Iconic British food brand partners with children’s TV superstar Dani Harmer to unveil edible masterpiece

• New research reveals stressful mealtimes are taking the fun out of family time as 56% of parents find mealtimes stressful at least three days a week, with the evening mealtime as the most stressful meal of the day (71%)
• Parents waste £283 a year on uneaten food 
• 60% of parents say their children will refuse to eat a meal they serve at least once a week
• Half of parents agree that mealtime experiences could be improved by introducing creativity and play
• 72% of parents say encouraging children to play with their food could reduce their reliance on screens during mealtimes 

For generations, parents have told their children not to play with their food, but now staple British food brand Bernard Matthews, is rewriting the rules and celebrating the power of play at family mealtimes.

The frozen food favourite is officially launching its campaign to encourage families across the country to embrace creativity, imagination and a little bit of mess at the dinner table.

The ‘Play With Your Food’ campaign is backed by new research of 2,000 UK parents of children aged 4-12, which paints a revealing picture of the pressure many families face at mealtimes. Half of parents (56%) admit mealtimes feel stressful at least three times a week, while evening mealtime (dinner/tea) specifically has become the biggest battleground in 71% of British households.

The findings suggest that modern family mealtimes are increasingly dominated by conflict. 65% of parents say screens impact their child’s engagement at dinner time, whilst fussy eating was revealed as the second biggest challenge (49%). Parents even waste an average of £283 a year on uneaten food due to abandoned mealtimes.

Despite parents traditionally discouraging children from playing with food, the research indicates attitudes may be shifting. Almost half (47%) of parents agreed that introducing more creativity and play into meals could improve the family mealtime experience, while 50% believe playful interaction with food can help children build a more positive relationship with eating.

With 81% of parents saying they feel pressure for their child to eat properly, 50% say that encouraging their child to play with food would help to reduce that pressure, with a quarter (28%) suggesting it would also cause less stress. Seven in ten parents (72%) believe engaging, imaginative meals could also help reduce children’s reliance on screens during dinner.

To demonstrate the endless possibilities of food creativity, Bernard Matthews partnered with Tracy Beaker star and mum of two, Dani Harmer, to unveil an immersive pop-up experience in Peckham.

Aptly named the ‘Fantasy Feast’, families explored a giant edible world inspired by Bernard Matthews’ iconic products. From popular prehistoric dinosaurs dominating a vegetable forest and mystical unicorns jumping over a colourful rainbow, to mini-kiev footballs, ‘Fantasy Feast’ is the ultimate food playground.

Speaking about the partnership, Dani Harmer said: “Food should be joyful, creative and fun, especially for kids! Some of my best memories growing up involved getting imaginative around the dinner table, and being an actor I love making up creative stories with my kids, so through the ‘Fantasy Feast’ and this campaign we are encouraging families to let go a little and embrace the chaos, creativity and laughter that can come from playful mealtimes.”

The launch comes as Bernard Matthews announces a major change to its much-loved frozen and ready-to-eat food range, with its iconic turkey dinosaurs, unicorns and other products evolving to a new chicken recipe, bringing a fresh twist to one of the nation’s best-known playful foods.

Laurence Hinton, Head of Marketing at Bernard Matthews, said: “We know family mealtimes can often become stressful for parents. Our new Play with your Food campaign is about helping families rediscover the fun in food and making mealtimes feel less pressured and more positive. As part of this new chapter for the brand, we’re excited to be evolving our iconic food range, including family-favourite dinosaurs, to chicken whilst continuing to champion the playful spirit families know and love.”

For more information, and Bernard Matthews’ new chicken range, visit https://www.bernardmatthews.com/