Loyd Grossman Pasta Italia Tomato & Chilli

Unlike a Pot Noodle or a bang-and-zap microwave meal, this thing actually requires cookery. Think butter, water, and careful stirring, and all the washing up that goes with that.

If I’m already cooking, I may as well go the extra mile – so I roasted a duck leg. Then I opened the only other tin I had in stock: mushy peas. I can guarantee nobody on earth has ever had this combo, but it worked great.

This is an odd shape of pasta, not one you often see. It absorbed the water well, and there was a nice kick of chilli.

Definitely recommended as a side dish rather than a main. It’s just not substantial enough on its own. And it’s too much of a faff to cook to be a convenient quick lunch.

So here’s a respectable score of 3/5.