By: Fiona Terry
My Kitchen Table’s nutritious home-cooked frozen ready meals are available In Fresh Choice Nelson, making the chef-quality range more accessible than ever. Produced in Nelson using ingredients sourced from local growers, producers and artisans, the range is created with an emphasis on being nourishing and authentic, convenient and tasty, with affordability and sustainability as a priority.
Even Mac ‘N’ Cheese - one of My Kitchen Table’s already hugely popular comfort dishes – has a delicious twist, created with truffle oil, Nelson hand-crafted Thorvald cheese and Pestell’s bacon. Other menu items that deliver innovative interpretations of an already loved recipe include Vegetarian Paella, a twist on the classic Spanish dish, made with artichoke hearts and a pinch of saffron from Upper Moutere.
“We’re absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to stock in Fresh Choice,” says co-founder Ian White, who is focused on the company’s advertising and marketing, while wife and co-founder Pam is the chef extraordinaire, dedicated to carefully perfecting each meal. “Fresh Choice’s owner Mark A’Court is one of the region’s great food ambassadors and has a real passion for supporting new brands to market.”
With an emphasis on providing meal solutions with provenance, Ian and Pam are proud their menu also includes treasured recipes which have been passed down through generations. Ian’s mum’s recipe for Pork Belly in Cider incorporates Nelson-brewed McCashin’s Cider, and a number of traditional recipes from Brittany pay homage to the French couple who initially sparked the idea of the frozen meal company that’s grown recently into My Kitchen Table.
“A number of our dishes are traditional favourites from that part of France, including Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon, which are definitely well established in traditional French cooking,” says Ian. “We have added many more dishes with a real mix of European and international cooking styles.”
Lamb Tagine is a recipe that was gifted to the couple by a chef who worked with them in the successful UK-based catering business they ran for 15 years before moving to New Zealand in 2014. “He was Moroccan and shared it with us because it was a really flavoursome authentic dish,” says Ian.
Through the couple’s UK catering firm, Pam’s skills have been enjoyed in some of the best circles, including prestigious gatherings attended by members of the royal family. As a committed foodie, the provenance of each item is just as high on her priorities now as it was back then. “We’re planning to strengthen working with local farmers and producers and that will be a growing part of our story,” she says. “We’re also using all New Zealand meats, for instance our Cassoulet contains French-style sausages created by Nelson’s Craft Paté.”
Since taking on the business 12 months ago, Ian and Pam – who recognised huge potential to grow the frozen meals business – have also incorporated new branding and packaging, and introduced a new online ordering system.
“Our business challenge was around creating brand awareness and understanding the lifestyle needs of our core customer base,” adds Ian. Each dish is served in 100% recyclable or compostable packaging which is labelled with vegetable oil-based inks, and items distributed through the home delivery system are wrapped in 100% wool packs. Information on the website gives tips around composting, re-use and recycling.
With wholesale ordering now available on national system Upstock, retailers and foodservice providers can also have the frozen meals delivered speedily. A student package is set to launch at the start of 2025, in time for the beginning of the university semesters in February. The service will initially be available throughout the South Island, with hopes to extend north before too long.
“The meals will be delivered overnight and arrive the next day,” says Ian. “Parents ordering can choose to have a hand-written card included for their student with a note of their choice.”
As well as home deliveries, the frozen meals are also available at Pic’s Peanut Butter World, The Junction shop at Appleby’s Old Factory Corner, in Mapua at Jared’s Fruit and Veg, Richmond Aquatic Centre, and Benge & Co in central Nelson.
“The portion sizes help reduce waste because people don’t need to buy several new items to create a dish of their own which might never get used again,” adds Ian. “We're good value when you look at the nutritional elements of what we do. That's one of our major points of difference.”
The meals - which Ian describes as a main meal component, rather than a complete meal solution, with customers adding extras like garlic bread, or salad - are available in single-serve and two-person serving packs and plans are in the pipeline to expand the range further.
“We’re really excited about the business,” says Ian. “We’re proud to be able to deliver direct to consumers and through a business-to-business model a nutritious and authentic offering, and we know anyone who tastes the meals will love them.”
Website: www.mykitchentable.nz
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