Page 5 - Charlie Bigham CS

Back in the UK, Bigham set about trying to reproduce the tastes and
quality of those dishes but in a convenient, ready-to-cook format.

His initial idea had been to set up a chain of shops throughout the U.K.
selling fresh food ingredients. However, he soon decided his best plan
was to set up a business preparing fresh food kits for people to cook
themselves at home.

His idea was to make ready-made meals from fresh food that needed
simply to be put in the oven or a pan. Moreover, he recognized that in

the food industry there are lots of specialisms and that you could build
your brand and product effectively well under the radar of any bigger
rival before they could react adversely.

Bigham recognized his lack of experience in the food industry

knowledge and so set about gaining the knowledge and skills he
needed.

In November 1996, 11 months after his return from travelling, and now
married to his girlfriend, Bigham started experimenting in his Notting

Hill flat with the view to setting up his own company calling it simply
"Charlie Bigham's" that made upmarket ready meals. Knowing nothing
about the food industry he discovered that people were more than

happy to share their experience with him:

“It’s amazing who will talk to you. MDs and owners of
companies usually, if you approach people in the
right way, give you a bit of time.”

Moreover, he also got a job at a delicatessen in London's Notting Hill

area spending almost four months at the deli whilst he carried out his
research and developed his recipes.

Bigham approached a bank with his idea but with no track record found
his application being turned down. A process which was repeated at a

further nine banks.