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Shift to home cooking highlighted by Ovenu Yeovil

An increasing number of people are eating out less and enjoying more home cooking to beat the cost of living crisis, says Martin McNeill of oven cleaning specialist Ovenu Yeovil.

He said that his experience is broadly in line with the British Retail Consortium figures for March, which highlighted that fewer restaurant visits were made.

This, along with the sales of home accessories and furniture helped total retail sales rise by 5.1 percent that month, compared with the same period last year, despite households feeling the financial pinch.

Martin said: “I’ve not witnessed any marked fall off in enquiries because using your oven is viewed as a good way of saving money.

“People are reining in their spending by visiting restaurants less frequently, and eating out is now something reserved for special occasions. Despite the cost of living increases, clients recognise that using their oven more is cost effective and keeping it clean and well maintained improves its efficiency and helps extend its lifespan.”

A survey by Barclays found that half of consumers questioned are cutting back on eating out – with restaurant spending falling by 5.1 per cent in March and grocery spending increasing by 7.1 percent. 2

The latest figures support the experience of Ovenu Yeovil that householders are continuing to reduce their discretionary spend and are focusing any spare cash on the home.

He added: “I’ve already seen the shift towards a ‘make do and mend’ attitude, with an increasing willingness to buy second hand or to delay replacing their cooker with a new one.

“A thorough professional clean can transform an oven to near showroom condition and helps reduce the number of appliances ending up as scrap, which is also beneficial to the environment.

“We saw a similar trend during the pandemic, with people investing in improving their property. Now, when money is tight, they are again focusing on the home, making it a more comfortable and stylish place to spend time and entertain in.”

As well as Yeovil, Martin also covers Sherborne, Crewkerne, Castle Cary, Ilchester, East Coker, Yetminster, and surrounding areas.

The Ovenu process involves dismantling key components such as the door, interior panels, fan, and shelves and placing them in design-registered tank equipment, which uses safe, non-caustic and biodegradable products to clean the oven parts. The whole process leaves the oven in a near showroom condition.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .