Consumers tuck into comfort foods to fight off bad weather

STEAMING bowls of hot vegetable soup and tasty casseroles are associated more with the winter months, but the continuing bad weather has sent consumers indoors in search of comfort foods.

Gravy, stock cubes, casserole dishes, umbrellas, and indoor entertainment items like TVs and stereos are all up significantly on last summer, while salads, paddling pools and barbecues are like a distant memory.

Retailers such as Tesco and catalogue shopping specialists Littlewoods are reporting higher than ever levels of online sales.