For many of us, doing our bit for the planet involves buying reusable water bottles, avoiding plastic straws and recycling diligently. But for Charlie Bigham, founder of the ready-to-cook food empire that bears his name, the challenge is on an altogether different scale. He has been on a 25-year, hurdle-strewn journey that’s ultimately prevented millions of pieces of plastic from being sent to landfill.
“We started using wooden packaging 15 years ago,” says Bigham, as he shows me around the kitchen at his north-west London HQ. “We felt it was incongruous to be making this lovely food and selling it in plastic containers, and thought it would send a signal to shoppers that we’re a bit different.
