Scratch targets couples with range of DIY dessert kits

Meal kit brand Scratch is expanding into the dessert market with a range of fresh kits.

Aimed at couples, the range (rsp: £3.99) is rolling out to 160 Tesco stores and to Tesco.com on Monday.

The line-up includes: Passion Fruit Lemon Cheesecake Double Chocolate Fudge Mousse and Apple Almond & Mascarpone Crumble.Each kit contains about six components. A Chocolate Honeycomb & Pear Cheesecake kit, for example, contains: mascarpone a mix of chocolate, cocoa and honeycomb diced pear and vanilla pods in poaching liquor a sachet of stem ginger biscuit base and a cheesecake ring to assemble it in.

“The DIY format delivers on taste and texture while giving people the satisfaction of making something themselves,” said co-founder and MD Phil Pinnell. “The move is building on our founding mission to help people cook amazing food from scratch.”

Scratch was launched in 2009 and is currently available in retailers including Waitrose, Ocado and Budgens. Sold on the proposition that the meals can be prepared as quickly as a ready meal, recipes include Chicken Thai Green Curry and King Prawn & Chorizo Paella. The line-up was extended last month with Vietnamese meal Chicken Ga Kho Gung.

The Scratch team includes Michelin-star chef Michel Roux, who develops recipes for the range, and advisor Jeff Halliwell, chair at Cafédirect and former MD of businesses including Bernard Matthews and Fox’s Biscuits.