Hilary of Little Dish

Name of Business: Little Dish
 
Tell us about your family: I am married to Dean and we have a 2 year old, Monty and a three month old baby, Ridley. 
 
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition?

Before I set up Little Dish, I worked in marketing. I’m originally from the States and moved to London in 2000 to set up iVillage UK – a women’s website. Then I met my husband, and that’s when I decided to stay in London!
 
When did you launch?

Little Dish first made it on to the shelves in April 2006. We are the first and only range of fresh meals for kids made with 100% natural ingredients and no added sugar or salt. Our initial range included a cottage pie and a fish pie. The aim was to offer parents a choice for those days when they didn’t have time to cook from scratch. So the meals are exactly as you’d make them at home, made with all natural ingredients you’d find in your own kitchen.
 
How did you get started?

I had always wanted to run my own business. When I was working in the food industry I met John Stapleton, my business partner. We were both thinking about the opportunity to make the UK’s first ever fresh, healthy meals for kids. So we decided to join forces and it’s been a fantastic journey ever since. 

What has worked well about your business?

Getting the right team in place. My background is in marketing so I’ve focused on sales and marketing. John used to work at New Covent Garden Soup so he’s been in charge of the operational side of business, drawing on his wide experience of working with fresh food with no additives or preservatives. I think the fact we have such clear roles really helps the rest of the team know exactly who to turn to if they have a question or an idea. Whatever you do or make, your business is all about its people and we’re really luck in having a brilliant team helping us fulfill our vision of feeding fresh, healthy food to as many kids as possible.
 
What has been your biggest challenge so far? How have you dealt with it?

Our biggest challenges have been related to the fact that we’ve opted to make fresh food, cooked at domestic temperatures (just like you would cook at home) with no additives or preservatives. Lots of other people in our sector cook the food at high temperatures, or use preservatives to help extend shelf life, but the end result isn’t as healthy as Little Dish.  

We’ve dealt with the short shelf life by working really closely with our retailers and the people on the shop floor to ensure that the products get out on shelf quickly. It is quite labour intensive, but our commitment to giving mothers fresh, healthy recipes just like they would cook at home is the main reason people buy our products, so we wouldn’t ever compromise.
 
How do you fit in work with the family?

It’s definitely a challenge. You have to be organised. We have a lovely nanny called Emma who looks after Monty when I’m at work. They often pop by the office to say hello which is always a treat. Once the baby arrives I’ll take some maternity leave and try to spend more time working from home.
 
If you have a flexible working business opportunity, please explain briefly what you offer and how people find out more.

At Little Dish, we really support flexible working. When we started mums who discovered us immediately offered to help spread the word about us. For a while, we kept this as an informal relationship. But in the last year we’ve created our Community Marketing Leader programme. This means we pay mums in return for 5-10 hours a week (depending on their timetables). They find local nurseries and playgroups to do sampling, talk to store managers to ensure our products are on shelf and well labeled, and generally help spread the Little Dish word. Currently we have five across the UK, the latest being in Glasgow. We’re keen to find someone to cover Newcastle, but wherever there is a mother who is thinking about getting back to work we’d love to hear from you.
 
Your website link: www.littledish.co.uk