How would you rate Charlie Bighams meals?

[RosieLeaLovesTea]

Hi all
I tried a Charlie Bigham’s meal for the first time yesterday. I was busy with some clearing and declutter if and didn’t have a lot in to make a meal and was pressed for time so I thought I would give it a try. I was please when reading the ingredients list no additives. Are they on the healthier side of the ready meals? I chose the vegetable lasagne and it was very tasty. I’m it it with skme
chips and veg to bulk it out a bit.

how do you rate them if you have tried them?

Love them OP, and find them convenient. Tend to add them into weekly shop around home cooked meals when short on time x

They're sort of posh nursery food - quite bland, quite rich, quite heavy, not a lot of flavour. I would imagine them appealing to the sort of person who has the heebie-jeebies about garlic smelling 'foreign'. The ones I've tried were also quite bulked out with potato. They're not awful as ready meals go, but I'm amazed people buy them at the price they are (or they don't: I've only ever bought them on yellow sticker and they often seem to be there).

I wish they wouldn’t use wine so much, it really limits the meals I can buy for DM.

Read the quote history. Some people think these meals are fine because they are butter and cream not upf additives but that doesn't negate the fact they aren't healthy, are still full of salt. And this is an argument you see a lot on the online upf-free groups. No consideration of whether a food is actually healthy if it's non-upf.

OK but prefer Cook meals.

I'm not keen on them. The only one I really liked was a black dahl dish which I thought was the best bought dahl I'd had. It disappeared from options available after only about 3 months and has never been seen again so obviously not many other people liked it.

I don’t understand what you are trying to say here? Ingredients look very similar, aside from Sainsbury’s using what I assume is Latin names for the fish. Or is that the point you are making, that they are the same?

I buy the fish pie when it is yellow stickered to half price, and add a side of broccoli/spinach eyc

They are ok. I prefer marks and Spencer for taste and budget.

Yes, I’m pointing out they are almost identical, and that a bog standard fish pie doesn’t use any preservatives either.

I also thought it was a legal obligation to specify fish species.

I like the lasagne and moussaka, I bulk it out with veg, but only as an occasional ‘can’t be bothered cooking’ treat. I also like the M&S lasagne in the black packaging.

Too much salt and fat

I love the macaroni cheese one, in fact I’m having it this evening, with some asparagus

Yes, price per head for two when on sale is reasonable. The single portions are very expensive and small. IMO.

The tikka masala and red curry are delicious as is coq au vin and macaroni cheese x