Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches Feedback Thread - £250 Mothercare voucher to be won for feedback NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 250 MNers who have been trying out the new Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches with their babies aged 6 months+.

Below are the questions we'd like testers to answer but please feel free to add your own comments too.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?
• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

All testers who give their feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 Mothercare voucher.

Thanks,
MNHQ

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

I was impressed with the packaging it was bright clear and inviting. I thought the flavours were good combinations and represented meals I would feed my family.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

My daughter is a bit old now for puree pouches however she did seem to like the flavours. They would have been great for weaning.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

As my daughter is passed the puree stage I wouldn't buy the pouches but would look for other more age appropriate meals when in the supermarket from cow and gate.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would definitely recommend them to anyone starting weaning as they are a convenient size, good combination or flavours and good consistency.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

liked the packagog and ingredients were simple.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

Yes, especially the carrot one!

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, to use alongside home cooked meals and finger foods

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes for simplicity. Would be price dependent too.

Such a fabulous idea, I love the fact they can be added to to make meals for older babies, my daughter particular favorite was the cauliflower one and I will definitely be buying them in future. I've already told my friends about them

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

They were ok, though the pouches we tested had no lumpy bits in, so aimed at young weening babies rather than older babies.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

The beef was the most well received buy my lo, but I can't say any of them were enjoyed really.

Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

No, I prefer home cooked meals but if we need something to grab in a rush I'd rather buy a jar which we can reuse, and so I can get a rough view of what the contents look like.

Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I think to people starting out, yeah maybe we would. But otherwise not really.

Overall impression - they looked good and my four year old liked the vegetable characters. The pouches are a good size and handy to pop in my bag for lunch on the go.

My 11month old did really like them particularly the sweetcorn one and was visibly excited when I got a pouch out.
I found them very watery and flavourless.

I would consider buying them again and recommending them to friends as they are very handy for lunches out on the go or when you don't have time to make home made.
I just wish baby food had slightly more flavour to it.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

Packaging was good, bright attention catching and friendly!

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

They were a hit. The cauliflower, potato & cheese went down well. With one of the other pouches (cant remember which one) dd made a hilarious face after each mouthful - but still ate it all.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

My LO is mostly BLW but found she loved sucking it directly from the pouch. Spread on toast or crackerbread worked well and made a change from the usual toppings.

If we were going to a friends and didn't want to make a mess or were in a rush somewhere and LO needed lunch on the move (in the pushchair!) I would definitely choose one of these to take.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would. Simple ingredients, something I may put together myself if i had time to steam and blend if we did purée feeding!!

I was very impressed with the pouches, both in terms of presentation and taste. I was surprised that there wasn't a more distinctive texture, but having tried Ella's kitchen pouches this week with no success, this was obviously the right texture for my baby. He finished all of the pouches so difficult to know which he preferred, but I personally found the cauliflower one a little bland. I am going away on holiday next month and we will be buying the pouches again then to take with us so I would certainly recommend them. I have made all of my little one's meals myself up until last week so it was nice to have a break whilst feeling comfortable that he was still getting all of the nutrients and goodness he needs.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
Looking forward to trying something easy for when out and about - flavours looked good

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

Yes very much - the cheese and sweetcorn one especially

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes and already have!

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes- they are easy and baby loves them!

1. Overall I was very impressed with the pouches. The Packaging was bright and Colourful. They even caught my 3 year olds attention. The flavours were popular choices and a hit with my little one

1. My little boy did enjoy them all but his favourite was the carrots.

1. I would buy them again they are handy to have for when I don't have much time for making purees or just want to try something a bit different.

1. I would recommend them as my little boy enjoyed them so I am sure my friends little ones would too.

Overall impression
Good, simple packaging.
Good flavours and good to mix with finger foods
I would buy again but would mix with texture such as pasta or on toast
My girls loved the sweet corn one.

I would recommend to others

I would buy again for quick and easy when out and about and would have used more if I'd just started weaning.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

overall impression good, they looked 'green' ie healthy, nice looking simple unfussy flavours.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

he preferred beef and carrot. he didn't really like the other 2, but he is in a fussy stage...he's 9 mths so they weren't big enough for him

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

would for a 6mth old, too small for my bouncing 9mth old; I used as a sauce for pasta,

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

yes, would recommend, easy to use & carry when out and about.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

The packaging was really good and would catch my eye on the shelf.

Once opened they seemed OK, if very basic.

The texture was better at room temp than warmed as they became a bit watery.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

DS is only just 6 months so isn't used to food yet. He tolerated them, but enjoy would be too strong a word.

The one he seemed to prefer (spit out least) was the pea, sweet corn and potato one.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Possibly, but only in the first weeks of weaning as they're very much 1st stage.

I also prefer organic if I'm giving ready made baby food.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, in the early stages as they're convenient with simple natural ingredients. Not past 1st stage though.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

The packaging was pretty basic. Good colours and recognisable. Good font size at the front, but a bit too small-ish at the back. I would have thought they would want to highlight the story of the vegetable friends, but the character's story and illustrations were not that eye catching.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

I was delighted to find that my daughter seemed to like it enough to finish the whole pouches. She's always a very good veggie eater but not when it was mixed with meat/chicken and never on store-bought products. So it really was a good surprise that she liked them. I think she likes the one with chicken the best.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would buy them provided the price makes sense. We might need to look for the next stage variety, though.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, we would. They taste great (I tried), have good portion and very practical for travelling.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

We did not like them. The packaging seemed appealing and we would have bought them had we seen them in the shop however on trying them out views very quickly changed.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

My son disliked every single one of the pouches. My son is not a fussy eater...he has never refused food since we started weaning, I cook his food and on occasion he would have an Ella's pouch. He tried these and then spat them out and would scream if I tried to feed him any more. This happened for all the pouches. I tried them myself and thought they tasted revolting and not at all like the ingredients that they were meant to be so I couldn't blame him for refusing them!

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

No, after tasting them I would never put a child through eating them!

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

No!!! They tasted horrible!!! not a good way to introduce babies to food

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

Oddly I thought they looked a lot less healthy and simple than they are. Looked v artificial even though they're actually made if natural ingredients. As a result I would have passed these on a supermarket shelf.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

Yes he did enjoy them, particularly the cauliflower cheese one. I felt they were really tasteless though.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Possibly. Not frequently though as I'd be concerned that my baby would get used to the tastelessness and refuse to eat real food.
Ok for out and about or an emergency though.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Possibly if they asked for a recommendation.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
They were well packaged, a good variety of flavours and a consistent branding theme throughout.
The only thing I thought could be changed was the ingredients list. The ingredients have a percentage next to them, however it did not add up to 100%, I am assuming this is because the last of the percentage is water. However I can understand why this might make people uneasy about using them.

Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

Yes he did, his favourite was broccoli potato and chicken.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, my son enjoyed them and they are handy for days when we are out and about/

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would, more so to anyone who is starting to wean their child than to anyone who has already started the weaning process.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

I loved the packaging, the design, the texture, the ingredients. I wasn't keen on the size.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

Yes! The cauliflower mix was the best. Kept eating it which is great as little one stopped having a lot of purees.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Not until she was older months-wise on the odd occasion. This is because at the moment, the size of it is too big. It has to be consumed within 24 hours which isn't long and there is too much to finish for that amount of time. It's because it is hit and miss with how much little one eats. Right now it could probably be finished but at the time of testing it wasn't.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would because little one enjoyed it.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

I liked the colourful, eye-catching packaging, this made a positive first impression.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

Yes, my baby did enjoy them. To be honest he enjoys most foods and seemed equally happy to eat all of them. He enjoyed the smooth textures as we are fairly new to weaning.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, because I like the flavours on offer, and I liked the fact that the one containing spinach was actually green in colour and the spinach was clearly detectable, rather than just bland mush.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, I would recommend them to friends who are starting their babies with weaning, who want to introduce the baby to a variety of savoury flavours.

Hi!
My dd loved the cauliflower &cheese.(Thumbs up this flavour will be a winner)she had a gleaming smile.but the potato&sweetcorn&peas she
vomited after a couple of spoons.she disliked
it.I was also sent the chicken &beef pouches even though I did clarify Im a muslim and only eat HMC Halaal so I didnt feed the two meat pouches.

I Would recommend the cauliflower version its priced at 60p @asda.But I think homemade would taste fantastic too nd cheaper&fresh.The packaging is eyecatching but the pouches are small.great for on the go travels.but theres not much for varieties for muslims and I think its time someone came up with some inventions.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

Positive. The packaging was attractive and striking, and my kid seemed to like the taste of the contents.

Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

He seemed to like them; it's hard to say if he preferred a particular one, as he quite enthusiastically gobbled all of them equally!

Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

He's 14 months now, so is pretty much on normal food, rather than solids. However, I wouldn't rule out buying the pouches in the following circumstances: (a) a quick rush for lunch whilst out and about; or (b) for mixing with the likes of pasta. I tested them in both these ways.

Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, in certain circumstances - I think they'd be great in the early to middle stages of weaning, so I recommend them for that kind of situation. Also, I think they're handy for encouraging a child who's not keen on a certain food to eat that kind of thing. For parents whose baby is weaned and doesn't have a problem with their greens, they're probably not going to be that great an investment, though as I stated above, they're good items to mix in with other foods like pasta.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?

I thought they looked really good,liked the graphics on the pouch,easy to handle,easy to open.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

Enjoyed the carrot,potato & beef one the most,strange because I actually thought it tasted nothing like it should and really did like the smell but it was eaten in one go and think more would of been eaten if it was a bigger pouch.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

I am really not sure as baby didn't like the other 3 flavours. I guess if I was really pushed for time and in a supermarket I would get the carrot,potato & beef one but don't think I would buy the others.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

No I wouldn't recommend them other than the flavour that was enjoyed,I wouldn't want someone I know to buy them and for their children not to like them. If baby had enjoyed all of them then I would of recommended them.

They rest of them did taste like some of the ingredients but maybe a bit overpowering.
The cauliflower,potato & cheese smelt really nice but baby spat it out.
The broccoli,potato & chicken was very strong broccoli but overpowering.
The peas,sweetcorn & potato was like mushy peas and really strong pea flavour bit too strong for a baby.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
I thought the flavours sounded quite horrid, and I like veges! Although no different to other pouches and jars I guess (except for the obvious omission of fruit in the mix)
I'm not sure about the image of a carrot with a face, etc. but I guess it's fun.

• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?

I was surprised to find that he actually loved them!! He liked the cauliflower one best.

• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, already have bought more for the cupboard for childminder days. I bought them because he liked the flavours and the textures were good for his stage (7/8 months) they also mix up with pasta and are good for dipping (well, smearing) with pitta.

• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, for the reasons stated above. They're also good value compared to other brands.

Thanks

Overall impression

• I didn't like the packaging which I found chaotic and I prefer the simpler graphics of other pouches. That said, good to know clearly what is in them.

Did child enjoy. Yes, she enjoyed them all, and as she's a year old sucked out the contents herself. They were part of lunch, but not quite enough for a whole meal

Would I buy
I would probably rather buy other brands which I'm more used to, but wouldn't have a problem buying these if they were what was on offer. I use pouches mainly when traveling our out and about.

Would I recommend
To a friend who was about to travel and needed convenience, yes.