Leading the way in innovation, Waitrose has launched a supermarket first fish “en papillote” range for food loving customers. Inspired by the classic French style of cooking, the fish is delicately folded into hand-crafted parchment paper parcels, then steamed to perfection with its own natural juices. Requiring no hands-on preparation, it’s ready to serve in as little as 20 minutes.

Inspired by customer insights and designed to overcome the renowned ‘fish fear’, where many feel unsure how to cook fish, or are put off by its smell and texture - this range delivers the best in flavour and quality. The fish is expertly crafted to steam in the tray, with the parchment paper retaining the natural juices of the fish, infused with aromatic seasonings, creating a rich, flavour packed sauce, ensuring a perfectly tender fish dish every time.

Natalie Kelsey, product developer at Waitrose comments: “We are delighted to launch the first fish 'En Papillote' to the market - an easy, healthy and delicious option that suits our customers' busy lifestyles."

"Overcoming the dreaded ‘fish fear’, this style of cooking allows the freshness of the ingredients to truly shine. As the perfect mid-week solution, I love to serve mine with wholegrain rice, egg noodles or veggies for the perfect balanced meal.”

This new launch also taps into the growing popularity in French cuisine, with searches on TikTok for ‘French recipes’ racking up a total 169k views in the last week alone. We’ve witnessed a surge in new restaurant openings such as Josephine, which offers a culinary journey through France, as well as French influencers such as Alexandra Stacey who inspire seasonal French cooking so people can recreate French cuisine and cooking styles at home.