Londis has launched a range of eight chilled ready meals and said it plans to add 10 or 12 products to the range later this year.

The meals - which include dishes such as sausage & mash, cottage pie as well as Indian, Chinese, Italian and International cuisine - come with a guaranteed shelf life of a minimum of 14 days.

Londis trading controller Miki Handzar said: “Chilled ready meals is a huge growth area, showing 20% growth in a market worth over £1bn.”

The meals are packed in cases of four x 600g with prices ranging from £1.89 to £2.79.