..to think that essential Waitrose was a rubbish idea?

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

DP bought essential Waitrose fish fingers the other day when we normally buy a branded one. I wasn't too bothered, although they're cod and we normally buy haddock to avoid the whole cod overfishing thing.

Looked at the ingredients to see how much salt they had (DS2 is eight months and doing BLW) and the ingredients shocked me a bit.

To compare, the branded one's ingredients are:

Haddock fillet, Wheat Flour, Water, Paprika, Salt, Yeast, Turmeric, Potato Starch, Salt, Vegetable Oil.

essential Waitrose:
cod fillet, wheat flour, palm oil, water, salt, yeast, turmeric, paprika and curcumin, emulsifier mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids



Has anyone found an essential Waitrose product that wasn't a bit crap yet? And what is all that mono and diacetyl crap, what purpose can it possibly serve in something simple like a fish finger?

And isn't palm oil a really bad thing to use at the moment?

OR am I just a nutter who reads packets too closely?

[Skegness]

My h button didn't work in my last post!

[MrsJohnDeere]

Ime, a lot of the essential Waitrose stuff is just the same products in new packaging.

Agree about the fishfingers - quite unpleasant (even by fishfinger standards) and much less fish in them.
Their weetabix equivalent are crap - 3 essential ones weigh the same as 1 'proper' weetabix one, so a false economy.
Chickpeas are smaller than they used to be.
Coconut milk is more watered down.
They've changed some of their bread too recently - much higher salt content.

[bratnav]

Oh and the rice pops (rice crispies) are great

[Bettymum]

How can labelling a packet of gingernuts as essential be a bad idea?

[moomaa]

YANBU DH really doesn't like me buying stuff with palm oil in and M&S seem to be the worst for it.

I find Morrisons is good for avoiding it as they don't hoike the prices as much for 'free from' or organic stuff as they aren't aiming at posh people.

[GrendelsMum]

DH (a Man Wot Knows) tells me that the Essentials line has done very well for Waitrose, so clearly someone's buying it enthusiastically. I don't approve of palm oil either, and we avoid it when possible when I spot it on the packet

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

Waitrose bread is invariably crap, though, IMO.

bratnav we do use the same Waitrose.....how spooky. IS that you lurking behind the newspaper display?

to all those saying 'Make your own fishfingers', sorry but lol. The whole reason I buy fishfingers is so that I have a backup meal in the freezer that takes seconds to make and doesn't rely on me having any fresh ingredients/bread/eggs in the house. Everything else is cooked from scratch.

The DSs eat them maybe once a week for this reason, so I want to buy ones without the crap in, which is where Bird's Eye comes in. No crap. Unlike Waitrose essentials.

Most of the time if we're having fish we eat Waitrose essential frozen Coley fillets. Not overfished afaik and no crap. And much cheaper than fresh fish, by god that costs at the moment!

Honestly, MN....post a problem about your car breaking down and someone will always come along and say 'Build your own, much better. Or buy a bike. Or walk, you lazy sod.'

[Monty100]

Stig - you sounded like Gordon Ramsay then, when he does that really fast filming of cooking something and the beaty music in the background and then he says 'DONE'.(making it all sound and look soooo simple)

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Lol whatfreshhell - sometimes bright orange fishfingers + cheap pappy bread + copious amounts tomato sauce is the perfect quick meal.

[bratnav]

You definitely can't beat a fishfinger sandwich sometimes, DH and I scoff them after the DCs have gone to bed (this is after the fabulously healthy and cooked from scratch supper I have cooked )

Nah not me WhatFresh I am usually accompanied by at least 3 DCs, so covert operations aren't easy , but I do leave my shopping lists in the trolley, and pinch other peoples. If you find one it is only mine if there are at least 50 items on there.

[Nancy66]

Waitrose ready meals are just about the worst on the market in my opinion.

I hardly ever buy ready meals but occasionally if DP is away I'll feel lazy and make an exception. I spent about £6 each on moussaka and lasagne recently from their posh range, both were bloody awful. Really watery and made with cheap, fatty mince.

[fernie3]

I only ever buy treats in waitrose as its so pricey. They do wonderful food though although a weeks shop for the 5 of us (plus two cats) would probably bankrupt us! I have never tried any essential stuff but with tesco the value stuff can be great or vile depending on what it is

[gagamama]

I love Waitrose essentials. I didn't realise it was the 'value' range though - most products I can think of don't also stock a standard own-brand alternative. The only exception (that I've bothered noticing, anyway) is that you can get both essential smoked haddock fillets and normal Waitrose ones. (I tend to get the Waitrose ones though because the honey and soy ones are just mmmm, and they come in fall smaller packs, ergo smaller expenditure, although higher cost by weight).

Most things though, I'm sure it's just the non-organic, non-gluten/dairy/meat free, non-other-gimmicky version of their own brand.

Bloody love going in half an hour before closing though. Heaps of items for £5/6/7 each reduced to 49p... yes please!

[Knownowt]

Grendelsmum, my husband (another Man Wot Knows) says exactly the same- it's been a huge success. I find it really annoying though- the ordinary stuff I used to buy now looks cheap

[CatIsSleepy]

I still haven't worked out why the Essential carrots are more expensive than the non Essential carrots

fishfinger sandwiches are the best

[GrendelsMum]

Maybe some carrots are more Essential than some other carrots?

And yes, their decisions on what is and isnt' essential are very amusing. I like the idea of Essential muffins.

We're also big consumers of Essential frozen Coley. We keep huge amounts in the freezer, and if we run out of human food, the humans eat coley, and if we run out of cat food, the cats eat coley.

I'm pleased to hear that other people's DHs are prone to coming home and announcing riveting facts about the Waitrose Essentials line!

If Plato were to be shopping at a modern supermarket, would he buy only Essentials?

[indignatio]

I still vote for their coconut milk - to me, it doesn't seem thinner than the Blue dragon version. Although, the term essential in realtion to coconut milk may be stretching it a tad !

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

I love Waitrose Essentials, all the fruit, veg and meat is very good quality and value for money.

What is wrong with Waitrose bread? I really like it!

[StrawberryBeret]

"Looked at the ingredients to see how much salt they had (DS2 is eight months and doing BLW) and the ingredients shocked me a bit."

Is the 8 month old eating fish fingers?

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

Yes he is, Strawberry Beret, occasionally - but not the Essentials ones. Why? I used to peel off the coating for him so he had a handy fish stick to hold, but now I just make sure he doesn't have anything else salty that day.

[NinthWave]

Vegetable oil is often just palm oil under a different name: hmmmm

But this might ease your conscience a bit!

[PrivetDancer]

Seconding the the at making your own bloody fish fingers!
And at the defensive "I rarely eat processed food.. but"
I do! And I'm not ashamed!

[Marmellatax]

I think what Essential means in this care is BASIC. I never buy waitrose essentials as they are poor quality and I've never seen anything organic in that range.

[StillStayingClassySanDiego]

7 years!

[DisappointedOne]

Waitrose essentials essentials in this house:

Tinned tuna (sustainably caught and yummy)
Coconut cream (in tiny tins - less waste)
Black olives (tinned in brine - I drain and put in a jar with olive oil, herbs, garlic etc for DD's packed lunches)
Sweet corn (naturally sweet, small tins again)
Frozen spinach (great for curries)
Butter (500g blocks)
Double cream
Dried pasta