高級冷凍食品獲英國中產家庭青睞大綱

Serving Christmas guests freezer food would once have been considered a major faux-pas among discerning middle-class hosts.

在過去，聖誕節用冷凍食物招待客人會被眼光敏銳的中產階級看作極爲失禮的行爲。

But now a new wave of upmarket frozen food appears to be winning over those who feel guilty over the huge amount of fresh food they buy which ends up being throw in the bin.

而如今，這羣人似乎被一股高級冷凍食品的新浪潮給征服了。他們無需再爲扔掉成堆的新鮮食品而感到內疚。

Shops have developed frozen versions of dishes adored by foodies such as gourmet king prawns, sweet potato chips and quinoa in recent months and they are flying off the shelves, according to a report by the Grocer.

據英國《食品商》雜誌報道，近幾個月，商店開發了美味大蝦、紅薯片和藜麥等新型冷凍菜品，深受食客們喜愛，且極其暢銷。

Frozen food maker Young's "Gastro" range sold nearly ￡10 million of food alone, it said.

報道稱，僅冷凍食品生產商Young's旗下品牌Gastro就賣掉了近1000萬英鎊的冷凍食品。

As well as appealing to slightly more sophisticated taste buds, luxury frozen food may also help families reduce food waste, as unlike fresh food it does not go off within days.

與新鮮食物不同，豪華冷凍食品就算多放幾天也不會壞掉，因而它既滿足了口味略刁鑽的消費者，也減少了家裏的食物浪費。

Government figures recently showed the average household throws ￡700 of food in the bin every year, with the festive season particularly bad for waste levels.

據英國政府近日的統計數據，英國平均每戶人家每年都要扔掉價值700英鎊的食物，節日期間浪費更是激增。

Unilever research found the equivalent of over 4 million Christmas dinners were wasted with an estimated 17.2 million Brussels sprouts, 11.9 million carrots and 11.3 million roast potatoes ending up on the bin this Christmas.

聯合利華的調查顯示，今年聖誕節約有1720萬顆甘藍、1190萬根胡蘿蔔和1130萬個烤土豆被扔進垃圾桶，浪費的食物能做出400萬頓聖誕大餐。

Iceland is a major driver behind the upmarket frozen food trend, the report said, as the store has undergone an image overhaul in a bid to rival Aldi and Lidl by becoming the next middle-class bargain haven.

據報道，這股高級冷凍食品熱潮的幕後推手是冷凍食品零售商冰島連鎖超市。爲了與阿爾迪和裏德爾競爭，冰島超市改頭換面，成了又一個受中產階級青睞的物美價廉的連鎖超市。

In October a number of Iceland meals gained accreditation by the prestigious Craft Guild of Chefs after poaching Waitrose's Head Chef Neil Nugent’s relationship with the Guild, as he was previously a member.

冰島超市將維特羅斯超市的廚師長尼爾•紐金特挖走，並藉助他和享有聲望的廚師行業協會的關係（紐金特曾是其會員），在今年十月讓冰島超市的一系列菜品都獲得了協會的認可。

Dishes awarded the sought-after mark include its Luxury Uncooked Canadian Lobster Tails (220g), En Papillote Sea Bass Fillets (310g), and a Luxury Rack of Lamb (500g).

貼有“廣受好評”標籤的速凍食品包括：豪華加拿大生龍蝦尾（220克）、紙包鱸魚魚片（310克）以及豪華烤羊排（500克）。

In addition Iceland's mince pies also beat 24 other brands including luxury offerings from Harrods and Selfridges as the best available this year according to Good Housekeeping magazine.

《好管家》雜誌稱，冰島超市的百果餡餅也擊敗了其他24個品牌，包括哈羅德和塞爾福裏奇百貨公司推出的高級貨，成爲今年最熱銷的產品。

Yvonne Adam, marketing director at Young's Seafood told The Grocer: "While there is some switching to chilled fish, frozen fish is outperforming frozen food in general. There is significant growth in some categories of frozen fish as more and more people look to frozen, or trade up, for value and quality. "

Young's公司海鮮部營銷總監伊馮•亞當告訴《食品商》雜誌：“雖然有人轉而去買冷鮮魚，但總體上，冷凍魚銷量仍領先於其他冷凍食品。越來越多的人出於價值和品質考慮會選擇冷凍食品或更貴的食品，因此某些種類的冷凍魚銷量顯著上升。”