We appreciate that people are used to the fact that most ready meals you find in the shops only have a short shelf life. This is because for a lot of ready meals all the ingredients (eg, sauce, meat, vegetables) are cooked and cooled first, then assembled into the finished product. Even in the cleanest factory (or kitchen at home!) a small number of harmless micro-organisms can get into the product and grow while they are in the chiller cabinet - hence they have to be heated and consumed within a few days of purchase. For Kirsty’s the product is made in a different way. We make the sauces and prepare the meat and veg in a similar way but instead of cooking then assembling into the pack, we assemble first then seal the pack. After sealing, the packs are put into a large pressure cooker which allows us to cook them at a higher temperature. This means we can lock in the nutrients and prevent micro-organisms getting into the pack after cooking – therefore the products can have a longer shelf life.