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Original poster

Heston's Chilli Con Carne for Waitrose - vile

15 replies

Zavi · 09/03/2013 14:18

I bought this the other evening. It costs almost £5 and was quite a large portion considering it was meant to be only for one person).

I was really looking forward to tasting this. The ingredients list looked impressive, exactly what I would have expected from a Bloomenthal recipe.

And it WAS very tasty. Not too spicy but nicely spiced.

Then I started chewing on something that I thought was a vegetable skin. Couldn't break it down with my teeth though, seemed rubbery.

Inspected it. It was a blood vessel.

Then I inspected the (finely ground) sauce more closely. I saw several other blood vessels, and parts of blood vessels which had been macerated in the processing obviously.

If you like blood vessels you''ll love this Chilli. I was so disappointed though.

I would have given it to the dog but it was a bit too spicy.

I'm taking it back to Waitrose for a refund next time I'm there.

Anyone tried any other Heston for Waitrose recipes - did they please / disappoint?

OP posts:
moondog · 09/03/2013 17:11

Why would you buy it in the first place?
It takes half an hour to make a vat of chilli.
I loathe all of the food pornography endemic in the UK.
People watch other people cooking, people who tell them it is very easy to cook, then they go and buy processed crap sold under their names!

Original poster
Zavi · 09/03/2013 20:46

I love food. I love cooking food. I love eating food. I love watching cookery programs and I love discussing food.

And sometimes I love buying food that has been made to a recipe designed by a particular chef - hence my purchase of the Heston's Chilli.

You are right about "processed crap". This recipe really was just that.

I like to have a balanced view though - which was the point of my post - to find out about others' experiences of Heston's recipes.

Do you have any moondog?

Hopefully someone will be along soon with their own review...

OP posts:
Brices · 09/03/2013 23:53

They taste dreadful even the cider was awful. What is it with earl grey? He puts it in gin and hot cross buns. Wouldnt go near his recipes after what I've tried from waitrose

HarderToKidnap · 10/03/2013 00:04

That is disgusting! I tried his baked Alaska for waitrose last weekend, it was awful. Tasted very chemically and of artificial sweetener.

ScienceRocks · 10/03/2013 00:14

The mulled cider is awful. I quite like the caraway carrots, lasagne and Shepherd's pie though.

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 10/03/2013 00:19

His Waitrose Black Forest Gateaux thing is delicious, and the Xmas puds. The other stuff we've had from that range have been distinctly "OK I guess".

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 10/03/2013 00:22

Oh and the whole point about Heston is that he doesn't tell you it's easy to cook - he's all about the 6 hour pre-brined roast chicken, vacuum freezing and sand-blasting. You might as well put a caption up at the end of his TV shows saying "£250 a head not seeming such a bad price now, is it?"

CogitoErgoSometimes · 10/03/2013 06:45

I don't think what you had there was a blood-vessel. If you mean you made the recipe up with some minced beef which turned out to have rubbery bits in it, surely that was gristle?

MrsDoomsPatterson · 10/03/2013 22:15

Heston's hot x buns are DELICIOUS!

Original poster
Zavi · 11/03/2013 12:04

Hi cogito, it was definitely a blood vessel because it was still intact Sad. The other bits I found - and I found a lot in just 3 tablespoons worth of "sifting", were not intact but were the same colour and thickness so I suspect they were the same "material".

I think I'm going to give his other products a miss having read others' reviews on here. I mean, the stuff is just too expensive to risk disappointment in terms of quality.

Not that I'm expecting any difficulties in returning it to Waitrose for a refund... Smile

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 11/03/2013 14:58

So basically you got some duff mince from Waitrose? ... that's not Blumenthal's recipe, that's a case of 'garbage in, garbage out'

HarderToKidnap · 11/03/2013 15:05

It's a Heston product Cogito, his name all over it! If he isn't involved in the selection of suppliers/quality control then he should be!

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 11/03/2013 15:28

It's a Heston-branded ready meal cogito, not making one if his recipes from scratch.

Trills · 11/03/2013 15:32

I can see why you might buy a Heston ready meal if you are a keen cook - you want to see how he interprets making something that you often make - different spices and techniques, etc.

Original poster
Zavi · 11/03/2013 20:02

That's right, Trills. I wanted to see how his chilli compared to mine.

From what I've seen on the telly Heston's recipes are usually very well-researched and carefully put together. I've always thought of him as more of a food scientist, than a chef. He goes to such great lengths to get his recipes just so.

That's why I was so excited to see his products in Waitrose. I figured that if he had designed those recipes, or at least had oversight of the finished product, then it was going to be really special. The price (£5 for a meal for one - just the mince, no rice) made me think I was in for a gastronomic treat!

The last thing I expected was blood vessels. Lots of them. Yuk.

OP posts:
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