Best ready meals and pre made sauces

[Discoballs]

We have a new baby and are struggling to cook from scratch. We've been buying more ready meals and sides, easy dinner kits and pre-made sauces but have been disappointed by a few. Please could you share any that you'd recommend? We live nearest to Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi and M&S Food so preferably from one of those.

Huge congratulations on your new arrival!

In terms of ready meals, I really like the ones from Cook www.cookfood.net/menu/meal-bundles/new-parents - they deliver and do a special offer for new parents which might be quite good

The Wahaca and Nandos meals kits (from Sainsburys) are quite nice - there is a sauce too that I've tried which is quite nice - think it's called Spice Tailor or something similar

Could you do an online order

Great. Thanks @Blondie1984

For an advocate of healthy eating, Jamie Oliver's tomato and basil pasta sauce isn't the healthiest or the most cost effective, but it does have the taste factor. I’ve found it works great as a Bolognese sauce too.
M&S make the best quiches and do the best leg of lamb. I’d also recommend the M&S gastropub cottage pie.
Sainsbury's taste the difference chicken tikka masala is our favourite curry.

M&S do really good ready meals - obviously not the healthiest to eat all the time, but so much of their stuff is delicious & quick. They do a range of seasoned chicken breasts & fish that are in foil trays & you bung in the oven - those with some frozen veg are easy & tasty.

M&S £6 stir fry. Good value for money, really tasty and enough for 2 and healthy as well.
There curries are also nice and Count on Us range is also healthy, tasty and doesn't skimp on meat like other ready meals.

M&S meals definitely, or some of theSainsbos Just Cook are good too. I also keep a bag of McCain frozen baked potatoes in the freezer - soooo handy! I make the Jamie Oliver 7 veg sauce and freeze it in takeaway containers. Add carton of mince and red wine stock pot for a quick bolognese. Bake a couple of boxes of shop bought tortelloni mixed with a portion of above sauce (or carton of passata) and a ball of torn up mozzarella, 20-25 mins in the oven. I'm a busy working mum - I take as many shortcuts as I need too!!

Don’t forget easy meals that take no prep eg shove a salmon fillet in the oven for 20 mins and have with bagged salad/prepared CPU’s cous etc

I also like breaded goujons oven baked and then put in wraps with salad and mayo

For me, it’s the Co-op for the best range of chilled pizzas. Sainsbury’s frozen vegetable pizza is the best budget option.
The salmon fishcakes from Asda are amazing.

If you want a take away treat night then the M&S Chinese for £10 is fab - the short ribs yum! Better than our local take away and bags cheaper!

Recently we've tried and liked the 'posh' Thai red curry sauce (so comes with 3 different pouches) from Aldi and, also from Aldi, a lemon and dill 'shake and bake' salmon packet sauce but don't know if that was from the Aisle of Wonder or normal fare IYSWIM!

Their big packs of stir fry veggies are good if you eat them quickly (2/3 days post shop max) and we have those with the Thai prawn fish cakes (chiller) and noodles. I just add minced jar garlic / ginger and some soy sauce but you could use a blue Dragon chow mein packet.

My other 'ready' meal is garlic chicken Kievs with jacket potatoes, peas and sweetcorn then big dollop of sour cream on potatoes which then mixes into a garlicky creamy goodness once you spear the Kiev!

Oooh and the Aldi frozen Salmon Wellington is gorgeous and will feed 4 - again with jackets and some veg.

Aldi have some meal kits, the pork casserole is nice as is the fajitas, both take under 10 minutes to prep though obviously the casserole cooks slowly. The Scratch range (Waitrose) are excellent

Great, thanks everyone. I'll be heading to the supermarket this week to pick these up.

I like the Lloyd Grossman jars of sauces, mixed with pasta, peas and sweetcorn for a really easy dinner, or Lidl Deluxe frozen pizzas, or Morrisons stir fry meal deal with the protein noodle, Chinese veg and hoisin sauce, with some extra cashew nuts thrown on the top. Failing that, beans on toast is great!

Some fab ideas...

Pricey but I like the Charlie Bigham range of ready meals. Generous portions. My favourites are the chilli and the tikka masala.

If you struggle for time a slow cooler can be your friend - throw the ingredients in and they can stay in the pot all day until you're ready. Sauces ready meals, tough to say as we all like different things. If you're using a pot even the Swartz can male a nice sausage casserole. You just have to experiment. (I like the Tesco curries - two curries, rice, bombay potatoes & nan or Chinese if you prefer(big plastic bag))

I second the Lloyd grossman pasta sauces.
A bit of pasta with one of those and a lidl garlic flatbed was one of our go to easy dinners when ours was tiny.

McCain jackets are pretty good too, bung in the microwave and top with beans and cheese or one of those sandwich fillers you get in little tubs (I like chicken tikka) and some bagged ready to eat salad on the side.

Cheats paella using uncle bens mexican rice, chicken breast, diced chorizo and chopped peppers is quick and easy. Use pre diced chicken and chorizo, throw chicken and chorizo in a big pan (we use a wok), dry fry together - the fat from the chorizo renders out and the chicken tastes lovely fried in that. Throw in the chopped peppers and rice with a bit of water, give it ten minutes and serve. This one can also tick over for about 10-15 minutes more on a very low heat for when baby inevitably needs attention just as you are about to eat. It makes enough for four portions and reheats nicely too. Can chuck in some cooked frozen prawns too if you like.

So many great ideas. I really do appreciate it.

Yes to the Lloyd grossman pasta sauces - we cut up chorizo and fry off in pan then add to pasta and a Lloyd tomato and chilli sauce then top with Parmesan - delicious!

Also a fan of Charlie brighams- particularly the katsu curry and The thai red curry, love the lasagna too