Home cooking on the rise
Lockdown has changed many aspects of our lives, and cooking for and feeding our little ones is no exception. Piccolo’s organic cooking range is designed to support parents (through the highs and lows) of cooking at home.
Let’s not beat around the bush: at the beginning of lockdown, the thought of cooking three meals a day for the whole family for the foreseeable future was daunting to say the least. With no breaks afforded to us by nursery days or eating out at restaurants, the sudden increase in cooking at home was quite the challenge – especially with our little food critics on our hands!
However research carried out by Piccolo, one of the UK’s fastest growing premium baby and toddler food brands, shows that in the end, parents found cooking for and feeding their little ones easier during lockdown because they had more time to plan and cook. In turn, their babies were more open to trying new foods; in fact, 68% have been feeding their little ones more fruit and veg during lockdown – with broccoli as the go-to green!
We know that the main factors which stop parents from cooking more at home are time (usually working in the office, commuting etc) and uncertainty around what they can and can’t feed their babies (lack of time to research and plan meals accordingly). But once these barriers were removed, most parents enjoyed cooking more – in fact, 78% of those who said their cooking habits had changed said they’ll carry on cooking more once lockdown is lifted because of the nutritional benefits they reap.
Cat Gazzoli, Piccolo founder, says:
“What we’re seeing now is a true return to more traditional, sustainable values with this huge increase in home cooking and shopping locally. Although a lot of parents were enjoying cooking during lockdown, they were also finding it difficult to come up with new ideas.
As a mum myself, I know I found it challenging cooking three meals a day for my family. We want to continue supporting parents as best we can to encourage a more nutritious approach to feeding their little ones.”
At Piccolo, we believe that home cooking and trying a variety of tastes and textures is all part of the experience. We also believe in the importance of cooking and eating together as a family around the dinner table, so we’re here to support parents in their efforts to cook at home more with our organic cooking range and host of baby food recipes.
Parents want convenient cook-at-home options and to be confident that they have been specially formulated to suit babies’ nutritional needs. Our infant nutritionist approved cooking range meets this need, and we’ve now launched our new palm oil free stock sachet, which has absolutely no added salt or sugar whatsoever, but still pack the same great taste.
“Like myself, lots of parents are becoming more aware of the importance of health from an early age - in fact, a recent survey showed 55% of our customers choose our cooking range because of its low salt and sugar content. The launch of our new stock sachet powder will really appeal to those looking for healthy options,” Cat says.
Our research found that lots of parents prefer to batch-cook and freeze to save on time. This will be especially important as we return to work and factor in time for commuting and socialising. We also discovered that 41% of parents find it difficult coming up with new ideas for their babies; simple and healthy recipes are a priority, as well as recipes to try out with the kids.
That’s why we have a wide range of recipes to complement our cooking range and make parents feel supported in their home-cooking adventures, throughout and beyond lockdown.
Piccolo Organic makes healthy (and very tasty) baby meals, cooking products and snacks to help you get the balance right every day. The brand is partnered with City Harvest and Little Village, and gives 10% of its profits to charity. Available in all major retailers and its online store. www.mylittlepiccolo.com