Tesco puts the heat under Le Creuset with £45 orange dish

THEIR top-of- therange cookware can be found on tables of middle- class families across Britain.

But Le Creuset may be under threat – from none other than Tesco.

The supermarket has launched a selection of similar products as part of their ‘ Go Cook’ range, including casserole dishes, saucepans and roasting trays – for as little as a tenth of the price.

One of Le Creuset’s signature items is a cast-iron round casserole dish, described as an ‘essential kitchen classic… ideal for a wide array of one-pot recipes’. The 4.2litre version. which has two side handles, a stainless steel knob and comes in a range of colours, costs £199.

Tesco’s product – a 4.6l dish also made of cast iron with side handles and a metal knob – is priced at just £45. Similarly, a Le Creuset 16cm anodised saucepan with lid, described as ‘central to any busy kitchen’, costs £125.

Tesco’s Go Cook 16cm anodised saucepan with lid, which has a number of similarities barring a smaller handle, comes in at £28 – less than a quarter of the price. It is not the first time the firm has come under threat from cheaper rivals. In 2010 a comparison test conducted by Which? revealed that £7 Asda saucepans scored higher on efficiency and ease of use. And last year retail experts warned that a surge in cheaper supermarket copycat cookware could damage the brand’s middle- class image. Clive Black, head of research at Shore Capital, said: ‘If people can get 80 per cent of Le Creuset for 30 per cent of the price that is clearly a threat.’ Le Creuset, established in France in 1925, ranks alongside Farrow & Ball paint as middle-class ‘must-haves’. Its products boast a lifetime guarantee, and it has tried to target the mass markets by giving permission for products to be sold at discount by QVC, the shopping channel. Le Creuset has also launched a wide range of ‘ small ticket’ items, such as egg cups, costing under £20.

A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We offer a complete range of exceptional quality, inspirational cookware within everyone’s reach.

‘ Every item has been carefully crafted to be practical and durable, and to help you achieve the best results...’ Le Creuset was not available for comment yesterday.