People in the UK are buying more frozen food to keep their costs down, it has been revealed, as figures show UK annual food bills have risen by £1,378.
The average weekly food shop has risen by £26.50, almost three times the national living wage, as it’s revealed that worrying shoppers are turning to the frozen aisles to save money.
The increase means that food shoppers will be spending an additional £1,378 a year on their annual food bill and, according to new research, the rising price of fresh food is worrying 87% of Brits as the cost-of-living crisis starts to impact their shopping habits.
The average household size in the UK means that homeowners are now spending, on average, £132 on their weekly food shop.
With prices rising and Brits feeling the pinch, shoppers have now turned to buy more frozen goods.
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According to the research conducted by Kirsty’s, three quarters of Britons are now buying more frozen products than ever before to save money.
UK shoppers said that, aside from the cost saving, other reasons for this switch to buying frozen is that the food lasts longer (77%), it’s cheaper (60%) and it makes for less fresh food waste (39%).
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Kirsty Henshaw, founder of Kirsty’s said: “The cost-of-living crisis is having a huge impact on shopping habits, and whilst shoppers still like the convenience of chilled meals when making choices for their evening meal, but when it comes to the weekly shop, we are seeing more shoppers than ever buying frozen.
“The increases in costs are also obviously impacting food manufacturers, earlier this year we were prompted to start making frozen meals because of a global free-from manufacturer deciding to no longer serve the UK due to spiraling transport costs.”
Londoners have been hit the hardest when it comes to their food bill with their weekly shop rising £33.20, whilst in the north west shopping bills have risen to an average of £27.40.
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Kirsty’s recently addressed the cost-of-living crisis amongst its own staff and handed all factory-based colleagues a 5% wage increase.
Despite efforts to fend off inflation, British consumers continue to suffer from spiking prices on essentials like grocery shopping.
According to Kantar, food prices reached 13.9% inflation in September 2022 – the highest figure ever recorded
Recent news also shows shoppers are resorting to purchasing discounted produce to help battle price rise with “Tesco Perfectly Imperfect” and “Morrisons Naturally Wonky” sales rising drastically.
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Research from grocery retail app Ubamarket indicates that 60% of shoppers in Britain carry out their weekly food shop across multiple retailers in a bid to keep their expenditures down.
Nonetheless, a shocking 64% of respondents revealed supermarket price matching and on-shelf offers don’t go far enough to alleviate their increasing food bills during the cost-of-living crisis.
Although most retailers have begun national discounts and promotional campaigns, consumers are still finding it hard.
Deliveroo is set for a multi-billion dollar buyout from a takeaway rival
Danny Jones
UK takeaway service Deliveroo is set for a massive takeover by a fellow delivery business rival, said to be worth several billion.
The British multinational is known nationwide, occupying one of the biggest market shares alongside competitors Just Eat and Uber Eats, but now the takeaway delivery service is set to be swallowed up by an even bigger brand based in the US.
As reported on Tuesday, 6 May, American delivery firm DoorDash – the biggest of its kind in the States – looks set to complete an estimated £2.9 billion buyout, which will see Deliveroo folded into their growing global portfolio.
This massive deal will see the company’s presence in more than 40 countries further consolidated, already serving somewhere in the region of 50 million customers every month.
US meal delivery firm DoorDash will buy British rival Deliveroo for $3.85 billion. The acquisition will help DoorDash grow its market share in Europe and compete against Just Eat and Uber Eats. Read more: https://t.co/x4dSgRp8Flpic.twitter.com/oeE44CjMYN
According to the likes of Reuters, Bloomberg and BBC, DoorDash is offering 180p per share, which is a 44% increase on Deliveroo’s share price from the point when initial takeover talks were made public in April 2025.
Founded by chief executive Will Shu back in 2013, Deliveroo is now considered one of the big three in the food delivery industry’s UK scene, but is set to get much bigger under the DoorDash umbrella.
As for DoorDash, CEO and co-founder Tony Xu went on to add: “Coming together with teams that have similar visions and values accelerates our work to achieve that mission. Deliveroo is just such a team and one that I have long admired.
“Like DoorDash, Deliveroo is obsessively focused on their customers – consumers, merchants, and riders. They work day in and day out to improve their consumer value proposition, bring new services to local businesses, and offer flexibility and support to riders.”
Acclaimed restaurant staffed by prison inmates announces sad closure
Daisy Jackson
The Clink, an acclaimed restaurant where the food is prepared and served by prison inmates, has announced its devastating closure.
The charity behind the restaurant, which is attached to HMP Styal, has confirmed that it will close for good on 31 July 2025.
The Clink is famed for the training and experience it provides inmates, helping them to get a head start into the hospitality industry when their sentence ends.
It’s also achieved plenty of acclaim as a restaurant in its own right, consistently being rated as the best restaurant in Wilmslow and voted Cheshire Restaurant of the Year in 2024.
Over the years, hundreds of students have earned qualifications including City & Guilds NVQs in Food and Beverage Service, Professional Cookery and Food Hygiene.
The Clink restaurant in Styal is closing
But The Clink has now announced that it will be closing this summer due to ‘a number of factors’, including costs and participant numbers.
Donna-Marie Edmonds, Chief Executive of The Clink Charity, said: “The decision not to renew our contract at HMP Styal has been made with an incredibly heavy heart.
“The Clink Charity’s mission is to reduce re-offending and we have been doing this at Styal, producing outstanding results for over a decade.
“Although the restaurant will officially close this summer, our partnership at Styal will be remembered not only for its landmark training outcomes, but as a beacon of hope, where women have sought refuge and rehabilitation.”
As one of those students put it: “If it wasn’t for my journey at The Clink, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Georgina Pellant -
18th October 2022 
