The Anti Ready Meal….not to be confused with the plastic, fork pricked “ready meals” that get shoved in a microwave and gobbled up in under 60 seconds. Charlie has thoughtfully crafted his recipes to be cooked in a hot oven and enjoyed around a candle lit dining room table. I’m sitting in Park Royal, at Bigham’s HQ, the man behind those gourmet, premium meals.
In October 2025, the entrepreneur boldly launched a new range of “brasserie meals” - three times the price of his traditional offering (£29.95) which caused an uproar amongst left wing journalists, calling his food "tory slop". The range includes a Beef wellington, Venison bourguignon, Salmon wellington, Confit duck, and Coq Au Vin.
This spring, Bighams launched a range of Asian pan fried noodle dishes (Chicken Pad Thai, Singapore King Prawn Laksa, a Teriyaki Chicken Yakisoba and Chilli Beef Noodles) selling at the humble price of £5.56. Perhaps marking a eureka..."I hear you, we need to reduce our prices" moment?!
In a time where restaurants, pubs, bars are barely making profit, 30 year olds struggle to pay their monthly rent, Ozempic and Mounjaro jabs are shredding waist lines, and Gen z is far more inclined to be isolating and scrolling on hinge than having sex, I am here today to explore how Bigham’s brand remains ACHINGLY RELEVANT IN 2026…and specifically how he speaking to my generation of consumers.
The foundations?
Charlie launched in November 1996, leaving his job in Management Consulting. He went traveling in a camper van for 9 months around the Middle East. No doubt inspired by the exotic spices of Sri Lanka, he started the company on a shoe string, with £25,000 of savings and a 1x chef called Spike. His first products included a cajun chicken with salsa, salmon with a dill and cream sauce.
#affordability #quality #business
I wanted to find out how Amelia grew a £7M+ brand in 5 years… from jarred beans.
Nitrogen fixers (natural fertilizers - there is ZERO need for chemicals), greenhouse gas reducers, bursting with protein and fibre - there are so many reasons for THIS BEAN REVOLUTION.
Arguably, my biggest founder yet. Amelia represents a new generation of women. When I asked her: "Are you a micromanager? Does it make you nervous being away from your colleagues in London?".
She replied: "God. No, I'm the opposite. I have complete trust in my team. They don't need scrutinization. My Co founder, Ed Whelpton and I are based in BCN, which means we are geographically closer to our producers (the cookers of beans). Plus, I have way more creativity being away from the rat race".
A supermarket aisle, typically associated with war rationing (tinned sweetcorn, Heinz baked beans, spam, tinned tuna) has been redefined and MADE SEXY by Bold Bean Co | B Corp. An unprecedented transformation of canned goods!
In the era of Yotam Ottolenghi-inspired, plant-rich cooking, Amelia has turned humble legumes into something indulgent and elevated: melt in your mouth, tender heirloom beans worth obsessing over.
She is an author of …."Full of Beans: Delicious Beany Recipes to Obsess Over" (2025): An instant Sunday Times Bestseller and "Bold Beans: Recipes to get your Pulse Racing".
She launched the business in 2021 and is now stocked in all major retailers.
The brand is B CORP certified, won Grocer’s start up of the year 2023, and most recently featured on Dragons Den.
