11. Jan, 2016

Today the stuff I ate was Tesco Finest Chestnut, Mushroom & Madeira Soup.

This soup sounds good doesn't it? Don't be fooled people. This is the most revolting soup I've ever tried. 

I should have taken a video of it, because it had the oddest blancmange texture - a real wobble. Soup Should Not have a wobble. 

I was trying to imagine the soup gurus at Tesco cooking this up, tasting it and thinking - 'Hmmm, yes, the odd almost toxic chemical taste and blancmange-like wobble are fine, good to go'. It tastes as if it's got some sort of odd fake-mushroom additive, like a really chemical truffle-oil. And the texture, I assume, is down to way too much cornflour - the ingredients state cornflour AND flour. If you make mushroom soup at home, do you ever ever add cornflour - or even flour, for that matter? If the answer is 'Yes', then go stand in the corner. The cornflour corner. 

Verdict: Utterly vile
Score: 0/10
Would I buy it again? Never, not even if you paid me

13. Jun, 2015

Last night the stuff I ate was Charlie Bigham's Thai Red Chicken Curry & Fragrant Rice.

A Ready Meal - a posh ready meal, no less.

Popped into Waitrose on the way back from Lidl for a coupla bottles of wine, my fave coffee and some mince. It was 7pm by then, so I popped this in the basket too.

Didn't know much about this Charlie fella, so I googled him for you... Interesting article here on 'How CB persuaded you to spend an extra £2 on a 'ready meal.' Have a read>

Had to go in the oven for 30 mins - but was delish, succulent chicken, complex spice flavours, nice fresh chilli kick, not just that mono-flavour that a lot of ready-curries have. And not a preservative in sight. Worth the £7 for 2 peeps as a last min treat.

Verdict: Very tasty red Thai Curry, only minor criticism was very slightly rubbery rice
Score: 9/10 
Would I buy it again: Yep, I would, with only the merest smidge of guilt

25. May, 2015

Today the stuff I ate was Tesco Finest Chicken, Chardonnay Wine & Tarragon Soup.

I bought 3 Tesco finest soups for lunch this week (it's a busy one). This one looked good with nice big chunks of roasted chicken. It's possible I was swung by the word Chardonnay.

Once heated, I gave it a stir and could tell it was quite gloopy. I had a butchers at the ingredients and found cornflour mentioned twice and potato starch once. Hmm... too much of this gloopy stuff in there.

It tasted a wee bit strange, as if the tarragon had been in quarantine in a dusty warehouse. I added a smidge of Maldon salt & black pepper and it brought it to life a little. A squeeze of lemon would have helped, too, I thought aftewards.

Verdict: OK, nice roast chickeny bits, too gloopy, odd dusty taste
Score:   6/10
Would I eat it again? Probably not