Tesco, HelloFresh Champion Home Cooking Amid Eroding Confidence

Representing a chance for fresh produce to shine, Tesco is launching an online cooking series, while HelloFresh is sponsoring the Scouts’ Chef Badge to teach new kitchen skills and recipes at a time when research reveals Brits are losing basic cooking abilities.

Almost two-thirds of Britons (60%) do not feel confident about cooking a meal from scratch, according to a new study from online pharmacy MedExpress, which highlights potential drivers of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and obesity.

Some 71% of those surveyed also said they use pre-prepared ingredients or ready-made meals as helpful substitutes for dishes they do not know how to prepare themselves.

Another recent study from Samsung UK found that only one in five Brits (22%) can prepare just two dishes or less without a recipe, while nearly half (47%) of 18-to-24-year-olds can cook only one or two meals from memory. 

Almost two in five (39%) say preparing meals from raw ingredients feels like “too much hassle”, but despite the eroding culinary know-how, some 86% of Brits still see cooking from scratch as an essential life skill, according to Samsung UK.

Tesco Kitchen Launched Online This Week

Seeking to elevate home cooking and inspire customers with new recipes, hacks, and trends, Tesco has launched 'Tesco Kitchen', an eight-part content series that will share little-known tips and tricks from some of the UK’s most exciting food and drink experts. 

The flagship series premiered this week on YouTube, with the episodes available across Tesco’s digital channels, the retailer said in a press release. 

The recipes from each episode can be found on Tesco Real Food so they can be recreated at home. Tesco said they are suitable for all cooking abilities.

Furthermore, a new social media handle @TescoKitchen has been created to enable customers to find more inspiration, recipes, and expert advice to elevate their own meals.

In each episode of Tesco Kitchen, the hosts – broadcaster and author Greg James, and chef and author Seema Pankhania – welcome a guest, kicking off with Fred Sirieix.

Together, the three cook the guest’s chosen dish, alongside a complementary dish selected by Pankhania to help viewers bring together a full meal and refresh their daily cooking experience.

HelloFresh Partners With Scouts To Teach Life Skill

Image: Scouts / HelloFresh

Leading meal kit supplier HelloFresh, meanwhile, has become the official sponsor of the Scouts’ Chef Activity Badge.

The nationwide partnership aims to help over 127,000 children build their independent cooking skills and confidence, reports Retail Times.

While raising awareness of the HelloFresh brand, the collaboration will see 150,000 volunteers deliver home cooking activities to almost 7,000 Scout Troops, whose youngsters are aged between 10 and 14 years old.

The refreshed and expanded Chef Badge programme will teach hands-on meal preparation, food safety, understanding good nutrition, and reducing waste as the youngsters seek to master an essential life skill.

“Cooking is one of the most valuable life skills a young person can learn,” explained Phillip Doran, CEO at HelloFresh UK & Ireland. “By partnering with Scouts, we’re helping hundreds of thousands of young people gain confidence in the kitchen, understand good nutrition, and discover that preparing food from scratch can be fun, achievable and rewarding. 

At a time when 39% of adults would like to see UPFs banned, and 66% are worried about their effects on public health, according to a study by Lakeland, the opportunities are there for fresh fruits and vegetables to take centre plate with greater support for scratch cooking.