Buying guide Home & Garden

Mesh food covers, eighteen give a size, from a 30cm square to 90 by 60

By Khizar Published

The short answer

Prices in GBPeach row carries the day it was read
Best overall, a rectangle for a row of dishes Kitchen Foldable Food Mesh Cover Anti-fly A white mesh rectangle with a lace edge, 60 by 40cm by its own drawing, on a frame it calls stainless steel and plastic, with a latch at the top. Pull up to open and press down to fold, shown in its own photographs, and it folds into a long narrow roll. The size that covers a row of dishes on a kitchen table £2.40checked 18 Oct 2026 Check price opens in a new tab
Four sizes, each measured Food Covers Mesh Foldable Kitchen Anti Fly A white mesh square with a lace edge in four sizes, each drawn with its measurements: 32, 36, 42 and 45cm square. Pull the string to open and press the knob to close, in a four step drawing. For choosing the one that fits your plates rather than guessing £3.74checked 18 Oct 2026 Check price opens in a new tab
The biggest, for a whole table Foldable Mesh Food Cover Anti Mosquito A white mesh rectangle 90 by 60cm by its own panels, the biggest size named on the page, for a family table of dishes or a garden table. It calls its mesh food safe and shows nothing behind the words £4.19checked 18 Oct 2026 Check price opens in a new tab
Small, for a plate or two, and it hangs up Easy Storage Foldable Food Mesh Cover A white mesh square with a lace edge, 32 by 32cm by its own drawing, with a hanging loop so it stores on a hook. Photographed over bread, fruit and cake on a kitchen table. For one or two plates rather than a meal £1.35checked 18 Oct 2026 Check price opens in a new tab
A hexagon, for a round table Food Cover Umbrella Table Dishes Mesh A grey mesh hexagon with a patterned border and a white knob at the top, on a frame its own photograph calls stainless steel. Shown over a spread of plates on a kitchen table. Two other listings here sell the same cover in the same photographs, so compare them before buying £1.12checked 18 Oct 2026 Check price opens in a new tab
Patterned, in three sizes New Foldable Food Covers Anti Fly Mosquito A gold paisley printed mesh cover in 60, 70 or 80cm, or a plain white one at 43cm, all drawn with their sizes, and a rectangle of 70 by 50cm. It hangs on a hook by the loop at the top. Two other listings here sell the same covers in the same photographs, so compare them before buying £3.07checked 18 Oct 2026 Check price opens in a new tab

Twenty eight pop-up mesh food covers from one search and the order export, none of them handled here. The umbrella of net that goes over the plates while you eat outside, or while the table waits for everyone to sit down.

Eighteen give a size. Ten leave it out.

Which you are buying

What the photographs showListings
A white mesh square or rectangle, most with a lace edge17
A grey mesh hexagon with a patterned border3
A gold paisley printed mesh, or a plain white one3
Printed fabric panels with mesh windows3
A gold lace cover1
A coloured mesh set1

The white square is the commonest by far. The grey hexagon and the paisley cover are each one design sold under three listings. The fabric panel covers alternate printed fabric with mesh.

Size

Eighteen listings give a size, in the title or a drawing. The smallest are 12 inch and 32cm squares, enough for a plate or two. The rectangles run from 60 by 40cm to one 90 by 60cm, and seven listings sell four or more sizes, up to 80cm. Measure the dishes you cover, not the table.

Flies, and the fridge

Plymouth City Council’s pest page says flies can spread many human diseases, such as salmonella, E. coli O157 and campylobacter, which can cause food poisoning. Among the ways to prevent them it lists keeping food covered and under temperature control, for example in the fridge. Newcastle City Council’s page says always keep food covered and make sure food waste is bagged securely and tied up.

A mesh cover does the first half. It keeps flies off food on the table. It does nothing to keep the food cold, so it is for the meal, not for leaving a plate out all afternoon.

Folding and washing

Nearly every cover here opens the same way: lift the knob at the top, or pull its string, and the frame springs out like an umbrella. Press the knob and it folds into a narrow roll. Several hang on a hook by a loop at the top, and two listings photograph the mesh being washed under a tap.

What was left out, and why

The coloured set of four is the dearest listing by a distance, and a six pack of 17 inch covers is next. The gold lace cover and the striped and checked fabric covers give no size, and the cover printed with a rice bowl is more fabric than mesh. Two packs of repair clips for food covers came back from the search and are not on this site. Of the designs sold three times, compare the listings before buying.

Side by side

Prices in GBP. Each row carries the date its price was read.

Product PriceWhy it is here Where to buyLink
Best overall, a rectangle for a row of dishes Kitchen Foldable Food Mesh Cover Anti-fly Umbrella £2.40checked 18 Oct 2026 A white mesh rectangle with a lace edge, 60 by 40cm by its own drawing, on a frame it calls stainless steel and plastic, with a latch at the top. Pull up to open and press down to fold, shown in its own photographs, and it folds into a long narrow roll. The size that covers a row of dishes on a kitchen table Check opens in a new tab
Four sizes, each measured Food Covers Mesh Foldable Kitchen Anti Fly Mosquito £3.74checked 18 Oct 2026 A white mesh square with a lace edge in four sizes, each drawn with its measurements: 32, 36, 42 and 45cm square. Pull the string to open and press the knob to close, in a four step drawing. For choosing the one that fits your plates rather than guessing Check opens in a new tab
The biggest, for a whole table Foldable Mesh Food Cover Anti Mosquito Breathable £4.19checked 18 Oct 2026 A white mesh rectangle 90 by 60cm by its own panels, the biggest size named on the page, for a family table of dishes or a garden table. It calls its mesh food safe and shows nothing behind the words Check opens in a new tab
What is good

What you can settle before you buy

  • Measure the table, or the dishes. Eighteen listings give a size: small squares of 30 to 32cm for a plate or two, rectangles of 60 by 40cm for a row of dishes, and one 90 by 60cm for a whole table. Seven listings sell four or more sizes each.
  • Square, rectangle or hexagon. A square suits one or two plates, a rectangle a table of dishes, and the hexagons suit a round table.
  • Nearly all fold the same way. Lift the knob at the top or pull its string and the frame opens like an umbrella. Press the knob and it folds into a narrow roll, and several hang up by a loop.
  • Cover it, and keep it cold. Plymouth City Council's pest page says flies can spread salmonella, E. coli O157 and campylobacter, which can cause food poisoning, and to keep food covered and under temperature control, for example in the fridge. Newcastle City Council's says always keep food covered.
What is not great

What to read twice

  • A cover keeps flies off, not warm air. A mesh cover is for food on the table while you eat. It does nothing for food left out, which is why Plymouth's advice puts the fridge beside the cover.
  • Ten give no size. The grey hexagon, the gold lace cover and several plain white ones never say how big they are.
  • Claims with nothing behind them. Seventeen titles say mosquito, and panels say insect-proof, effectively prevent mosquitoes and food safe mesh material. No listing shows a test or a certificate, and two print a quote, Great Kitchen Accessory, with no one to say it.
  • Two designs, six listings. A grey hexagon and a gold paisley cover are each sold under three listings in the same photographs, at different prices.