Cathedral City enters chilled party food segment in UK

Cathedral City in the UK is entering chilled party food for the first time this year, in partnership with Abergavenny Fine Foods. The launch marks owner Saputo Dairy UK’s ambition to take the brand beyond the cheese aisle.  

From September, Cathedral City Cheese & Ham Croquettes and Cathedral City Cheddar Sticks launched into Morrisons. The products have been launched to meet demand during the annual uplift of party food sales, as shoppers seek shareables to enjoy at home during the festive season. The new range builds on Cathedral City’s rapid growth across licensed meal solutions and strengthens its role in driving incremental value within chilled.    

Cathedral City is also expanding its chilled ready meal portfolio collaboration with Oscar Mayer, with eight new products. With more than a third of consumers now eating ready meals weekly, Cathedral City’s extended chilled ready meal range taps into this demand, offering classic comfort dishes in convenient formats. The range includes Cheese & Bacon Loaded Fries, Sausage & Bean Bake, Margherita Loaded Fries, Spaghetti Carbonara, Fish Pie, Chicken & Leek Pie, plus 1.2kg family-sized formats of Lasagne and Macaroni Cheese.  

Saputo has also boosted distribution of Cathedral City chilled side dishes, Mash Potato, Broccoli Cheese, Cauliflower Cheese and Potato Gratin, which have now launched in Sainsbury’s, and are due to launch in Asda in October and Ocado in November. 

Since entering the licensing market in 2021, Cathedral City has established itself as a major player in convenience-led meal solutions, building an award-winning portfolio across frozen, chilled and ambient. Cathedral City currently ranks as the nation’s number three brand in chilled ready meals, despite only launching into the category last year, and sits within the top five exclusive brands at Iceland.  

Lissie Bernard, brand manager for Cathedral City, says, “This latest expansion across our licensing portfolio demonstrates the strong equity of the Cathedral City brand; one that continues to innovate, providing consumers with new and exciting dishes that bring the nation’s favourite cheese brand to tables in a truly convenient format.”