Baby food brands in uk

Top UK Baby Food Brands Online

Baby food. Mushed up … mush. It may not be very enticing to us fully-formed adults or be a hot topic for discussion among most people but, truth is, most of us have probably eaten baby food in some form or another in our infant years.

And, no doubt, will have or will one day discuss it from the stance of new or soon-to-be parents.

Not to mention that the baby food market is big business: those little pots of mush are generating a market worth £611 million in the UK – a growth of 51% over the past five years, according to Mintel.

Considering there were nearly 724,000 live births in England and Wales in 2011, that’s not so surprising – babies gotta eat, after all.

That’s why we decided to take a look at online conversation about baby food brands in the UK for our most recent mini report.

In 2012, 97 million kilograms of baby food were sold in the UK. For a (rather odd) comparison, that’s roughly the same weight as 19,400 elephants of average weight such as the one pictured below. Easy to get your head around … right? Keep up.

However, volumes sales are expected to drop to 94 million kilograms by 2017. This is thought to be due to perceptions of overpricing (shared by 33% of parents) and worries about high sugar content (23%).

Regardless, baby food is still a topic of interest for parents and is regularly discussed online.

We took a look at a month’s worth of UK online chatter about baby food brands to determine who was winning in terms of brand awareness and discussion.

We found that 68% of the conversation about baby food did not discuss specific brands.

Of the baby food conversation about the 7 main brands (Cow & Gate, Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz, Hipp, Nestle, Organix and Plum Baby), leading brand Cow & Gate dominated with a 32% share – perhaps unsurprising, due to the brand having a 36% share of the global baby food market.

In close second place came organic baby food brand Ella’s Kitchen with 27% share of online conversation, followed by Heinz (18%^) and Hipp (15%).

We found that practical considerations were important when establishing brand preference, with convenience and design a key element of discussion.

Ingredients were equally important.

Despite only one in three parents ‘trusting’ organic baby food (according to a survey by Mintel), Ella’s Kitchen proved to be the most positively viewed brand of baby food in online chat, prompting descriptions as ‘healthy’ and ‘natural’.

Although Twitter proved to be the most popular platform for baby food conversation, forums were also popular, providing a platform for more in-depth conversation about what to feed the little ‘uns.

Cow & Gate particularly dominated Twitter conversation, due to its embracing of modern marketing techniques including an iPhone App. They were also often selected by third parties as the prizes of Twitter competitions.

So, that’s just a few insights into baby food brands as discussed on the web. Hopefully it was of interest and if not, well, you got to see pictures of a cute baby and of an elephant, so the world is alright again.

If you want some more insights like these, you can download the full baby food research here or take a look at some of our other resources.

10 Best Baby Food Brands 2021 | The Sun UK

SOME PARENTS think they’ll be preparing all of baby’s meals from scratch, but the reality is, you’ll need some baby food staples in the house, too.

Whether you’re running out the door or don’t have time to prepare a meal, pre-prepared baby food can be a lifesaver, as well as a great snack for your little one when you're on the go.

Pre-prepared baby food is great when you're on the go

Once your baby hits six months (or slightly earlier, in some cases), your baby starts weaning and trying all different kinds of flavours.

Now comes the fun (and often rather messy) part! It’s up to you whether you choose to wean your baby with baby purees or whether you decide to go for baby-led weaning, where baby feeds themselves finger foods.

The best baby food brands typically have a variety of baby foods on offer to suit babies from the age of four or six months and upwards to even two years.

Typically, the best baby food brands offer organic pouches with no nasties or added sugars for on-the-go snacking in various weaning stages (introducing meat and more texture for older babies), as well as portable snacks like vegetable rings and rice cakes.

Many will also offer breakfast options like baby rice and porridge, that you can even add your own fruit or yoghurt in with, as well as a range of dinner meals that you can easily heat up so baby gets a good meal, wherever you are.

Here are the best baby food brands to have on your radar when you start stocking the cupboard.

1. Best all-rounder baby food brand: Ella's Kitchen

Ella's Kitchen Organic Baby Foods are a big hit with parentsCredit: Amazon UK

£14.65 for 11 Ella's Kitchen pouches at Amazon - buy here

There are a few reasons Ella's Kitchen rocks.

The pouches are available at retailers everywhere, from corner shops to big chain supermarkets, so you can typically sort baby whether you're in the park or you're in the middle of a National Trust visit.

The colourful organic pouches feature delicious flavours for weaners at all stages, from simple single fruits to Thai curries for more sophisticated older-baby palates.

The brand can also accommodate for a range of food sensitivities with dairy and gluten-free options (among others).

Ella's Kitchen also has a frozen range for Big Kids, featuring staples with a signature (cute) Ella's Kitchen twist.

Think cod fish fingers shaped like fish, chicken nuggets that look like stars and pea and squash mac-and-cheese bites. Although, your five-year-old will still happily inhale a Stage 1 fruit pouch at any opportunity.

2. Best budget baby food brand: Aldi Mamia Organic

Mamia organic food range at Aldi is easy on the purseCredit: ALDI

£0. 52p for beef casserole and vegetables Stage 2 Mamia pouch at Aldi - buy here

Parents love Aldi's Mamia food range, which features organic pouches, fruit pots, meals and snacks at unbeatable prices, that is very pleasing for your purse!

To give you a point of comparison, an Ella's Kitchen stage 2 beef stew pouch costs £1.50 compared with Mamia's similar beef casserole with vegetables, a snip at £0.55p. Some of the ingredients and recipes are similar and all come in the easily transportable pouch. Win-win!

3. Best supermarket-own baby food brand: Sainsbury's Little Ones range

Sainsbury's has its own brand for your Little OnesCredit: Sainsbury's

£0.80p for organic porridge at Sainsbury's - buy here

Sainsbury's launched its own-brand range, developed with nutritionist Fiona Wilcock, in 2018.

A low-sugar, low-salt alternative in the competitive baby food market, it doesn't disappoint.

Designed to complement home cooking, the range includes pureed pouches, porridge and tasty dinners like chicken katsu curry and BBQ pulled pork - with a side of veggies, that you can simply add yourself for a quick and easy but also nutritionally delicious meal.

4. Best baby food brand for toddlers: Little Dish

Waitrose's toddler food has a wide variety of mealsCredit: Little Dish

£2.35 for chicken and veg risotto at Waitrose - buy here

Little Dish has a yummy selection of dishes for toddlers made with natural ingredients, no added sugar or preservatives and low salt.

We love the variety of flavours and meals available from chicken and vegetable risotto to chicken korma. It even includes some of the 'five-a-days' which are great for extra vitamins for baby.

5. Best for inspiring your own baby meals: Annabel Karmel

Annabel Karmel pouches have a great combination of veggies and fruitCredit: Annabel Karmel

£1.10 for Organic Annabel Karmel Butternut Squash Broccoli Carrot & Chickpea at Ocado - buy here

For decades Annabel Karmel has been the queen of babies nutrition and has had many recipe books to help parents cook up a storm for their kids. Now, she's brought that same delicious taste from the supermarket to your home, and parents rave that their babies love the taste of Annabel Karmel's additive-free purees and chilled toddler meals.

The purees have inspiring fruit and veg mixes that will enlighten your own cooking, while the toddler meals offer healthy takes on favourites like cottage pie, beef lasagne, tomato and mascarpone pasta and fish pie. Yum!

6. Best baby food brand with jars: HiPP Organic

Hipp organis baby food comes in jars to help your recycling habitsCredit: HiPP Organic

£1 for a jar of HiPP Organic hearty cottage pie at Boots - buy here

HiPP Organic jars tick all the boxes when it comes to tasty baby meals with organic ingredients. Steam cooked and picked when veggies are fully ripe, these neat little glass jars are great for all weaning stages.

Perfect for parents looking to cut their plastic use, they can also be reused as anything from vases to crafts table beads and felt tip holders.

7. Best for finger foods: Organix

Finger foods, like these banana rice cakes from Organix, help your child's development

£1.20 for Organix banana rice cakes at Tesco - buy here

When you need a snack, you need a snack! Organix is your go-to brand for those times when your out and about with babies and toddlers in tow - with delicious rice cakes, puffed veggie crisps, baby biscuits they are a great go-to that also isn't packed with added sugar.

The brand also has a great selection of baby porridges in a variety of flavours.

8. Best brand for kids with allergies: For Aisha

The For Aisha brand is great for kids with allergies

£1.85 for Toddler tray meals at Ocado - buy here

For Aisha's gorgeous meals have amazing, exciting flavour combinations, natural ingredients, and are free from a lot of tricky items like dairy, nuts, soya and eggs (there are also gluten-free and veggie/vegan options). This is great for babies that may be intolerant to certain foods while also not scrimping on taste.

9. Best budget baby food brand jars: Heinz By Nature

Heinz by Nature baby food jars are great value for moneyCredit: Heinz

£0.75p for Heinz cheese and tomato pasta stars at Ocado - buy here

Who doesn't love a bargain? Parents say Heinz by Nature meals is their "good to have in the cupboard" staple.

At less than £1 for a 200g jar, they're also great value for money so you can really stock up.

10. Best Shareable Snack: Organix Raspberry & Apple Soft Oaty Bars

A snack that not just babies will love

Organix Raspberry & apple soft oaty bars, £250 from Sainsburys - buy here

With a no junk promise, Organix raspberry & apple soft oaty bars are a great on the go snack, that taste so good you will also want to eat one! Containing a blend of whole grain oats, raisins, apple juice and raspberry juice, they literally have no nasties in them and for babies that are learning to self-feed, these bars are a great size for them to grip onto. They are also soft and chewy so if your little one hasn't cut any teeth yet, these bars will easily melt in the mouth.

When do babies start eating baby food?

For the first 4 to 6 months, the baby should exclusively have breast milk or formula. Some people find by 4 months, their baby seems extra hungry and so the weaning age is currently 4-6 months. To start weaning you can start with single flavours like individual vegetables and fruits – this is to get babies pallet used to different textures and tastes, sweet and savoury. Then you can try multi-flavours, for example, pear and apple or strawberries and raspberries. Try textures that are blended, mashed, or soft-cooked sticks of a parsnip, broccoli, potato, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear. You could also try baby rice or small jars of baby dinner food. These are great as they often have vegetables and nutrients in also. Always make sure any cooked food has cooled right down before offering it to your baby.

How to clean baby food jars

It's great to recycle baby food jars or even reuse them for something else at homes such as sauces or salad dressings- or even homemade baby food. But first, they need to be thoroughly cleaned. Use a teaspoon of baking soda and warm water to really clean the inside and if they have any stubborn food tucked away then try a half-hour soak with boiling water and fairy liquid.

When do babies start eating solid food?

The best time to introduce solid foods is when your baby has developed the skills needed to eat. These start with oral motor skills needed to move food to the throat and swallow it, and when they become interested in foods. You will see this when they reach for food, open their mouths when food approaches and watch when others are eating.

Start with mashed foods first before introducing soft textures such as soft fruits. Always cut food into small pieces so that they can easily chew and swallow. Lastly, after they have managed to get the hang of this try rice crackers and soft oat bars which are great as finger foods for when they start self-eating.

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Fancy having a go at making your own baby food instead? Check out our selection of the best baby food blenders, here!

Enjoyed our roundup of the best baby food brands? For more recommendations on parenting and baby products, explore our dedicated section.

Why not head back to the Sun Selects page and take a look at our wide range of product recommendations? Trust us, you won't regret it.

Mother attaches a food mixer to the baby bouncer to rock her tot to sleep

This article and any featured products have been independently chosen by The Sun journalists. All recommendations within the article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue: this helps to support The Sun, and in no way affects our recommendations.

Made in Britain: for the little ones

The British are extremely proud of their country and everything it produces. There are entire communities that support the domestic industry, such as Make It British. Today we will talk about British brands for the smallest citizens.

One of the leading brands specializing in the nutrition of the younger generation. The company is a competitor to Philips Avent, but it is the leader in sales, and the reviews of its products are much better. Bottles, warmers and sterilizers, nipples, devices for expressing milk, various drinking cups and plates, as well as silicone bibs with a bowl into which food falls - the assortment is very diverse. Tommee Tippee's proprietary technology prevents liquid from spilling out of the cup. The brand also produces award-winning video and audio monitors. There is also a three-in-one model: audio, video communication and a touch plate so that you can not only hear and see your child on the monitor, but also be sure that he is breathing. Quietly leave the child, for example, in another room or even on another floor and do household chores.

The design of Cath Kidston is very recognizable: pastel colors, floral ornaments. This is a hybrid of rustic and vintage style that will decorate any children's room, and certainly the wardrobe of the little ones! The brand produces bags for moms, clothes, accessories for women and children, items for feeding and amazing handmade toys - sewn or crocheted. The brand's iconic prints are bears, bunnies, elephants (they can be found on bibs, booties, and even mattresses). Things of this brand will be a great gift, especially if you are taking them to another country, because Cath Kidston is not sold everywhere.

The first Silver Cross stroller was produced in 1877. And since 1930, the company has become a supplier of strollers for the royal family, and Queen Elizabeth II herself, as a baby, rode in one of them. The model, created especially for the royal family, is called The Balmoral Pram. Today, various options for strollers are produced - for every taste and budget; they are famous not only for their modern design, but also for their special durability. More than ten million strollers have been sold for all time.

This brand remains the absolute leader among lightweight and stylish strollers, it has practically no equal in its category. The first "vehicle" was created in 1965. At that time, the innovative umbrella-like folding system of the stroller became a real hit and since then has been an ideal option for trips to the subway (the lightest one weighs less than five kilograms!) and for air travel. Maclaren also makes hoods and accessories for their strollers.

The first Paddington Bear book was published in 1958, but the toy bear was released by Gabrielle Designs only in 1972. Paddington soon became the most popular national toy, many accessories with symbols, souvenirs with his image appeared. Great gift for a child!

Organix makes a wide range of baby food, from cereals to cereal crackers. All ingredients used by the brand are grown in natural conditions and are considered environmentally friendly. Their fruit purees are so delicious it takes willpower not to eat it all yourself! The brand is represented in all supermarkets in the country, and production is located in Knapp Mill (Dorset).

It has been twenty years since Annabelle Carmel, baby food guru, wrote her first book. Today, her bibliography includes thirty-nine bestsellers with recipes for mothers, babies and the whole family. Carmel's books came out on top in sales in the UK (in their segment), and more than four million copies have been sold in other countries.

Annabelle, a true businesswoman, didn't stop with books and also launched food products for the little ones. She has collaborated with the NUK brand to create several innovations that make it easier for babies to eat: a mini ice cream cone that helps soothe teething, special containers for storing food in the refrigerator and freezer, a mini bowl with a purifier. Her website has many recipes and ideas that Annabelle shares with her readers.

£80 // lovevery.co.uk

This unique wooden play set has won multiple international awards, no wonder it was created by child development experts. The set helps to deepen spatial, language and thinking skills.

The child starts learning and experiments with physical phenomena: force, magnetism, speed and gravity. You can build houses, towers and bridges, play out stories and create your own world. The 70 colorful elements in 18 different shapes are crafted from wood and coated with non-toxic paint, so kids will especially enjoy sorting them by both size and color.

A box containing building materials can be easily converted into a toy car that can be carried along. Another version of the game - stringing cubes on a thread - develops fine motor skills in kids, as well as hand-eye coordination. The huge advantage of the set is that it is equally interesting for both one and a half year old babies and children at the age of four, but you can give it to your child as soon as he starts playing with objects.

Prepared by Elena Leslie

The best brands of equipment and cars were named in the UK

For the fifteenth consecutive year, UK non-profit consumer organization Which? awards its own awards to brands that, according to experts, are the best in various categories.

In 2021, experts named brands that, despite difficult conditions (we are talking about restrictions related to the coronavirus: for example, supply disruptions), made every effort to offer the consumer quality goods and services at the best price.

When choosing the winners, the Which? assessed both past lab test results and consumer surveys, value for money, innovation and availability (the ability to quickly buy a product, rather than ordering and waiting for it to fly across the planet to get to the buyer). The rating is absolutely independent.

So, meet the best brands in different categories:

Best Automotive Brand

Winner: Toyota.

Other finalists in this category: Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Skoda.

Toyota wins Best Auto Brand for the second year in a row.

Experts considered that this brand represents a wide range of hybrid cars for people seeking to reduce the negative impact on the environment.

Top Brand for Entertainment

Winner: LG.

Other finalists in this category include Amazon, Google, Samsung, Sennheiser (a German manufacturer of audio recording, broadcasting and playback equipment) and Sony.

The LG brand came out on top in a year when many people continued to self-isolate and while away the time with entertainment. In which? considered the brand's TVs to be the best "saviors" from boredom. Their convenient size and good stereo system also played a role.

By the way, at research Russian quality TVs of this brand were also on the top lines of the rating - look at which models have become the best this year.

Top brand appliances

Winner: Apple.

Other finalists in this category are OnePlus, Samsung and Xiaomi.

For the second year in a row, Apple has received the award in this category. Despite the high cost, the brand was awarded a place of honor for its excellent quality and high security performance: the risk of data leakage or device hacking is too low. Apple technology manufacturers pay close attention to vulnerabilities and improve security systems more actively than many other brands.

In September, Roskachestvo updated the rating of smartphones. You can find out who is ahead of Apple HERE . At the moment, Roskachestvo is testing the new iPhone 13, we will publish the results separately.

Top Brand Kitchen Appliances

Winner: DeLonghi.

Other finalists in this category are Asda, Breville and Tefal.

The DeLonghi brand received the award for a wide range of kettles, toasters and coffee machines. In Which? this brand regularly received the Best Buy badge (Best Buy) - it means excellent value for money and that the product is recommended for purchase. Also, judging by the survey, the brand is popular with British buyers.

Earlier, Roskachestvo published a rating of kettles and coffee machines .

Top Brand Large Appliances

Winner: Bosch.

Other finalists in this category are AEG, Beko, LG, Miele and Samsung.

Of the 18 Bosch products tested, 14 received the Best Buy label. Also, this brand was the leader in the number of products that were awarded another mark - Eco Buy (Eco-friendly purchase).