...99 from Tescos and I think this is an average price as it is at the top end of the price range for this type of meal.
Rating: average
•• Nutritional information and ingredients ••
The meal has 277 calories and 1.8g fat which is excellent. The ingredients are: ... Read review
Advantages: See what you are buying, low fat and calorie, tasty Disadvantages: Pricey, noisy cooking
...•• The Manufacturer ••
Tesco Healthy Eating range is growing all the while. Most of the sweet things I have tried have been excellent, but I have found the savoury foods varying in quality and taste. However, I do shop there for the majority of my groceries, so it can't be all bad. Tesco is one of the largest supermarkets in the country and they provide on-line ordering at: www.tesco.co.uk
Rating: excellent ...was not one of my favourites, as it was too gingery for me. Having said this, it was tasty, looked and smelt good and I am sure many will like it. No let down, as you can see what you are buying, but quite pricey. The packaging does state it is for microwave cooking only, but I wonder how many people have bought it for oven cooking. If you do buy one of these, don’t be alarmed at the guinea pigs in your microwave!
The seventh in my series of opinions on ready made diet meals (when is she going to stop I hear you cry!). I am using the following rating system: excellent, good, average, not so good and bad
•• The Packaging •• This fresh meal comes a clear oval plastic microwaveable dish with a clear film covering. It is not in a box, instead it just has a small cardboard sleeve around the middle giving you details of the product. So, basically you can see exactly what you are getting - no shocking surprises. I bought this on a Thursday and the sell by date was the following Monday with the use by date the Tuesday. It is not suitable for home freezing. The sleeve details the guideline daily amounts of calories, fat and salt for men and women.
Rating: excellent
•• Value for money •• The meal weighs 350g, which is slightly bigger than a lot of similar meals, but you do pay for the privilege and the freshness. It costs £2.99 from Tescos and I think this is an average price as it is at the top end of the price range for this type of meal.
Rating: average
•• Nutritional information and ingredients •• The meal has 277 calories and 1.8g fat which is excellent. The ingredients are: marinated chicken, cooked noodles, oyster sauce, choi sum, carrots, onion, water chestnuts, red peppers, white wine, sugar, black fungus (!), modified maize starch, low sodium soy sauce, ginger puree, garlic puree, flavourings, shitake mushrooms, colour, sesame oil and stabilisers. It says it is packed in a protected atmosphere (whatever that means) and also warns that the product may contain traces of nuts.
Rating: excellent
•• Speed and ease of cooking •• This meal is unusual in that it is only suitable for microwave cooking. For only the second time in my quest, there are instructions for my category E microwave. Category B (650w) cook for 5 minutes, category D (750w) cook for 4.5 minutes, and category E (850w – although mine is a 900w) cook for 4 minutes. The instructions say not to pierce the film and that ‘the pack may whistle and distort during heating and standing process’. I have never heard a racket like it! I have four guinea pigs and the squealing from the microwave sounded as if they were all in there. I even stopped the microwave twice as I was seriously worried about it exploding – the film lid was bulging upwards by about 3 inches and seriously distorting the dish. However, it did hold together, but the noise is not for the faint hearted or animal lovers.
Rating: good (frightening!)
•• The taste and look •• As mentioned previously, there were no shocks here, as I could see what I was getting as I bought it. Quite thick Chinese noodles, surrounded by chunks of chicken breast meat, Chinese vegetables (especially water chestnuts and red peppers) in a light sauce. The sauce was very gingery, with a hint of soy and garlic – basically very Chinese. There was just the right amount of sauce to cover the food but not overpower it. The noodles were cooked to perfection, with the vegetables hot, but not soggy or overcooked. It did look and smell good, if a little too gingery for my personal liking. A decent portion, although net extremely filling.
Rating: excellent
•• The Manufacturer •• Tesco Healthy Eating range is growing all the while. Most of the sweet things I have tried have been excellent, but I have found the savoury foods varying in quality and taste. However, I do shop there for the majority of my groceries, so it can't be all bad. Tesco is one of the largest supermarkets in the country and they provide on-line ordering at: www.tesco.co.uk
Rating: excellent
•• The verdict •• Personally, this was not one of my favourites, as it was too gingery for me. Having said this, it was tasty, looked and smelt good and I am sure many will like it. No let down, as you can see what you are buying, but quite pricey. The packaging does state it is for microwave cooking only, but I wonder how many people have bought it for oven cooking. If you do buy one of these, don’t be alarmed at the guinea pigs in your microwave!
