Thinking outside the box has led Craig Tomkinson to start an online frozen food box delivery business based in Hatton Rock, England. The former senior executive with the Birmingham-headquartered 2 Sisters Food Group has launched the Thyme line of classic meal boxes, family meals and smoothies. Down the road, a frozen vegetable box range will be offered.
And with the winter holidays not far away, Thyme is just in time for convenience-minded consumers with its Christmas Meal Box. Selling for £90, the gourmet dinner for six persons features plenty: a 1.7-kg free-range Norfolk black turkey joint, dressed with a sprig of rosemary; duck fat roast potatoes; honey roast parsnips; free-range pork and chestnut stuffing; free-range pigs in blankets; Christmas gravy; kale and beetroot baubles; a cooking time plan and fresh food shopping list.
Having spent more a decade in the food industry, Tomkinson observed that many consumers have “a strange attitude” regarding frozen food products sold in supermarkets.
“We will happily freeze our own home-cooked meals, but most of the things we buy ready-frozen are either vegetables, potatoes or covered in bright orange breadcrumbs and hidden away in boxes or bags,” he said.
“People basically trust their freezer, but don’t really trust frozen food, and that is such a waste. With everyone’s time pressures increasing and people really tuning into food quality, we are hoping to solve both those issues,” added Tomkinson.
His company takes website orders and fills them throughout the United Kingdom via insulated boxes called Thyme Capsules. They maintain the integrity of frozen content for 24 hours or more. Each box contains 12 portions.
There are 16 non-seasonal meals to choose from in three meal sizes (family meals for four, sharing meals for two, and single meals). Recipes run the gamut from Coq Au Vin and Pork in Cider Casserole to Beef Bourguignon and more. Deliveries are made twice weekly, on Wednesday and Friday.
“Our mission is to make it easier for you to eat better and waste less,” said Tomkinson. “We prepare our food from fresh, exactly like you would at home, then we simply freeze it – like pressing pause – and deliver it directly to your door. That means no nasties, great food ready whenever you need it, and no waste!”
Thyme’s Protein Smoothie Box is promoted as “your perfect gym buddy, ideal for before a workout or after your spin class.” The products are loaded with vitamin C from fruit and vegetables, and have an average of 19 grams of protein. Each box contains 30 smoothie sachets.
