'I've created incredible new meals for Waitrose - they're so tasty they cost £29'

Times are tough for the hospitality industry, and for diners. Businesses across the sector are being forced to grapple with increased costs for food, energy and wages while grappling with higher taxes introduced in April courtesy of the Labour Government.

And with the cost of living remaining high across the UK, the price of eating out at a restaurant or pub remains expensive. In fact, food inflation rose 4.9% in the year to July of this year meaning that food and non-alcoholic drinks are now 37% more expensive than in 2020. The situation has left the door ajar for ready-meal companies keen to capitalise on Brits' love for good food and convenience, along with their tightening finances.

Leading the way is upmarket meal maker Charlie Bigham. The British brand is already the go-to name for luxury ready meals from cottage pies and curries to paellas and beef bourginons. Now, the former management consultant behind the eponymous brand has launched a 'Brasserie' range at 70 Waitrose stores across the UK, which he claims rivals any "dining out" experience.

Launched last week, it has raised plenty of eyebrows for its eye-watering prices and stay-at-home ethos - on its website, the brand "calls for candles, the good plates and a nice bottle of wine".

So what can you expect to pay? The beef wellington comes in at £29.95 for two servings; the salmon wellington is £19.95 while the venison bourguignon, coq au vin and confit duck all cost £16.95.

Plenty of critics have already accused Bigham of cashing in on the cost-of-living crisis. They include the food writer and former editor of Waitrose Food William Sitwell who labelled the range a "distasteful cash-grab".

But speaking to the Daily Express, Bigham stresses he's meeting a market need. "The job of any business is to listen to the customers, and we know the world is ever-changing," he says. "We did a bit of research and 48% of couples said they now prefer a date night in rather than out.

"These are not just quick and easy dishes to knock up at home. Of course some people might make them at home brilliantly, but for those who want a high-quality dining experience, that's who we are aiming the range at."

A meal out at a restaurant is always about more than just eating food of course; atmosphere, service and the joy of escaping the prep and washing up all factor into the enjoyment.

Yet Mr Bigham says the pricing of his new range doesn't require justification. "The meals cost what they cost because they're not cheap to make," he explains. "For instance the beef fillet used in the beef wellington is an extremely expensive ingredient. And we use really nice beef fillet in our product.

"People will latch on to the price point. We've got five meals in the new Brasserie range and the beef wellington is the most expensive at £29.95 for two people - £15 a head. When we go out to a restaurant and order two main courses it will cost more than this. The other dishes in the range are all priced differently at £16.95 and around £20."

The entrepeneur shies away from the term "ready-meal", believing his meals are "so much better than that". Rather than chucking a meal in a microwave for a few minutes before quickly eating it in front of the TV, he hopes the oven cooked range is savoured in the same way as a restaurant meal.

"It's a different space to ready meals although, in my view, nothing we make is a ready meal," he says. "At the heart of our business is slowing down, taking care, being thoughtful, doing it properly. And sitting down to savour that meal. Sitting down at a table with a glass of wine while having a good chat with someone else."

To that end, he's targeting the weekend crowd. "We're not expecting many people to sit down and have a beef wellington or a duck confit on a Monday or Tuesday night," he says. "It should be a bit special and we elevated the dishes because of this."

Retail expert Clare Bailey, the founder of the Retail Champion consultancy, believes there is value in the new Brasserie range.

"They are ready meals as it's down to you to cook it but to make beef wellington normally is expensive and hard to execute," she says. "It may also take a couple of hours to make. You need to be quite a competent cook to make these dishes from scratch.

"Not everyone has the time and the skill to make these meals. People risk spending a fortune on ingredients for things to go badly wrong."

Ms Bailey also sees merit in the Charlie Bigham name, which is known and trusted, when it comes to the ingredients. She cites the "wild venison caught in the Scottish Highlands" as one example.

"If you go to any pub these meals would be double the price," she says. "Obviously you don't get the social experience but if you want the food experience but not the price tag, this range could do the job."

Of course, the other cost is any potential impact to the already struggling hospitality industry. There have been around 89,000 job losses in restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels since last October, according to UKHospitality analysis of Office for National Statistics data.

And in the first half of this year, the industry experienced an average of two net closures every day due to increased bills, higher wage costs and a decrease in consumer spending.

Mr Bigham says he is aware of the predicament. However, he believes the public and businesses "have to pay our way" for a more sustainable economy.

"I see myself as a realist on this front," he says. "We all know that the country is in a financial hole. It's not just the UK, governments across the world are in debt because of the Covid pandemic and the financial crises we've had.

"So we have to pay our way. None of us like taxes going up but they have to. We've also got to have a healthy and sustainable economy which we can't have if people don't pay their way."

He adds: "Our job as businesses is to adapt to the changing circumstances and make the best job of it that you can. These are the circumstances, let's try and work out how we can do the best job we can rather than get doomy and gloomy about the situation."

And if there is an appetite for Brasserie, Mr Bigham promises there is more to come.

"You won't be surprised to hear that we didn't start with five recipes," he says. "We started with quite a few more and had a lot of fun with the process. We've got a few more meals waiting in the wings."