With the world revolving at breakneck speed, we all need a little help at times, without downgrading the quality of the food that we eat. There really is no need to feel that readymade frozen meals are anything but superior in quality and taste.

A classic example has been the recent COVID-19 pandemic, when panic buying occurred and if you visited a supermarket or tried to get a delivery, you faced empty shelves or no delivery slots available. So how do you feed your family in circumstances like this?

Keeping a stock of easy to cook frozen readymade meals would solve any temporary crisis, including if you have had a whirlwind of a working day and just haven’t had the time to prepare anything for dinner that night. What better than knowing that you have a delicious lasagne, a wholesome beef stew or a warming curry to spice up your life and tickle your tastebuds, that you can take out of the freezer and serve, and the family will tuck in and savour every mouthful?

Meal planning has never been so simple!

5 Misconceptions about Frozen Ready Meals

Whilst most people have realised that there is nothing wrong with , there is still the old school of thought that quality suffers, and food isn’t good if it has been frozen, or ‘fresh is best’. This is simply no longer true. Correct freezing methods that seal in the nutrients and flavour are now far more advanced than ever before.

The 5 most misconceptions about frozen ready meals are:

1. Food loses valuable nutrition when frozen
2. Fresh is best
3. Frozen food expires quickly
4. All readymade frozen food is highly processed and contains too many preservatives
5. Frozen meals contain a high level of sodium

There are several other misconceptions, but those listed above are probably the most thought about that wrongly accuse frozen ready meals of nothing short of an act of treason!

Of course, preparation and cooking methods, as well as quality and flavour do vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Rest assured that Hey Fresto use top quality ingredients, sourced from local suppliers, plus up to date methods of freezing to maintain health and nutritional standards. There are also very little, or no preservatives contained in each meal.

Consider Convenience

After all the misconceptions that fly around, you must look at the positives, one of which is the ease of having readymade frozen meals correctly stored in your freezer. No need to worry if the shops have run out of products, and no need to give your family any makeshift meals. You already have a delicious dinner or supper waiting for you!

At Hey Fresto, we have convenient portion sizes from 1–4 so you can stock up accordingly. If the children eat early after school, and you eat later, there is no problem on timing. Not only that, but your order is also delivered to your door on a day that is convenient to you.

What is there not to love? With over including vegan and vegetarian, Hey Fresto will keep you nutritionally well-fed and your tummies full!

Take a look at or range of meal bundles to keep your freezer well-stocked with a wide variety of tasty foods.

Frozen ready meals are a great addition to any household and can be enjoyed with great drinks too. If you are interested in what drink to have for your delicious ready meal, check out our best food and drink pairings blog.

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Keeping that in mind, it can be tempting for families to bring home takeaway meals and serve it up while doing chores, homework, or finishing up leftover paperwork from the office. But high prices, long waits, and food that you are often unsure of can make takeaway meals less appealing. Fortunately, there is another alternative, and one that can make cooking dinner for your family a lot healthier and a lot less complicated. 

That alternative is having delicious, frozen meals delivered straight to your door. It can save you time and money and keep your family eating healthy. But there are even more benefits of frozen meal delivery, and we are going to take a look at some of them now:

Benefits Of Frozen Food Delivery Service For Busy Families

No More Long Queues
Long queues at restaurants and grocery stores are unavoidable and commonplace in many large cities. If you are in a hurry or running late, a long queue can be an unnecessary obstacle in your day. By having delicious, frozen meals delivered straight to your door, you can avoid the long queues and start eating dinner together.

Avoid Traffic
Traffic jams are just another part of today’s modern urban lifestyle and they can make you late for work, late for school, or late getting home to make dinner. Sometimes, it can over an hour to get to your local grocer. With delicious, frozen meals, you don’t have to wait in traffic just to go to the supermarket.

No Parking
Dining out or going into town to buy groceries means finding available parking. In some cities, parking space is at a premium and if you find one, it can be more expensive than your meal. Stay home instead and cook dinner quickly, easily, and affordably with Hey Fresto!’s frozen gourmet meals.

It is worth noting some foods freeze better than others. Find out which foods that do and do not freeze well.

Contact Hey Fresto!

To learn more benefits of food delivery service for busy families, contact Hey Fresto! today and shop a wide selection of high-quality food delivered to your door!

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Once your frozen meals are delivered, it is important to get them away into your freezer as soon as possible, without just piling them up in any fashion.

Regular freezer maintenance and stock rotation will ensure your freezer and your food lasts as long as possible. It does not take long – and your freezer will become a long-term friend with the right due care and attention.

Check Your Freezer Temperature

Modern-day freezers generally have a built-in thermometer, often digital. If you have an older freezer, it is wise to place a food-safe freezer thermometer inside – in fact, it is a good idea to have one anyway. The optimum temperature to keep your freezer at is -18°C. If your freezer goes above or below, simply adjust the thermostat. 

Regular Freezer Maintenance

You may think it is a bit of a ‘faff’, taking everything out of the freezer and cleaning it down. However, this regular maintenance will ensure that you get the best out of your appliance. A well-maintained freezer should last you over 10 years – better than ignoring it and having to replace it on a regular basis. A short time out of your schedule will ensure that your ready made frozen meals stay as tasty as they can and prevent any degradation.

Clearing/Defrost Your Freezer Twice a Year

Regular defrosting will stop any ice building up and keep enough room in your freezer to store your produce. A build-up of ‘icebergs’ will not do your freezer any good in terms of efficiency, it certainly did not help the Titanic! Try to complete the defrost and place your frozen meals back into the freezer within an hour. If the number of hard blocks of ice around the walls is severe, wait until you have little or no food left, then completely defrost overnight or until all the ice has gone. Time to re-order your Hey Fresto! frozen ready made meals, in your lovely, clean and spacious freezer!

You should aim to defrost your freezer twice a year. If your freezer creates excess ice (this often happens if your appliance is self-defrosting), you will need to do it more often. Any ice formed over a couple of centimetres – it is time to defrost.

Keep the Freezer Seals Airtight

Freezer seals can become warped, which will mean that air could escape from your freezer and thus shorten its life. Make sure when cleaning that the gaskets surrounding the freezer door are intact, and do not need replacing. Give them a quick wash down with soapy water, to remove any dirt or residue so that the seals are tight.

If air escapes too often from your freezer, the compressor will wear out, and a new freezer will be necessary.

Give Your Food Some Space

If you pack your freezer with too much food, you will be overworking it, as the air will struggle to circulate properly. It is a good idea to allow a few centimetres of space between the freezer walls and the food containers to ease the workload on the freezer. 

We know that when frozen food arrives at your door, the first thing you want to do is put it away quickly. Allow yourself just a few minutes to rotate your stock and check out your freezer is working efficiently, and you will not regret it!

Find out more about how to look after your freezer, with our top 7 tips for looking after your freezer!

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Rikki Chauhan, Director at Hey Fresto!, had the following to say:

“We were shocked and appalled to see reports of how little was being given to families from the company contracted by the Department for Education. We felt the need to do what we can to help our local community.”

Hey Fresto! have been working in partnership with schools in the surrounding area and have sent out where possible, food parcels to those that are in need via the school. The parcels include a selection of 9 kids meals freshly prepared by the in house chefs which are then frozen to retain flavour and nutrition.

 “Obviously the food packages being provided by the government are fresh ingredients however our speciality is taking fresh ingredients and cooking some really delicious meals leaving those at home to simply pop in the microwave or oven to heat up. This hopefully will alleviate some of the hard work needed to research, prepare and cook family meals at home.”

Bhav Patel, Deputy Head at St Matthew’s C of E Primary School, Smethwick said:

“We have more families struggling than ever before and the donation of meals from Hey Fresto! has helped some who may not previously have needed it but are struggling financially now due to loss or reduction of income.” 

The impact of Covid-19 has meant that some parents once with a secure income, have found themselves without work as job losses continue to rise in the UK. Additionally, some are not entitled to much in the way of benefits leaving them with mounting concerns over how they will get by day to day. The current added pressure of their child not receiving a free school meal is only adding to the worry of parents across the country. 

The donation of meals by the Birmingham based producer hopes to go some way to ease the worries of several parents finding themselves unable to provide an additional healthy daily meal that children would usually receive at school.

The Hey Fresto! kids range of dishes has been developed with kids’ nutrition in mind, low in salt and no added sugar. Unlike chilled or ambient foods that either rely on excessive preservatives or simply go off quickly, the blast frozen meals are as fresh as it practically gets and will provide children hot meals that they are not able to get at the present time.

“We’ve been cooking delicious meals at scale for over 30 years and wanted to use this experience to add value in the community where possible to help support families during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We were keen to get involved in supporting the local community after what has been a hard year for so many people so we are happy that our donations have been so well received and have had a positive impact in such difficult times.”

Check out the Hey Fresto! food journey today!

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What is ‘provenance’?

Provenance is a word that you frequently see and hear about from manufacturers who source meat, fish, vegetables and fruit from suppliers.

Provenance is:

• Knowing where food is grown or raised and under what conditions
• How it is packed and stored, prior to delivery to its final destination
• Knowing how the food is transported to the consumer/manufacturer

Every delivery we receive from suppliers is checked for quality, which is most vital to us in order to produce and serve high grade to our customers.

As an island nation here in the UK, we are fortunate enough to be able to produce a great deal of our own food, whether from the land or the sea. Due to our climatic conditions and good quality soil, most food items can be locally grown, with the only exception being items such as exotic fruits and vegetables, that need a hotter climate than we have. Certain types of fish are also imported, as our waters may not suit the less well-known varieties. In terms of meat, the UK produces some of the finest meat anywhere in the world, usually in plentiful supply.

Transport and delivery

We try hard to keep ‘food miles’ down as best we can, hopefully keeping the carbon footprint at a minimum. Of course, there may be times where we have to go further afield for our produce, particularly in the instance of a farmer potentially having a bad crop year.

Once delivered to our custom built, state of the art manufacturing plant and thoroughly checked, we aim to prepare and cook the ingredients in the fastest possible time.

Our team of highly experienced chefs constantly test the quality of our recipes and accurately portion them prior to being blast frozen to lock in the flavour. From then on, it’s entirely up to you which of our frozen meals you would like to buy and try, from our varied dishes. We aim to continually add new innovations to the range, constantly evolving new recipes, flavours and texture to delight your tastebuds. From

British Fayre to Mediterranean, Indian Curries, Far Eastern flavours and more, there is something for everyone. We even take care of the kids!

If you want to know more, take a second to sign up for our newsletter and receive information about special offers,  and bundles. Let Hey Fresto take you on a world tour with our menu!

Packaging and Labelling

Our dishes are conveniently packed for ease of use and each one is labelled with ingredients and cooking instructions. What could be easier when you are up against the clock?

Check out how Hey Fresto! supports local families.

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Even before the first confirmed cases, there was a huge element of scaremongering and panic buying, with households stocking up on produce way above the norm. Supermarket shelves began to be stripped bare in a matter of days. It took supermarkets a long time to react in terms of limiting customers purchases, as opposed to filling trollies with an untold amount of goods, in order not to ‘run out’.

The Meteoric Rise of Ready-Made Frozen Meal Delivery

Whilst time and convenience have always been the reason behind people choosing ready-made meals, discerning customers still demand quality. A basic TV dinner simply will not suffice in the market today.

Furthermore, the supply of basic staples such as potatoes, rice and pasta were badly hit, meaning you could no longer make your own lasagne, chilli or a shepherd’s pie.

The fear of ‘going out’ to shops and potentially being at the mercy of contracting Covid-19, let alone facing huge queues only to find nothing in store, made more and more people turn to frozen ready meals as opposed to fresh foods, which were in short supply anyway. Not only that….no wastage!

Whilst in 2019 sales of frozen foods dropped by a small percentage, leading industry publications are on record as stating that 2020 showed a remarkable increase of up to 19% in many categories. If shoppers can get healthy produce, quality and ‘additive free’ from frozen meals, it is expected for this trend to continue.

How Consumers have changed their Food Habits

Fresh produce was the first to be affected, as even though the UK provides a great deal of food from our own resources, we still need to top up from overseas. With airlines and cross channel ferries being limited due to the rapid spread of the virus, tinned and frozen food rapidly followed in deficiency, creating long lines of shoppers outside supermarkets.

The pandemic crisis has resulted in shoppers having to move on from their customary sources, to buying ready-made frozen foods, and having them delivered to the door. The situation was further compounded by the closure of many schools where children would normally have their lunches, 5 days a week. Parents have had to ensure that freezers were stocked with good quality , such as those made by Hey Fresto. We are confident that we have fitted the bill, in terms of quality, supply and delivery.

Another interesting fact is that ‘millennials’ are one of the groups of people that have increased their buying on , presumably as they have been more used to eating out than the average family. Working from home has made more and more of them turn to convenient and comfort food, that can just be whipped out of the freezer.

Most Popular Ready Made Frozen Meals by Category

A recent survey (2020) has shown the following market trends and market share, and we feature in every category:

Please note that the market share percentage provided is for all manufacturers, not simply Hey Fresto. Inside these categories, we provide both vegan and vegetarian, kids and sides all with precision portion control. We consider the tastebuds of all of our customers and continually expand our range.

View the selection of Hey Fresto tasty meals – you won’t be disappointed and your freezer will be stocked for all occasions (even pandemics!). Frozen ready meals delivered to your door are here to stay!

Read more at Hey Fresto

At Hey Fresto, we only freeze types of food, that when defrosted, will maintain all the quality ingredients that we make our ready-made meals with.

With raw foods, the water content is the main factor. Food with high water content is less likely to freeze well. Even when foods are cooked, there is still water remaining, which is not necessarily appealing visually, but also in terms of taste. Potentially, discolouration can occur, making items such as cooked cabbage take on a yellow or brownish tinge and often an unpleasant aroma.

Equally so, there are some foods that you may never have dreamed of freezing that you can, and some that you should never freeze under any circumstances.

Here are some tips and rules to follow on foods to freeze.

Here are a few food freezing tips

Whilst we continually think about ‘no wastage’, sometimes the best thing to do is, frankly, throw it away! Follow some basic rules and you will be able to freeze and not overpack your freezer with leftovers etc., that you may never use.

1. The most important aspect of freezing: Freezing will not make food taste miraculously better if you hated the taste of it before! The chances are that it will taste even worse! Freezing alters the texture of food as it is reheated and if you did not enjoy it for dinner the night before, just cut your losses now! Our frozen ready-made meals save time and indecision, as once heated, they will always be exactly right.
2. If you are freezing a raw food with a high moisture content (think cucumbers, watermelon, oranges, leafy salad or veg) you intend on eating raw again, forget about it. The moisture that keeps the food crisp and intact does not behave the same way after thawing. A defrosted tomato on top of your salad is a big no-no. However, if you want to make something like a tomato sauce in your cooked pasta, it will work…
3. Beware of creamy substances such as custards, blocks of cheese, yoghurt, cream – all of these dairy products freeze horribly as the curds separate from the whey. Again, if you are using it for cooking, you can salvage some of these, but err on the side of caution.

These rules apply to home freezing, not to specialist manufactured frozen ready meals like Hey Fresto.

Foods that do not freeze well

Some examples of foods that become a complete mess if frozen:

Vegetables: Celery, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peppers (especially green), potatoes (especially raw), radishes, sprouts, salad greens, cabbage and any other leafy greens.

Fruit: Apples, grapefruit, grapes (unless you are eating them frozen), lemons, limes, oranges (DO freeze citrus zest!), watermelon.

Dairy: Cheese (especially soft varieties), cottage cheese, cream cheese, custard, eggs in shells, mayonnaise, sour cream, salad dressing, yoghurt.

Herbs: (if frozen alone in sprigs): Basil, chives, parsley, other soft herbs.

Other: Crumb toppings on casseroles and baked dishes, frosting (egg white and cream-based), meringue mixture (uncooked) fried foods, pasta, rice, sauces (especially those made with corn starch or flour). It may seem a bit of a minefield, so hopefully, this will guide you to successful freezing.

Foods that do freeze well

Vegetables: Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Onions, Asparagus, beetroot, Peas, Brussel Sprouts, Sweet potatoes, Ginger,

Fruit: Avocados, Bananas, Mangos, Cherries, Peaches, Strawberries,

Meat, Poultry and Seafood: Bacon, Beef, Chicken, Crab, Fish, Hot dogs, Lobster, Pork Sausage, Scallops, Shrimp, Turkey

Chocolate, Nuts, Seeds and Grains.

Wine (freeze in ice cube trays for use in sauces)

Remember that Hey Fresto produces high-quality foods, ready-made under the correct conditions and to an extremely high standard.

Check out the advantages of Frozen Food!

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Not an indictment whatsoever, more of a tragedy when so much is highlighted in terms of food poverty in our island nation. Having said that, food wastage is a worldwide cause for concern. But who and what are the biggest culprits or antagonists?

Here we enlighten you to where food is being wasted unnecessarily when it could be put to better use rather than ending up in a rubbish bin or other method of disposal.

You may be wondering what are the main reasons why the UK wastes so much food – here are the Top 5 reasons to think about in terms of food waste.

Wastage at home – from the consumer aspect

Consumers (You and I) are some of the worst offenders – overbuying and leaving food to ‘go off’ or rot. Believe it or not, the most wasted produce is an array of potatoes, bananas, cereal, bread, milk and salad – the latter forms the largest percentage of wasted food.

In the region of 180 million ‘salad bags’ are wasted every year in the UK. This is caused by inferior packaging in conjunction with incorrect storage contributes to a great deal of this amount of waste.

Not just this, when people go on holiday too often their food turns into food waste. Hey Fresto! can help with those planning a staycation with convenient frozen meals.

Poor stock rotation and random purchases

If you add other factors such as poor stock rotation and random buying (no real meal planning, just knee-jerking!) this merely compounds the situation.

Before running around your local supermarket and grabbing anything for the trolley, try to plan a little more to avoid wastage.

Too much choice?

With so many choices available in supermarkets, modern-day households tend not to use up vegetables or fruit and turn them into something wholesome such as casseroles or fruit desserts and pies, ready to freeze, or a delicious soup for lunch on a given day.

It doesn’t take too much effort. Considering freezing does not harm the nutritional value of food, more should be made of produce rather than throwing it out.

Statistics are quite frightening – the average UK household throws away around £60 worth of food each month. It is believed that around 50% of fruit and vegetables purchased are wasted due to poor consumer habits.

To reduce this waste, you could try Hey Fresto’s range of nutritional frozen meals, delivered to your door.

Large Retailers

Large food retail stores such as major supermarkets also have a lot to answer to for a variety of reasons, with overstocking being the prime reason for the waste of fresh produce. This can be compounded by incorrect utilisation of food that they feel is no longer fit for consumption – too much is ‘binned’ and not repurposed. Considering freezing does not harm the nutritional value of food, more should be made of produce freezer ready rather than throwing it out, reducing food waste.

‘Sell’ and ‘Use by dates’ are another issue. They are often confused, leaving purchasers ignoring food that is on a ‘use-by date when it can be perfectly fine for a few more days. The UK Government is currently trying to address this issue and that of labelling. At least you know when you buy frozen food, that you are more likely to consume it way before the ‘use by date – a big advantage.

‘Wonky Veg and Fruit’

This was once a major issue, with retailers simply ditching anything that did not conform to shape and perfection. Fortunately, top chefs have voiced their opinions on this and more retailers, but not all, are selling ‘wonky veg’ so that they are not wasted. Once again, wonky fruit and veg can be used in ready-made dishes, where they have been lovingly prepared – nobody will notice that they are not of the right shape! However, some consumers still wish to buy the ‘perfect carrot’, not one that is knobbly and requires too much effort in peeling!

Last thought of the day – between 20-40% of food is discarded before it even reaches the shops.

Read more at Hey Fresto

Why Choose A Meal Delivery Service For Your Holiday?

Whether you are travelling with family or as a couple, the last thing you want is to worry about food shopping and cooking during your holiday. Choosing to have gourmet ready meals delivered to your door means you can relax and let us handle the hard work. Relying on dining out and takeaways isn’t always realistic, especially when you are visiting a new area and are unsure on the options available. Pubs and restaurants will be reopening for indoor dining on 17th May, but even then, spaces will be hard to come by unless you book well in advance. Dining out for every meal of your holiday can also be an expensive and difficult option, particularly when you have children in tow. 

With Hey Fresto! you can have delicious dinners delivered directly to your holiday home during your stay. There is no need to spend precious holiday time shopping for food or preparing meals for your loved ones. All you have to do is choose your favourites before you head off on holiday and have your gourmet ready meals delivered to your door when you arrive. As long as your self-catering accommodation has a fridge-freezer and microwave or oven for you to use, you will be all set to relish in restaurant-quality food during your getaway. 

Not only this, using a meal delivery service will help cut down food waste when your holiday is over.

Gourmet Ready Meals Delivered To Your Door During Your Staycation

Arranging to have gourmet ready meals delivered to your door during your holiday couldn’t be easier. Simply check that Hey Fresto! deliver to your destination and then begin choosing your favourite holiday dishes. Let us know on when you order if you have a specific day you would prefer your meals to be delivered on. We deliver Monday to Friday. We offer bundles which are perfect for families of four, such as our Family Night in Bundle, or if you are travelling as a couple our Meal For 2 Bundle is ideal. You can choose scrumptious British classics such as Beef Stew with Red Wine & Root Vegetables for some home comforts during your trip. For those real holiday vibes, pick some delicious meals from our Mediterranean range such as Seafood Paella or Chicken and Chorizo Arabiata Pasta.

If you are interested in how lockdown and covid impacted the food chain, check out our blog.

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Knowing which flavours compliment each other perfectly and which dishes go best with a bottle of wine will help you to get the most out of your frozen gourmet meals. We’ve got the scrumptious food sorted, so all you have to do is have the drinks ready to go!

Here is everything you need to know about pairing drinks with your meals.

Serve Acidic Drinks With Seafood

Drinks that are acidic, with tones of lemon or lime, can bring out the flavours of seafood effortlessly. Either alcoholic or not, acid helps to refresh the palette, just like squeezing lemon over a dish does. Pinot Grigio or a zesty sauvignon will go perfectly with almost any seafood dish, such as our Fish Pie with Smoked Applewood Mash.

Rich meals with creamy sauces can also go well with acidic drinks; for example, Chicken and Leek in Creamy Tarragon Sauce will blend superbly with a citrus cocktail such as a Mojito.

Pair Spices With Beer

If you are serving up a spicy dish, then you want to pair it with a low-alcohol option such as beer. The higher the alcohol percentage in a drink, the spicier a food will taste, which can be overpowering for many.

A cold lager will cool the palette when dining on a spicy frozen meals such as our Garlic Chilli Beef Madras. The fiery curry sauce can be offset by the cool beer, making the ideal pairing for dinner at home.

Mix Sweet And Salty

A touch of sweetness in your beverage can go a long way when paired with a salty meal. Choose a glass of dry Riesling or a rum and coke alongside a salty main meal for something ultra-satisfying. This is one of the reasons the classic combo of milkshake and fries works so well, so keep that in mind when choosing drinks for your meals.

We recommend our Chicken and Prawn Chow Mein served with a sweet gin and tonic.

Blend Tannins With High-Fat Foods

When we think of tannins in drinks, we often go straight to deep red wine such as a Cabernet or Sangiovese. But it isn’t just red wine that is high in tannins; in fact, non-alcoholic favourites such as tea, cranberry and pomegranate juice all have a high tannin content. Tannins pair perfectly with foods that are naturally fatty, like steak and duck.

Our Beef Rendang goes beautifully with a large glass of red wine and is the perfect option for an at-home date night.

Our frozen gourmet meals are designed so you can enjoy restaurant-quality food from the comfort of your home. Perfectly pair them with the right drinks for the very best experience. Buy your favourite frozen gourmet meals online now.

If you are unsure on frozen ready meals, consider reading our blog on how to make frozen ready meals work for you.

Read more at Hey Fresto