Charlie Bigham's
Charlie Bigham's is a UK-based, founder-owned premium ready meal producer founded in 1994, hand-preparing chilled ready meals, curries, puddings, and the Brasserie premium range for sale through major UK supermarkets and online delivery platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Charlie Bigham's does
Charlie Bigham's is a UK-based, founder-owned premium ready meal producer established in 1994 by Charlie Bigham, operating as Bigham's Limited with its registered office in London (Coriander House, 2 McNichol Drive, NW10 7AW) and a production site in Wells, Somerset. The company hand-prepares chilled ready meals, pies, curries, world-cuisine dishes, and puddings in small batches using fresh ingredients and wooden-tray oven-ready packaging, with no artificial additives. Its product range spans a standard tier at approximately £10 for two people and a premium Brasserie sub-brand launched in October 2025 at Waitrose with dishes priced up to £30, including beef wellington and salmon wellellington.
The business generates revenue through wholesale supply to UK grocery retailers — Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Ocado, Booths, Budgens, and Co-Op — supplemented by direct-to-consumer channels via Deliveroo, Uber Eats, HelloFresh, Amazon Fresh, and its own e-commerce site. For the most recently reported financial year, the company disclosed £144 million in sales against £5 million in profit (~3.5% net margin). The brand is B Corp certified and holds multiple Great Taste Awards from the Guild of Fine Food, marketing itself on the 'dining-out occasion at home' value proposition amid 4.9% year-on-year restaurant cost inflation (ONS).
There are no subsidiaries, no disclosed external institutional investment, and no M&A activity; Charlie Bigham remains the founder and an active public-facing figure. The business is UK-only with no international distribution disclosed, and the technology stack is centred on artisanal food preparation rather than software or AI capabilities — no APIs, integrations, or proprietary digital features are present in the source material.
Charlie Bigham's firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Charlie Bigham's
- Legal name
- Bigham's Limited
- Website
- https://charliebighams.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Charlie Bigham's is a UK-based, founder-owned premium ready meal producer founded in 1994, hand-preparing chilled ready meals, curries, puddings, and the Brasserie premium range for sale through major UK supermarkets and online delivery platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Charlie Bigham's industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Ready Meals
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Premium Gourmet & Chef-Curated Meal Kits/Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC)
Keywords
Where Charlie Bigham's is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Charlie Bigham's business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Ready Meal Sales: Charlie Bigham's generates revenue through the sale of premium fresh ready meals to consumers via retail supermarket partnerships (Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Ocado, Booths, Budgens, Co-Op) and online delivery platforms (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, HelloFresh, Amazon Fresh). The company reported £5 million profit on £144 million sales last year.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard range for two people |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium Brasserie range |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels11 records
Marketing channels5 records
Charlie Bigham's product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Charlie Bigham's produces and sells hand-prepared, small-batch chilled ready meals, pies, curries, puddings and pan-fry noodle dishes designed to be oven- or pan-cooked at home. The portfolio includes a core two-person ready meal range priced around £10 and a premium Brasserie range launched in 2025 priced up to £30, distributed through UK supermarkets and major food delivery platforms.
Product overview
Charlie Bigham's is a premium UK ready meal brand offering handmade dishes for two people (and some for one). The core product line includes curries, lasagnes, fish dishes, pastas, and world cuisine options priced around £10. Above this sits the premium Brasserie sub-brand launched in October 2025 with dishes up to £30. The company also offers a pudding range (launched February 2020) and a cookbook. Products are sold through major UK retailers including Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Ocado, Booths, Budgens, Co-op, as well as delivery services like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, HelloFresh, and Amazon Fresh.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Brasserie: Premium ready meal range featuring restaurant-quality dishes such as Beef Wellington and Salmon Wellington, priced up to £30. Handmade by chefs using top-notch ingredients.
Products and services
- Brasserie Premium Ready Meals Premium sub-brand of hand-prepared ready meals featuring high-end restaurant-style dishes such as Beef Wellington and Salmon Wellington, priced up to £30, sold in UK supermarkets and aimed at consumers seeking restaurant-quality dining at home.
- Standard Ready Meals Core hand-prepared chilled ready meal range for two people, priced around £10, including curries (Thai Red Chicken Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, Thai Green Chicken Curry), lasagnes, fish dishes (Fish Pie, Salmon Wellington), pastas (Macaroni Cheese, Four Cheese Macaroni), and world cuisine options (Paella, Korean Firecracker Chicken).
- Pan-Fry Noodles Range of pan-fry noodle and wok-cooked dishes including Singapore King Prawn Laksa, Teriyaki Chicken Yakisoba, Chicken Pad Thai, Szechuan Chilli Beef Noodles, and Sweet & Sour Pork with Jasmine Rice, cooked in approximately 5 minutes in a pan or wok.
- Puddings Chilled pudding range launched in February 2020, including Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cherry Bakewell, and Bread and Butter Pudding, sold through UK supermarkets.
- Charlie Bigham's Cookbook Branded cookbook by founder Charlie Bigham featuring the company's recipes and cooking guidance, sold direct via charliebighams.com.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4.9% year-on-year increase in restaurant meal costs (ONS data) driving consumer shift to premium at-home dining
Companies that use Charlie Bigham's
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Charlie Bigham's technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Charlie Bigham's partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WaitrosecorePrimary retail partner and exclusive launch retailer for the new Brasserie premium range. Products available in Waitrose stores nationwide and online through Waitrose.com.
- Sainsbury'scoreMajor UK supermarket chain partner for nationwide distribution of ready meal products.
- TescocoreMajor UK supermarket chain partner for product distribution.
- OcadocoreOnline-only grocery retailer partner for home delivery of products.
- BoothsminorRegional premium supermarket chain partner serving Northern England markets.
- BudgensminorIndependent supermarket chain partner for product distribution.
- Co-OpminorConvenience and supermarket chain partner for product distribution.
- DeliveroominorOn-demand food delivery partnership enabling rapid home delivery of Charlie Bigham's products.
- Uber EatsminorOn-demand food delivery partnership for direct-to-consumer meal delivery.
- HelloFreshminorMeal kit and grocery delivery partnership for product distribution.
- Amazon FreshminorOnline grocery delivery through Amazon platform for product distribution.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Charlie Bigham's competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pasta Evangelists: UK premium fresh pasta meal brand selling through direct delivery, retail, and foodservice. Comparable on premium positioning, fresh format, restaurant-quality positioning, and UK consumer base.
- Gusto (Italian Ready Meals): UK premium Italian ready meal brand producing chilled pasta dishes and accompaniments sold through major supermarkets. Directly comparable on chilled format, premium positioning, and UK supermarket distribution.
- The Soulful Food Company: UK-based producer of chilled fresh ready meals (curries, soups, plant-based) sold through major retailers including Tesco and Sainsbury's. Comparable on chilled format, multi-cuisine range, and supermarket channel strategy.
- Farmhouse Fare: Welsh-based premium frozen ready meal brand producing pies, puddings, and traditional dishes sold through UK supermarkets. Comparable on premium positioning, broad retailer distribution, and traditional British comfort food range.
- COOK (Cook Trading): COOK is a UK-based premium ready meal brand producing handmade frozen meals, pies, and puddings for supermarket and direct channels. It is the closest direct comparable to Charlie Bigham's on positioning (premium, chef-made, multi-retailer), with the key difference being COOK's frozen format versus Charlie Bigham's chilled format.
Emerging players
- YO! Sushi (Retail Range): YO! Sushi sells a retail ready-meal and sushi-at-home range through UK supermarkets. Comparable on premium Japanese/Asian cuisine positioning and supermarket distribution, though narrower cuisine focus.
- Gousto: UK meal-kit subscription company offering recipe boxes with pre-portioned ingredients across a broad cuisine range. Comparable target customer (premium at-home meal occasions) but distinct meal-kit versus ready-meal delivery model.
- HelloFresh: Leading UK meal-kit subscription service offering chef-inspired recipes and pre-portioned ingredients. Charlie Bigham's has HelloFresh as a distribution partner, indicating overlapping customer bases and at-home premium occasion.
Broad incumbents
- Marks & Spencer (M&S Food): M&S operates a major own-label premium ready meal range (Gastropub, Plant Kitchen, Made Without) that competes directly with Charlie Bigham's on UK supermarket shelves. Broader grocery incumbent with significantly larger scale and category range.
- Tesco (Finest Range): Tesco's Finest ready meal range is one of Charlie Bigham's main competitors on shelf, plus Tesco is also a retail partner. As the UK's largest grocer, Tesco represents both opportunity and competitive threat.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Charlie Bigham's social profiles
Digital presenceCharlie Bigham's financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Charlie Bigham's leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Charlie Bigham's funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Charlie Bigham's 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 Charlie Bigham's
What does Charlie Bigham's do?
Charlie Bigham's produces and sells hand-prepared, small-batch chilled ready meals, pies, curries, puddings and pan-fry noodle dishes designed to be oven- or pan-cooked at home. The portfolio includes a core two-person ready meal range priced around £10 and a premium Brasserie range launched in 2025 priced up to £30, distributed through UK supermarkets and major food delivery platforms.
Is Charlie Bigham's a public or private company?
Charlie Bigham's is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Charlie Bigham's founded?
Charlie Bigham's was founded in 1994.
Where is Charlie Bigham's based?
Charlie Bigham's is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Charlie Bigham's make money?
One revenue line is on record: ready Meal Sales.
Who are Charlie Bigham's's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pasta Evangelists, Gusto (Italian Ready Meals), The Soulful Food Company, Farmhouse Fare and COOK (Cook Trading). Emerging players are YO! Sushi (Retail Range), Gousto and HelloFresh. Broad incumbents are Marks & Spencer (M&S Food) and Tesco (Finest Range).
Does Charlie Bigham's have an API?
No public API is recorded for Charlie Bigham's.
What industry is Charlie Bigham's in?
Charlie Bigham's's product category is Premium Ready Meals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAJAK, Premium Gourmet & Chef-Curated Meal Kits/Prepared Meals, with a secondary code of CRAHAKAC, Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2090.