Ready meals have changed our lives as a convenient solution. At first glance, you might think it's a modern invention, but the truth is that ready meals are a practical delicacy with a long history. For example, did you know that the first products were born out of an overthought Thanksgiving? What did airlines have to do with their spread, and what kind of food sold 10 million units in its first year? Here's a fascinating history article! ☝️
Meat stew at the front
Worldwide, we buy millions of ready-made items every day. According to one market research company, the UK alone breaks down around 3.5 million a day, yet so little is known about this food, popular for its durability and simplicity. We may have guessed that the first tinned ready meals were experimented with in the military. Of course, the long-term preservation of ingredients was known long before then, but complex dishes made from a variety of ingredients were first packaged in the 19th century.
The small size of the boxes made it easier to store food, and they also proved to be a great help in transporting and preparing food at the front. During the Second World War, soldiers were able to take tins containing succulent and hearty stews made with meat.
Food success from Thanksgiving leftovers
The first home-style ready meals were actually the result of a Thanksgiving fiasco. It was in the 1950s that the American food company Swanson ended the Thanksgiving season with a loss, as they were faced with a huge stockpile of turkey meat after the holiday. The board of trustees immediately met, and the managers tasked the resourceful workforce to come up with a creative way to use the leftovers.
Salesman Gerald Thomas immediately recalled his memories of the Pan American World airline, where aluminium trays were used to store food. That was all the inventive salesman needed! He soon came up with his own version, a ready meal tray that held meat, potatoes and vegetables in separate compartments. The Swanson company named its culinary patent the TV dinner, of which the first official dish was turkey with cornbread stuffing, buttered peas and sweet potatoes. Their popularity surprised the manufacturer himself. Americans bought 10 million TV dinners in the first year alone!
From there, it was only a leap for ready meals to enter the market, boosted by the boom in the household appliance trade in the 1970s. More and more varied convenience foods crept to the top of the sales charts on the stove top of the microwave and the freezer. Indeed, brands launched new products specifically for these new kitchen appliances.
Their main attraction was their simplicity and time-saving design, which came at just the right time, as the classic family model was also changing in the 1980s. Women had less time to cook at home while working, but thanks to ready-made delicacies, they could whip up a fresh and tasty dinner for the whole family in just a few minutes.
International cuisine in a box
From the 1990s onwards, the range became more diverse and manufacturers sought to meet growing expectations. Soon, exotic flavours from Thailand, Mexico and Italy were being packaged in long-lasting cans, or restaurant dishes were being recreated in simple, home-prepared formats.
Nowadays, the emphasis is not so much on variety as on the nutritional content of ready meals and the quality of ingredients. People want to eat ready meals that are full of flavour, meet their individual nutritional needs and offer a good alternative to home-style meals.
Of course, this is our aim too, as we are committed to sourcing the right ingredients and we are proud to say that we now have 14 additive-free, traditional tinned delicacies to delight you. All you have to do is choose your favourites!
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