OT as hell: ready meals

Was standing behind someone in the supermarket queue, and idly tallying
the contents of their shopping trolley. As you do[1].

I mean, something like two dozen ready meal packs. Almost all frozen,
FWIW. A couple of chilled. And not things like curries or Chinese,
either, but roast dinners, sausages, that sort of thing.

I don't actually know what these things cost any more - time was, a
decade ago, I knew them all, and who made 'em, but time and jobs move
on.

Anyway, by my reckoning a couple of dozen RMs means.... well, at least
£50. Probably nearer £60. That strikes me as a helluva lot of cash

So who here buys them, why, and which ones are any good? That'll be
private label for chilled, as brands hardly exist. As for frozen, PL or
brands.



[1] Well, as I do. I'm sure others do the same.

 

Glad I'm not the only one.

Depends - if they're shopping in the kind of places you're shopping,
then it's not likely to be cheap. If they go to Cooltrader / Iceland /
Farmfoods, a plated roast dinner can be as little as £1.50.

Never buy frozen these days - have been known to pick up a Chicago Town
lasagne in the past. If I get any ready meals these days, which is rare,
they're either M&S or Tesco. The Tesco range launched just after
Christmas is actually quite good - they have some unusual dishes, rather
than the run of the mill stuff. Their premium own label stuff isn't too
shoddy, either - but it's not cheap.

I only buy them if I know I'm going to get home relatively late from
work and can't be arsed cooking.

 

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 21:25:50 +0000,

I buy, at most one, Tesco Finest a week. Usually their beef
stroganoff for one of those nights when Anya and I are eating at
different times.

Tastes good, with good meat and a nice sauce. Reasonable fat and salt
levels but hellishly high calories due to the sauce.

I certainly wouldn't live on them though. Couldn't afford to.

 

Was this "someone" male, and probably single, early to mid 30s? Also
more than likely ethnically European? Just guessing.

 

The Older Gentleman () gurgled
happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Whilst our kitchen was in a million bits last autumn, we blagged a
microwave, and stocked the fridge with ready meals from M&S and Tesco
Finest.

They were, at best, edible..

 

message

I occasionaly buy the "Healthy Eating" options, not because they're
particularly healthy, but they don't taste bad and they're bloody useful
when you forget what time it is, you've not prepared anything and you're
fucking starving.

I've tried a few of the ready meals and to be honest, generally speaking,
they're crap but not all of 'em. I reckon they have a place in our "Must
have now" society, but not as an every day thing.

Every time and it's bloody annoying. Like counting stairs it is.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 21:25:50 +0000,

Err yes I do buy some ready meals - chilled ones like curries or similar
and largely for convenience. I have cut back and I do look at the prices
but on the basis of a total meal cost rather than the proper comparison
of what would it cost for me to cook it from raw ingredients. Waitrose
prices are between £3.50 and £4.50 typically.

I am currently reading a book on supermarkets called "Shopped". While
some of the contents are not a surprise I am finding much of it utterly
appalling. I struggle to understand why the supermarkets have to screw
everyone into the ground as much as they do and I am also concerned as
to where we have got to as a country in all sorts of respects [1] given
their dominance. Many of the observations in the book have pulled me up
short and made me think about my shopping habits and I'm not really very
happy about them.

When I was a kid my Dad had an allotment and we used to have lots of
fresh vegetables and food that was cooked rather than simply warmed up.
The funny thing is that I am trying to remember what was seasonal and I
can't - that has proven to me the extent to which I've been brainwashed
by supermarket convenience just like (almost) everyone else. I'm also
convinced that relying on supermarket convenience food is partly
responsible for my state of health and something has to be done about
that.

I am going to go on a bit of a hunt round to see if I can find a decent
butcher, greengrocer and fishmonger locally so I can reduce or eliminate
my use of supermarkets. I may even turn part of the back garden into a
veg patch off the back of this and from watching the "grow your own"
programme done by Carol Klein on Friday nights on BBC2. The side effects
of this might be that my own diet improves, I learn some more cookery
skills and get some exercise. I'm also recording that programme on BBC2
about food that's on as I type and put myself on the "ape" diet - some
would say that's entirely appropriate ;-)

I'm trying to keep all of this thought process in some sort of
proportion so that it doesn't turn into a five minute fad. I do need to
make some permanent changes.

I do this sometimes. It can be very revealing. I sometimes think "do
they really sell that here?" as I can guarantee I've never seen it on
the shelf. Other times it's "why on earth have they bought 25 of those".

[1] health, horticulture, local businesses, economic diversity,
transport, land use, nutrition, employment, environment to name but a
few.

 

The M&S ones are going to be the best around. However, one does pay
over the odds for them. An example being the chinese/indian meals for
two. They cost nearly as much as a bone fide delivered meal from your
common-or-garden takeaway, which are likely to be much better,

 

In

..... and I bet I could make a beef stroganoff quicker than you could defrost
and microwave one. They're remarkably easy to do try doing it fresh sometime
they taste difference is incredible!

*All* frozen ready meals are utter utter over processed shite ...

 

In

agreed ... they're crap, made with crap, taste crap and often take longer to
defrost and heat than it takes to just cook from scratch.

The one that REALLY rattles my cage is frozen omelettes, fer christs sake an
omelette takes 2 or 3 minutes tops! A frozen ones takes ages to defrost
alone.

 

..............and the stroganoff?

 

Never really understood frozen ready meals. Assuming you need to defrost
them, that surely takes away 90% of the convenience factor.

Moussaka from Waitrose, and the odd curry. Curry from our local takeaway is
variable, and generally pricier than the ready-meal equiv. from Waitrose. I
always do my own rice, though.

 

None, ever. The nearest thing I have to ready meals are a couple of
Pizza Express pizzas in the freezer for can't-be-bothered evenings and
nothing pre-frozen.

Shopping the other week, I saw packets of dumpling mix. Suet and
Flour, that is. Amazing that anyonecould be that lazy to need aything
premixed for something so utterly basic...

 

I've got a few bits - some luxury frozen fish cakes. Oh, and Birds Eye fish
fingers for butties.

Hah. I've seen frozen omelettes, for God's sake.

 

We're trying to do this - hard in london but coming from a farm
background, I have a basic need to do it anyway. We get an organic veg
delivery and buy all the meat from a proper butcher.

Last summer I went on a course in Cornwall at Dick Strawbridge's house
- he of Scrapheap Challenge, It's Not Easy Being Green etc, on the idea
of sustainable living for the 21st Century - very good it was. Nice
bloke, in a mad sort of way and good company in the pub!

 

Speaking as one who does sometimes eat convenience foods and has even
eaten Pot Noodles (in the distant past) and enjoyed them, I find the
thought of frozen omlette abhorrent. It must taste like rubberised
cardboard, surely?

 

Actually, we might have some of those, Hers, they are as I hate fish.

Madness.

 

Farmer's markets? There are quite a few in London these days.

Ali

 

Sainsburys Chicken Makhani. Made by Noon, it's actually fucking
delicious.

But that's the only ready meal I've bought in the last few years, and
likely to be the only one I buy for the foreseeable, too.

 

In

Being in pikey land I'll take your word for it ... Harrods used to do
some decent ones I seem to recall

I'd be lying if I said I'd never used them but after I've finished eating
any of them I always feel deeply disappointed, I'd rather have a decent
sandwich.

Because of my Moms illness I've recently taken to making loads of fresh
soups. They're cheap, easy, in the fridge ready to be used and hot in
seconds in the microwave. Just needs some good crusty bread bought on the
way home and it's a great supper meal. Tonights has been potato and leek
soup which is incredible easy to make.

AOL <edited>

Yep, one of the reps from the local suppliers when I was cheffing tried to
get us to try them .... I pointed to a tray of eggs and asked him if he
wanted an omelette prep race ... he declined