Little Dish
Little Dish is a London-based children's food brand that produces frozen and chilled meals for toddlers aged one to three years, distributed through UK grocery retail including Sainsbury's, serving health-conscious parents.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Little Dish does
Little Dish is a London-based children's food brand founded in 2006 that produces nutritionally balanced meals targeted at toddlers aged one to three years. The company operates a portfolio of chilled and frozen meal products formulated without added sugar and with low salt content, addressing health-conscious parents seeking convenient, portion-controlled toddler nutrition. Its product range includes three frozen SKUs — Chicken Tikka, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Cottage Pie — priced at £2.75 per 250g unit.
The company distributes its products through UK grocery retail, with Sainsbury's serving as the nationwide launch partner for the frozen range from November 2025. Little Dish is privately held under co-founder and owner Hillary Graves, with Dean Brown serving as CEO, and operates with a small team of 11-50 employees. The business model is straightforward unit-based CPG sales: revenue is generated by volume of packaged meals sold through retail intermediaries at a fixed unit price, with margins shaped by standard grocery trade terms and category-level competition.
The company last disclosed a major capital event in September 2017, when it raised approximately £22.8 million ($22,776,571) from Profile Capital. No acquisitions, international expansion, or technology-platform pivots are indicated in the available data; the strategic posture is best characterized as a focused niche CPG operator extending its product format and broadening retail distribution within the UK.
Little Dish firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Little Dish
- Website
- https://littledish.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Little Dish is a London-based children's food brand that produces frozen and chilled meals for toddlers aged one to three years, distributed through UK grocery retail including Sainsbury's, serving health-conscious parents.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Little Dish industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Frozen & Chilled Meals
- NAICS
- Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412)
- SIC
- Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Kids’ & baby/toddler prepared meals manufacturing (AFAKAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Baby Meals & Ready-to-Eat Foods (Pouches, Bowls, Refrigerated/Frozen) (CRADAEAG), Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA)
Keywords
Where Little Dish is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Little Dish business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Frozen Meal Sales: Little Dish generates revenue through direct product sales of frozen kids' meals to consumers via Sainsbury's retail stores. The frozen range is based on the brand's most popular chilled meals, sold as one-time purchases at retail price points.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Frozen meal range - Chicken Tikka, Spaghetti Bolognese, Cottage Pie |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Little Dish product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Little Dish manufactures and sells nutritionally balanced chilled and frozen kids' meals (such as Chicken Tikka, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Cottage Pie) targeted at parents of one- to three-year-olds seeking convenient, portion-controlled, healthier meal options. The frozen range, priced at £2.75 per 250g, was launched into Sainsbury's stores across the UK on 17 November 2025. All products are formulated without added sugar and with low salt content.
Product overview
Little Dish is a kids' food brand offering meal products for children aged one to three years. The company provides both chilled and frozen meal options, with the frozen range (Chicken Tikka, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Cottage Pie) being launched into Sainsbury's based on the brand's most popular chilled meals. All products emphasize health attributes including no added sugar and low salt content, targeting parents seeking portion-controlled, healthier options for toddlers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chicken Tikka (Frozen) Frozen kids' meal for children aged one to three years, featuring chicken tikka prepared without added sugar and low in salt, sold as a 250g portion at £2.75.
- Spaghetti Bolognese (Frozen) Frozen kids' meal for children aged one to three years, featuring spaghetti bolognese prepared without added sugar and low in salt, sold as a 250g portion at £2.75.
- Cottage Pie (Frozen) Frozen kids' meal for children aged one to three years, featuring cottage pie prepared without added sugar and low in salt, sold as a 250g portion at £2.75.
- Chilled Meals Range Little Dish's original chilled kids' meal range, including popular items such as chicken tikka, spaghetti bolognese, and cottage pie, targeted at parents seeking healthier, portion-controlled meal options for toddlers.
Companies that use Little Dish
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Little Dish technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Little Dish partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Sainsbury'scoreSainsbury's serves as the retail distribution partner for Little Dish's frozen meal range launch. The three frozen variants (Chicken Tikka, Spaghetti Bolognese, Cottage Pie) are being sold through Sainsbury's stores across the UK. This represents a significant retail channel partnership for expanding Little Dish's distribution footprint.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Little Dish competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ella's Kitchen: UK-based children's food brand offering organic baby and toddler meals across chilled and ambient formats. Direct competitor to Little Dish in the UK kids' food category with similar parent-focused positioning and multi-retailer distribution.
- Organix Brands: UK organic baby and toddler food brand owned by Hero Group. Competes directly with Little Dish in healthier, portion-controlled meal options for young children across UK grocers.
- Hipp Organic: European organic baby food manufacturer with significant UK presence in jars, pouches, and ready meals. Comparable to Little Dish in targeting health-conscious parents of infants and toddlers.
- Piccolo: UK-based organic baby and toddler food brand offering pouches, meals, and snacks. Direct niche competitor to Little Dish in the premium, organic, parent-focused kids' food segment.
Emerging players
- Plum Organics: US-based organic baby and toddler food brand (part of Campbell Soup). Comparable in mission to provide healthier, portion-controlled meals for young children; relevant as international peer in the kids' frozen/refrigerated meal category.
- Earth's Best (Hain Celestial): Organic infant and toddler food brand owned by Hain Celestial. Comparable to Little Dish in the organic, no-added-sugar positioning for babies and toddlers, particularly in the frozen/refrigerated meal sub-category.
- Babease: UK-based organic baby food brand offering vegetable-led pouches and meals for weaning-stage children. Comparable emerging player in the premium, organic, parent-targeted kids' food category.
Broad incumbents
- Heinz (Kids/Toddler range): Major CPG incumbent with broad UK grocery presence in baby and toddler meals. Comparable as the dominant shelf competitor in kids' meals; Little Dish competes for the same parent buyer on healthier attributes.
- Nestlé (Cerelac/Gerber kids' lines): Global CPG incumbent with broad children's nutrition portfolio across Cerelac, Gerber, and prepared kids' meals. Broad incumbent competing for the same UK/European toddler meal shelf space.
Regional players
- Aldi (Mamia private label): UK discount grocer's Mamia private-label baby food line. Relevant peer as a price-anchored competitor in the same UK retail channel ecosystem; constrains pricing power for branded players like Little Dish.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Little Dish social profiles
Digital presenceLittle Dish financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Little Dish leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Little Dish funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Little Dish M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Little Dish
What does Little Dish do?
Little Dish manufactures and sells nutritionally balanced chilled and frozen kids' meals (such as Chicken Tikka, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Cottage Pie) targeted at parents of one- to three-year-olds seeking convenient, portion-controlled, healthier meal options. The frozen range, priced at £2.75 per 250g, was launched into Sainsbury's stores across the UK on 17 November 2025. All products are formulated without added sugar and with low salt content.
Is Little Dish a public or private company?
Little Dish is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Little Dish founded?
Little Dish was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Little Dish based?
Little Dish is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Little Dish make money?
One revenue line is on record: frozen Meal Sales.
Who are Little Dish's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ella's Kitchen, Organix Brands, Hipp Organic and Piccolo. Emerging players are Plum Organics, Earth's Best (Hain Celestial) and Babease. Broad incumbents are Heinz (Kids/Toddler range) and Nestlé (Cerelac/Gerber kids' lines). Aldi (Mamia private label) is listed as a regional player.
Does Little Dish have an API?
No public API is recorded for Little Dish.
What industry is Little Dish in?
Little Dish's product category is Children's Frozen & Chilled Meals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAHAL, Kids’ & baby/toddler prepared meals manufacturing, with a secondary code of CRADAEAG, Baby Meals & Ready-to-Eat Foods (Pouches, Bowls, Refrigerated/Frozen). Its NAICS code is 311412 and its SIC code is 2030.