Charlie Bigham's Reviews 

1,192
•
TrustScore 4 out of 5

3.9

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 204 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Consumers frequently praise the delicious flavours and restaurant-quality meals that make quick weeknight dinners feel exceptionally special, convenient, and satisfying. People often mention the thoughtful packaging presentation and reliable fresh ingredients that elevate everyday dining right at home. Some reviewers were not happy with the declining portion sizes, noting that recent meals contained noticeably less meat or fewer seafood pieces than originally expected. Consumers also mentioned that the creeping price increases significantly reduced the overall value for money, making frequent purchases much harder to justify over time. Additionally, a few buyers experienced overly strong spices or occasional recipe inconsistencies that detracted from enjoyment.

What people talk about most

Product

Users describe ambiguous feelings about the product, with many consumers praising the delicious flavors,... See more

Quality

People report ambiguous experiences with quality, as many reviewers enthusiastically praise the delicious... See more

Price

Reviewers mention deep dissatisfaction regarding the expensive price and shrinking portion sizes of the... See more

Value for money

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of value for money, with many consumers praising the delicious flavours... See more

User experience

Consumers find user experience to be ambiguous, as some reviewers describe overall satisfaction and praise... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Tasty meals, much better than many takeaways and cheaper too, although prices have crept up lately. Have also noticed the high salt content of many meals; this may be to compensate if they have starte... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I have always rated your products very highly and kept a few in my freezer for emergencies or when i am busy and want a tasty meal. More recently things have changed -not with the product quality bu... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

We've been buying Charlie Bighams meals every now and then for years and have always been very happy with them until recently. Today we had the Chicken Tikka Masala and noticed a significant decline i... See more

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Red Thai Curry had too much chilli for our liking, although good quality, which killed our apetite and resulted in food being thrown away. Also a pity that ready meals everywhere (although not this o... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Food Manufacturer

Written by the company

Ever since 1996 we've been making delicious food with all the care that you would if you had the time. After all, what better way to spend an evening than chatting, laughing and sharing a wonderful meal? Turn off the phone, dim the lights and crack ...


Contact info

3.9

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

1k reviews

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No recent history of asking for reviews

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Replied to 98% of negative reviews

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3.9

All reviews

(1,192)

204 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Try harder with the gluten free options!

Next to nothing in the Charlie Bingham's range is gluten free. The 'next to' bit is your two Thai-style curries - tasty enough but so are several other brands that all do the job. I'd love to try your Fish Pie, Cottage Pie etcetera but can't because you haven't considered replacing the relatively small amounts of wheat in your recipes with glten-free alternatives.

9 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hi Frank,

Thank you for taking the time to leave your review and share your feedback with us.

While we do offer a small range of dishes that do not contain added gluten ingredients. If you’d like to pop us an email at hello@bighams.com, we’d be very happy to talk you through the options we do have available and help further where we can.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Charlie Bigham good for those living alone

Charlie Bigham produces several delicious “stand-bys” for one diner, shame you can’t freeze them but they are useful for a quick grab on the way home, that is if you can find them now that my local Tesco have reduced their offering to a single shelf in a chill cabinet. Waitrose stock the more exotic recipes but not in single servings.
Sometimes I wish the packaging might suggest what might be a good vegetable accompaniment to the meal or even which wine!

7 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Thank you for your thoughtful review, Andrew.

Thank you as well for your suggestions around accompaniment and wine pairing ideas — that’s lovely feedback and we’ll be sure to pass it on to the team.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The fish pie experience

The fish pie - well I thought nothing could beat mine but , Charlie’s is on another level. Lots of chunky fish , not scrimping on the salmon, and a delicious creamy cheese sauce. Fantastic.

23 January 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Mrs White, thank you very much! This is great praise indeed, thank you for the great review.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Love Charlie Bigham's meals the chicken…

Love Charlie Bigham's meals the chicken jalfrezi is my favourite out of all of them . It's got the real flavours of a authentic curry dish . And the quantity just right for two people ,but have been known to have double when wife is away

6 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Grant, thank you so much for your lovely review — we’re thrilled to hear the Chicken Jalfrezi is your favourite and that you’re enjoying those authentic curry flavours.

Great to know the portion size works well too… even if it sometimes becomes a meal for one when your wife’s away!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I feel that the cost of meals slowly…

I feel that the cost of meals slowly creeping up. Usually buy when "on offer' that said, I still enjoy Macaroni cheese, Cottage Pie, Lasagne, Thai Green curry and recently Shepherds Pie. Keep up the good work.

8 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Angela. Thank you so much for your review — we really appreciate your honest feedback.

We’re so pleased to hear you’re still enjoying a range of our dishes, from the Macaroni Cheese and Cottage Pie to the Thai Green Curry and Shepherd’s Pie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Enjoy the quality of the generous…

Enjoy the quality of the generous filling of the fish pie, the spicing of the chilly and the rich cheese flavour of the macaroni cheese.
Unfortunately your food sells very quickly and so I've tried fewer of your newer recipes

7 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Catherine, thank you so much for your review.

We’re sorry to hear you’ve missed out on trying some of the newer recipes as they’ve sold out so quickly, but we hope you’re able to get hold of them soon. Thanks again for your kind support!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Sicilian Chicken

A hearty dish, very fragrant and aromatic with lots of moist chicken. It was a large portion: we couldn’t finish the potatoes but this made the dog very happy.

4 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello, thank you for your review — we’re so pleased you enjoyed the dish and its fragrant flavours, and that it felt like a hearty portion too!

Sounds like a win for the dog as well!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A real treat for a special occasion.

My latest meal was the king prawn and scallop risotto, which was excellent. I have to agree with some reviewers that for two it would have been rather disappointing, but it was a generous, if not overly large, meal for one. A real treat for a special occasion.

17 January 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Thank you so much for your lovely review, John — we’re delighted you enjoyed the King Prawn & Scallop Risotto and that it felt like a real treat for a special occasion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Charlie Bighams ready meals are the…

Charlie Bighams ready meals are the best, free of additives and really tasty, plenty to choose from and no plastic trays. Just tried the venison, it was hearty and delicious I never buy any other ready meals now. Hoping they might start an organic ready meal range …

9 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Jane, thank you so much for your fantastic review. It’s great to hear you’ve tried one of our Brasserie Range dishes too — we’re so pleased the Venison hit the mark! Thanks as well for your suggestion around an organic range; we’ll be sure to pass that on to the team.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

What a lovely treat they are

What a lovely treat they are. We have a different one every week never had a problem with quality ingredients. Delicious.

7 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Pamela, thanks so much for the review. I hope you continue to work your way through our range!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

We love the king prawn and scallop…

We love the king prawn and scallop risotto, it's absolutely delicious and it's frequently on my food order. However, two littles niggles: the juices leak out of the wooden tray very easily (due to the paper tray and gaps in the wood), which makes the foil wrap messy and difficult to unfold. Also, the foil could be a bit bigger and tears quite easily.

2 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Jean. Thank you so much for your lovely review — we’re thrilled to hear how much you love the King Prawn & Scallop Risotto!

We really appreciate your feedback on the packaging too, and we’ll be sure to share your comments with our team.

If you ever need any help, please don’t hesitate to email us at hello@charliebighams.com
— we’re always very happy to assist.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Human again

On a very busy day when time is short and energy low. What shall we have for lunch? There it is looking at me from the shelf - Lasagne. YES. Satisfying and I feel human again. Thank you Charlie.

7 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Christine! Nothing makes us happier than hearing our food helped you refuel and feel human again. Thanks for your lovely support!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great meals with no ingredient worries.

We have really enjoyed all the Charlie Bigham meals we have tried. Most recently we loved the Thai Green Chicken. Being an habitual ingredient checker I was pleased to note that we had almost all the ingredients in our kitchen cupboards.

3 February 2026
Unprompted review
Charlie Bigham's logo

Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Anthony. Thank you so much for your review. We’re delighted to hear how much you’ve been enjoying our meals, especially the Thai Green Chicken Curry.

We’re so pleased you noticed the ingredients too. We make our dishes using only ingredients you’d find in your own kitchen, so it’s wonderful to hear that resonated with you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always great and reliably tasty

Always great and reliably tasty. We've never had a bad meal when choosing anything from the Charlie Bigham range. Confess that the fish pie is an an absolute favourite though!

9 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello, thank you for taking the time to share your lovely review. Fish Pie is a firm favourite in my house too!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great food of very high quality

Great food of very high quality. However, very disappointed that we can no longer find the lovely Vegetable Tikka Masala in stock anywhere and nor is it shown on the website - has this dish been discontinued or is it a temporary shortage.

7 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Tim, thank you so much for your review and for your kind words about the quality of our food.

We’re sorry to say that the Vegetable Tikka Masala has sadly been discontinued. We know how disappointing it is when a favourite dish is no longer available, but we’re very grateful you took the time to let us know how much you enjoyed it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Butter chicken & rice 😋

Butter chicken & rice were lovely, (almost as good as my local Indian restaurant) I wonder if instead of rice it could come with a small naan, it would make a nice change

15 January 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hi Annette,

Thank you so much for your lovely review — we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the Butter Chicken & Rice, especially with such high praise comparing it to your local Indian restaurant!

We love your naan suggestion too!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Really love the vegetarian lasagne

Really love the vegetarian lasagne. Very tasty. But vegetarian choice is very limited. This means I can't buy Brigham's meals very often. It's also a shame as eating more plant based meals is good for everyone's heath and good for the planet.

16 January 2026
Unprompted review
Charlie Bigham's logo

Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Lorraine. We appreciate your feedback on our vegetarian range. We’ll be sure to pass your comments on to our chefs for consideration as we continue developing new dishes. Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts with us!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Not what I wanted in Tesco!

Have been trying to find Charlie's Steak & Ale pies in dishes for a very long time. My nearby Tesco Extra only ever seem to have items in the cardboard dishes.
I eventually found them in Waitrose but in another town, approximately 8 miles away. Mind you, the trip was worth it!

3 February 2026
Unprompted review
Charlie Bigham's logo

Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Elly, We’re so glad you’ve been reunited with our Steak & Ale Pies, it sounds like quite the mission, but we’re delighted the trip was worth it!

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave us a review.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great products

Great products, easy to cook and a super wide variety of choice

7 February 2026
Unprompted review
Charlie Bigham's logo

Reply from Charlie Bigham's

Hello Graham, thank you for the brilliant review, much appreciated.

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