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

Garlick and herb chicken with the cheese and chive dip. I made this yesterday and really enjoyed it! The recipe instructions are easy to follow so even if you're not that confident in the kitchen i doubt you'd have any trouble with this 2 in 1 mix. The coating on the chicken was nice and crunchy and the flavour not too over powerful. I thought the dip was really tasty too. I'm not sure it would feed four in my household though!! I took some pictures but can't figure out how to upload them onto here any advice would be greatly appreciated!

• the southern style with BBQ dip

-5/5

-only me and the DDs had it, we had chips, peas and mushrooms with it. We all really liked it. The chicken coating wasn't too over powering but was lovely and crispy. The BBQ sauce was nice and tangy.

-it was very easy to use

-I stuck to the recipe

• I don't really know if it made it easier, I don't make my own coatings, I would buy ready coated if I wanted breaded chicken. I do usually have chicken in the Freezer so it would be handy to have for a change.

-I would buy it again

• we all loved it!

• Garlic and herb chicken bites
• 4/5
• This was a success in our house! I have been worrying lately as my DC are resistant to any chicken other than chicken nuggets. They enjoyed these a lot.
• The main mix was very easy, the additional sauce was a little more complicated.
• Yes, followed the recipe
• It certainly was easy and much less of a stress as they ate it all.
• Yes, definitely
• Liked it a lot (not love as we weren't fussed about the extra sauce)

Figured out you can't upload pictures from the mobile site!! I didn't answer all the questions in my earlier review either, i'd rate the the garlick and herb chicken 4/5, i would buy it again, all my family enjoyed it and it was a quick and easy meal. I'm now going to make the mediterranean pasta after reading the reviews in this thread!!

We tried the chicken tikka and mint and cucumber raita.
I'd rate this 3 out of 5 (but would be 3/5 for chicken mix and 4/5 for raita mix).
The raita tasted really nice and the chicken was ok but it just didn't taste especially like chicken tikka. The mix was, however, really easy to use. We stuck to the instructions on the pack but added breads and a vegetarian curry to make it a full meal.

Using the sachet was a bit quicker than adding all the spices separately but I don't think it would've been to hard to make it without the sachet. For this reason I don't think I would buy the chicken tikka & raita mix again.
Overall I would say that I like this recipe mix.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Chicken tikka with riata

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

What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product? husband and i loved it, very tasty and the dip was a lovely fresh taste against the chicken

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 cooked on skewers but in the oven rsther than a bbq! We had with paprika sweet potato wedges and because of the dip I didn't need to do a salad

Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? yes I would say so, I cook from scratch a lot but for end result and taste you would think I had put more effort in

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 already do but this will def be purchased in the future

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?

Southern style crunchy chicken bites + BBQ dip

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

My husband says 3.5 or 4. I think 3. Son ate some, so probably 4 for him, as he hasn't been eating lately! He's 4 years old.

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

DH said it tasted like KFC. My son says he liked it. I thought it was nice. The BBQ sauce was the big hit around here. We all really like that.

• 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?

No real recipe on this one, just dip and coat. But I did add some peas and some chips with it.

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

Not really. I make a similar coating so maybe saved me the 2 minutes it takes me to mix mine together.

• 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. I have to see what I think of the other ones.

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

We liked it.

Overall a big success except that there wasn't enough coating for the chicken as you can see in the picture. Also, 15-20 never bakes chicken for me, so I baked it for 25 and it was fine. Finally, the coating didn't crisp up all that much.

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Garlic and herb chicken bites with cheese and chive dip

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

4/5. The whole thing was demolished fairly swiftly. In fact, i forgot about taking a photo until it was too late! The portion size, when made to the recipe, is quite small if you are feeding 4 hungry people (I only had 2 adults and a toddler to feed today). Perhaps it is a good thing, as you end up eating less meat and bulking up on veg instead.

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

It was quite salty and tasted a bit artificial compared to, for example, homemade nuggets with breadcrumbs. It still went down well, but with a toddler and young child to feed I would be wary of making it a regular meal because of the saltiness. The adults enjoyed the accompanying dip, though I did not have any natural yoghurt and just made it with mayonnaise and cheese.

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

Very easy to use.

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

I followed the instructions apart from the dip when I substituted the yoghurt for all mayonnaise.

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

It made it slightly easier than making nuggets from scratch as you don't need to make or flavour breadcrumbs/cornflake crumbs/cracker crumbs, but there is still the work of coating with egg and crumb.

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

For this particular flavour, I probably wouldn't, but am looking forward to trying the pasta bake.

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

I liked it.

Chicken Tikka and Mint and Cucumber Raita

Rated 4/5
The Chicken was lovely but the dip wasn't a hit. It was quite runny.
Was easy to do, we marinaded the chicken for about 9 hours.
Followed the instructions on the packet and added Rice and Naan Bread.
I wouldn't say it made mealtimes any easier or harder.
I would buy it in the future
Overall we liked it.

Tonight we tried the southern style chicken bites.

We would give it 3/5.

We all agreed the flavour was nice but found the paprika a bit overpowering. The bbq sauce was a big hit with the whole family.

It was easy to make but the cooking time and oven temp stated on the packet was completely wrong for our oven and if I had followed them it would have burnt.

It did make it a bit easier and quicker as I didn't have to mix breadcrumbs and seasoning but not a great amount of difference to when I make nuggets normally.

I don't think I would buy this mix again as we really did find the paprika a bit strong.

I really like the concept of the 2 in 1 mixes and can't wait to try the others but this mix wasnt a great hit.

We tried Mediterranean pasta with garlic crumb topping - we used the tuna suggestion instead of chicken.

Would rate this at 3 out of 5. DH said it tasted exactly as he expected it to - "like it came out of a packet" but fussy DS (2.5) was persuaded into eating some tuna which was a real bonus. I thought it was ok, not great, not awful, just ok.

Yes, easy enough to make. Would be helpful if the cooking of the pasta was included as a step in the recipe as I might not have noticed I needed to do this beforehand, had I not read it properly. Also, I thought it used a fair few pans: one to fry the pepper, one to boil pasta, one to make sauce, one to grill pasta etc. But that is a small criticism really.

Yes, used the recipe on the packet but didn't have a tin of sweetcorn so that was omitted.

No I don't think it was made a great deal easier. If I was going to have a pasta and sauce meal I would probably make it myself or just buy a jar of sauce to pour over. I was expecting the crispy topping to be a useful alternative to breadcrumbs but I thought them a little disappointing. Not a huge garlic flavour and not golden like on the packet. And DS not a fan and tried picking it all off - which he doesn't do with breadcrumbs normally.

I doubt I would rush to buy this particular mix again, but I remain hopeful about the others I have yet to try. It would also depend on the price.

Overall we liked it.

Just made and ate a big bowl full of the Mediterranean Chicken Pasta with the Cheesy Crumb Topping. I would give this recipe mix 4/5 . I enjoyed it but i would say the oregano was a touch too strong. It was really easy to make, i used wholemeal pasta and it took about 20 -25 minutes from start to finish. I followed the recipe but used a big handful of frozen mixed peppers instead of a fresh yellow one and served it with a buttery garlic baguette. Having this recipe mix in the cupboard would always be handy for an easy meal as you need so few extra ingredients and it's so quick and simple! I would buy it again as my husband liked it too.

- Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try? Garlic and Herb Roast Chicken with crunch potatoes.

- How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) 3.5/5
- What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
We liked it, although the flavour of the chicken mix wasn't strong enough for me, and was also a little overcooked despite me following the instructions to the letter. However, I did have misgivings about the instructions as I'd normally cook a chicken on 170-180 degrees not 190. The potatoes were an EXCELLENT flavour and lovely crunch, especially when drizzled with a little chicken gravy.

- How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? Really easy, although both the chicken and potatoes followed the method I'd normally use, so it was nothing new for me.

- Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? Yes followed completely, but served with peas, sweetcorn and some gravy.

- Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? No, I don't think it made it any easier, but definitely more tasty. :)

- 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 yes, I was very impressed with the potato mix, and I think cooked on a lower heat so it was less overcooked the chicken coating could be really tasty too.

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

Looking forward to the next one!

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

We tried the Mediterranean pasta bake but with tuna and sweetcorn instead of chicken. We had garlic bread with it as I wasn't sure if it would be enough for 2 hungry adults and a toddler. It was, with some left over!

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?

My DD (1.9) didn't eat it, but she's quite fussy ATM. My DP and I really liked it though.

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

Really easy, very straightforward.

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

I followed the instructions and it was very tasty, but I would tweak it in future.

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

It was very quick and easy, but then I'm a lazy cook, so don't always make lots of effort unless I'm in the mood! But yes, I could do the prep while the pasta was cooking, so it all only took about 20 minutes in total from starting to on the table.

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, because they're a great idea for when I have no time / ingredients / inspiration. I can use stuff from the cupboards / freezer, and they would make a great emergency supper for unexpected visitors. Also, I found they were generous portions.

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

Really liked it, but will tweak in future to make it more to our tastes, like adding garlic, onions and mushrooms. Will probably add pepperoni or bacon if doing it with chicken.

Tonight DS and I had southern style crunchy chicken bites and bbq dip, served with spicy potato wedges and peas (sorry, no photo!)

Rating: 4/5

We enjoyed the flavour.

Easy to use.

Used thighs as I think they are juicier.

Was an easy meal to prepare, coating the meat in beaten egg and rolling in the mix.

May buy again, DS enjoyed the chicken, but really didn't like the BBQ dip.

Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?
Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Bake
How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest)
5 (kids said 10!)
What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?
I didn't expect it to be any different to the usual pasta bake I make but it was very tasty. The breadcrumbs and cheese topping made it, but the sauce was tasty too.
How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use?
So easy. I chose to do this one first as we had been out all day and the kids were starving. Took about 30 minutes and could be done in about 20 if I was more efficient. not drinking wine as I cooked
Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients?
I used more than 200g of pasta as it wouldn't have been enough for big appetites and added a few extra vegetables and some passata (sneaky mum) and probably used more cheese. Using more pasta did not take away from the lovely flavour- 1 packet is still enough.
Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not?
For the pasta bake, not easier, no, but tastier.
Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? yes, I will be recommending the pasta bake. The children loved it so much I had to tell them to stop shoveling their food!
Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? The pasta bake was a bit hit. We are looking forward to trying the others.

Wish I could add more than 1 pic per post.
:)

Forgot to add, I don't like using the grill on my electric cooker, it gets too hot too quickly and sets off the alarm in the kitchen, so I put the bake in the oven for 10 minutes instead. The Mediterranean bake is pretty open to being tweaked to suit the chef.
:)

I used the Mediterranean pasta sachet for tea for myself and my 2 year old.
Hopefully that explains the Peppa Pig plate

I would rate this mix as a 3/5.

I thought it the sauce was very tasty, I enjoyed the flavour. I thought that the crumb topping was quite strong, and it didn't go the colour it said it would on the packet. I asked my daughter what she thought and she said it was nice and ate most of it.

I found the mix easy to use, a criticism would be I found it a bit messy opening the crumb topping, but that just may be me cooking in a rush.

I substituted chicken for tuna, and used mozzarella cheese instead.

I would say that it didn't make cooking easier, but it was different and I enjoyed cooking something we dont normally have all the time.

If saw this packet mix again I would buy it. I liked it and so did my daughter.

1. We tried the southern style crunchy chicken.
2. We would give it a 4/5
3. It was just me and dp who tried this, we thought it would be nicer if spicy, but we did like it.
4. Very, very easy my ds would have liked to help with this.
5. followed back of pack.
6. yes i didnt have to root around the cupboard looking for things as i normally would have.
7. Yes i'm sure id buy this one again, as it was nice and easy, im sure the dc's would like it too.
8. Liked it, thumbs up

• 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) 2-3/5 but I'm afraid DH gave it a 0

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

We didnt share this one with DC - he might like the chicken dippers, but don't see him eating this so we had it as our evening meal after he had gone to bed. I'm a bit worried about the salt content of some of the recipes, so won't share more than a bite with him. I was shocked at how much salt there was, to be honest, and if I had been buying it in a supermarket that would have put me off. I also note no use has been made of the traffic light system on the label. To be fair, I had a look round today at similar products and it compares well on salt content - but when you're used to home cooking its a big shock. I thought it looked fab cooking though, and was really excited to taste it, but was really disappointed. The raita was pleasant, but the chicken tikka was deeply disappointing. The spiciness of it was just right, but the taste was poor. I'm surprised others have rated it so highly. I felt a little ill afterwards (and not from food poisoning!) and felt sad I'd wasted the chicken, which was quite high quality.

• How easy, or difficult, did you find the 2in1 mix to use? I was pleased with how easy it made the meal to prepare, really enjoyed the preparation - I like cooking, but in small doses. The recipe was short and sweet, and liked having it there on the back of the pack.

• Did you follow the recipe on the back of the packet or did you add/take away any other ingredients? I followed the recipe exactly (always do!) But did serve it with rice.

• Would you say the 2in1 recipe mix made your mealtimes easier at all? If so, why? If not, why not? It was definitely easier than cooking from scratch. The only faff was turning all the individual pieces of chicken. The chicken took about as long to cook as the rice, so timing was a doddle.

• Do you think you will buy, or look to buy, Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes in the future? If so, why? If not, why not? Highly unlikely. I'll struggle to get DH to even try the next one, and was disappointed with the taste. Also, if you try to buy ethically, chicken is not cheap! For us it's a special treat and not one I would choose to waste on a poorly flavoured meal. I would have welcomed the chance to try a vegetarian or beef selection. Or maybe a vegetarian alternative to the recipe on the back? Before I tasted it, I was going to say its probably missold as a family meal - its more the sort of thing I would have gone for when I was living alone or working away from home. It looked like the sort of thing I would have really looked forward to after a long day of work. But the amounts are too much for one person and having tasted it, I think I would only have bought it once.

• Overall, would you say you loved the 2in1 recipe mix, you liked it or you hated it? Overall, sad to say I hated it. We finished the meal, but only because we don't waste meat. It promised so much and delivered so little.

Have a photo on my mobile I will try and upload later.

Southern style crunchy chicken bites.

4/5
We found the texture of the chicken bites very good, but the flavour was a bit on the tame side (although we do like a bit of spice!)
The BBQ sauce was delicious and complimented the chicken well.

The dc enjoyed it more than dh and I, possibly because it was fairly mild.

Very easy to use.
DH cooked it, so followed the recipe to the letter.

No easier or harder than normal mealtimes, although we didn't have to put any thinking effort into it!

I would probably buy this again, but I would add more spicy kick to it.

We liked it. There wasn't enough flavour on the chicken to love it. The BBQ sauce mix was delicious though, I'd probably buy this separately if it was available.

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

The tikka with Raita, we served it with a salad and used boneless & skinless chicken thighs

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

Probably 4.5

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

DS LOVED it, I sometimes have difficulty persuading him to try new things, but he has asked me to add it to my regular meals rota.

• 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?

The only thing I changed was the red onion in the raita, I substituted with spring onion instead

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

Not really, although it was handy to leave the chicken marinading for the afternoon

• 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, definitely. It's a nice introduction to spicier foods for DS

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

We all loved it, DS in particular was very taken with it and has asked if we can have it again next week

• Which 2in1 recipe mix did you try?

Chicken Tikka and mint raita

- 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?

We enjoyed the chicken tikka, it was nicely flavoured but didn't have too much heat. The raita was a disappointment. It wasn't minty enough.

- 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 ingredients on the packet but after I had tasted the raita I added some more mint to give it more flavour.

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

It made it easier in that I had all the spices together that I needed to make the tikka instead of having to buy several jars and packets. Also the instructions were clear and it was quite quick 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 may buy this one again as it makes chicken tikka easy and convenient.

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

I liked it.

A few further comments:

I thought 3 tbsp. oil was a bit excessive to add to the seasoning mixture.

The packet says serves 4 but certainly not as a main course. Our portions were quite small, better suited to a starter.

chicken tikka

• How would you rate this recipe mix out of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 highest) I would rate it 4/5, DSs would have rated it 1.
• What did you/your DCs think of the overall flavour of the product?

I liked it but DSs thought it was too spicy

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

Easy to use - I could have done the marinade myself but easy to use the packet.

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

Served it with naan bread

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

No, because I had to make something else for the boys, yes because it was very 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?

I liked this one and it would be good for dinner when I've been working all day.