NOW CLOSED Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes reviewer feedback thread.

[KatieBMumsnet]

This thread is for the 250 Mumsnetters who have been trying out the new 2in1 recipe mixes from Schwartz.

Here's what they say: "The new 2in1 range offers two easy to use recipe mix sachets in one handy pack: one sachet flavours the main dish whilst the other contains a seasoning for a complementary side dish or topping. With five different varieties to choose from, and an easy recipe on the back of each pack, this is a great way to try out new dishes or transform an existing family favourite from ordinary to special."

Mumsnetters have been trying the following recipe mixes:

• Garlic & Thyme roast chicken + crispy roast potatoes

• Chicken Tikka + mint & cucumber raita

• Mediterranean chicken pasta + crispy crumb topping

• Southern style crunchy chicken bites + BBQ dip

• Garlic & herb crunchy chicken bites + cheese & chive dip

Below are some questions for you to answer but please do feel free to add any other comments you may also have. We'd like you to post at least 3 sets of feedback - answering the same questions for each recipe mix you try. Please also upload any pictures you take of your creations. Please note, photos and comments may be used on Schwartz's pages on Mumsnet and possibly on other marketing material.

Questions

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)
• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

Everyone who adds at least 3 sets of feedback to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £500 John Lewis voucher!

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Sorry about lack of photos, I'm a technological idiot.

going to try one of these tonight

2nd review, here goes....

(DS had his at 5pm and then DH & I had ours later on. So, pic just my little boys as I completely forgot to take one of ours!).

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Southern style crunchy chicken bites + BBQ dip

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)

Definitely 5/5... We loved this one.

BBQ sauce was really tasty and the coating for e chicken was equally very tasty.

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?

DS had his first and he ate everything with no cajoling at all. In his eyes (and mine as it was so quick to put together) it was perfect and he wanted more, which is a first in this house .

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?

Really easy.

• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?

I followed the recipe completely. Though a little dubious at no flour before egging the fillet, but it worked perfectly.

I make breaded chicken and fish for DS ALL THE time, as he is a fussy bugger. I have to make it from scratch, no shop breadcrumbs for him as he tells the difference and refuses shop bought over freshly made. So I was skeptical of this product re: fooling my DS.

• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?

Very easy. As above, I make breaded food for DS all the time. This saved me making my own breadcrumbs and herb coating, so time was saved.

• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, yes, yes. My DS loved them as did DH and I. Really tasty and the BBQ dip was yummy.

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

Loved it and definitely buying again.

4th Trial

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Garlic & herb crunchy chicken bites + cheese & chive dip

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)
5 ? DD and DP both hoovered down their portions ? and I really enjoyed it too

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
It was definitely a hit, everyone really enjoyed it

How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
Very easy ? DD even made the dip herself

Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
We used sliced chicken breasts as it was all we had in the house, so a bit more chicken than the standard mini fillets pack

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
Definitely ? the whole thing took about 10 minutes to prep and then you just shove it in the oven ? couldn?t be easier

Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?
We?ll definitely get these and the Southern Fried ones again

Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
Loved it

Only the roast chicken left to go now ? roll on Saturday ? YUM!

So on Sunday I made garlic and herb chicken bites with cheese and chive dip. Very easy to make, instructions simple and every body loved them. Empty plates all round. Will be buying again

CHICKEN TIKKA + MINT CUCUMBER RAITA 4.5/5

Okay I said I'd try one for dinner... I couldn't wait...
My family isn't a big fan of spicy food but I love chicken tikka so I just decided to make this earlier...

My DH and DS loved it!! My husband even went for seconds yay! My son who's 18 months old loved it!

I followed the directions and waited exactly 30 minutes for the chicken to marinade (hardest part) and made the raita mix as well but I used white onions instead of red (too strong for my family). Served it with basmati rice.

It is so easy to make and the spices are just right you get the flavor of tikka without too much heat. I will definitely buy this again! Gave it 4.5 because I had to add a bit of salt on mine but I guess it might be different if I marinated the chicken overnight.. I'd also try and use thigh fillets as we're not really fans of chicken breast meat.

PS... this is really easy to make the hardest part is grating the cucumber and waiting for the chicken to marinade.

tried to upload pic... chicken tikka and raita mix

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Tikka Chicken with Raita Dip

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)

1. Was REALLY nice.

• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?

DS did not like it at all... was a bit too spicy for him although he enjoyed dipping breadsticks in the dip. Me and DP loved it.

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?

Very Easy.

• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?

Didn't realise we hadn't got any onion left so went without.. dip was still very nice.

• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all?

Didn't make easier as we'd usually just buy a jar and although this is really easy to make, I often forget to let things marinade for long enough.

• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future?

i'd buy this again. I think they're great for a 'snack' type thing when friends come round for a DVD night.

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

Loved it

here is the pasta.

i had no chicken, peppers, tin toms, tuna or macarioni in.
so i used onion, grated carrots, tinned sweetcorn, spaghetti, cooked french beans and fresh tomatoes instead.

the kids said it was good, but it had too much pepper in it. i was not wild about it either... prefer real bread crumbs on top of my pasta dishes. more subtle flavour.

Mediterranean chicken pasta + crispy crumb topping

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 4!

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product? It was very yummy, we had a friend over for dinner! he loved it too and its on my shopping list to get again.

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? so easy! idiot proof.
• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? my husbands fussy so we left out the peppers!
• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? yes very much so, im not a great cook so it was nice for me to not panic about dinner
• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not? yes for sure/
• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? loved it, cant wait to try the others!

We had the southern style chicken last night. The chicken itself was easy to prepare but then making it from scratch is pretty straightforward anyway. Not sure the packet made it much easier. We would give it a 3/5, the sauce was nice and the chicken tasty but it was no original recipe.

I followed the recipe except didn't have small fillets of chicken so used thighs therefore baked for longer and the coating did become crispy. DS was not that keen on the coating and picked it off the chicken. I don't think we'd buy this packet again as I'm not sure it really added much. It is no simpler tu use than making it from scratch.

Pasta bake tonight but have no chicken or tuna in so will use lots of veggies instead. Now to work out how to add a picture.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Southern style crunchy chicken bites + BBQ dip

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)

3/5

• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?

Dh liked it, different to the things that I usually do, DS1 liked it although not his favourite. DS2 being very fussy and tired wouldn't try it.

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?

Very easy, took about 10 mins or less and ideal for kids to help with.

• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?

Followed the recipe

• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes in that it gave me an idea of what to cook.

• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?

I might do but probably not this one as the kids are just not into chicken nuggets at the moment.

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

Liked it

whoops, i forgot the questions!
Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try? pasta

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 2
• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product? dc thought too much pepper, i thought the flavour was a bit too strong for the breadcrumbs
• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? easy to follow recipe, easy to exchange ingredients for ones i had in
• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? er, see previous response!
• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? yes, it helped me decide what to cook
• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not? probably not, although i will wait to decide once i have tried them all
• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? it was ok

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try? Chicken pasta bake
• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 4/5
• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product? Not the kind of thing we would normally have for dinner as we normally have meat or fish and veg but we really liked it. We would give it 4 out of 5. Our just turned 1 year old had a portion of left overs today and also adored it, eating every last bit
• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? Very easy
• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? Did it to packet instructions exactly
• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, simple ingredients and easy recipe to follow
• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, it is not the kind of thing I would normally buy as normally do everything from fresh but it tasted good and was easy and economical, a good back up to have in the cupboard

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? Loved it

Tonight we tried the Schwartz two in one Mediterranean chicken pasta and Crispy crumb topping. I added finely diced mushrooms and onions extra to the recipe to up the vegetable content.

I found the instructions very easy to follow and the recipe quick and easy to make but unfortunately will not be making this recipe again as my son did not like it at all and refused to eat any of it.

I however did enjoy the pasta bake especially the crispy crumb topping but it is not something I would just make for myself.

Overall I would give this recipe 2/5 And unfortunately would not be purchasing this in the future.

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try? Garlic & Thyme roast chicken + crispy roast potatoes
• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 4/5
• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?

We all enjoyed it.

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? Quite easy
• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? Did it to packet instructions exactly
• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, as I like to have a recipe to follow
• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, every once on a while.

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

Liked it.

OK, second review coming up...
Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Chicken Tikka and cucumber and mint raita
How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)
4.5 - everyone liked it a lot.
What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
DH and the DDs all really liked the chicken tikka - good flavour, not too spicy, DD1 said "Nom Nom!" The children weren't as keen on the raita, but they don't normally like it. Me and DH both liked the raita.

How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
Very easy
Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
Followed the recipe apart from I didn't have a red onion, so I snipped in a spring onion instead, which worked well. And I thought grating the cucumber would be a bit of a faff and make it too watery, so I chopped it in small chunks instead (which is how I do the cucumber if I'm making raita from scratch). Also I baked it in the oven instead of cooking under the grill. Worked fine.
Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
Not really, because if we have a curry usually I buy it ready made! It was certainly a lot easier than making a curry from scratch though.

Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?
I might get this one again, however, to make it into a meal for all of us, I bought some pilau rice, naan bread and a veggie curry (for me) so with the chicken, yoghurt and mix I think would be more expensive than getting the supermarket takeaway.
Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
Overall they loved it

I took a photo with my phone but can't upload it - I'll have to put it on the computer first and upload it later.

Third recipe tested tonight and I'm really enjoying not having to think about what to cook!

Tonight, we had Mediterranean chicken pasta + crispy crumb topping

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)

I would give this mix a 4

• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?

DD did not eat any at all, but she was feeling ill, so don't be offended. DH and I enjoyed it very much.

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?

Very easy, as with the others I have tested so far, namely the roast chicken and the BBQ chicken pieces.

• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?

No, I deviated a bit today. As I mentioned yesterday, I prefer to prepare our meals during the day so I don't have much to do later in the afternoon. Today, I knew I would be out just before tea time, so I made the recipe in the morning. I used chicken but also added some sausages, cut into pieces, as I didn't have e ought chicken. I also added two peppers instead of one rebel, yeah and two tins of tomatoes and more pasta, to stretch this meal further.

When we were ready to eat, I reheated the pasta bake in the oven and finished off under the grill. Again, this variation worked just fine and could be a useful way of cooking the meal for other time pressed people!

• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?

No easier.

• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes.

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

Liked it, very tasty.

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Mediterranean Pasta Bake

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)

DH and DS1 gave it 3/5. I gave it 2.5

• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?

DH and I found it somewhat synthetic. DS1 said it was not bad, but not excellent and it was a little spicy (he doesn't usually like spicy food, so for him to eat it was quite something) I didn't like the smell of the topping and could only bring myself to put about half of it on. It reminded me of a packet of crisps or instant soup powder. DS2 doesn't like pasta, but does like cheesy toppings, so I served him up some of mine. He spat it out.

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?

It was a bit of a faff, to be honest and saved no effort compared with using fresh flavourings or simple dried herbs. The crumbs scattered everywhere when I tore the packet open.

Using a pan that I could put under the grill saved on washing up.

• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? I only used 150g of pasta, since there were only 3 of us eating it (and we had pudding to look forward to!) and added a courgette to the yellow pepper. And I used tuna, instead of chicken.

• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?

Not really. I make this sort of meal regularly, with or without a cheesy topping, and either make the sauce from scratch or use a jar of inexpensive but good quality sauce.

• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?

No. I prefer the flavour of fresh garlic to dried and have a good stock of fresh an dried herbs to choose from.

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

The sauce was meh and I hated the topping.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Southern Style Chicken Bites and BBQ Dip

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)

4

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product

DS liked it a lot. He is a KFC fan. DH wasn't too keen, but he is funny about packet mixes anyway. I liked it. It didn't taste too salty and artificial. It was a nice change.

How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?

Easy. This was the simplest one so far that I had tried.

Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?

Followed it to the letter. Served up with some potato wedges and a salad.

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?

Easier. Because I didn't have to think about what to do for dinner.

Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?

Maybe. We don't use packet mixes very often, but some of these that I have tried did make a nice change.

Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?

Liked it.

I made the southern chicken bites tonight for tea......... It went down really well.
Very easy to coat the chicken. I served with homemade herb wedges and the BBQ dip.
Kids ate the lot. The coating wasn't spicy which Is good.

Would defo buy and use again. It's all dairy free which can't be said for the shop bought ready made version and my ds is dairy intolerant so he loved this treat!

Review number 3 (Sorry, no pics because I forgot to take photos in the middle of trying to convince DD that it really was dinner time!):

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Garlic and hern chicken bites with cheese and chive dip. We had it with chips and salad.

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest):

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
DD (age 4) was suspicious at first of both the coating on the chicken and the dip, but this is fairly typical when she's shown a new food. She went on to eat the chicken with no problem but although she said she liked the dip she didn't eat it, possibly because she had ketchup there (for her chips) and chose to dip the chicken in that instead. Dh and I both thought the chicken coating was a bit bland but not unpleasant, and the dip was good.

How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
Very easy. My only complaint is that we didn't quite have enough crumb mix to completely coat all the chicken - maybe it went on too thickly to begin with but the last couple of bits were only half coated. Also, despite using the stated amount of meat, it really only gave enough for DH and I with a bit for DD. You'd have to be quite stingy with the meat to make it stretch to 4 servings, and yet if you add more meat in you'd have more trouble with the quantity of coating.

Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
Followed it exactly.

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
This is tricky to answer. I don't currently make anything that is similar to this so I have nothing to compare it to. It was easy to do and because it is completely different to anything we would normally have it will add another recipe to our list of options.

Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?
This one, yes. It doesn't take loads of effort or prep, everyone liked it, and if we keep a packet of this in the cupboard it can be a 'storecupboard standby meal'. And it's not something we'd normally do with chicken pieces which gives it a certain novelty value!

Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
We liked it. A good, easy family meal with no need to buy loads of ingredients we wouldn't normally have in the kitchen.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Chicken Tikka with Mint & Cucumber Raita
How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)
DH says 1/5, DS1 refused it completely. I think 2/5
What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
There wasn't enough flavour to tell. DH had no idea it was chicken tikka til he read the packet after eating it. The chicken was bland, the raita was nice enough, but Dh says too sharp to go with the chicken. I found it too watery.
How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
Easy enough to follow the instructions but the cooking time was woefully out of kilter, it took more like twenty minutes to cook the chicken through, obviously it needs to be smaller cubes but there was no hint of size needed. I don't grill chicken cubes very much so no real idea how long it ought to take.
Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
I followed the recipe except I only had white onion, not red, for the raita.
Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
Not really, a bit more complicated in fact as the timings didn't work.
Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?
Not this one.
Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
Hate is a strong word but none of us particularly liked it. Unimpressed.