Waitrose acquires ‘restaurant-quality’ meal-kit service

Founded in 2020 with the goal of creating restaurant-quality meals that can be enjoyed at home, Dishpatch works in collaboration with leading chefs including Angela Hartnett, Michel Roux Jr, Rick Stein and Sabrina Ghayour.

Customers can choose from more than 40 Dishpatch menus, before their food and wine selections are delivered across the UK on Fridays in time for the weekend. All Dishpatch meals arrive pre-prepared and require a few steps before being ready to serve.

Following the acquisition by Waitrose, Peter Butler will continue to operate as chief executive officer at Dishpatch.

Commenting on the move, Waitrose executive director James Bailey said that the retailer envisioned significant opportunities for the Dishpatch brand moving forward.

“[Dishpatch] works with some of Britain’s most respected chefs and restaurants,”​ added Bailey.

“We have shared values in serving our customers the best quality food and we’re looking forward to working together. While our immediate focus will be helping Dishpatch grow its core meal kit business, we are also looking forward to working with the team to bring further new and exciting food experiences to Waitrose customers.”​

Meanwhile, Butler said that the firm was delighted to be partnering with Waitrose, a retailer that has built its reputation upon “the quality of their food”.​

“Since launching in 2020, our mission at Dishpatch has always been to bring the most exciting, high-quality restaurant food into more people's lives,”​ continued Butler.

“With such aligned values, we're excited to bring our meal kits to a wider audience and exploring new opportunities beyond that."​

In other news, Morrisons has recalled packs of cooked chicken slices because they may contain small pieces of metal.​​