Antony's meals get the chop

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Jun 14, 2009 | by STEPHEN HAYWARDR

CHEF Antony Worrall Thompson's supermarket ready meals have been axed. The paella, casserole and stew have been withdrawn only months after their launch at Morrisons and Somerfield.

Last night industry experts said shoppers were fed up with celebrity chefendorsed products.

The decision is a further blow to Antony, 57, after he was forced to shut four restaurants and pubs, and put his firm AWT Restaurants into administration.

Peter King of 2 Sisters Food, which helped launch the range, said customers were unwilling to pay the pounds 3.49 price in the credit crunch.

He said: "The target audience was not buying into it. It was the wrong product at the wrong time." TV chef Jean Christophe Novelli's ready meals were wound up by food giant Findus last year.

Jamie Oliver is paid pounds 1.2million a year by Sainsbury's for fronting its ad campaigns, while MasterChef host Loyd Grossman's range of cooking sauces, pasta and soups manufactured by Premier Foods have also made him a millionaire.