To think processed and pre cooked food is way too common in this country?

We consume the highest amount of UPF in Europe, so yes definitely.

I suspect not many people are eating high end ready meals. The majority of ready meals are not healthy as they are high in salt, saturated fat and low in fibre. I posted up thread about the Action Salt report into ready meals which includes reference to a variety of ready meals.

I agree with the above. The fact that with a ready meal (even a high quality one) over 60% of what you are paying will be for its production, packaging and marketing. That means that you will be loosing out by not getting as good as quality of ingredients as you would if you assembled it yourself. The high levels of sugar and salt are often used to disguise the poor quality of the ingredients and to make you want to eat more of it.

You'll be getting your fibre and protein more from the pasta than tomatoes, if you aren't slathering on the tomatoes in their skins and seeds. That would be the case (but probably more so, where fibre is concerned) if you went with a ready made tomato sauce. Of course the type of pasta (wholegrain, egg) will influence these ratios, as will the number of tomatoes. Then there are the one minute additions at various costs - spinach, anchovies, cheese, tinned tuna - if you decide you want or need them

I think it likely deters people from home cooking if they think protein, fibre etc have to be delivered evenly by every dish they prepare. This is a single meal. Have a wholegrain cheese sandwich and a salad at another point in the day to add more nutrients. Eat a yoghurt or an apple for dessert. (These are examples, and not presented as the zenith of dietary choices. But you look at your nutrients across the day or week).

High quality ready meals don't contain anything unidentifiable.

Those vitamins etc may be very healthy in themselves but that tomato sauce does not contain anywhere near enough protein or fibre to be a self contained meal - which is the point of the discussion.

Cooked tomatoes are incredibly good for you because they contain the antioxidant lycoprene , plus are very rich in potassium and vitamin C.

An Italian would probably add parmesan to this which is high in protein. Olive oil has loads of health benefits as its also high in antioxidants and supports heart health. Basil is anti-inflamatory and also contains vitamin K and magnesium.

In the meantime your high protein ready meal will almost certainly be high in salt and sugar, and contain ingredients that you probably need a degree in chemistry to understand, none of which will be doing you any good

The point of my post saying how easy most things are. The point being I was making same point as you then you gain said it

‘if you then freeze them, they're easy to use at short notice (but this entails having a freezer). I suspect a lot of people don't do this, as it's never been the norm for them and they weren't ever taught...’

I was indeed never taught that. But I LOVE black beans and we eat loads, so I will be doing that from now on - thank you for the tip.

How is it missing a point? The point I was making was that a lot of the blame for people's reliance on ready meals is put on the idea that cooking is difficult I didn't say you found it difficult.

Carbonara must be something that some find easier than others then. I've never had the eggs scramble or found it tricky. I accept that others might do then.

But there are a lot of very simple meals that people can cook from scratch.

And there are so many recipes online now.

My daughter became a very competent cook over lockdown because it was how she chose to spend her time while I was at work - finding recipes she wanted to try on BBC Good Food website and making them. She wasn't reliant on me teaching her and she was 13. If a 13 year old can do it, most people could if they wanted to.

Nobody has to buy anything. The choice is ours. If you don’t like processed food, then cook from scratch with fresh food.

Each to their own - I rarely buy processed foods. 🤷‍♀️

Missing the point completely. I do say cooking isn't difficult. Carbonara does require a certain deftness and - as many an expert cook will tell you - there a risk of over doing the egg cooking and scrambling. It's well known to be a recipe that done never master despite appearing to be relatively simple.

Yes, Biona coconut milk (or any other organic brand, eg Clearspring, I think) is good. There is also a company called Tropical Sun, whose organic coconut milk is just coconut & water - this used to be available in some supermarkets, not sure if it still is - you can order it direct from them though https://tropicalsunfoods.com/products/coconut-milk-organic-100-natural

I remember the Guardian covering this recently - see https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/mar/29/best-supermarket-canned-coconut-milk

They are normalised but at the same time they’re not something I’m bothered about. I do think that people unnecessarily worry about them.

I used to get one in my local Asian food store. Can't remember the name but if you have such a store nearby have a look. Have a look at Biona brand too.

It is but it's also one of the first meals my daughter rlearned to make.

And yes, we do it 'properly'.

Longtimelurkerfinallyposts

Yes, it's like coconut milk. Some have 80+% coconut. Some contain as little as 50+%.

The 50+% one is obviously cheaper. But also contains a lot more crap.

If anyone has a recommendation for a really high quality coconut milk, I'd love to hear it please!

You CAN buy black beans in a can that contains just black beans (and some water), no additive - eg the organic ones made by Suma (which the Co-op stocks). But they're not as cheap as the other brands.
https://www.suma-store.coop/products/suma-wholefoods/suma-organic-black-beans---400g/?utm_source=rss=rss=rssfeed

It's always going to work out cheaper to buy dry beans, soak and cook them - and if you then freeze them, they're easy to use at short notice (but this entails having a freezer). I suspect a lot of people don't do this, as it's never been the norm for them and they weren't ever taught...

...one exception being people whose families migrated to the UK from other places, where it was more normal to grow/store your own legumes, fruit & veg, or buy them in their whole, unprocessed form.

I consider myself to be a good cook. And I make a great carbonara (according to my family 😆), but I do consider it tricky.

There's more to it in terms of getting the timing/temperature right than a lot of other dishes.

On the flip side, it is fast. It's a great, quick, midweek meal.

Not wishing to be pedantic but carbonara is one of the easiest meals to make. It requires very little skill.

Part of the problem is the attitude that 'cooking is hard'.

It's not. Some dishes are more complex and require more skill but cooking basic, nutritious, healthy meals is really simple.

I could have written this. I'd say DF cooks from scratch 50% of the time.

Though he did have frozen lasagne last week. With a side of cauliflower, carrots and beans 😆

Thinking about the biggest family I've known in the last 20 years, they cooked from scratch because 2 chickens was cheaper than chicken pieces for 11.

I think part of it is that many people have a limited palette and stick to bland as it's easy to eat.

I'm type 2 diabetic and have to now cook from scratch as anything ready made is too high in salt/fat/sugar. And it took some time for my taste buds to adjust to not having that "hit" you get from convenience foods. I am so much healthier for it. It worries me sick what DD feeds herself and her kids.

Pasta is great, quick and simple, olio and aglio, food of the gods. But let's not kid ourselves, you can also fry off a chicken breast and dump a load of salad leaves on a plate in 20 mins. Good, basic cooking is not difficult, or time consuming.

No, OP is just stating the bleeding obvious!

I don’t think Italians are as interested in eating cuisine from other countries as Brits are. They seem to be happy with pasta and pizza.
You can buy ready meals in virtually every type of cuisine you can think of. This may add to the appeal?