...is there any chance that Findus could have made them tastier by now?
For those who haven't been acquainted with this popular (why?!) snack food product, Findus French Bread pizzas are just that: what looks like half a baguette cut in half and covered with pizza topping. As I said, the ones ... Read review
Advantages: cheap and easy Disadvantages: too crunchy, too synthetic
...disappointed....is there any chance that Findus could have made them tastier by now?
For those who haven't been acquainted with this popular (why?!) snack food product, Findus French Bread pizzas are just that: what looks like half a baguette cut in half and covered with pizza topping. As I said, the ones in my parents' freezer were of the cheese and tomato variety, but I belive that other flavours, such as ham and pineapple, can also ... ...kids, or lazy people in their 20s, the fact is that these things are a quick and easy way to feed yourself. Each pack contains two pizzas, each about 15cm or so long, and you'll find them in your supermarket's freezer cabinet for around £1.25 a packet. Cheap indeed, for two pizzas....but bear in mind that "value for money" concerns the quality of the product as well, not just the price!
I'm back home from uni now, which generally means that rather than having to go shopping before I can fix myself some lunch, I can raid the cupboards instead! Looking through the freezer today, I found a box of two French Bread Pizzas of the cheese and tomato variety, and decided on one of these. Now, bear in mind that I haven't eaten one of these things for a while, and last time I was pretty disappointed....is there any chance that Findus could have made them tastier by now?
For those who haven't been acquainted with this popular (why?!) snack food product, Findus French Bread pizzas are just that: what looks like half a baguette cut in half and covered with pizza topping. As I said, the ones in my parents' freezer were of the cheese and tomato variety, but I belive that other flavours, such as ham and pineapple, can also be found.
Whether they're aimed at easy-to-please kids, or lazy people in their 20s, the fact is that these things are a quick and easy way to feed yourself. Each pack contains two pizzas, each about 15cm or so long, and you'll find them in your supermarket's freezer cabinet for around £1.25 a packet. Cheap indeed, for two pizzas....but bear in mind that "value for money" concerns the quality of the product as well, not just the price!
The box itself is pretty eye-catching, being coloured bright red and with a huge, very mouthwatering picture of the pizza on the front, oozing with cheese and looking incredibly tempting. Add to the picture the slogans with their descriptions of a "rich tomato sauce topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese" and you're soon believing that you're in for a treat!
Open up the packet, and you're confronted with the reality: two pizzas, each in their individual plastic wrappings, topped with a relatively small amount of cheese, compared to other pizzas, but a seemingly decent amount of tomato sauce which does, indeed, look rich and dark in colour. Quite simply, the pizza does not look like it does on the box, but this may be rectified by cooking!
So into the oven it went, at 220 degrees C, and sat there happily for 15 minutes until I came and removed it. Problem was, despite preheating the oven, the damn thing still wasn't cooked in the middle when its time was up...so I left it a little longer - just a few minutes, mind you. A few minutes was evidently too long, as when I next went to check on it, not only was it cooked, but it was turning a nasty shade of black around the edges. This is something I remember from eating these things before: it seems impossible to get the cooking time right: you'll either have to put up with your pizza cold and soggy in the middle, or burnt round the outside. The latter is probably safer.
So out of the oven comes my slightly burnt pizza, and what is the first thing I notice? It still doesn't look like the picture on the box - the cheese seems to have shrivelled somewhat during cooking (it was like that before I added those extra few minutes, I hasten to add), making it seem like there is even less cheese than when I started.
Smell-wise, I'm not too impressed either. The cheese smells fine, although relatively mild...the sauce, however, smells incredibly synthetic. Shame, really, as when I removed it from the oven I noticed how much sauce there seemed to be in comparison to other pizzas...
Right, time for the taste test! As I bite into the pizza, it's certainly crunchy, as was promised on the packet - although how much of this is intentional and how much is due to my slight overcooking of the stuff is debatable. The cheese tastes fine, but, like the smell, is relatively mild, and the base has some flavour, but is on the whole pretty bland. The MAJOR disappointment is, unsurprisingly, the "rich tomato sauce" - I swear you could sue them for false advertising! "Rich" is certainly not a word I would use to describe the stuff - it's definitely synthetic-tasting, and quite tangy, but it's also fairly sweet, which ruins it even more!
Taste-wise, I'm not very impressed, although I've no idea why it's so bad, as the product does contain real tomatoes, real cheese and (apparently) herbs and garlic to improve the flavour of the sauce! However, it also contains several E numbers, so I guess the preservatives aren't helping the flavour that much.
Unsurprisingly, it's not a good product for dieters, containing 12.2g of fat per pizza, and 43.5g of carbohydrates. Allergy-wise, there's nothing on the packet about nut allergy sufferers, but I'd advise you to use your discretion.
So, my verdict? Kids may love them, but I'm not a big fan. At £1.20 or so per packet, they're certainly a cheap and east snack or light meal, but I'm not too impressed with the quality. However, my younger brothers and sister enjoy them, hence the number of the things in the freezer, so I'm obviously just not in the target audience.
Advantages: Crunchy and cheap Disadvantages: everything else
...came upon a box of Findus French Bread Pizza’s – cheese and tomato flavor.
WAHEEY! I thought my supper is sorted, so into a carrier bag the box went and I trundled off home to cook my mini feast.
* THE PACKAGING *
The small fat red cardboard box contains two French bread pizzas, which are individually wrapped in plastic. It is snazzyly decorated with large blue triangles and has a huge slogan boasting that they now contain 20% more ... ...obviously aimed at children, but Findus seem to think that kids will eat anything as long as it’s not green. The scary thing is, they’re probably right lol.
The one good point however, is that they are not very expensive, you will probably pay somewhere in the region of £1 - £1 30 for a box of two pizzas.
They come in a wide variety of flavors including, Pepperoni, chicken and sweet corn, ham and pineapple and ham and mushroom.
All ...
deano_76 04.04.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Findus french bread pizza cheese & tomato
Far be it from me to moan unduly about anything....but especially pizza!! I feel however, I am doing a service to mankind by writing this review/warning to all you pizza fans out there, who usually find the pennies wont stretch to anything fancy-so you hunt for a tasty, chaep alternative. I will never forget my first(and only) experince of this product......ok, picture the scene.... It had been a long, boring day at the office-I had no groceries ... ...I found myself trudging the aisles of my nearsest 24/7 shop for a ready meal that was cheap(overspent on holiday) but quick to prepare and tasty to boot! Peering in the store freezer-I see a name I know and trust-"Findus"-being a huge fan of their beloved crispy pancakes-I thought-ok-a french bread style pizza snack for 99p-cant go wrong there-and I hurriedly purchased two packs of said item. Ok-fair enough it was ready in a matter if seconds inthe ...
genn133423 03.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Findus french bread pizza cheese & tomato
Advantages: Tasty and crunchy Disadvantages: Easy to burn your mouth on!
I first tried these whist on a caravaning holiday. They are quick and easy to make, and perfect to fill a small gap. They take roughly 20 mins on a high setting in the oven, but be careful when you take them out! They become very hot, take care if eating them straight away, as occasionally when i have been eating them, the cheese has fallen off & burned all of my chin! The base is slightly crunchy at the end, but i'm a fan of french bread pizza so ... ...puree quite a lot and not so much the cheese. I buy these quite a lot now, usually to have as a snack inbetween meals. I have never been able to get them from any asda store, but tesco, farmfoods and iceland usually have them. From farmfoods they cost £1.00 for 2, in tesco they are slightly more, £1.19 if i remember correctly! These are perfect for the french bread lovers out there, but for people who like tasty, filling pizzas, then these arent ...
Gemaw 06.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Findus french bread pizza cheese & tomato
