What does Ocado debut say about Cook’s future plans?

Frozen ready meal maker and retailer Cook has nabbed a first in its 29-year history.

Last week’s deal with Ocado Retail – which is stocking 29 Cook frozen meals on its site – is the first time its products have been listed at a major supermarket. The range spans one and two-portion meals, family portion meals, and its recently relaunched Kids range.

The deal marks a major shift in strategy for the brand, which previously only sold its meals via its own website and network of stores, as well as around 900 independent stockists, several Booths stores and farm shops.

Why the move? Why now? And will the entrance into mainstream retail succeed?

Instantly, Cook’s Ocado listing gives it a reach well beyond its small stockists and 130 owned stores, which are predominantly in the south of England. Ocado, by comparison, delivers to geographies spanning 82% of the UK population.

Cook COO Chris Portwood told The Grocer the Ocado partnership was “a great opportunity to introduce Cook to more people”, particularly in the “parts of the country where we have fewer shops”.

The benefits potentially go beyond geographical coverage, says online fulfilment expert Andrew Firmston-Williams.

“Cook has built a very strong brand, but its own shops can only ever put that brand in front of so many people, so many times,” he says. “Moving further into mainstream retail puts Cook into shopping missions it simply wouldn’t otherwise see.”

The listing means Ocado customers can easily add its meals to their basket, when they might never have ordered from Cook’s website or visited a store.

There is “a cannibalisation risk”, Firmston-Williams admits. “Someone who might have gone into a Cook shop and come out with four things could now pick up one in a supermarket,” he says. “But the bigger risk may be not being present when and where the customer actually wants to buy.”

Besides, someone buying a Cook meal on Ocado might be more compelled to visit a store if they enjoyed it. In which case, “the retail presence is used as a shop window for the wider range rather than simply another distribution channel”.

Premium meal boom

Cook’s move comes during a boom time for premium, easily prepared home meals.

According to Lumina, the proportion of UK consumers who eat out in an average week fell to 53.3% in Q1 2026, a decline of three percentage points year on year – marking the lowest level since 2021. Consumers are more cost-conscious, but they are still seeking the quality food and convenience of dining out.

“Cook are reassuringly expensive for frozen meals and that targets the space that everyone is trying to go after by closing the gap between the £5 ready meal and the £20 takeaway,” says Liam Brown, meals innovation lead at Samworth Brothers.

In the past few weeks alone, Gousto has launched a ready meal range called Heat & Eat, while Waitrose announced a £10m investment into expanding its ready meal offer over the next three years.

To its advantage, Cook has the foodie credentials, storytelling and “reason to believe” for consumers, Brown says.

Ocado may just be the start.

“Now they are a serious business with ambitious plans,” Brown adds. “Cook will be looking to evolve from a premium ready meal retailer into a premium food brand, and that’s a much bigger addressable market.”