Do you ever eat ready meals?

[Stevieknicks80]

Inspired by my lunch, just tucking into a weight watchers chicken lasagne that is delicious..
I rarely eat ready meals but the weight watchers range is quite tasty.
Do you eat ready meals and how often?

After I ate macaroni cheese for everyday for 2 weeks in a row then suddenly got sick of it I decided ready meals were not good for me so started cooking again.

2-3 times a week usually the Tesco finest, the balanced ones from M&S or the aldi ones that have 2 of your 5 a day. I work 13 hour shifts so they’re easy and filling ‘lunches’

No, never have. Tonight's dinner is sausages, mash, 3 fresh veg. Last night's was stir-fry chicken, veg, beansprouts in black bean sauce. Tomorrow will be oven-roasted veg with salmon fillets.

Yes, M&S curries are a regular Friday night treat in our house. We also sometimes get their dine-in deals for dinner if we don’t have time to cook. Fish pie followed by profiteroles is yummy.

Once a fortnight or so here. M&S dine in, or their Chinese takeaway box usually. Tonight we have Pizza Express lasagne.

I eat baked beans and am partial to a tinned soup.

Yes, I usually share one with DD on a Friday night when I’m too tired to cook. It’s got to be a good quality one though, I usually go for M&S, Sainsburys taste the difference or Charlie Bigham.

Never. I used to have them now and then, but now I find most of them pretty rank. As a pp said, if I can't be bothered to cook I have a sandwich or cheese and fruit or something like that.

@CaMePlaitPas

I eat baked beans and am partial to a tinned soup.

Are both of those classed as ready meals?!

If I have time, yes I'll make soup. Not being arsed to make baked beans from scratch stuff what Jamie Oliver says!

We sometimes have a Cook one instead of a takeaway- they taste like proper homemade food unlike some of the cheaper ones.

I enjoy them, especially rice/paella type ones.

Almost never, in terms of microwave lasagne, cottage pie, curry etc - just very occasionally when we're in a holiday cottage and I don't want the hassle of cooking in a strange kitchen (especially if we're only there for a couple of nights). Then I kind of enjoy that everyone can choose whatever they fancy.
I do sometimes (once a month?) buy a quiche, ready made pizza or stuffed pasta though. Does that count?

Not really. I want to like them, but they’re never that nice. Mushy sort of textures and the seasoning is often way off.

I’m vegetarian, so perhaps the meat or fish ones are nicer?

@Clandestin

Not really. I want to like them, but they’re never that nice. Mushy sort of textures and the seasoning is often way off.

I’m vegetarian, so perhaps the meat or fish ones are nicer?

I agree that since going veggie, the ready meals are less good.

I think you also have to do most of the veggie ones in the oven to get them crispy on top of the texture is all the same. I like cook macaroni cheese.

I have one for lunch everyday. Morrisons low calorie ones taste ok and as I'm trying to lose weight (3st down 3 to go) it's quick and easy - one less meal I have to weigh/calculate calories for.

We have them around once a week. Pizza usually or Sainsbury’s curries are actually quite nice. Don’t like the pasta ones or the Chinese ones. It’s my night off cooking. (Divorced mum)

Yes, a couple of times a week. There’s only me here most of the time and I don’t have the get up and go to cook properly for myself when I finish at work. M&S ones usually or Tesco finest.

Not very often, they aren't very nice and they're reaching the price of a takeaway. So if I don't want to cook I can spend £4.50 on a ready meal beef in black bean sauce or £6.50 on a takeaway one I'm going to choose a takeaway one.

Hardly ever these days - well not what I’d count as a ready meal anyway, as in a full meal in the little plastic or whatever trays you just bung straight in the oven/ microwave. The veggie options are usually pretty limited and also since weaning DD I try to stick to meals we can all share.

Stuff that people are classing as ‘ready meals’ on here but personally I really don’t think counts, like a tin of beans or some Birdseye veggie fingers then yes, occasionally. I also buy the cauldron falafel, aldi fresh beetroot burgers or the odd higgidy quiche sometimes, which I don’t think count as ready meals but I suppose you could argue they do.

I did used to love an occasional M&S dine in for £10 but since I stopped eating meat they’re not really worth it, the only veggie option I ever see is macaroni cheese and I far prefer my own version.

Sometimes
I like the wasabi brand ones. I eat supermarket pizza too

Quite regularly - better for you than a takeaway and cheaper. Good after a long day at work.

A fried of mine had never heard of them! and when I was shocked said she'd had pot noodles in the past when camping, which put me off them a bit.

My all-time favourite ready meal was Tesco’s Spicy Beef & Jalapeño Pasta Melt. It was just so yummy, the rich beef ragu had been properly reduced and the jalapeños gave it a real blow-your-socks-off kick. Sadly, it was discontinued, probably because the spiciness was a bit full-on for most people. That was why I liked it, though!

Nope.

Yes, I eat them a lot, though they tend to be M&S or the "finest" type ones from Aldi or Tesco.

I'm neurodivergent and I have a list of "safe" foods that don't trigger any sensory issues, plus I despise cooking. I struggle to tell when I'm hungry so when I finally do recognise the feeling, it's too late. By the time something "proper" is ready, I've passed over into feeling sick and I no longer want it

Basically, if I don't have a few ready meals in the fridge, I just won't eat maybe three nights out of seven.

Usually only on yellow sticker offer

I am moving house and have just used a Cook voucher to make life easier during this time. The first meal was decent. I've tried other items from them in the past and they are nice, but I really prefer my own cooking!