French food is the fastest growing cuisine in the UK, with sales of Gallic-inspired ready meals and desserts up 16% in the past year. 

People are treating themselves at home with more “upmarket” ready meals, rather than eating out in French restaurants, according to experts.

The figures from Kantar Worldpanel show a 27% growth in sales of French foods in Tesco over the past year, with chicken chausseur up 226% and salmon en croute up 73%. 

“With less money to eat out, shoppers have been treating themselves to upmarket dishes at home,” said Tesco food developer Stephanie Bacon.

Tex-Mex food from the Americas has also entered the top five fastest growing cuisines for the first time, up 3.2%.

Read more
Focus On Chilled Ready Meals (26 February 2011)