I felt I needed to write to you to correct the misrepresentation of Charlie Bigham’s in a recent opinion piece.
At Charlie Bigham’s I am proud we have spent the past 28 years making food consistent with our founding philosophy: we will only use ingredients in our food you’d find in your kitchen at home.
Our stance on UPF isn’t about “jumping on a bandwagon” – it’s about staying true to the principles we have always believed in. We were pioneers in making food without additives, preservatives or the synthetic ingredients found in much prepared food, and will continue to follow the path we always have.
Whilst discussions around UPF are evolving, the definition is not as complicated as some claim. Dr Chris van Tulleken, a leading authority on the subject, offers a simple rule of thumb: “If it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient you wouldn’t usually find in a standard home kitchen, it’s UPF.”
By this measure, we are confident in saying we do not make UPFs. We use fresh, high-quality ingredients, carefully sourced from trusted suppliers, and prepared just as you would at home.
As the debate on UPF continues to gather momentum – which we think it will – we believe transparency is the correct way forward for all food businesses. With this in mind, we added a section to our website six months ago that outlines, in detail, our position on UPF. This includes details of any ingredients we use that, while not categorised as UPF today, could be in the future – ingredients like bacon, which, whilst common in a domestic kitchen, does contain preserving salts, or our stocks which contain yeast extract, like one would find in stock cubes at home.
We do not make ‘ready meals’, nor will we ever. Our food is prepared in our kitchens, not a factory, and is designed to be cooked in a home oven, not a microwave. This distinction is crucial. Our goal has always been to provide high-quality, home-style meals made with care, never mass-produced for convenience.
We understand the conversation around UPFs is ongoing, and we welcome it. That’s why we provide detailed ingredient information on our website and continuously assess how we can improve. Our commitment remains unwavering: to make delicious, high-quality food using only real, home store cupboard ingredients, just as we have for nearly three decades.
Charlie Bigham is the founder of Charlie Bigham’s
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