. Meanwhile, BirdsEye dipped its toe into health-food signalling with its frozen Chicken Dippers, 'now with Omega 3'. The strapline was later quietly dropped from the packaging, presumably when it became apparent that most consumers thought Omega 3 was a games console; an item which freezes just as adequately as battered chunks of cheap hen. The premium trend reached its apotheosis with the M&S Gastropub range and, a notch higher still, Charlie Bigham's frozen meals which, if eaten daily, remain capable of bankrupting Warren Buffett himself. Yet this was also the era when we started to get artisanal with our freezer drawers. Herbs? Avocado chunks? Smoothies? Bone broth? We discovered we could freeze them all. While ensuring that there was still room for bags of frozen seafood mix for our make-from-scratch endeavours, as well as the ever-expanding thin-crust pizza ranges with toppings that, finally, extended beyond margarita and pepperoni. This was also the decade that saw Instagram infiltrate our kitchens. All at once, Little Moons mochi ice cream balls became an essential dessert staple among children and Instagrammers with the IQ of children but with access to a tripod and portable charger. Domestic freezers today can breathe a sigh of capacious relief after the full-to-bursting era of Covid stockpiling. They still contain forgotten Plant Chef and Moving Mountains vegan burgers, which we will eventually eat with the kind of grudging sanctimony usually displayed by Jeremy Corbyn's inner retinue. As for kitchen newcomer the air fryer, well, that's just far more fun isn't it? Discovering that frostbitten Brussels sprouts from last Christmas taste good in the Ninja is the present-day equivalent of Alexander Fleming mucking about with penicillin. We must now, naturally, give frozen chips the same treatment. TGI Friday's and Greggs have, oddly, compelled us to eat in rather than dining out by launching 'fakeaway' chicken meals and frozen sausage rolls respectively, and I won't even pass comment on the 'innovation' that is frozen veggie tots. Of course, there's little room left in our Miele for any Rodney Bewes-endorsed goods today. But open your freezer on a full moon and it's still possible to hear a Findus Crispy Pancake rattling its icy chains.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jim Cramer Calls Conagra a 'Very Tough Situation'
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) is one of the stocks in Jim Cramer's spotlightt. When Cramer was asked about the company during the lightning round, he stated: 'Very tough, very tough situation. Conagra's got 7% inflation. They got problem with tin cans. They can't, it's killing them… The margins aren't that good. The brands aren't enabling them to be able to take any price. I have to tell you, the one thing that was important was that, on the conference call, they did say that they think they have no problem paying the dividend. A company that has to answer about whether it has a problem paying the dividend or not is a company that I say [don't buy, don't buy, don't buy].' A worker assembling a meal in a food production facility. Conagra (NYSE:CAG) produces and sells a wide range of packaged food products, including frozen meals, snacks, sauces, and shelf-stable items. The company's portfolio includes well-known brands like Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Slim Jim, and Duncan Hines. While we acknowledge the potential of CAG as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Glasgow Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Co-op brings back its 'best ever' Freezer Filler deal
Customers have praised the "insanely cheap" offer, which offers members five big-brand freezer favourites for £6, saving £8.30. Non-members pay £6.50, still saving £7.80. The only catch is that you need to buy everything - if anything is out of stock, the whole deal doesn't work. What's in the Co-op Freezer Filler deal? This time, it's offering: Birds Eye 8 100% Crispy Fish Fingers 224g Dr. Oetker Ristorante Mozzarella Pizza 335g McCain Smiles 454g Nestle Rowntree Multi Pack 6x80ml Rowntree's Mango Stick 4x70ml It's available in store and online from today (July 9) until August 5. Some of the products in the new Freezer Filler Co-op deal (Image: Co-op) In the Extreme Couponing and Bargaining Facebook group, customers have described the Co-op's deal as "best ever" and "insanely cheap". Some recommended buying the deal, even if one item isn't your favourite, and then giving that item to a friend: "Last time I bought it for the Magnums, oven chips, peas and the scampi, as they were worth more than a tenner on their own, then I gave the chicken burgers to my neighbour". The Co-op pizza and beer deal is back Co-op pizza is part of a new deal (Image: Co-op) Today also sees the return of the popular pizza and beer deal, which gives members two pizzas and a pack of four beers, or soft drink, for £6, saving up to £7.65, again a saving of more than half. This includes Co-op Stonebaked Pepperoni Pizza 327g or Co-op Stonebaked Margherita Pizzas 320g, plus Budweiser Bottles 4x300ml OR Coca Cola Zero Sugar 4x330ml. Non-Members pay £7, saving up to £6.65. Available in store and online from today until August 5. Love this @coopuk! Co-op Members can now get their everyday essentials price matched to Aldi! Amazing 🙌 Not yet a member? Sign up now! 👉 — Gary Sullivan Redpath (@gazredpath) July 8, 2025 New Co-op ready meal deals There's also a new deal today on two Irresistible ready meals for £7.50, saving up to £2.70. This includes: Co-op Irresistibile Lasagne Al Forno 400g Co-op Irresistible Macaroni Cheese 350g Co-op Irresistible Chicken Tikka Masala 380g Co-op Irresistible Paella 400g Co-op Irresistible Cottage Pie 400g Co-op Irresistible Fish Pie 400g Co-op Irresistible Ham Gratin 400g Co-op Irresistible Mushroom Risotto 400g Co-op Irresistible Lamb Moussaka 400g Co-op Irresistible Beef Pappardelle 350g Available in store and online from today until August 5. Recommended reading: Co-op wine deals There's also deals on own-brand wine, including: Co-op Irresistible Prosecco Rosé Italy Rosé 2300 Stores £6.50 (usually £8.70) Shore Drift Sauvignon Blanc Fairtrade 75cl South Africa White £6.90 (usually £8.15 Co-op Fairtrade Shiraz 75cl South Africa Red £6.00 (usually £7.15) Wine deals finish on July 15, so be quick.
The Herald Scotland
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Co-op brings back its 'best ever' Freezer Filler deal
The only catch is that you need to buy everything - if anything is out of stock, the whole deal doesn't work. What's in the Co-op Freezer Filler deal? This time, it's offering: Birds Eye 8 100% Crispy Fish Fingers 224g Dr. Oetker Ristorante Mozzarella Pizza 335g McCain Smiles 454g Nestle Rowntree Multi Pack 6x80ml Rowntree's Mango Stick 4x70ml It's available in store and online from today (July 9) until August 5. Some of the products in the new Freezer Filler Co-op deal (Image: Co-op) In the Extreme Couponing and Bargaining Facebook group, customers have described the Co-op's deal as "best ever" and "insanely cheap". Some recommended buying the deal, even if one item isn't your favourite, and then giving that item to a friend: "Last time I bought it for the Magnums, oven chips, peas and the scampi, as they were worth more than a tenner on their own, then I gave the chicken burgers to my neighbour". The Co-op pizza and beer deal is back Co-op pizza is part of a new deal (Image: Co-op) Today also sees the return of the popular pizza and beer deal, which gives members two pizzas and a pack of four beers, or soft drink, for £6, saving up to £7.65, again a saving of more than half. This includes Co-op Stonebaked Pepperoni Pizza 327g or Co-op Stonebaked Margherita Pizzas 320g, plus Budweiser Bottles 4x300ml OR Coca Cola Zero Sugar 4x330ml. Non-Members pay £7, saving up to £6.65. Available in store and online from today until August 5. Love this @coopuk! Co-op Members can now get their everyday essentials price matched to Aldi! Amazing 🙌 Not yet a member? Sign up now! 👉 — Gary Sullivan Redpath (@gazredpath) July 8, 2025 New Co-op ready meal deals There's also a new deal today on two Irresistible ready meals for £7.50, saving up to £2.70. This includes: Co-op Irresistibile Lasagne Al Forno 400g Co-op Irresistible Macaroni Cheese 350g Co-op Irresistible Chicken Tikka Masala 380g Co-op Irresistible Paella 400g Co-op Irresistible Cottage Pie 400g Co-op Irresistible Fish Pie 400g Co-op Irresistible Ham Gratin 400g Co-op Irresistible Mushroom Risotto 400g Co-op Irresistible Lamb Moussaka 400g Co-op Irresistible Beef Pappardelle 350g Available in store and online from today until August 5. Recommended reading: Co-op wine deals There's also deals on own-brand wine, including: Co-op Irresistible Prosecco Rosé Italy Rosé 2300 Stores £6.50 (usually £8.70) Shore Drift Sauvignon Blanc Fairtrade 75cl South Africa White £6.90 (usually £8.15 Co-op Fairtrade Shiraz 75cl South Africa Red £6.00 (usually £7.15) Wine deals finish on July 15, so be quick.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'It will challenge a lot of ways of working' – Nomad Foods talks new start-up programme
Nomad Foods, the European frozen-foods group, is looking for 'breakthrough innovation' – and wants to work with start-ups in its quest. The UK-headquartered business behind brands including Birds Eye and Iglo is launching an initiative called Future Foods Lab to work with entrepreneurs and – all being well – roll out new products across Europe. Yorgos Tetradis Mairis is the head of R&D futures at Nomad Foods. He joined the Findus owner five years ago from Unilever to help the company look 'more mid to long term' and identify the product opportunities of the future. Nomad Foods already works with start-ups but the business wanted to develop a more formal programme to bring together its efforts. Future Foods Lab has been set up to address what the company calls its 'key business challenges' and the unit's first area of focus is 'functional nutrition'. Yorgos Tetradis Mairis (YTM): For us, it's really to identify breakthrough innovation ideas. It's paramount they very much have a strategic fit in the areas that we know are the emerging areas. It's really about fostering innovation as well. There is a cultural element, working in partnerships with third parties and start-ups. They have a completely different way of working. It's really bringing these breakthrough ideas to commercial viability and be a win-win for both sides. YTM: When we're looking for breakthrough innovation now, we're looking for functional nutrition. We're looking for different formats. Of course, we have hygiene factors: we still need to have clean label; they still have to be sustainable sources. We can help them get there as well. For us, it's like Christmas time when you have boxes and you don't know what it is inside. Our ambition is to put two challenges next year. [We will] always be looking on a certain area because that creates clarity to us and the start-up. For now, we're looking at functional nutrition, an emerging space for us. YTM: Because we felt this is an area where we're still learning. As a team in RDQ, we cannot say that we are the owners. If you take fish, we have massive expertise and knowledge. In this space, it's evolving, so many emerging things are happening. We're looking at claims as well: very high protein, gut health. We feel this is where the creativity of start-ups can really boost us. YTM: I mean, this is the also related to the success of the programme. It's really about first identifying products that actually fit within frozen, products that actually fit within the nutritional needs that we see in the space and with all the hygiene factors that we have to have. The second thing is really about working in partnership with a start-up. It's a key thing for us. We can give them a lot like they will give to us. We can give them financial stability. We can give them commercial scale and we can give them test and learn, which is a very fundamental part of really learning about a product. For us, success would be really to take these innovative product ideas all the way to a pan-European market together. We're not looking for a company that is really at the beginning of the journey YTM: The way that the venture client agreement works – and we're trying to stay on that line – is we are not looking for ideas. We're not looking for a company that is really at the beginning of the journey. For us, the important thing is to have some proof of principle. It might be not completely launched in a market but they might have a very solid type of thinking around the product, from the point of view of product development cost, manufacturing. It doesn't need to be perfect because this is where we come in to support but we would like something that is much more ready, rather than really just an idea on paper. YTM: It's a very interesting question. The programme is about really enhancing this part of innovation for us. We don't want to force something that might not work for both of us. It might be that we find one but we need to work a little bit more, rather than accelerating as we wanted to do. It might be that we learn a lot but we need to be honest between ourselves and the third party. YTM: We will open it up and then, by the end of September, we're going to close. Hopefully we're going to have enough. Then we're going to have a multi-functional review of which ones we're going to put in front of our senior stakeholders within November. YTM: We don't have an exact number but we need to be true to the programme because it needs to be fast-track, it needs to have commercial scale, it needs to test and validate. As long as we have the capacity, if we see that there are three ready ones, great. It might be that we need to choose less. It's definitely not going to be a large number. YTM: Anything within Europe is preferable. Anything outside Europe is possible but, of course, a relationship thrives on lot of face-to-face interactions. We don't want to be transactional in this relationship. The message is very clear: our programme is not to invest in or acquire your company YTM: The message is very clear: our programme is not to invest in or acquire your company. What we would like to build is a very healthy paying customer relationship with some exclusivity. They will invest resources. We're going to invest resources. YTM: We discussed why from the product innovation point of view because these start-ups are so passionate about it. They really bring breakthrough ideas. That's a benefit but, for us, another important point is the cultural element that we can gain from this relationship. We have a certain way to innovate, like any company and just working with these entrepreneurs, you learn a lot. It definitely will challenge a lot of ways of working, of how we do things, how we can accelerate, how we can really make those first steps of product development as well in a much more efficient way. YTM: Fair question and it's true. The first tension of start-ups is that they can feel overwhelmed by a bigger company. This is where we want to be very true to them to make sure that we are creating that path for them to grow, that we are the best partners to work with in order to make their business financially and commercially scalable and really understand the product much better. We thought a lot about the details of how to enhance that relationship. It's really about making them understand that we are not there for a tactical [reason]. We are there for a partnership. The main point for us is make them comfortable, understand that we're here for a win-win situation. We are not here as a threat from any kind of view. It's your product. It's your IP. We're going to have the right NDAs in place, the right venture-client agreement. One thing is trust. The other thing is you need to have the right papers signed to guarantee that they are protected. YTM: Not in this call, not in this function nutritional [strand]. What we're looking for is more end-product. This first challenge is not about identifying a new battering process. It might be that we say 'Excellent, let's collaborate in another project' and we can put them in contact. We have an open innovation portal as well. That's a little bit more longer term, I have to say. Future Foods Lab is really a fast-track programme for both companies. YTM: We have a lot of ideas and a lot of interest. Segment-wise, it might be going to specific needs, medium- to long-term needs, from fish or veg or pizza or chicken, which are key things. We have a list at the moment but we need to prioritise because at the beginning of next year we are aiming to have the next [strand], so every six months. "'It will challenge a lot of ways of working' – Nomad Foods talks new start-up programme" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
