'Credit crunch cuisine' popular at supermarkets » Communities » 24dash.com

Forget Cordon Bleu, a new style of cooking has arrived - credit crunch cuisine.

Supermarkets responding to the increased pressures on shoppers' wallets have packed the market with meal deals and recipes designed to lure in the budget-conscious.

And retailers have experienced a massive reaction from consumers keen to eat at a low cost.

In one instance, a Feed Your Family For a Fiver advert for Sainsbury's featuring salmon was followed by a 500% jump in sales of the store's Basic Salmon since the advert aired in June.

Under the promotion, the supermarket provides priced recipes for the cash-conscious cook, while a weekly online planner sets out what shoppers should buy to plan their family's meals, in a move harking back to old-fashioned household budgeting.

An advert from the same campaign using sausages was followed by a 300% rise in sausage sales, since it first aired on September 3.

In a similar effort to cater for the cash-strapped, Tesco said recently it had worked out a seven-day plan by which a family of four could be fed healthily for around £5 a day, using products from the supermarket's Value range to feed a family for just £32.68 a week.

Tesco said sales of the range have "soared" in the last three months, with much of the growth coming from more upmarket customers.

Consumer champion Martin Lewis, of MoneySavingExpert.com, said that people were looking for "any way" to cut costs.

"The fact is, people are saving money," he said. "We're seeing a big growth in cooking.
"Because people are cooking more than they used to, that affects the ingredients that they buy.

"Going up the brand chain seems to make less sense, it's more about what kind of cook you are."

Supermarkets could still make a substantial profit from their own brand ranges, he added.
"They are not having to use a manufacturer's name, which is priced more highly, and the margins are probably just as good, if not better."

Even when treating themselves to a special meal consumers are staying price-conscious, with supermarkets benefiting from a trend for eating premium foods at home instead of dining out.

Tesco named the reclusive foodies Stay at Home Gourmets or "Stags", after its survey of 1,500 British adults found 60% were reducing how much they spent on eating out because of the current economic outlook.

The trend is borne out by the increased popularity of products used to recreate the restaurant experience at home, with online sales of Tesco Finest hand-trimmed rack of lamb up 365% year-on-year.

Likewise a Marks and Spencer advertising campaign launched last month focused on the store's "restaurant quality food to enjoy at home", with one advert illustrating the careful creation of a risotto to restaurant standards before revealing it was a ready-made meal.

The store has also been offering a £10 meal deal including a main course for two, a bottle of wine, an accompaniment and dessert, which provoked a flurry of interest among users of online money-saving message boards.

Meanwhile, Asda said its Extra Special range remains the fastest-growing supermarket label because people are deciding against going out, and instead splashing out on eating at home.

Antipasti, gourmet pizza, lamb joints and double chocolate meringue cakes were all selling above expectations, a spokesman said, with wine sales "through the roof".

But restaurants are not taking this competition from supermarkets lying down, enlisting a barrage of two-for-one vouchers in the fight for consumers' pockets.

Mr Lewis said: "We are swamped with restaurant vouchers at the moment."