Fresh frozen pasta to hit UK supermarkets for first time with Waitrose listing

UK shoppers will be able to add fresh frozen pasta to their baskets for the first time in January after the newly-launched Beroni brand secured its first retail listing with Waitrose.

Set to be available in multiple Waitrose stores around the country from January 11th, Beroni fresh frozen pasta is restaurant quality ‘al dente’ pasta that can be made at home in as little as 30 seconds.

Made in the UK, Beroni pasta dough is freshly prepared by mixing the finest French durum wheat semolina with water. The fresh dough is then shaped into penne, fusilli or macaroni before being cooked ‘al dente’ and then immediately frozen to preserve its freshness. Research conducted for Beroni found that pasta was one of the top four grocery items bought during the Covid lockdown earlier this year and that it remains one of the four items that households expect to continue consuming more of moving forward.

“Beroni is ideal for families increasingly looking for quick meal solutions. It can be cooked in boiling water in only 30 seconds; microwaved at 800W for two minutes and 30 seconds or pan or wok-fried in three minutes,” explains Beroni’s Andrew Cole.

“This is the first time shoppers will be able to buy fresh frozen pasta for themselves to enjoy at home. Moreover, by adding something tangibly different to their pasta offering, it introduces something brand new for Waitrose customers in a category that has become even more of a staple for families over the last year and looks set to remain so.”

"We are excited to be the first supermarket to offer fresh frozen pasta for our customers to enjoy cooking at home, giving them the taste of fresh pasta with the convenience of frozen," says Hope Hurst, Waitrose Partner and Frozen Buyer.

Beroni contains no preservatives or additives. It is also suitable for vegans. It will be available in recyclable 1kg bags with an estimated MRP of around £3 per pack.

Manufactured in the UK by Ebrofrost, which has supplied fresh frozen pasta to restaurants around the world since 1998, Beroni is a three-way joint venture with FMCG and retail specialist Bridgethorne, which will handle commercial and marketing activity, and Food Team International, which will handle retail distribution and logistics.