Britons shun Sunday roasts

FAMILIES are falling out of love with the Sunday roast as they shun hours spent slaving over the stove, says Britain’s biggest pork producer.

fresh pork sales at Hull-based Cranswick fell 4pc in the year to March 26, with much of this down to lower sales of traditional roasting joints.

Adam Couch, chief executive, said families now wanted meals that were quick and easy to prepare, such as ready-cooked pulled pork.

‘The Sunday roast has given way to midweek meals which compete against chicken and meat in shredded formats,’ said the 48-year-old.

Over the last 20 years the average time spent preparing and cooking a meal has fallen by ten minutes, driving families to opt for easier dishes.

Cranswick has responded to the downturn in Sunday cooking by packaging up roasting joints and shipping them off to New Zealand or Japan where the appetite for British meat is soaring. It has also introduced pork options that can be cooked in less time.

The downturn in roasting joints did not stop sales in the producer jump 22.5pc to £1.2bn during the period, helped by a 49pc increase in exports to the far East.

Profit in the company rose 24.8pc to £77.5m, while it increased its final dividend by 19.7pc to 31p per share.

Cranswick shares jumped 4.6pc, or 131p, to 2956p.