Packed mixes

[Goodwitch9]

Please don't judge me but which packet mixes made by Schwartz, Colman's etc have you used where you were pleased with the results?

I’ve spent decades doing everything from scratch.
I’m now menopausal and knackered so buy anything that makes life easier if I feel like it. It’s not often, but could be a 2/3 times a month these days.

Simply cook (who now sell some seasoning kits in Asda, not just subscription/ordering on line) do a nice Sticky Vietnamese Stir-fry kit. I did it with chicken, their Bang Bang chicken goes down well (although is a tad salty imo).
Their tandoori chicken with sweet potato wedges is addictive.

Nandos do a peri-peri bag& bake which is nice.

Blue Dragon Bang Bang chicken meal kit which teen loves, but it’s a huge faff bread-crumbing tbh, although the flavour is nice.

Oh, sorry. I just realised you specified brand, not just any kind of seasoning. Sorry!

No judgement here! The ones I use most are the sausage casserole mix and chicken chasseur. I think they're both Colmans but I'm sure they're all pretty similar.

They just make life a bit easier sometimes 😊Added bonus is that they're suitable for vegetarians.

OP said "etc" , & I agree with Simply Cook.

I tried them when they were subscription only, as an attempt to get DH to widen his very limited repertoire.
He wasn't interested, so I used them & did find them OK.
Can't compare with any others as I always cook from scratch.

They're all similar I think. The only one I can't stand the taste of is Colman's four cheese sauce mix, it just tastes of chemical.

Never had a bad one really!
Sainsbo cheese sauce packet is the one I use regularly, using skimmed milk it's a huge drop in fat compared with a butter and flour roux with grated cheese added. It's fine and much better for DH's high cholesterol.

Thank you everyone for not telling me off! I have follow-up questions; these packets usually make enough for four people. Can the Bolognese/chicken chasseur/sausage casserole be reheated in its entirety the following day or even days? Thanks!

We regularly eat the sausage casserole packets - I prefer it to my “from scratch version”.

I have also used the packet shepherd’s pie seasoning and that is nice too. My kids love it.

We have had the sausage casserole reheated and it’s fine (obviously only reheat the portion you plan to eat - not the entire casserole over and over again!). I usually sprinkle a few tablespoons of water over it before I pop it in the microwave as the sauce thickens when it cools.

I think you just need to keep an eye on salt content, but I don’t add salt to potato so it evens out.

Chicken or beef casserole and the chilli con carne mixes.

The chicken casserole gets lots of compliments to the embarrassing point of being asked for the recipe once. DH gleefully said it was out of a packet. Traitor.

Chicken or beef casserole and the chilli con carne mixes.

The chicken casserole gets lots of compliments to the embarrassing point of being asked for the recipe once. DH gleefully said it was out of a packet. Traitor.

Another one for Sausage casserole. Has to be Colemans. Reheats nicely the next day, especially if you wrap it in a jusrol puff pastry sheet! Like a sausage casserole pasty.

TheColeman sausage casserole mix is also vegan, so can be used with vegan sausages or "meat"balls for a standby meal when my dd visits.

We use the Schwartz sausage casserole mix (got the Aldi one once it was horrible) the chilli mix and the tuna napolitana one. I’ve tried so many chilli recipes over the years and none of them are as nice as the packet mix (I add the kidney beans in chilli sauce to it as well).

I don’t like the tuna one but my kids are obsessed with it and would happily eat it several times a week if they could, it’s my youngests choice for her birthday dinner tomorrow 🤦🏽‍♀️

I never used to use them, but someone recommended the Maggi bake in the bags a few years ago and I really like them. So juicy I think they're called.

the instructions on the back usually include a from scratch side dish too, so read them carefully if you're just using the packet.

Coleman’s chicken chasseur is the only packet mix I use - though I also use a lot of Patek curry pastes.