Britons lead Europe in passion for ready meals

Considering the ever growing success of television food programmes and the country' s current restaurant boom you might have thought that Britain was finally turning away from its reputation as Europe's culinary pariah.

But more British adults, it seems, are turning to easy to prepare ready meals than ever before making Britain the largest consumer of microwave meals in Europe. According to research, record numbers are shunning family meals and the joys of food preparation in favour of food that needs only a few minutes of microwave magic.

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Whereas ready meals once had a reputation for being both tasteless and unhealthy, millions of adults who rely on microwaveable meals to save on time and effort are now benefiting from manufacturers responding to consumer demands for nutritious food. They are increasing their healthy-eating ranges and emphasising "natural" and "organic" products over processed and genetically-modified foods. In doing so, they are attempting to allay public fears that ready meals are synonymous with bad nutrition, particularly after reports earlier this year which suggested many ready meals contained dangerously high levels of salt.

Britons spent over £2bn on ready meals last year, compared with £1.35bn in France and £1.2bn in Germany. And the number of ready meals consumed in the UK over the next five years is expected to rise by over 25 percentage points. That means that by the end of 2011, British consumers may be spending £2.6bn on meals that they did not cook from raw ingredients.

Michelle Strutton, a market analyst at market research company Mintel, said: "The UK is still king of convenience. The ready meals market in the UK is by far and away the most advanced in Europe. Suppliers here, especially leading retailers such as Marks & Spencer, are quick to react to new consumer trends, so offering a wide variety of exciting meals to appeal to everyone's tastes."

The popularity of ready meals reflects a broader trend in British adults increasingly eating alone. Attitudes toward the family meal differ widely from those in Europe. Only 44 per cent of Britons say they are likely to have a family meal at the weekend, compared with 54 per cent in France, 56 per cent in Spain, and 58 per cent in Germany. When asked if they spend a lot of time preparing food at home, only 34 per cent of Britons said yes, compared with 44 per cent in France, 40 per cent in Spain, and 56 per cent of Germans.

Nearly one in four British adults eat ready meals more than once a week.