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Waitrose is trialling a new meal kit bag, designed to provide customers with a convenient solution for cooking from scratch.
Initially launching in 22 branches, the ‘Dinner for Tonight’ kits contain a recipe and all the ingredients required to create a complete meal for two. Everything in each kit (priced between £8 and £12, is accurately measured out to ensure no wastage.
The supermarket chain said the recipe bags are designed ‘for those who want freshly cooked, interesting food but don’t always have time to spend in the kitchen’
The dishes have been developed by Waitrose chefs to provide ‘exciting meals with some unusual ingredients but easy to follow recipes’. Inspired by a wide variety of flavours and influences from different cuisines, the menus change regularly with a different meat and vegetarian recipe available every day.
Examples include Sticky Korean Inspired Beef with Sesame Infused Cauliflower Rice and Kimchee, Soy and Ginger Seared Salmon with Sesame Vegetables Noodles, Harissa Spiced Aubergine with Tabbouleh Salad and Feta and Butternut Squash Laksa with Rice Noodles and Chilli Toasted Soya Butter.
Waitrose Head of Brand Development and Product Innovation Natalie Mitchell said: “This trial is designed to test the demand for ultra-convenience – even when it comes to scratch cooking. We know our customers love cooking but often don’t have the time to do so and we wanted to provide them with an easy solution. We’ve carefully crafted our ‘Dinner for Tonight’ kits to make sure the recipes are inspiring as well as quick to make, keeping cooking interesting.”
The trial will be rolled out to further branches if successful. Waitrose operates 350 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 61 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations.
