For car boot sale refreshments, compare frozen meals by fat per 100g, salt per portion, allergens and the exact cooking instructions; a calorie-controlled label alone does not settle the choice. Choose a meal only if you can follow its storage and cooking directions at the event. If you intend to sell food to the public, check the applicable requirements with the local authority before trading.
Choose meals only if you can keep them frozen as directed, cook them with the equipment available and follow any restrictions on reheating. If you will sell to the public, ask the relevant local authority about requirements for your activity.
Compare total fat per 100g across meals, then look at saturates and the nutrition for the whole portion. A calorie-controlled range name does not establish the fat content of an individual meal.
Check the ingredient and allergen declaration on each physical pack before choosing what to serve. Do not assume that a meal described as lighter or calorie-controlled meets someone’s dietary requirements.
Start with the nutrition for a comparable amount of food, then check the full portion and whether the meal can be stored, cooked and served as its pack directs.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat and saturates | Compare both figures per 100g and check the amount in the portion served. NHS food-label guidance classifies 3g of total fat or less per 100g as low fat. | I want to compare meals on the same basis, rather than judge them by a reduced-fat or calorie-controlled label. |
| Salt per meal | Read salt per 100g and per pack. ASDA Groceries lists 1.4g salt for its 350g Good & Counted pasta pack; its listing gives 0.43g per 100g. | A whole meal is what I plan to serve, so the pack figure matters as well as the smaller per-100g figure. |
| Storage and cooking | Check frozen-storage directions, the cooking method and the equipment required. Follow any instruction not to reheat after cooling; the Food Standards Agency also identifies frozen storage and temperature monitoring as considerations for food operations. | I need a serving plan that works with the storage and cooking facilities at the event, not one that relies on reheating against pack instructions. |
| Allergens | Read the current physical pack for ingredients and allergens. Check any labelling requirements that apply if you package food for direct sale. | When serving other people, I need to know what is in each particular meal and how its allergen information will be available. |
| Public sales | Before selling, ask the relevant local authority whether your activity requires food-business registration and what arrangements apply at the event. | If I plan to sell hot food rather than share it privately, I need to settle those requirements before buying stock. |
Calorie-controlled and similar descriptions do not give the fat and saturates figures for every meal in a range.
Compare the nutrition panels of the individual meals. NHS food-label guidance uses per-100g figures to describe low total fat.
The ASDA Good & Counted pasta and The Gym Kitchen paella are described in the product research as carrying instructions not to reheat once cooled. That would rule out a cook-ahead-and-reheat plan for those meals.
Read the pack before deciding when and where to cook, and choose a meal whose instructions your event equipment can accommodate.
A lower per-100g fat figure does not determine the salt in the whole meal. ASDA Groceries lists 1.4g salt per pack for its pasta and 1.62g per pack for The Gym Kitchen paella.
Compare salt per 100g and for the portion you intend to serve alongside the fat figures.
Hastings Borough Council describes a market stall selling food or drink to the public as a food business. The Food Standards Agency also has allergen-labelling guidance for food packaged for direct sale at temporary outlets.
Tell the relevant local authority and event organiser how you plan to prepare, package and sell the meals, and confirm which requirements apply before trading.
These range references can help you find meals to inspect; the name of a range does not establish the nutrition or suitability of every product in it.
ASDA lists Good & Counted meals within its frozen ready-meal selection, including a 350g Chicken, Tomato & Basil Pasta.
The Gym Kitchen Chicken & Chorizo Paella is a frozen 400g meal listed by ASDA Groceries.
Sainsbury's frozen Diet & Freefrom selection lists meals including Calorie Counted Chicken Tikka Masala with Rice and Be Good to Yourself Cottage Pie.
Iceland lists an exclusive frozen Slimming World range of ready meals and lunch bowls.
M&S describes Count On Us as a calorie-controlled ready-meal range.
A 350g chicken tikka meal to assess for car boot sale refreshments; check its physical pack before planning frozen storage or cooking at the event.
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For car boot sale service, check the pack’s nutrition and allergens, then confirm its storage and cooking directions suit your equipment. Follow the directions on the physical pack when preparing it.
Not necessarily. Check the individual meal’s nutrition panel: NHS food-label guidance describes 3g of total fat or less per 100g as low fat. A calorie-controlled name does not tell you whether a particular meal meets that figure.
Only if the particular meal’s instructions permit your plan. The researched ASDA Good & Counted pasta and The Gym Kitchen paella say not to reheat once cooled, so check packs before arranging storage, cooking equipment and serving times.
Check whether your activity is a food business before trading. Hastings Borough Council describes a market stall selling food or drink to the public as a food business, and the Food Standards Agency says food businesses should register at least 28 days before trading. Ask the relevant local authority how these requirements apply to your activity and location.
Read the current physical pack for each meal. The researched ASDA pasta identifies wheat, while The Gym Kitchen paella identifies fish and barley. If you package food for direct sale, check which Food Standards Agency allergen-labelling requirements apply to your event and service method.
The range name does not establish the fat content of an individual meal. Compare the meal’s nutrition panel, and read its physical pack: Iceland notes that ingredients, nutrition and allergy information can change.