Desserts have shown stronger growth than many frozen cate-gories during the recession, as they are seen as better value for money.

A YouGov SixthSense report into the frozen foods market found that one in four consumers had eaten a frozen fruit pie or crumble in the last month and that hot desserts (such as sticky toffee pudding) and gateaux were the biggest categories, accounting for about one-fifth of sales each. Cheesecake was the most popular frozen dessert with 37% of respondents saying it had been eaten in their household in the last month.

The sector has benefited from consumers eating out less and treating themselves to desserts at home more often.

However, the report revealed that 27% of UK adults rarely visited the frozen food aisle; almost half (47%) believed that the frozen food section was ’uninspiring’, while more than one-third thought the choice was ’limited’.