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FAQs

Find answers to frequently asked questions about Charlie Bigham's fresh ready meals.

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Are any of your dishes vegan friendly?

Currently we do not have any vegan friendly meals in our range, but Charlie is always looking at new recipes and how we can improve, so if you have an idea for a recipe, please get in contact with us at hello@bighams.com

Are your ceramic dishes dishwasher safe?

Our ceramic dishes are dishwasher safe. But just in case there is any water left in the dishes after the dishwasher cycle, these should be thoroughly dried before storing. The reason for this is because moisture can build up and cause mould if they are not thoroughly dried.

Are your eggs pasturised?

Charlie Bigham's uses pasteurised free range egg yolks and whites that are sourced from farms that have the British lion stamp. In addition, the pasteurisation of the egg raw materials and the cooking process at Charlie Bigham’s also removes the risk of any salmonella.

Can I cook your dishes in an air fryer?

Several people have been in touch with us about cooking our meals in an air fryer as a cost saving measure, and we do of course understand your concerns given the rise in energy prices in the current climate.

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As a result, we have done some tests on a variety of air fryer types and models of various sizes and wattages. The results indicate a significant variability in temperature, pre-heat time and required cooking time. This makes it difficult for us to generate, verify and validate a “one size fits all” cooking instruction which, if not correct is a food safety risk.

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That said, if you do decide to cook our meals using this method, please do let us know how you get on – we would love to hear from you with your feedback on the temperatures/timings used and the dishes you tried this on, so that we can feed this valuable information back to our teams. Additionally, please ensure that our meals are piping hot before eating.

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Can I cook your dishes in the microwave?

Several people have been in touch with us about cooking our meals in a microwave as a cost saving measure, and we do of course understand your concerns given the rise in energy prices in the current climate. However, our food is deliberately not suitable for microwave cooking as our dishes contain raw ingredients and we believe that the browning that you get from the direct application of heat does make a difference to the overall quality & deliciousness of our food.

We would like to reassure you that we have done some careful research into the costs of oven cooking, and established that the real cost increase of using your oven may not be quite as high as some of the media reporting suggests. With the recent increases, the rough cost of cooking one of our dishes in the oven is 35p. This is based on cooking our dishes in the oven for 45 minutes, including pre-heating your oven.

Can I freeze your dishes?

As passionate believers in creating the tastiest food, we think that fresh food is the best food. As such, we do not recommend freezing if you want to enjoy it at its very best.

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However, we appreciate that some of our customers do occasionally choose to freeze our food. If you do choose to freeze our dishes, then please freeze on the day of purchase, defrost thoroughly in a fridge before cooking, and then follow the cooking instructions as normal. As a general rule, our dishes containing rice or those that have a gratin topping are not suitable for freezing, as the texture can become a little watery. That said, if you have frozen any of our dishes containing rice or a gratin topping by mistake, they are still perfectly safe to eat. Just ensure you thoroughly defrost them in the fridge before cooking first.

Can I recycle your packaging?

Here’s the best way to recycle your dishes…

Cardboard Sleeve / box – can be recycled with your usual household paper and cardboard.
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Plastic Film – can be recycled with your usual household plastics.
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Foil – can be recycled with your usual household metal packaging.
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Wooden Trays – Our wooden trays are not currently suitable for recycling, but they will compost over a longer period of time. However, lots of our customers tell us how they can be re-used. For example, they make great seed planters and serving trays! We’d love to see what you do with yours – do let us know at hello@bighams.com

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Ceramic pots – once you have polished off your pies there are lots of fantastic ways to reuse your ramekins. Here are some of our favourites:

Plant pots for herbs

Dishes for pre-dinner nibbles and dips.

Individual Yorkshire pudding dishes.

A brilliant way to cook and serve Shepherd’s Pies, or Apple Crumbles.

Finger bowls (just add hot water and a slice of lemon).

Sous-chef dishes (add your chopped ingredients and get organised in the kitchen.)

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Alternatively, you can now donate your ceramic dishes to your local Oxfam shop, where they can be sold to raise vital funds for Oxfam to help fight poverty and inequality around the world. Do make sure that they are clean and wrapped up safely, and add Gift Aid if you can, so Oxfam can make the most of your donation.

You can find your local shop here: Oxfam Shop Finder.

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Being made of pottery, our ramekins are also recyclable in the hardcore section of your local tip.

Do you do mini meals/smaller portion meals?

Whilst we do not do mini meals as such, many of our most popular dishes are available for one as well as for two. to see our current meals for one, please visit us here to find the latest information

Do you use Soya Lethicin in chocolate?

Soya Lethicin is commonly found in chocolate dishes, and is added to lower the thickness of the chocolate during the tempering process to help make it more workable when setting. Without this ingredient, the chocolate tends to go very hard….

Do you use Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) in your meals?

At Charlie Bigham’s we think everything about Ultra Processed Foods is wrong. We think that food is best made from fresh ingredients. From day one, over 25 years ago, Charlie’s mantra has been that we will only use ingredients that he has in his kitchen cupboard (and fridge) at home. We take huge efforts to source the best quality ingredients from suppliers we know and trust; we work with them for the long-term, spending time in their businesses and invite them to spend time in our kitchens.

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In recent years, there has been a growing interest in Ultra Processed Foods– how you define them, what impact they have on your health and, increasingly, how to avoid them. We welcome this focus – and it has motivated us to look even more carefully at every ingredient we buy. The widely adopted definition of “Ultra Processed Food” is food that contains ingredients that you wouldn’t add when cooking homemade food. Many will be chemicals, sweeteners and preservatives. We never have, and never will use any of these.

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However, there are some grey areas. For example, some of our recipes will contain nitrates and sulphites. Whilst they may not sound like kitchen cupboard staples, they occur in dried fruit, vegetables, and wine. Similarly, you will also see sodium nitrate and nitrites in some of our dishes – these are part of the natural curing process for bacon and other cured meats. Some of the stocks we buy use dried vegetables and yeast extract. Whilst all these “grey area” ingredients might also be found in your store cupboard at home, we continuously review every single one of them– and we are working to remove them over time.

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Does your fish pie contain shellfish/crustaceans?

Charlie Bigham's Fish Pie does not contain shellfish or crustaceans. Our Fish Pie is made with hake, salmon and smoked haddock, and topped with a creamy mash and sauce. We do not include prawns or shellfish in our recipe, as we find that the vast majority of our customers prefer it this way. This also assists those of our customers who have a seafood allergy.

How do I cook your meals once they have been frozen?

As a general rule, we recommend that all of our dishes are cooked from fresh to enjoy the optimum taste. The exception to this rule is our Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Madras, Potato Dauphinoise, Cauliflower Cheese, Tarka Dhal, Bombay Potatoes, Chunky Chips and all of our puddings which can all be cooked from frozen.To cook our other dishes once you have frozen them, please ensure you have thoroughly defrosted the dish in the fridge, and then follow the instructions on the back of our packaging in the usual way. Please ensure that the dish is piping hot throughout before eating.

How many people does each pack serve?

Most of our dishes serve two hungry grown-ups when served with some creamy mashed potato, a nice salad, or maybe some simple boiled rice. For ideas on what goes well with each dish, just follow the link on the product pages.

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We now also offer a small range of our dishes in a ‘perfect for one’ size.

I can't eat dairy - which dishes can I have?

We don’t add any ingredients containing dairy to the following recipes: Spanish Chicken, Thai Red Chicken Curry and our Paella.…that said, we do make other dishes that do contain dairy in the same kitchen.

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Also as our recipes can change from time to time, we recommend double checking the back of our packaging before purchase.

I can't eat gluten - which dishes can I have?

We do not add any ingredients containing gluten to the following recipes: Chicken Jalfrezi, Paella with Chicken, King Prawns and Chorizo, Chicken Korma, Chicken Tikka Masala, Thai Red Chicken Curry, Thai Green Chicken Curry, Spanish Chicken & Roasted Potatoes.

However, please bear in mind that other dishes cooked in the same kitchen do have gluten in them.

Also as our recipes can change from time to time, we recommend double checking the back of our packaging before purchase.

I have a question, how do I contact you?

Please do contact us. At Charlie Bigham’s, as ever, customer satisfaction is of paramount importance.

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We are available from Monday – Friday from 9am-5pm, excluding weekends and Bank Holidays. There are four ways to reach us:

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By email: hello@bighams.com or via our feedback form here

By phone: – 020 8453 9898

By letter:- Bigham’s, Coriander House, 2 McNichol Drive, London. NW10 7AW

Social Media – Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

I hear you do puddings now, what are they?

Charlie Bigham's launched a scrumptious pudding range in February 2020. After listening to lots of our customers asking us to do puddings, we have created a range proper puds for you to enjoy, including: Chocolate Fondant, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cherry Bakewell and Bread and Butter Pudding which are available as both individual and sharing sizes.

For more information on our pudding range and list of ingredients please visit our pudding page here.

Is your chicken free range?

Our chicken is not free range. For us, finding the right chicken isn’t simply about choosing free range, it’s about working closely with suppliers we know and trust. It’s about quality, provenance and traceability. For example, we can trace each and every chicken back to the exact farm where it was born and the feed is a nutritious mix of whole grains.

We are proud that our chickens are reared in the UK and EU according to a scheme similar to the UK’s Red Tractor Farm Assurance Poultry Scheme. As part of this scheme, our supplier is independently audited and audited by ourselves to ensure the high welfare and quality standards we have always adhered to are maintained.

What are the holes/perforations around my dish?

Rest assured, the small line of perforations that you’re referring to are in fact meant to be there. There needs to be small pin pricks in the cellophane wrapping of our curries to stop the wrap from opening up.

What can I do with my leftover ramekins?

Once you have polished off your pies, there are lots of fantastic ways to reuse your ramekins. Here are some of our favourites;

Plant pots for herbs
Dishes for pre-dinner nibbles and dips.
Individual Yorkshire pudding dishes.
A brilliant way to cook and serve Shepherd’s Pies, or Apple Crumbles.
Finger bowls (just add hot water and a slice of lemon).
Sous-chef dishes (add your chopped ingredients and get organised in the kitchen.)

Being made of pottery, our ramekins are also recyclable in the hardcore section of your local tip.

What is your policy on animal welfare?

All our animal products are sourced from suppliers that we trust and who we know meet the welfare standards of our business.

Where can I buy Charlie Bigham's dishes?

An excellent question, and one we’re glad you’ve asked. Our dishes can be found in Waitrose, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Booths, Budgens and Co-Op stores. They are also available on Amazon Fresh, Gorillas and Zapp for online quick delivery.

You can also check our ‘Where to buy’ page here for your nearest Charlie Bigham’s retailer. Type in your postcode to find your nearest store!

Where can I find allergy information?

On each of our dishes, you will find allergens clearly printed in bold under the list of ingredients on the back of our packaging.

Where do you source your palm oil from?

We make sure all of our ingredients are sourced responsibly. The palm oil we use is Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), which is the highest grade of responsibly sourced palm oil available and it’s endorsed by the WWF as one of the founder stakeholders in the scheme. The entire supply chain is segregated from the rest of the industry and as such even the refineries are ‘green’ and don’t process any other type of palm oil.

Where do your ingredients come from?

Every single ingredient that we use in our dishes, ranging from meat and poultry to vegetables and spices, is very carefully chosen from a handful of trusted suppliers, many of whom we have worked with for several years, and where the quality is extremely high.The way we see it, if the ingredients are fantastic, our job is far simpler.

If you have any queries about specific ingredients, do get in touch

Where do your wooden trays come from?

Our wooden trays are made from sustainable forests local to the production site at a family run business in France. They grow fast-growing poplar trees whose timber is low in resin and therefore suitable for food. The forests are managed as any other crop and therefore they are not cutting down virgin woodland.

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Our wooden trays are all PEFC certified and we are working towards an FSC accreditation.

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Where does your fish come from?

When it comes to fish, we are very careful about the source to ensure that it is as sustainable as possible.

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We will only accept a sustainable and environmentally sound way of fishing and farming, both for ethical reasons and because it means the fish is of better quality. Our smoked salmon comes from Scotland and Norway, our salmon comes from The Faroe Islands and is ASC certified. Our smoked haddock comes from the UK, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark and is MSC certified. Our hake comes from South Africa and is MSC certified. Our prawns (not in our Fish Pie) come from Vietnam and are BAP 4* certified.

Where does your hake come from?

Our hake comes from South Africa. It has been certified by the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) as a ‘Green List’ species, indicating that it is the most sustainable option for consumption. It is also MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified.

Where does your meat come from?

With regards to our pork, the majority is British and from Red Tractor approved farms. The only exception to this our chorizo which is from Spain, where it is originally from. All of our beef is British and our lamb is sourced from New Zealand, Great Britain and Ireland.

Who is Charlie Bigham?

Charlie is the clever chap behind all of our food. He was inspired to start the company 25 years ago after his travels around the world, where many of his best meals were created from a handful of fresh ingredients tossed into a pan.

Why do some of your gas mark temperatures not tally with the electric instructions?

You may notice that some of our Gas cooking instructions do not tally with the electric/fan equivalent. This is because we have found that on some of our dishes, we have needed to increase the gas mark level to achieve the gas food safe temperatures.

Why have you decided to change to using hake instead of cod?

We are determined to make sure our Fish Pie is the most delicious fish pie you can buy – and we are always looking at ways we can make it even better.

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There are few things more important in a fish pie than the fish we use, so we keep an eagle eye on the quality of all the fish that goes into our pie: where it comes from, how sustainably it’s fished and what it tastes like. Based on this criteria, we have made the decision to replace the cod in our fish pie with hake: hake is extremely sustainable, our new supplier is providing us with top-quality prime loins of a very consistent quality (and with very few bones) and it tastes just as good as cod – maybe even better!

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Our new, improved Fish Pie now contains hake, smoked haddock and salmon. Everything else in the recipe remains unchanged, including the care and attention that goes into making each dish.

Can I cook your dishes in an air fryer?

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Do you use Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) in your meals?

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Can I cook your dishes in the microwave?

How do I cook your meals once they have been frozen?

Get in touch

FAQs

Still have questions?

Contact us

Find Charlie Bigham's
in your nearest store

Join our team & make a difference

Get in touch

FAQs

Still have questions?

Contact us

Find Charlie Bigham'sin your nearest store

Join our team & make a difference

Find Charlie Bigham's
in your nearest store