Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Real cooking is back on the menu in Britain’s kitchens – and cookware is reaping the benefits.
According to Mintel’s new Cookware report, in 2003 just 24% of people said they always cooked from scratch, but today this has risen to 41%. Furthermore, only 11% of us now regularly use the microwave to cook an evening meal.
Many of us are also expanding our culinary repertoire, with 29% of adults always willing to try new and more exciting recipes and 19% liking to create authentic ethnic meals.
“It’s clear that Brits are keen to get back in the kitchen and rekindle their love affair with good old-fashioned, home-cooked fare,” says Richard Caines, Mintel’s senior homewares specialist. “One of the main reasons for this is our growing interest in eating more healthily as we move away from pre-prepared meals and look to eat freshly-made dishes that are better for you.”
The result of the home-cooking craze, says Mintel, is that by the end of the year we will have bought no less than 88.5m new pots, pans and kitchen knives, 8% more than we did in 2003. And £487m will have been spent on the tools of the trade – up 14% since 2003, and the highest spend ever.
“The fact that volume sales have not increased as fast as the amount we spend means that Brits are clearly becoming more sophisticated and opting for premium cookware,” explains Caines.
Mintel’s report says that 31% of adults believe that for successful meals good cookware is essential, while 47% think it is worth paying more for quality. Only 33% look for special offers and just 18% wait for the sales.
Says Caines: “Innovative designs, the emphasis on quality and better branding are all encouraging a revival in up-market kitchenware, with companies like Professional Cookware and Lakeland selling at higher prices and the Le Creuset range expanding beyond its cast iron niche”.
