Reviews reviews

ASDA Chicken Fried Rice

Published on March 14th, 2020

This meal self-effacingly refers to itself as a “SIDE”, which I think does it a disservice. There’s plenty of chicken, so this would be a reasonable as a main course. But at a £3.50 RRP, this would be quite a pricey main course – and a VERY expensive side dish, considering this is standard ‘ASDA’… [Read More]

3 out of 5

Merchant Gourmet Persian-Style Quinoa

Published on March 7th, 2020 Merchant Gourmet

If I had to sum this up in one word, it would be “roughage”. It feels very virtuous: lots of fibrous grains to chew on, packed with protein and low in fat. I ate it with some homemade sausage and pepper casserole, which admittedly looks awful in the picture. It ended up being a very… [Read More]

2 out of 5

Waitrose Vegan Mac & greens

Published on February 29th, 2020

At £3.75 RRP, and with no microwave option, this is a little on the pricy / faffy end. It never fully crisps up like an oven-baked macaroni cheese should, so loses a couple of stars for all that. That being said, it does taste nice: an umami-rich creamy sauce and a slight crunch of breadcrumbs… [Read More]

3 out of 5

Rustlers All Day Breakfast Sausage Muffin

Published on February 24th, 2020

A deliciously fatty, fast meal. It comes with the standard plasticy orange cheese, and a sachet of ketchup. Not quite the artery-clogging feast of the Feasters Premium Double Sausage Breakfast Bap with Cheese & Tomato Ketchup, but a similar result: meaty sausage flavour, filling, and a ketchup that cuts through the fat. The muffin has a… [Read More]

4 out of 5

Waitrose Chicken Katsu Curry

Published on January 4th, 2020

For a ready meal, this was the biggest faff to prepare. Your first task is to peel back the film lid, and remove the chicken breast with your bare hands, shake the rice off that had clung to it, and place it on a baking tray, which you should put in a pre-heated oven for… [Read More]

2 out of 5

Waitrose Vegetarian Jackfruit Biryani

Published on December 28th, 2019

As an out-and-proud meat eater, and lifelong Indian food fanatic, I was highly skeptical of how jackfruit might stack up against, say, chicken tandoori. Peeling back the plastic, I thought there had been some mistake – this actually looks like chicken. Great big chunks of white matter, complete with strands of muscle. It does such… [Read More]

3 out of 5

Pot Noodle Sticky Rib flavour

Published on December 21st, 2019

When I think of sticky ribs, I picture 4th July in America with a Budweiser and  a TBC So you can imagine my surprise when I tasted this and found it’s more like a Chinese takeaway. Which, come to think of it, is more of a British staple than American style sticky ribs. So I’m… [Read More]

3 out of 5

Waitrose Vegan Mushroom Carbonara

Published on December 14th, 2019

Can there be a more quintessentially middle class dish than a vegan, Italian dish from Waitrose? Perhaps only if it the mushrooms were hand picked from the garden. But that wouldn’t have worked very well for this dish: my garden might just about grow a weed or two; nothing as rich and earthy as the… [Read More]

4 out of 5

Tesco Thai Green Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice

Published on December 7th, 2019

Bastard hot (temperature wise). Somehow retains its heat for ages. Do not eat in a hurry. Strong Thai flavour. Not much chicken. Separate compartments keeps the rice really sticky – but may also serve as a disguise for smaller portions. I’m onto you, Tesco! Tasty, but I was still hungry afterwards.

3 out of 5

Sainsbury’s Fully Loaded Meat Feast pasta

Published on November 30th, 2019

The ingredients list aren’t hugely promising: “smoked British formed ham with added water”. Formed ham. With added water. Doesn’t exactly make your mouth water, does it? Still, each chunk of ham feels suitably meaty at the chew. The meatballs are better ignored. They taste very much of sage and breadcrumb; it’s hard to imagine there… [Read More]

4 out of 5