I am a 44 year old mother of 2 - son aged 16 and daughter aged 9. I love writing, reading and drawi...
I am a 44 year old mother of 2 - son aged 16 and daughter aged 9. I love writing, reading and drawing.
Member since:17.10.2002
Reviews:69
Members who trust:39
I am at that terrible stage just now when I fancied something really tasty for tea but didn't know what. I'm sure we've all been there, when the normal everyday meals are just not appealing anymore. So what did I do? I trawled the Tesco Internet site to see if anything appealed.
After going through all the fresh foods with nothing jumping out at me I decided to look in the frozen section. There I came across something that I remembered reading a review on a few months back. Although it did not sound very nice I remembered it had got a great review from chrisandmarkuk. What was it? Mr Brains Faggots. Now I don't know whether I have lived on another planet or not but this was the first time I had heard of Faggots and I must admit the name really put me off. I did, however click them in to my basket and awaited their arrival.
Now the pack I purchased was the 4 pack which cost 98p for 378g but I noticed that they are also available in a 192g pack (2 faggots) for 73p and a 564g pack (6 faggots) for £1.66. Great if you are either a single person or are catering for more than 2 people. I found the price of this product to be very reasonable for a main meal and decided that if we hated it we hadn't lost much. I must admit I haven't noticed these items when I have physically been going round supermarkets but I'm sure they probably are there. Just check out the freezers. I am sure you would also pay a lot more for them if you were to pick them up in a small shop.
I had already decided that I would not dish this up to the kids and as expected as soon as my son saw the pack I got the normal "Yuck, I hope I'm not having that". The pack itself is quite bright, being presented on a bright yellowish, orange background. There is a lot of clutter on the front with Mr Brains in red lettering and 4 pork faggots jumping out at you in a green band. You are also advised that it is a traditional pork recipe in a rich west country sauce. The picture on the front depicts two of the steaming faggots which look like large meatballs sitting in gravy alongside mashed potatoes and peas.
Now for the bad news. Nutritionally these provide 12.5g of fat per half pack (ouch!!) and 242 calories. So they are obviously not meant to be a regular meal for the weight conscious. I am, however, of the opinion that they are fine if you are only having them now and again. The important thing to remember is to have something healthy along with them. I decided to have boiled potatoes and mixed vegetables.
On opening the box you are faced with a foil carton with a white cardboard foil lid on top (the same type of carton you get from many chinese take aways). Since you have to loosen the top prior to putting them in the oven I had a quick look in. What did it look like? Frozen puke!! I know it sounds disgusting but don't let it put you off. The product is ready in 30-40 minutes so I thought I'd reserve judgement.
I was quite surprised as I entered my kitchen while the faggots were cooking to be met with a tantalising aroma. They smelt of traditional fayre -like something you had cooked yourself, very meaty and appetising. I changed my opinion at that point and couldn't wait to get them out of the oven to taste.
When they were ready I took out the tray and dished up two on each plate with all the trimmings. By now my tastebuds were doing somersaults. You have to be very careful as you dish them up or they can fall apart - I used a large spoon. The gravy was a rich brown colour and I found there was ample for my meal because my husband is not very keen on gravy. If, you get 2 people who love gravy you may have to make up a little more.
As I sat down to enjoy my meal I took a few seconds to work out what they looked like. A cross between mince, meatballs and haggis is probably the best way to describe them. As I dived in I noticed they were very moist - some people would probably say soggy, but in a nice sort of way. They tasted similar to mince but with quite a strong (but not overly so) onion flavour. You could actually see the pieces of onion through them. They were not in the least bit sickening. The gravy was of a perfect consistency and once again had an onion flavour. They were extremely filling and I have to say that two faggots were sufficient for my meal.
Overall verdict - I love them!! They are lovely for a change and I will definitely be having them again. It is not often that you get something frozen in a box that tastes like home-made. My advice to others is - like me, don't let the name put you off or you'll be missing a real treat.
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My auntie used to give me these whenI was little and I used to cry because I was convinved they were 'maggots'. lol. I wouldn't touch them now; not after haing read the ingredients!!
wolfatgoogle 11.10.2007 07:50
Good review, but I still wouldn't touch these. I'm not a great meat eater at the best of times, and you're so right about the name!
Advantages: Taste, great for an easy to prepare dinner Disadvantages: Can be pricey, faggots sometimes break up when you're putting them on the plate, high fat
Advantages: Taste, great for an easy to prepare dinner Disadvantages: Can be pricey, faggots sometimes break up when you're putting them on the plate, high fat
Jun 6th, 2003
very helpful by (98%):
helpful by (2%):
