Weekly ready meals for local households

Busy families, professionals, new parents and older people who want home-style food without cooking.

A price per meal or a weekly bundle, often ordered in advance by subscription. Ordering ahead helps you buy only what you need.

• Batch cooking and portion control
• Food safety, chilling and labelling
• Simple marketing and customer messaging
• Planning orders and delivery rounds

• Register with your local council as a food business, and check whether your landlord or mortgage lender allows cooking for sale at home
• Allergen information and correct labelling on every meal, so check current UK rules
• Safe storage, chilling and delivery temperatures, and any shelf life you give
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Check with your insurer about vehicle cover for deliveries
• A food hygiene rating inspection may follow registration

Startup costs are typically around £500 to £3,000, depending on your equipment, packaging, labelling and insurance. These are estimates, so cost out your kit and containers before you begin.

Monthly revenue is typically around £500 to £3,500, depending on how many customers you serve and how many batches you cook. The estimates start from about 10 hours a week.

Check that you register with your local council as a food business, and whether your landlord or mortgage lender allows cooking for sale at home. Also check allergen labelling, safe chilling and delivery temperatures, and insurance, including vehicle cover for deliveries.