Charlie Bigham's
Charlie Bigham's is a British premium prepared-food brand known for chef-style dishes designed to be finished in a conventional oven rather than reheated in a microwave.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
Charlie Bigham's is a British prepared-food brand founded by Charlie Bigham in 1996. The business began in Bigham's London kitchen, where he developed small batches of dishes intended to offer a more carefully prepared alternative to the convenience meals then common in British shops. After selling his food at a local market, Bigham secured bank backing and opened a small production kitchen in Park Royal, north-west London. The first range consisted of three dishes: Caribbean lamb, Cajun chicken with salsa, and salmon with dill and cream sauce. Early supply was focused on a London delicatessen, followed by expansion into high-end food retailers and department-store delicatessens, including Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. A successful approach to Waitrose helped the brand move from specialist retail into the supermarket channel. The company positions its food against the idea of the conventional microwave ready meal. Charlie Bigham has repeatedly argued that the brand makes food for people who want the convenience of buying a prepared dish without giving up recognizable ingredients, substantial cooking, or a restaurant-style eating experience. Its dishes are generally finished in a conventional oven, and the brand has emphasized the use of fresh or minimally processed ingredients and recipes associated with home cooking and international cuisine. This distinction is central to its identity, even though retailers and consumers commonly place the products within the broader prepared-meals category. The range has expanded from the three original dishes to numerous products, including lasagne, cottage pie, salmon en croûte, steak and ale pie, beef bourguignon, and dauphinoise potatoes. Packaging has also been part of the proposition: dishes have commonly been presented in wooden or ceramic containers designed to go into the oven, rather than in standard plastic or metal microwave trays. The company briefly used aluminium foil packaging during a container-supply problem in 2012, but its broader presentation has continued to stress premium materials and an occasion-oriented meal experience. As the business outgrew its London premises, Charlie Bigham's acquired the site of a disused quarry at Dulcote in Somerset in 2016. A new food-production campus was developed there, with the first phase completed in 2017. The move marked a transition from a small London kitchen to a larger manufacturing and development operation while retaining the brand's emphasis on hand-finished, chef-led food. Allan Leighton joined the board in 2012, adding experienced retail and consumer-business leadership. The brand has also used publicity and advertising to build awareness. In 2013 it created the so-called Swish Pie, an extravagant limited publicity product reported as the world's most expensive ready meal, combining luxury seafood, champagne, truffles, gold leaf, and caviar. In 2021 the company launched a reported £3 million advertising campaign, including radio and podcast advertisements voiced by Richard Osman. Charlie Bigham's became a certified B Corporation in 2020, reflecting an effort to formalize social and environmental standards alongside commercial growth. Charlie Bigham's remains principally a United Kingdom retail brand. Its core proposition is premium convenience: oven-cooked dishes with restaurant-inspired recipes, distinctive serving and cooking vessels, and branding that seeks to separate the products from lower-priced, microwave-oriented convenience food. Charlie Bigham's remains primarily a British retail brand. Its core proposition is premium convenience: oven-cooked dishes with restaurant-inspired recipes, distinctive cooking and serving containers, and a brand image designed to distinguish its products from lower-priced, microwave-oriented convenience food.
History
Charlie Bigham's was established in 1996 by Charlie Bigham, a former management consultant from London. Bigham began by preparing food in his own kitchen and selling it at a local market. Encouraged by customer response to the quality of the dishes, he sought external finance and eventually secured support after approaching multiple banks. He then opened a small kitchen in Park Royal, north-west London, hiring a chef known as Spike as his first employee in the kitchen operation. The original business supplied a London delicatessen and initially produced only a few dishes. The first reported range included Caribbean lamb, Cajun chicken with salsa, and salmon with dill and cream sauce. Bigham's early strategy was to compete through ingredient quality and preparation rather than through the low prices and microwave convenience associated with many prepared meals of the period. The business gained listings with specialist and premium retailers, including the delicatessens of Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. It later approached Waitrose directly, securing a trial that helped the brand move into supermarket distribution. As sales expanded, the company developed a clear conceptual distinction between its own products and conventional ready meals. Bigham has argued that the brand's food is intended to be cooked or finished in a conventional oven, allowing customers to obtain the convenience of a prepared dish while retaining a more substantial cooking and dining experience. This philosophy shaped both the recipes and the packaging. Products have commonly been supplied in wooden or ceramic ovenable containers, helping them function as complete dishes for sharing or serving at home. During a container-supply shortage in 2012, the company temporarily used aluminium foil trays. The brand broadened its range over time. Its products came to include familiar British comfort foods such as cottage pie and steak and ale pie, Italian-inspired dishes such as lasagne, pastry-based salmon en croûte, and dishes such as beef bourguignon and dauphinoise potatoes. Packaging was designed by the agency Big Fish, associated with Perry Haydn Taylor, and became an important part of the premium visual identity. In 2012, Allan Leighton joined the board. The following year, the company generated publicity with Swish Pie, an extravagant creation containing luxury seafood and other high-value ingredients. The pie was presented as an unusually expensive prepared meal and served as a communications exercise rather than a normal mass-market product. By 2016, the London site was no longer sufficient for the company's growth. Charlie Bigham's bought Dulcote Quarry, a disused quarry in Somerset, and began developing a new food-production campus. The first phase, designed by Feilden Fowles, was completed in 2017. The Somerset site provided the business with room for larger-scale production and product development while supporting the brand's continued emphasis on carefully prepared food. In 2020, Charlie Bigham's became a certified B Corporation. In 2021 it launched a reported £3 million advertising campaign using radio and podcast placements, including advertisements voiced by Richard Osman. The business has continued to present itself as a premium prepared-food company rather than a conventional microwave-ready-meal manufacturer. Its history is therefore defined by the combination of specialist-food origins, supermarket expansion, premium packaging, oven-based preparation, and a continuing attempt to make convenience compatible with quality and hospitality.
- 2021
Large-scale advertising campaign launches
[1]The brand launches a reported £3 million radio and podcast advertising campaign voiced in part by Richard Osman.
- 2020
B Corporation certification
[1]Charlie Bigham's becomes a certified B Corporation.
- 2017
First Somerset campus phase completed
[1]The first phase of the new Feilden Fowles-designed food-production campus is completed.
- 2016
Dulcote Quarry acquired
[1]The business acquires a disused Somerset quarry for development as a new production campus.
- 2013
Swish Pie publicity stunt
[1]The company creates an elaborate luxury pie reported as the world's most expensive ready meal.
- 2012
Allan Leighton joins the board
[1]Allan Leighton joins the company's board of directors.
- 1996
Business founded in London
[1]Charlie Bigham starts the business from his kitchen and begins selling prepared dishes at a local market.
- 1996
First Park Royal kitchen opens
[1]After securing bank backing, the company opens a small production kitchen in Park Royal and supplies an initial London delicatessen.
Products and positioning
Premium, chef-style prepared food for consumers seeking convenience without the perceived compromises of a conventional microwave ready meal. The brand emphasizes quality ingredients, oven cooking, recognizable recipes, and an elevated at-home dining occasion.
Prepared oven-cooked meal
Lasagne
A premium prepared lasagne positioned for conventional-oven cooking. It is one of the brand's best-known dishes and illustrates its effort to make a purchased prepared meal feel closer to a carefully assembled home or restaurant dish.
Prepared oven-cooked meal
Cottage pie
A British comfort-food dish supplied as an oven-finished prepared meal. It represents the brand's use of familiar recipes while applying premium ingredients, presentation, and packaging.
Pastry-based prepared meal
Salmon en croûte
A pastry-covered salmon dish designed to be completed in a conventional oven. Its format supports the brand's emphasis on a more occasion-oriented meal rather than a microwave snack.
Prepared pie
Steak and ale pie
A prepared British pie combining steak and ale flavors in a format intended for oven cooking. It sits within the brand's broader range of hearty dishes for home dining.
Prepared main and side dish
Beef bourguignon and dauphinoise potatoes
A French-inspired prepared meal pairing slow-cooked-style beef bourguignon with dauphinoise potatoes. The combination reflects the company's focus on complete, restaurant-inspired meal solutions.
Publicity product · 2013
Swish Pie
A 2013 publicity creation made with lobster, turbot, scallops, smoked salmon, oysters, Dom Pérignon champagne, truffles, gold leaf, and Beluga caviar. It was created as an attention-generating luxury product rather than a standard everyday range item.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Radio and podcast advertising campaign
United Kingdom
The company launched a reported £3 million advertising campaign across radio and podcasts, with advertisements voiced by Richard Osman.
- 2013Swish Pie
United Kingdom
Charlie Bigham's created an exceptionally elaborate pie using luxury seafood, champagne, truffles, gold leaf, and caviar. The product was designed to attract publicity and dramatize the brand's premium positioning.
Outcome. The stunt generated attention by presenting a prepared dish at an extraordinary reported price.
Brand decisions
2021
Increase brand investment through audio advertisingOtherBackground
The company sought broader consumer awareness while maintaining its premium prepared-food positioning.
Action taken
It launched a reported £3 million campaign using radio and podcast advertising.
Advertising campaign budget. £3 million (2021)
2020
Adopt B Corporation certificationStrategyBackground
The brand sought to formalize its social and environmental commitments as part of its wider business identity.
Action taken
Charlie Bigham's became a certified B Corporation.
2016
Move production capacity to SomersetStrategyBackground
The original London premises had become too small to support the company's growth.
Action taken
The company acquired Dulcote Quarry in Somerset and developed it as a new food-production campus.
Aftermath
The first phase of the new campus was completed in 2017, creating a larger base for manufacturing and product development.
Recent events
- 2021
Charlie Bigham's launches a major advertising campaign[1]
Campaign
The brand launched a reported £3 million campaign across radio and podcast advertising, with advertisements voiced by Richard Osman.
- 2020
Charlie Bigham's becomes a certified B Corporation[1]
Other
The company obtained B Corporation certification, formally recognizing its social and environmental governance standards.
- 2017
First phase of Somerset food campus is completed[1]
Other
The first phase of the Dulcote production campus, designed by Feilden Fowles, was completed.
- 2016
Charlie Bigham's acquires Dulcote Quarry for a new production site[1]
Other
The company acquired a disused quarry in Somerset as the site for a larger food-production campus after outgrowing its London premises.
- 2013
Charlie Bigham's creates the Swish Pie[1]
Campaign · Product launch
The brand created an exceptionally expensive luxury pie as a publicity stunt, using premium seafood, champagne, truffles, gold leaf, and caviar.
- 2012
Allan Leighton joins Charlie Bigham's board[1]
Leadership change
Retail executive Allan Leighton joined the board of the Charlie Bigham's business.
Sources1 sources
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