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

My roast chicken and roasties are in the oven now! Smelling good so far :) Also at SparklingBrook

We are attempting the BBQ ones. The dip is Tommy Ketchup with the sachet added.

Tonight we tried the Mediterranean Chicken pasta with crispy crumb topping.

• Rated 3.5/5
• Me, DF and DS (2.5 years) ate it. DS is quite fussy and usually wouldn't even consider eating pasta unless in a cheesy/carbonara sauce. He ate 7 pieces of this pasta! This may not seem a lot but to child that as ALWAYS refused tomato pasta this is a big big deal to us. We'd probably buy the packet again just on this basis to be honest. Both me and my partner liked the dish, we probably wouldn't put the cheese on next time.
• I found the mix very easy to use. Bonus.
• We didn't have any peppers so swapped them for broccoli... tastes very nice. Otherwise kept to the recipe.
• It was easy, but not any easier than usual. It created a lot of pots!
• I think i'll buy this in the future but not sure its worth the RRP as you still have to buy the tomatoes to make and a jar would be cheaper if you were basing on price alone.
• We enjoyed the meal, the topping added a nice bit of extra flavour. The sauce was quite watery, would like it a little thicker as I think most of the taste was from the topping.

Picture included. Doesn't look like the picture on the pocket but still tasted good!

Southern Style crunchy chicken bites and BBQ dip.

Average score from 4 out of 5.
Overall flavour was very nice had a slight kick.
Mix was easy to use, no other ingredients added.
It probably would make the odd mealtime easier.
Would use it again, and liked it.

If you had a bottle of BBQ sauce in the cupboard it would probably be much the same as making the dip though.

Well, we've just had the chicken tikka mix and I must say, it was really yummy. I added some bajiis from M&S, some bread, some salad and made them into little pockets. I put the marinade over the chicken at lunch and it was great by the time I cooked it. Nice and zingy but not too hot as I'm a wimp with spicy food. Really nice, would definitely make again. We also liked the raita dip that went with it, made good and fresh by the grated cucumber (I left out the red onion as I don't like raw onion). I've not made many things with packet spices before but enjoyed this a lot. Have taken a poncey photo (we don't always eat like this, alas!). Anyhoo, well worth doing, am looking forward to trying some of the others now.

Eejit that I am, forgot to answer the official questions, sorry, got carried away!

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try? CHicken Tikka
• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 4 out of 5
• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product? We liked it a lot.
• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? Very easy and straightforward.
• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? I kept pretty much to the recipe, except I left out the red onion in the raita
• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? Very easy and quick to prepare something a bit different.
• 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 would buy again as it's a good thing to keep in the cupboard, plus simple to do.
• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? We liked it a lot.

Your picture is very nice MrsMiggins.

Tikka version on the go!! The dip is lovely from what I've tasted while making- oops!

Sachets arrived yesterday. Which was a bit of a lifesaver really. Had to do a quick and easy meal tonight so we tried the Mediterranean Chicken Pasta and Crispy crumb coating.
I'd rate this a 4/5. It had a nice flavour, with just a hint of spice. Was just enough for our DD. She loved it and ate more than usual. Overall, the family enjoyed it and there were clean plates all round.
The mix was very easy to use, the instructions were very clear. I did take out the peppers from the recipe as DH is allergic to them.
The crumb, didn't go golden like it said it would or on the packet picture. But it was crispy. The only other down point I found was that it was very wet. Next time I won't put as much water in it.
I would buy this, as we'd like to try the alternative suggestion of Tuna and Sweet corn. So overall a success. I'm looking forward to trying the rest.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Chicken pasta with crispy crumb coating. I served mine with a green salad and ciabatta garlic bread.

How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)
Myself and DH liked it very much and would score 4.5/5. DD liked it more than our usual pasta bake (high praise indeed) and gave it 4/5. Sadly DS is not a pasta lover and only thought it deserved 2.5/5.

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
Nice, we all liked the crumb topping - which I would not usually add to my pasta. I must say that it tasted much better than I expected . My DCs were wary of the green crumb topping but after trying it, they found it was nice.

How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
Very simple, good instructions which were easy to follow.

Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
I did follow the recipe - my only addition was one large green chilli. To be honest if I cook it again ... I would add more than one!
DD loved the taste of the chicken.

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
No, not easier really. The dish created more washing up than my usual pasta dishes.

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 .... if the other packets are as nice as this one I will definitely get Schwartz 2in1 again.

Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it?
Loved it - a great success, thank you!

Can I just state that the brown envelope that the sachets arrived in was all torn and had been posted on the 10/6 but didnt actually arrive until 20/6.

I made the garlic and herb crunchy chicken bites, but I followed the alternative recipe (as I'm a veggie who eats fish, so we could all eat it together that way). I used white basa fillets, and they turned out really nice, the breadcrumbs have a lovely taste that goes so well with the cheese and chive dip. My 4 year old loved dipping them, as we don't normally have dips with meals. It was very easy to make and did make the mealtime easier as it's so straightforward, but is something I wouldn't normally think to make. I'll definitely look out for this one in the shops and would buy it assuming the price is ok, as we all really enjoyed it. I served it with boiled potatoes and green beans. I'd give it 4.5/5, we loved it.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

We tried the Garlic & Thyme roast chicken + crispy roast potatoes. Though we did not have a whole chicken we used chicken drumstick

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

I would give this a rating out of 3

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

Me and my partner both feel that the flavours were a bit dry and also that the potatoes were a bit bland and we both had to add a little salt to add some flavour as it just tasted like we had sprinkled both sage and onion stuffing on top of it. Though I'm not gunna lie we did feel like we may of over cooked it.

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

Pretty easy to cook and everything was explained very clearly on the packet from what ingredients to buy and how to cook it.

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

We did indeed use the instructions of the back of the packet however we did use chicken drum sticks instead of a whole chicken as there is only three of us.

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

I didn't really see any difference with making our mealtimes easier as I am used to using recipes off of the internet to make healthy meals

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 haven't tried them all so I am unsure as of yet. However if I do find some really tasty I will be tempted to buy them in the future as they are quite big hearty meals and we do use a lot of chicken in our dinners.

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

I liked it but to be honest I was expecting better I was hoping for better and stronger flavours.

I made the "Garlic & herb crunchy chicken bites + cheese & chive dip" for tea this evening. I modified the recipe as we don't have any chicken at the mo, by using pork instead, cut into strips. I had it with chips and salad.

The 2 in1 mix was very easy to use, and we had the ingredients for the dip in the fridge already (I had to use full-fat mayo and yogurt though). There was just the right amount of coating for the meat, but made rather a large quantity of dip so we have plenty leftover.

Mixed reactions from the family - initially I wasn't keen on the coating but with the dip I quite enjoyed it and thought it worked OK with pork instead of chicken. DH said he didn't like it, but did manage to eat it all of course! Eldest DS (3) ate 1 'bite' with dip after much persuasion and said he scored it "yuck out of 5". He is competing for the world's fussiest eater though. My younger DS (16 months) didn't touch it, but it's not really his sort of thing - a bit chewy probably.

I did find it quick and convenient, simply following the recipe from the packet. And I liked that it made us have something a bit different to normal. However I'm not sure I'd buy this sort of thing regularly. I think I'd rather either make it myself from scratch, or buy ready-coated chicken and ready made dip.

-Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try? Mediterranean chicken pasta + crispy crumb topping
- How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 5 from all of us
- What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product? My DD's loved it, there was some leftover which they took to school and finished off ocmpeltely, usually with pasta one or the other does not like it and brings back most of it, I have had requests to make this again (which I definitely will), both my girls declared this to be the best pasta ever even better than my sisters (but don't tell her- she was previously queen of the pasta bake! lol)
- How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? This one was super easy, I made it after work, and to be honest I do not want to be faffing around with long complicated recipes after work, this was simple straightforward, every ingredient needed was in my house, I just needed to throw it together.
- Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? I did, but I also put in crushed garlic and fresh ginger at the beginning and I salted it slightly, we eat spicy food, it would have been too bland for me and dd2 otherwise, I also blended the tomatoes and used fresh as well as canned tomatoes, as my girls will not eat tomato bits (yes I know that sounds really picky)..
- Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes it did, because it gave me an idea of what to make, it was a break from my usual repetoire, my girls loved it, it was quick, simple and straight forward and everything needed was available in my pantry and I could tweak it (very successfully) to suit our tastes.
- 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 I will definitely be buying and keeping a stack of in case of emergencies when I can't think of what to cook or days when I want something quick and filling.
- Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? LOVED IT (all of us did)

why can we only post one pic at a time?

before we ate it

Oh and I used a mixture of sweet mini peppers red and orange instead of one large red pepper, because I had a bag of them in the fridge, tesco had an offer and I was saving money

Just marking my place

Chicken Tikka + mint & cucumber raita
rated in at 3

• overall taste alright... not everyones cup of tea though.
• very easy to make... just involving a lot of patience
• followed it to the letter, however added chopped tomatos, onion and corriander as a side
• not easier, no harder. in all honesty it would have been easier to make from scratch.
• I would look for some of the mixtures in future, but only when we are sure we like thm... this one I won't be aiming to get it is an average dish... much more likely to maak my own...

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Tonight was our first trial and we made Southern Style Crunchy Chicken Bites.

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

I would give it a 4 because the coating for the chicken strips was nice & tasty and the barbeque sauce was OK, but we've already got a barbeque sauce which we prefer, and therefore there really was no need to mix our own with ketchup. A bit superfluous to our requirements really!

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

Well, my DDs are notoriously fussy and they really enjoyed their dinner tonight and wolfed the whole lot I enjoyed the recipe too

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

it was dead easy, I did the chicken strips coating & DD2 mixed up the barbeque sauce - such fun!

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

We were in a bit of a hurry, so just followed the instructions on the packet.

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

Yes it was easier coz we didn't have to think too much, and I just added some hash browns & peas to complete our meal. Easy!

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 probably, because they can be a store cupboard staple and used when I'm struggling for menu ideas. We are all quite keen on chicken based meals and I normally have chicken in my freezer.

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

I liked it, t'was easy and it made for a slightly different, but fun, tea. Think it encourages participation aswell, by by DDs, which is always a 'good thing' and means they are more likely to eat the end result

Day 2 on the trail. Tried the chicken pasta one but with tuna! Easy to prepare. Minimal ingredients had most in cupboard already. Made for 2 so some left over. Seved with salad and garlic bread. Great that the crunchy topping is already prepared as I don't have much patience with making bread crumb type toppings.
Would buy again especially if on offer. 4 out of 5. Many thanks schwartz and mumsnet

Our first go was with the Mediterranean chicken pasta + crispy crumb topping

It was really easy to use (going to let the kids 'help' with the next one) and I stuck to the recipe, apart from the pepper. I only had a green one in! Still looked & tasted good though.

Kids loved it! I liked it too. Hubby rarely comments but said it was "ok" and ate it without pulling a face. That translates as good.

It was reasonably quick to cook. I'd say it was ideal for working days when I need to get something tasty on the table before the kids go nuts from starvation, and ideal for self catering holidays. I'd look at getting some more for over the summer hols.

Kids gave this 4/5. I'm happy with that!

My review in full: charliebeth.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/schwartz-2-in-1-recipe-mixes-review.html

Marking place as I'll start with the roast chicken tomorrow! Looking forward to trying something different.

Mediterranean Pasta Bake - I couldn't wait to try this today for our family lunch as we really have got stuck in a bit of a rut when it comes to mealtimes. We were all really looking forward to it but to be honest a little disappointed. I used tuna & sweetcorn instead of chicken as we had that in. My husband wasn't keen on the crunchy topping on pasta, he didn't think that worked and we all thought that the herbs were a little strong. Neither of the children ate it for the same reason which is a shame. The meal itself was easy enough to prepare but I don't think I will be buying this one again. For us it tasted ok, but we certainly wouldn't choose it again.

Tried the garlic and herb bites last night.

Would rate it as 2/5.

DC ate them quite happily. DH and I ate them too but weren't overly impressed with the flavour. Fairly artificial tasting. Not as nice as homemade and probably more bland than ready made nuggets/gougons. DH liked the dip but again wasn't as fresh tasting as a ready made dip - weirdly seeing as you basically are using your own fresh ingredients. Bit KFC like, and not in a good way!

Mix was easy to use. Just enough breadcrumbs for the amount of chicken. Trouble is that when you buy a packet mix its generally for convenience. I don't think it's all that convenient as its basically just a herb/crumb coating and not really a packet mix- just add water and maybe one ingredient and you're done. If I'm going to go to the trouble of crumbing chicken I might as well do it totally homemade - or at least I would want the mix to make the chicken taste much better than I could do. Which this really didn't - thought it was a but of a sad relation no-mans land between ready prepared and homemade.

Followed recipe as stated so that I could be sure that the taste was as intended.

Didn't make mealtime easier or harder really. But I don't think I'd use it again as I wasn't impressed with flavour for the effort and the extra ingredients needed (which could've been nicer without the mix)

I'm not anti packet mix or convenience food but it does have to either offer better convenience than homemade or a different enjoyable taste. This didn't for me I'm afraid.

I wouldn't buy this mix again. Will be trying roast chicken tomorrow so hopefully better results!!!