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

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try? The chicken tikka with raita.

• 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?
  Dh and I enjoyed the chicken, the taste was stronger than we expected. Surprisingly I quite enjoyed the raita despite not liking the look of 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?

I did as it said, used slightly less chicken simply due to pack size. I served it with tomato wedges and pittas. I followed the instructions for the raita and we had loads and loads left over.

• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? Well it doesn't really take long to make a marinade anyway but handy to have it all in one.

Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?
Possibly as a standby in the cupboard, cheaper than chicken tikka from the Indian.

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

We liked it, it made a nice change. Unfortunately I have no photos aa my phone battery was taking ages to charge and I was starving.

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Southern Fried Chicken Bites with BBQ sauce

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

3, though DS1 gave the sauce 1 because it was too spicy for him.

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

The chicken coating didn't taste of much other than pepper and wasn't particularly crunchy. The sauce livened it up a bit, but not much of it got eaten. DS2 likes chicken but ate his pretty slowly.

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

It was pretty straightforward.

• 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, apart from cutting chicken breasts into strips instead of buying the mini fillets.

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

Not particularly, though it's less faff than making my own breadcrumbs and doesn't actually need to be fried, so it's easier than if I did bother to do that on a regular basis.

• 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. It wasn't a universal hit.

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

It was alreet! We liked it more than the other we've tried. Will probably give the last 2 packets to my MIL, since they're both rather dairy heavy.

Forgot my photo!

Last night we had the Mediterranean chicken. Id score it 4 out of 5. Me and friend thought it was very tasty. My son hasn't tried it yet. I found it easy to make and substituted the chicken for tuna and pasta. For this kind of meal I thought it did make mealtime easier. I followed the recipe pretty much but baked it in the oven for a bit, before grilling, as id done the pasta and sauce a while before we actually wanted to eat. We liked the recipe
and I didn't think it tasted like it was from a packet.

Oh and I would consider buying this packet!

This is my third feedback.
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)?
4.5
What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
They found it quite spicy but still ate it. They are used to some spice in their meals but children who are not may find it too much.
How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
Easy as long as you remember to factor in marinating time and actually follow the instructions carefully.
Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
This is where I went a bit wrong. The front of the packet has Chicken Tikka written on the top half and the dip part written on the bottom. However, on the back of the packet in small writing (glasses wearer) it says that the top bit is for the dip and the bottom bit for the chicken. Ooops. So I had added the dip seasoning to the yogurt with the lemon and oil. Luckily, I noticed before any meat was added and added more yogurt, the cucumber and spring onion (no red onions). It didn't seem to matter much and I didn't mention it to my family. They said it was lovely. I also put the chicken on skewers and we cooked them on the BBQ rather than under the grill. Served with rice, naan and salad.
Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? It would have been easier if I had been concentrating on what I was doing. The end result was worth it 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?
Still a resounding yes from Theimpossiblegirl, impossibledh and impossibledds.
Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
Loved it. Again. The kids said this was the best one, even though I knew I'd done it a bit wrong and they found it spicy. Will probably do theirs with a little less of the seasoning next time.

Feedback Number 3.

Sorry but I completely forgot to take a photo this time.

Questions

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Crunchy chicken bites with BBQ dip.

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

5/5

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

We all loved the flavours, the BBQ sauce was nicer than our usual brand name one, DD1 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?

I followed the recipe. We served the bites with tortillas. I had some mayo and sweetcorn relish also.

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

It was easy to just mix the chicken and oven bake. A very quick dinner to make.

• 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, they are on next weeks shopping list, tasty and quick.

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

Loved it.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Garlic and herb chicken bites

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?

The DCs really liked this one, especially the dip, but cheese, yogurt and mayonnaise are some of their favourite things to eat

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

Easy

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

Followed the recipe, but sliced chicken breasts rather than buy specific mini fillets. Also used Italian mayonnaise which is much more yellow in colour, not low fat but very tasty.

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

Not particularly, I pretty much always cook from scratch and often make chicken dippers or homemade fish fingers

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 don't think so but that is because I am a competent cook. I would recommend them to people who don't usually cook from recipes or for teens starting uni etc.

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

I liked this one

Sorry I've just realised my photo is upside down

This is my 4th feedback entry

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
garlic & thyme Roast Chicken + Crispy Roast Potatoes

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5?
5

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
5

How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
5 It was very easy to use. I have a routine for cooking, as I don't have energy in the the evenings so need to prepare most things in advance. A roast dinner really lends itself to this, as I can prepare some things in advance. (e.g. I put the seasoning mix on the chicken when I got it out of the fridge to get to room temperature, to take on more of the flavours, instead of just before it went into the oven. I also peeled the potatoes and veggies in advance.)

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

I did use a roast chicken (mine was slightly bigger than stated) and potatoes. I kept some potatoes back to use for mash and then used some sweet potatoes (they just went with the potatoes to get coated in the seasoning, no need to par-boil) which my children don't usually like, but they ate those up and said they were really tasty! Result! (My children need feeding up, so I have to find new ways to tempt them to eat filling foods.)
I changed a couple of other things. I always add water to the bottom of the roasting pan for cooking roast meat, especially a chicken. It helps to cook it evenly through and gives a more tender texture to the meat.

I also put the oven temperature up (foil off) when the oil for the roasties goes into the oven and then, to stop the potatoes getting steamed, the roast goes into a cooler oven for a bit before coming out to rest. (Then the roast is transferred to a plate, the juices made into gravy and the veggies cooked so it all comes together hot and ready to eat at the same time. It isn't as complicated as it sounds, but it's how I learned to cook a roast growing up and how I've always done it, and I always get a great roast!

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

It was no more difficult than a roast dinner would normally be. I would normally rub a flavoured oil on a roast before cooking. I wouldn't normally flavour the potatoes, but that was no problem. I needed to transfer the roasting potatoes into another pan to coat them (to keep the mash plain and unflavoured, as we like it).

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, I think I will buy this again, I especially liked that the children ate the sweet potato roasties and will try parsnips and celariac as well this way next time.

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

Loved it!

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta with Crispy Crumb topping

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 3/5 (though not sure what rating is based on..ease...taste etc

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
"Delicious" (DS1 - 16 yrs)
"Very nice" (DS2 - 12 yrs)

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?
Added more pasta as 7oz did not seem that much for family of 4 with 2 growing boys! so used 12oz pasta. Admittedly made a big dish, but I had been on a long cycle ride, and DH had also cycled - so justified making more.

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
No - would be just as easy to do it yourself.

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 - no need, as will probably do it myself

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

Thank you MN and Schwartz for the opportunity to try this!

This is the third test recipe for me.
Garlic and Herb chicken with cheese and chive dip.
We would rate this 1/5.
We were really disappointed with this one. The chicken was quite bland and the dip was too runny. In fact I only tried the dip DH and DD refused which was a waste.
I followed the recipe exactly.
The recipe was easy to follow, my 2 year old could have helped me which she would really enjoy.

We wouldn't buy this mix again sorry, we were really disappointed with it as the others we have tried were nicer.

We tried the chicken tikka + mint and cucumber raita first. It was just DH and I- there's no chance my eldest DD would have eaten the tikka. I have to say we weren't too impressed- would give 2/5.

It was pretty easy to make, although the dip ended up seeming a bit watery. Flavour wise, the chicken tikka was ok, reasonably nice but we didn't really like the raita.

We wouldn't use this particular product again because if we were doing a curry type meal we would stick with the patak's products that we currently use, and love.

So, overall, I wouldn't say we hated it but I would say we didn't really like it.

3rd feedback - roast chicken and potates

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) - 3

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product? - Chicken was ok , not a great deal different, potatoes were yummy! Did get a bit samey though. In that after 3 x using these packets this week, I noticed that they pretty much smelt the same and the taste was rather similar too! Just felt like a rehashed version of the crispy chicken bites.

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

Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? - I didnt add any other ingredients but used my slow cooker to cook the chicken not the oven. I always cook my meat this way and it adapted fine to this recipe.

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? - Not for this particular meal as its easy enough anyway.

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 but not this one as it wouldnt enchance the meal enough to warrant the cost.

Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? - as with the others, just liked it but not enough to buy it really..

We had the Southern Chicken and BBQ sauce.
I would give it only a 2 out of 5. My kids took one bite each and refused to eat any more, so 1 out of 5 for them.
It was really salty and peppery. So salty I couldn't really taste much else. I quite liked the BBQ sauce, and it made the chicken more palatable (copious amount of sugar in the ketchup to cancel out the salt!). Overall, really disappointing compared to the garlic and herb chicken bites.
Very easy to use, I did not change anything in the recipe. It didn't really make mealtimes easier.
I wouldn't buy this particular mix, but am still going to give the others a try.
I was not a fan - sorry, really did not like this one.

This is the third of the packets we have tested.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Chicken Tikka and Cucumber Raita

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?
The chicken had a really nice spicy taste to it which all of us including my toddler enjoyed. The cucumber raita was also nice. There was a bit of a weird aftertaste.

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

Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
I in the main followed the recipe but I did reduce the amount of oil used, I just felt that it was a bit extreme and to be honest couldn't see how it would fit in with the calories suggested by the packet.

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
It was no easier than using tikka paste.

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 particular mix, it was no easier than using tikka paste.

Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
In the main liked it, although there was a bit of an odd aftertaste.

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Garlic and Thyme roast chicken/potatoes packet

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

I would rate it 2.

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

The overall flavour of the product was okay, it tasted exceptionally salty for our liking. It wasn't special.

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

Easy to use.

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

Followed the recipe as per instructions.

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

It was pretty straightforward.

• 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 wouldn't buy this mix again.

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

I didn't think it was anything special so wouldn't buy it again.

This is the pasta bake

Tried the garlic and thyme chicken. This is my favourite so far ( third one)
Easiest to prepare and most authentic taste. Would buy this one again if entertaining and wanted to a nice easy Sunday lunch
Sorry cant upload photos .Would rate 4.5. Thanks

I can't upload the other pictures - they're on my phone

Tried the tikka chicken
Followed the recipe as advised.
It was ok. The raita sauce tasted a synthetic. I would just make it myself or buy it ready made fresh. Sorry not impressed. Would rate it 2
The jar mixes are easier to be honest. Wouldn't buy again. Hanks for giving me the opportunity though x

Here's my 4th review:

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta with crunchy topping

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5
5! This was easily the favourite so far, both DH and DD2 loved it.

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
They both said it was really tasty and delicious. DH finished it off later and said it was great cold too.

How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
Very easy, also quick to prepare which was great.

Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
After reading other feedback, I added a bit less water than the recipe said. I used a yellow pepper and added half a red pepper and half a courgette which were in the fridge and needed using up.

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
I think this one did, and of the ones I've tested so far, I think this one would be the most versatile - this time I added some veg I had which needed using up for example, if I hadn't had the chicken I could have made it with tuna, or done a vegetarian version.

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 is the one I would be most likely to get I think - for the reasons above.
Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
My two testers both loved it.

Jules, I took mine on my phone then emailed them to myself, opened the email on the laptop and then uploaded them. Hth.
:)