Page 4 | Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches Feedback Thread - £250 Mothercare voucher to be won for feedback NOW CLOSED

cupofteaplease · 29/01/2015 06:06

Overall, I thought the packaging was bright and appealing.
I'm afraid that my child didn't like the pouches at all. We have mostly started with BLW but I thought these would be useful for going out and about. We tried carrot and beef and he wouldn't entertain it. I tried again another day with the cauliflower cheese one but again, it was far too bland. I mixed it with home-roasted sweet potato with onion and garlic and then he ate it. I have passed on the other pouches to a friend.
No I wouldn't buy these again as they were too bland. It's a shame because I can see how useful they would be when out on the move.
Despite what I thought, I would recommend them to a friend of mine whose baby is loving similar pouches from Ella's Kitchen and Hipp, because the price is reasonable and the packaging is fun.

MoanyMug · 29/01/2015 10:20

My baby didn't get to try these out, as I was away the day they were delivered and I assume they had frozen and then thawed overnight as they had all exploded in the envelope. So I don't know if my baby would have liked them, otherwise

overall I liked the packaging. It looked bright and it was clear what each meal was. I liked that it said from 6 months rather than 4, as it really does encourage people that they should be giving food to their baby when they see all the slick commercial food saying from 4 months.

Also I really like that they are savoury. So many of Ella's kitchen pouches say something like lamb stew but actually have 45% apples in them. When weaning my older daughter I think there was a choice of about only 2 or 3 pouches that were truly savoury.

as we didn't try them I can't know for certain whether my baby would have liked them, but she seems to prefer the pouches with a firmer texture. The sloppy pork and apple from (I think) ellas kitchen gets rejected. So I imagine the puree would not go down well at all. I use lots of bought baby food but never purees as I start at 6 months and it seems so pointless giving them purees by then.
I would not buy these again unless they changed them to a thick paste consistency (similar to the 7 month plus ranges from other companies). If they did this I would probably buy these over all the other brands because I really did like the simplicity of the ingredients and think they would be brilliant addition to the rest of my daughter diet. She is 8 months now, but even from the beginning of weaning at 6 months she loved the texture of the 7month plus pouches and proper chewing finger food. She still doesn't have any teeth so she can get frustrated at how long some food takes to eat. But she hates all the jar food which really limits me to pouches plus homemade food.
I would recommend these to others but only if they were weaning early. If they waited til 6 month I would say there's no point buying these.

randdom · 29/01/2015 10:22

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

I thought that they were reasonable. I liked the fact that they had vegetables in them and tasted like they did. I feel that a lot of pouches for this age group have too much fruit even in the savoury pouches. I thought that the packaging was appealing and made it stand out.

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

It was very mixed. He definitely enjoyed the peas sweetcorn and potato. I tasted it and it was very pleasant. He was less of a fan of the others and actively disliked the cauliflower, potato and cheese which was very bland.

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

I would definitely consider buying the peas sweetcorn and potato one for when we are out and about and I want to use a pouch as it is equal if not better in quality to the ones that I already used. However I would probably not buy the others.

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

I would recommend that they try them and see if their babies liked them because it is a good concept to get babies used to vegetables.

IWantToMakePeppaBacon · 29/01/2015 11:17

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

Good, bright packaging. Clear text. Easy to open.

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

Unfortunately, 8 month old did not enjoy any pouches! A surprise, as since beginning weaning they have enjoyed most things. They have never had purées however, so perhaps a textured version would have gone down better.

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

No, as child didn't enjoy them. Only really suitable for very early stage weaning.

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

May be useful if baby is used to purées, however if baby is used to textured food not sure if they would be well received.

Sparkles23 · 29/01/2015 12:42

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

Good, nice packaging and looked healthy.

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

Yes, she liked the cauliflower one best.

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

Yes definitely, they are handy for when out and about and great alongside home cooked good, the price is reasonable and most importantly there is no rubbish in them.

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

Yes for the same reasons as above.

Han260678 · 29/01/2015 13:43

I was testing these with my daughter Sophie who is 9 months. She is not a huge fan of jars/pouches so I was keen to give these a try. She tends to throw things that she's not keen on so I was hoping these passed the 'hurl' test!

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

First impressions were very good, I liked the packaging and the characters on the front, it all looked appealing. Pouches were very easy to open which is great.

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

We had a mixed reaction to the pouches. She really enjoyed the carrot, potato and beef and I think would have had a lot more if the pouches were bigger. Unfortunately she did not like the cauliflower and cheese. The food smelt lovely but when I tasted it, it was rather bland so maybe that was why. The broccoli potato and chicken unfortunately she hated and most of it ended up on the floor and on me! She was also sick after eating it which was a shame. The peas, sweetcorn and potato she didn't mind too much and finished it all without covering me in any.

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

I would buy the beef one again as Sophie really enjoyed this and it's nice to have something for when we go out. I wouldn't buy the others however as she just didn't like them enough.

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

I would certainly recommend they give them a try especially with younger babies. The beef pouch was lovely and I think they are more competitively priced than others on the market.

Trinpy · 29/01/2015 17:04

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

Bright packaging which made my ds want to grab the pouch and feed himself! Nice combination of flavours and I loved the idea of not covering up the taste of vegetables with sweeter foods. Could have done without being 'spoken' to by the cartoon vegetables on the pouches (fine for kids but I don't need Peter Pea to explain things to me!) and the constant use of veggies grated a bit.

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

He loved the carrot one, which is quite an achievement considering he normally won't go near anything involving carrots! He wasn't at all keen on the cauliflower one and I ended up having to bin most of it.

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

Yes I would, in fact we're going on holiday soon so I will probably pick up a couple of the carrot ones to take away with us if I see them in the shops.

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

If it came up in conversation I would. They seem a reasonable price.

Cherryjellybean · 29/01/2015 20:34

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

Good, clear packaging. I don't remember characters on other cow and gate foods like that, so slightly different. It smelt ok to me. My daughter liked it so that was good!

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

She did! The beef one the most... I've never seen her down food like it! Cauliflower and the other one she ate pretty well... But the broccoli - not so well. She ate a bit but soon started spitting it out.

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

Yes... She doesn't always like food so I'd buy it as I know she will eat it and it's healthy. If I'm out and about and she is hungry it's very handy.

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

Yes if it came up in conversation! :)

Yikesivedoneitagain · 29/01/2015 21:14

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

Bright, non threatening. Had to read ingredients to see no added stuff (should make a big deal of this!

One massive problem for me was that the lid was too stiff to open. I ended up cutting the top off to open. I am not that weak either!

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

My kid just won't eat purée, have tried and thought I could give it a good go with these, but he still wasn't interested.

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

If he liked puréed food these are the ones I would buy. I liked the taste.

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

Yes, smelt and tasted good, and natural. Great!

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

Thanks,
MNHQ

Reniee14 · 29/01/2015 21:18

Thank you for choosing my baby to try the savoury pouches!

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
They were well packaged with colourful pictures of the veg contained in the pouch, my baby loved the cartoon type pictures and laughed when I made 'Carol the carrot or Bella the broccoli' sing & dance!

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

Mostly so, she liked the carrot, potato & beef the texture was to pureed as she is on stage 2 weaning (with lumps). Have to mention she didn't like the sweetcorn, peas & potato, looked unappetising, no taste and why was there no meat or fish protein in it? She also refused to eat the fish pouch

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

Yes I already went out to Asda & brought my baby the 7+ pouches which is better suited to her as it has texture and lumps for her to chew!

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

Yes as they are value for money and my baby likes Cow & Gate products as she already eats their 7+ month fruity cereal :) As a parent its good to know that these pouches contain a good amount of veg in them.

idleweiss · 29/01/2015 23:42

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
When I first received them, I had quite a positive impression of them..having read the leaflet and looked at the packaging..until both me and my little one tried them..then i was very disappointed...

Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? Unfortunately my little boy (who is a big eater) was not very keen on them at all..he ate nearly half of the carrot,beef & potato. but only a spoonful or two of the others. Imparticular, the cauliflower cheese potato and broccoli, chicken and potato pouches we were given were very bitter and didn't taste very nice..or quite right (i was quite hesitant to let my LO try it), even i didn't like them! He shuddered and spat these out straight away and refused any more

Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again?Unfortunately..no..they were very bland, bitter and one of my pouches (cauliflower cheese) was really watery!

Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family?

Again, I wouldn't recommend them as i have had such a disappointing experience with them, sorry.

JustAnotherControlFreak · 30/01/2015 02:10

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

Uncomplicated, colourful packaging with resealable option housing pleasant smelling (smelt like fresh veg and not at all unnatural) meals that were in appealing flavours my DS visibly enjoyed. Also pouches had plenty of food for a feed (or 2 when he wasn't as hungry) and were suitable for taking out and about - something I'm still learning to do. However, I feel that Peter Pea was a well-intentioned 'fun' character to use as part of the marketing, but his wording (as though explaining to a child directly) came across almost patronising, even to a first time mum like me. Maybe keep him as a frontman for the product but maybe to state facts about the ingredients (mention that there are no hidden nasties as the ingredient list - which I make a point of reading on baby food - is wriyten quite small and the content (and thus the lack of additives) isn't really highlighted as much as I think it could be)?

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

The pea pouch was a huge success, though DS thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I feel that this was much helped by the fact that the contents were not completely smooth but had a little texture to them as well as being a good introduction to vegetables. I tried a small dash of each and was pleasantly surprised at the flavours of each ingredient coming through.

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

I would most definitely buy these pouches of marketed at the suggested price in the accompanying survey, but couldn't justify paying much more when realistically i could make something similar from scratch for less cost. However the ease of taking these out with us would definitely be a factor I'd consider over trying to make my own and freeze/defrost as required.

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

Yes. Definitely. I will be buying these when they enter general consumption if DS is still eating this sort of thing. I feel good about him being able to.enjoy vegetables and savoury food without me worrying. I don't feel as though I'm trying to force a strictly health food only diet onto my son as he is enjoying the flavour from the very beginning, thank you.

SeashellHoarder · 30/01/2015 06:58

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

The pouches look great, I think I would want to try them if I saw them in the supermarket. The ingredients were fine.

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

No, unfortunately. The beef one was the most popular (4 mouthfuls eaten)

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

No, I assume DD would not eat it.

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

Based on our experience, no.

I really want to like the product because we use lots of cow and gate already, and the ingredients are good. However DD's opinion is final!

Catherik · 30/01/2015 08:46

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
The pouches looked appealing, especially the bright colours.

Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches?

My son is a little old for such smooth puree, but enjoyed the flavours. If so, which one did they enjoy the most? The carrot and beef was the best received one.

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

I would buy them, but add some vegetables to make it lumpier now my son is passed early weaning.

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

Yes, but really for early weaning only.

Emrob86 · 30/01/2015 16:45

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you? Great! Flavours sounded good!
Did your child enjoy the Cow & Gate Friends savoury pouches? If so, which one did they enjoy the most? Yes, the vegetable ones were the best.
Would you buy the Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches again? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, I would buy them.
Would you recommend Cow & Gate Friends Savoury Pouches to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, because my baby liked them.

jerryanne · 30/01/2015 17:03

What was your overall impression of the savoury pouches which Cow & Gate sent to you?
I thought the pouches were very well presented and full of good information which was great for me to know exactly what is in them

Did your child enjoy the pouches

Yes he really seemed to like them though he wasn't sure on the cauliflower one at first but the pouches were so generous I had half the pouch left, when I tried it again the next day he responded better.

Would I buy again.

if I had another baby I might, they were good sizes easy and they went down well, my son is 8 months old and now prefers large lumpy textures. So I wouldn't be buying these for him.

Would I recommend to friends

yes, I already have been. They were very nice to trial and worked well. I also like how they didn't have strange colours like other pre made baby food and didn't stain babys clothes.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 30/01/2015 20:01

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

Bright and cheerful packaging, plus I like the pouch format.

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

We haven't tested them all yet but so far he liked the broccoli and chicken one. He spat out the carrot one the first time I tried it but the next day he ate it happily.

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

Yes, I would. They're handy for going out and about, they reseal easily (unlike jars), and they're good for a vegetable side to a meal. It's nice to be able to feed him some finger food eg toast/cheese/ham etc and then give him a small portion of pureed veg - that way I know some is going in! It's also a quick way of introducing a variety of veg, instead of making some carrot soup (for example) which he then eats for a week before starting a new one.

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

Yes - for the reasons given above. As a new mum I'd have turned my nose up at them but now I am older, wiser and tireder.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 30/01/2015 20:02

One question - how are they processed to make them last so long? Is it vacuum-packing or something?

Nottheshrinkingcapgrandpa · 30/01/2015 21:42

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

They were ok.

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

Yes- the one with the peas was a hit.

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

I'm not sure- my lo is getting a little old for the smooth pouches

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

I think so, especially for the youngest.

Littleen · 30/01/2015 21:53

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

They look nice and colourful, will stand out from other similar products in the shop, because they are lighter in colour.

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

Cauliflower and cheese was the favourite, but the carrot, beef and potato one made my little boy sick! He actually threw up whilst eating it (but didn't seem to dislike the taste). I tried it again the next day, and he was retching and being sick again. I wonder if we got a bad one? He's never reacted like that to anything before!

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

Yes, but not the beef one, since it made my boy sick :( He was fine before he ate it, and was fine at next meal when he wasn't having the pouch.

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

Yes, but not the beef probably! I am feeling a little bit suspicious about it now, to be honest.

My only additional comment was to add a bit more flavour to them - my little one loves other pouches with more spices (jamaican pork being a favourite).

Also, it would be good with a slightly firmer texture, so the little ones can try to feed themselves with the spoon!

All in all, we will buy them in the shop, if they can beat the other, more exotic ones, on price.

Rigbyroo · 31/01/2015 16:57

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

They were bright and colourful, easy to use and sturdy enough to pack.

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

He's being quite fussy about anything savoury that he can't hold by himself! He didn't mind the cauliflower one but generally wasn't a fan.

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

I would buy them again to keep in the cupboard for anytime I needed something on the go or felt as if he wasn't getting enough veg.

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

Yes I would, they are handy to take out and about and I liked the sound of the flavour combinations.

Sarahb8990 · 31/01/2015 17:29

Overall the packaging was great. Very simple and light to carry if your out and about instead of the glass jars.
Yes my son loved the flavours. And even ate flavours he had previous refused, cauliflower.
I won't be buying them, as my son is 10months old so is past the puréed foods.
I would recommend them to people that are about to start weaning as they are perfect in consistency and amount.

jenniferyellowhat12 · 01/02/2015 00:26

The packaging was stimulating and interesting. I liked the concept of getting the babies to enjoy veg. The cauliflower cheese one wasn't too popular with my baby although I thought it tasted nice. The broccoli one was horrible, tasted too overpowering for baby. Baby preferred the one with peas

CarrotCakeMuffins · 01/02/2015 10:02

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

Brightly coloured, eye catching packaging. I liked the convenience of a pouch. They are small, light, easy to heat (although I didn’t do this), and can be squeezed directly onto a spoon for feeding.
I noticed the ingredients list didn’t add up to 100% which I found odd.
The product itself seemed a lot duller in colour than I expected and much duller than my own equivalent purees. They also were runnier than I expected and a bit wishy washy looking. They did not look that attractive.

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

We have used 3 so far. Beef & carrot plus the pea / sweetcorn one went down well. Broccoli & chicken was not popular despite liking all the ingredients normally. We will try the cauliflower cheese next week.

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

Probably not as they were too runny for my DC now who at 7.5m wants more texture & lumps.

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

I would recommend them for convenience when just starting weaning, but think they are too smooth / runny once weaning is established. Of course they could be mixed with something else but then you lose the convenience…

Overall, I am glad we took part in the trial so thank you for giving me the opportunity.

ricecakeaddict · 01/02/2015 16:35

Thank you for sending the pouches to us.

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

I liked the simplicity of the packaging and flavours - you know what you are getting!

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

I would say my 10 month old DD quite enjoyed them. She ate them but didn't seem that excited by them (no quivering with excitement as we get with Fish Pie Ella's Kitchen!). The broccoli was the least favourite (but she never likes that in pack form - I think because it tastes stronger).

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

Not for my DD as I prefer to give her things with lumps now. However, these would have been good when she was 6-8 months as I liked the consistency for then (as it wasn't too runny so easy to use). The portions also weren't big enough for her now so I ended up making other things too

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

Yes, to people who had recently started weaning (so 6-8m) and were looking to offer their baby more than one flavour at once. I like the fact these are simply meat mixed with veg rather than Spag Bol, Chicken Casserole etc like competitor brands