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?

They were bright and eye catching. Seemed to be a convenient choice when needing something quick and easy when out and about. Compact size too for smaller appetites but not large enough for older ones.

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

Yes but then DS2 will eat anything given to him! I'd say the potato and sweet corn one was the most well received though.

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

I would probably buy them again based on the fact they're really easy to use when out and about. It's easy enough to transport sterilised spoons in a clean, sterilised bottle and squeeze the food straight from the pouch on to the spoon for feeding and erases the need to have a sterilised bowl with you.

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

Yes, for their convenience mainly and the fact they're not full of additives.

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

Packages were bright and eye catching. I liked that tge flavour a were 'normal' combinations as I've found some odd mixes of tastes in the past!

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

Yes, although my son is a little past this stage now so I used them either as bases for meals or as a sauce for him to dip finger food in. He really enjoyed dipping pasta into the cauliflower cheese one!

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

No, but only becausey son is a little old now.

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

Yes, a good range of normal flavours in handy pouches!

I liked the packaging, bright, clear and a good handy size. Although not sure I see the point of the veggie characters, 6month old is too young for characters and presume parents are the ones selecting anyway. I didn't understand why all the pouches had potato in? Was this just the ones I got? Didn't seem to offer much variety.

He did seem to enjoy them, especially the beef one. The cauliflower one was a definite miss and can't say I blame him after trying it!

I might buy them again but as we are mainly doing blw it would be spread on things etc. too smooth to use for long and prefer giving real food, but handy to have the odd ouch about and for taking out.

Not sure if I'd recommend, generally I'd recommend following a blw approach but if you want a pouch then these seemed ok, and much the same as anything else.

I'd have appreciated some kind of guide to portion size for the age range they are aimed at, info for a 1yr old isn't much help when these are clearly early weaning stage. Also often seemed a bit watery at first, even after a good shake, is it settling? Made it seem a bit unappetising.

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

* Nice, colourful packaging. Easy to find the ingredients list on the back. The meals did taste of the ingredients therefore overall I was very happy.

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

* My child generally had the pouches mixed with bread or rice as he is past the first weaning stage and is onto lumper textures. He ate all 4 pouches but seemed to enjoy cauliflower cheese the most.

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

* I would buy the pouches again for the odd occasion that I need a sauce of types to bulk out a meal. For example, I may buy a beef pouch to add to mince and potato as I sometimes find it difficult to make an appropriate baby sauce for mince without using gravy or stock cubes. I would buy the pouches for convenience if I had another baby for when out and about.

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

* Yes. They are reasonable value for money, can be spread over a couple of meals in the early weaning stages and are good for providing additional nutrients without having to buy, for example, a whole cauliflower when no-one else in the family will eat cauliflower.

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

They looked appealing, I liked the chart provided to track the number of times you had offered a flavour. I already knew the 8 times rule but others may not.

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

Hated them all despite me offering them several times. Much screaming and spitting was endured. This from a 9 month old who eats pretty much everything else we have offered him!

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

No, he hated them, Ellas organic go down a treat so will stick with them for outings.

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

Would recommend as a stage 1 product, although the broccoli pouch was quite intense.

Glad I was a part of the survey, thanks for allowing me the opportunity to try a new product with the last baby!

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

They where bright coloured design with a good variety of flavours

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

She loved them all, she finished all of them in no time flat.

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

They where great tasting according to her reaction and they where great to throw in the nappy bag for a day trip.

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

The flavours where good and tasty, I just struggled to open them but great for food on the go.

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

Positive. Very similar to Ellas in size and shape and unfussy.

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

Yes, she preferred the chicken one. I thought that they were really bland and watery.

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

Yes. But the meat content was tiny so I would opt for a different brand for meat based stuff.

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

Yes I would although mainly the veggie ones

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

The pouches looked inviting and bright and were informative of the contents so making it easy to see what was in them. Overall impression was good!

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

My little one enjoyed the cauliflower cheese and the pea and sweetcorn flavours but the beef and chicken one she would not eat! She is not a fussy eater! I did taste them myself and i had to agree with her...not appetising at all!

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

I would buy again for convenience especially when on the go!..but... My LO does enjoy the ellas kitchen pouches so this would be a reason i would not buy the cow and gate brand!?

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

Yes as they are convenient and easy to take out with you!

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
I really liked theses I felt they looked nice (as nice as mushed food can) and the consistency was perfect not to thin as some are.

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

Iv been struggling to get my son to try food and these were the first thing he has had a decent amount from he seemed to enjoyed them, the broccoli,potatoes and chicken seemed to be his favorite as he ate the whole pouch I was so pleased with them

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

I will and have done my son loved them and the fact that they aim to get children enjoying vegetables is a bonus

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

I definitely will alot of baby food that can be bought are based around something sweet and so children end up with a sweet tooth before they have really tried food and now with these pouchs they can learn to love there vegetables.

I loved the packaging and had high hopes, but my daughter hated each one. She would willingly try, but after the first mouthful refused any more

The packaging was OK but I do think when faced with the racks of baby food at the supermarket they all blend in. Sometimes the plainer packaging stands out more.

My 13 month old really enjoyed the peas and sweetcorn one, also the broccoli one. Good with pasta/breadsticks/cous cous.

Would buy again for convenience.

I would recommend them as they're more convenient than the glass jars and a handier size than some other brands in pouches.

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

I liked the packaging, and the concept itself was great. A very good idea.

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

My baby enjoyed most of the pouches, the carrot one especially, although the beef wasn't so well received.

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

My child is now a little too old for the smooth purée type foods, but I would consider buying the chunkier meals, however I would much prefer that they were organic.

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

I would recommend them to friends and family who we're going with traditional weaning as we were. I would perhaps not suggest them to friends that chose baby led weaning.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
I liked the packaging. In have been doing mainly blw with my nearly 7 month old DS, so I wasn't sure how much to let him eat if the pouches, so some guidelines on the pack would have been nice, if such a thing is possible. my DS also got constipated, not 100% sure if it was connected, although I was offering him lots of water, maybe because i let him eat too much. I was surprised at how smooth the purees were.

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

Yes he very much enjoyed them. I'm not sure which was his favourite, probably the sweetcorn peas and potatoes.

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

Yes, depending on them being reasonably priced. they were good for an easy/ mess free meal

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

I would recommend them.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
Nice flavours but small portion size .

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

Yes he liked the vegetable and beef one.

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

No, portion size small, price high.

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

No small portion size.

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

The packaging was nice and bright. I liked the simple, straight forward ingredients - literally what it says is what is in it. Not sure about the characters though - a 6mth old isn't interested and by the time they are old enough to grasp the concept of a character, they wouldn't be eating pouches of puree.

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

DS is only just starting weaning process so enjoy isn't quite the word. He did try all the flavours but I couldn't say there was a favourite - it's all just about trying at the moment. I found the pouches quite big for first weaning as has to be used within 24hrs of opening and that would mean having the same flavour at each meal. Might be ok from 7/8 mths although by then, I would think they would want more texture than a puree.

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

I do like pouches as they are convenient for chucking in a bag when going out. As above, not sure about the size for puree. Will definitely have a look at the next stages up in shops to check if the ingredients are just as straightforward and I may purchase those.

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

I'm not sure - I would give the same details as I've mentioned. Although I like the simple ingredients with no additives, I'm just not sure about the size for early weaning.

• What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you? Really thought the packaging was well presented and colourful!
• Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most? Yes my son really enjoyed each and every flavour but the carrot one was the best!
• Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes for definite, will be on the look out on future shops!
• Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes already have :)

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

Good. The packaging was eye catching and the flavours sounded natural with tastes that would appeal to babies of that age.

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

My son is a bit too old for puree pouches but he ate them all anyway! He seemed to like the one’s which included meat the best.

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

As my son is past the puree stage I wouldn't buy the pouches.

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

Yes. They are convenient, portable and a good portion size.

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

Interesting colourful characters and nice combinations of flavours. The texture of the food seemed a bit nicer than some of the food in jars, it had a bit more colour and seemed fresher.

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

He wasn't too impressed at first but we mixed some with mieliepap to give to him and dipped some bread and other foods in and he quite liked them. The cauliflower was his favourite!

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

Maybe, but I usually buy the pouches of food which are ready to serve, e.g. fruits, because my son prefers to be able to feed himself. I can give him spoons to hold but the benefit of pouches is that he can hold the pouch and tip it up or learn to squeeze it out. It's messy but he seems to eat more that way than if he is being spoonfed. With the vegetable pouches, they really need heating up a bit first or they look very unappetizing.

However, they are more portable than jars and there's no worry that they'll break in a bag, so they make a good food to take on a trip.

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

As a first step for weaning they're a good option, but probably only if they cost less or the same as a jar of baby food. If they were more expensive I wouldn't really see the point as you need to empty out the food anyway just like a jar.

Overal impression, good bright packaging. My baby is in stage where she eats puréed food from pouches. So as soon as I opened the box, she was happy to see the pouches and new it is a mealtime.

Did your child enjoy....My child really enjoyed them. Her favourite is cauliflower, potato and cheese one. I will be buying more of these!

Would you buy.... yes I will be buying these pouches. As seems like the baby started to be picky (sigh), so I tried almost all the baby food and there are only 3 or 4 types she liked. So I am happy to discover a new pouch to go for.

Would you recommend... Yes I would recommend them to family and friends. I always taste the baby food myself first and these taste good! Thank you for making our choice easy!

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

They are very simple, with straightforward ingredients and great for starting weaning

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

My baby is BLW so he seemed to find some of the pouches bland (not very enthusiastic) but he enjoyed the cauliflower and cheese one.

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

I would probably buy the next stage as these were a bit too simple for our stage of weaning now (He is 9 months and has BLW since 5 months).

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

Yes I would as an introduction to food however other brands (Ellas Kitchen) offer very similar products.

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

Positive. The packaging was attractive and colourful, and it was especially good to get flavour meat/veg combinations which weren't pretending to be a puréed meal (e.g. Spag Bol).

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

she seemed to like them, and she's normally an Ella's pouch girl :) she particularly liked the broccoli and chicken one. I initially thought they were a bit bland, but actually they did taste of their constituent parts.

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

she's 9 months now and pretty much weaned, but I would get them for lunch on the go or store cupboard back ups, price dependent.

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

Yes, I think they're a good standby for early stages of weaning - and I'll definitely look out for cow and gate pouches for later stages now.

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
The packaging is bright and pleasing to the eye. The pouches are small enough to be carried around easily. They are easy to open and it's great that they will keep in the fridge once opened. The texture is just right for the age range.

Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most?
My Lo loved the potato, sweetcorn & peas and the cauliflower cheese with potato. The broccoli, potato and chicken didn't go down too well and LO refused to eat the carrot, potato and beef one.

Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not?
I don't think I would by the carrot, potato & beef pouch again is it seemed to be very oily and left a film of grease on everything it touched. (Lo didn't like it either, not sure if this is down to the flavours or the texture) I'll be sticking with the potato, sweetcorn & peas and the cauliflower cheese with potato flavours.

Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes. There's a decent variety to choose from. They are very easy to use on the go; great when you're in a hurry!

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

Packaging very eye catching , stands out on shelf amongst the huge variety of other pouches, overall very good impression.

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

Yes he loved the ones with peas and potato and I bought more of this one.

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

As above yes would buy the pea one but he didn't like the meat ones and I didn't like them either, tried at room temp (as out and about) and warmed gently at home but didn't help taste.

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

I would for younger babies and for convenience and good price but maybe not all the flavours.

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

Average. Good: appearance of the packaging; names of flavours; brand heritage. To improve: product smell

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

He really did - wolfed them down! The beef one was particularly successful.

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

I'd be happy to buy them if my usual choice (Ella's Kitchen) wasn't available. I hated the smell of the C+G pouches - a sort of sicky, fake smell - but they tasted fine, albeit a bit bland - and DS loved them!

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

I'd say they're fine as an insurance option. DS lived them, but they smell fake compared to my usual brand.

I quite liked the pouches. The characters were fun and a bit different to other brands. I thought the flavours were really simple and that appealed to me as they complimented the foods I have at home rather than dressing them up with fancy names.

My daughter wolfed every pouch down; she absolutely loved them all. I think that the cauliflower cheese was particularly successful but she didn't waste a drop of any of them...result!!

I'd definitely buy them again although haven't seen them in my local shops yet. I liked the fact that they smelt like real food- the peas smelt like peas, etc and my daughter enjoyed eating them.

I'd definitely recommend them to friends and family.