carrot

M&S Steak, Ale and Mushroom Casserole in a Pot
“Tender steak pieces with rich Dorset ale, mushrooms, swede, carrots and cabbage, topped with herb roasted potatoes.” Lots of beef and veg here. The steak is chewy, but that usually means it’s actual steak and not some chopped-and-formed beef-and-soy-protein product. The potatoes are not roasty-tasting; I was actually craving the crushed potatoes from the other […]

M&S Sausage Casserole in a Pot
“British pork sausages with onions and carrots, topped with a creamy potato and cabbage crush.” Like the M&S Fish Pie in a Pot this one is layered with the sauce on the bottom and the potato/cabbage crush on top. The layering isn’t as important here, though, as the ingredients aren’t as sensitive to cooking as […]

M&S Carrot Salad
“Carrot Salad with a coriander vinaigrette” The description of this salad mentions coriander but it’s the mint (infused in sunflower oil, as M&S is wont to do) that plays a prominent role. The cinnamon in the vinaigrette is also very strong and the honey makes it quite sweet. The bulgar wheat is chewy and wheat-y. […]

Country Kitchen Chicken & Vegetable Soup
I like this soup because it’s not pureed. Chunky soups are hard to find here. It has small chunks and shreds of chicken and recognizable bits of carrot, leek, celery and potato. The green beans are very hard to distinguish from the leeks because they’re shredded so finely. The chickeny broth is thickened with corn […]

Levi Roots Caribbean Curried Noodles
“Spicy coconut curry sauce served with cooked noodles and blanched vegetables.” Loads of veg in this meal: carrot, peppers, peas, green beans, cabbage. The sauce tastes a bit like a peanut sauce but best I can tell it has no peanuts (but may have traces as all meals seem to have these days). It does […]

M&S Hoi Sin Duck Noodle Bowl
“Egg noodles in a rich hoisin sauce with hand shredded aromatic duck and oriental vegetables.” M&S never ceases to amaze me with their creativity and skill. They have the standard ready meals: pies, pasties, bangers and mash, etc. They also have meals like this one, a really interesting take on Peking duck. The flavors and […]

Head-to-head: Tesco Shepherd’s Pies
The “Head-to-head” is a feature of the RMR where the same meals at different price levels are pitted against each other in a battle for ready meal supremacy. In this head-to-head we have that staple of Irish dinners from Tesco, the humble Shepherd’s Pie. The Competitors Tesco Value “Minced mutton, onions and carrots in a […]

Tesco Finest Puy Lentil & Vine-Ripened Tomato Soup
“A soup made with tomatoes, vegetables and lentils.” This is a very tasty soup. It’s packed with vegetables and has a touch of heat from a bit of chile. It’s also not too sweet which can be a problem with these vegetable soups. Nutritionally it’s great too: it’s low in sodium, very low in saturates […]

Tesco Light Choices Braised Beef & Mash
“Tender braised beef in a rich gravy with onion, cabbage and carrots, served with a fluffy mash made from British potatoes.” “Marinated diced beef in a vegetable gravy with fresh mashed potatoes.” This ready meal actually tastes pretty “real,” I think due to the cabbage. The slight bitterness it lends is not a common flavor […]