Little Dish feedback thread - £300 John Lewis voucher to be won for feedback! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This thread is for the Mumsnetters who have been trying Little Dish chilled toddler meals and their new range of My First Pizzas.

Here’s what Little Dish say, “When Hillary was expecting her first baby, she realised that you couldn’t buy healthy, home-cooked style meals for toddlers and young children in the shops. She set out to create a range of delicious, nutritious food made from 100% natural ingredients…and so Little Dish was born. Nearly 10 years on, we’re proud to feed around 100k little ones every week. Every Little Dish toddler meal is perfectly nutritionally balanced for a 1 to 3 year old –providing a source of protein and at least 1 portion of veg, low in salt, with no added sugar, additives or preservatives. Our new My First Pizzas are not only delicious (as approved by our Tiny Tasters) – they also provide 1 portion of veg each, contain 35% less salt than the average children’s chilled pizza and of course have no added sugar, additives or preservatives.”

Below are a few questions for you to answer about trying Little Dish meals and pizzas with your DCs – feel free to add any other thoughts you may have though, we’d love to hear them.

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?
• Which was your child’s favourite meal?
• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?
• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?
• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

If you have any photos of your DCs trying Little Dish meals or pizzas, please add them to this thread.

Everyone who adds their feedback, as well as completing the short feedback survey we will be emailing to you, will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £300 John Lewis voucher.

Please note: your anonymous comments or photos may be used by Little Dish on their website and other marketing materials.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

Little Dish meals
- What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?
Good impression, like the packaging and the meals seem a decent size

- Which was your child’s favourite meal?
Definitely the fish pie. She liked the risotto as well but wasn't keen on the shepherd's pie.

- Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes, they're great to have in the freezer for when you need a quick, relatively healthy toddler meal

Little Dish My First Pizzas
- What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?
Looked slightly lacking in cheese but that probably helped to keep them lower in salt! Otherwise looked good.

- Which was your child’s favourite pizza?
The cheese and tomato - she liked the meatball one as well. We didn't get to try the chicken before it went out of date.

- Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes - obviously not for every day but they seem to be a good choice for when we're having pizza for tea

- What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?
Maybe some snacks?

Little Dish meals

• Fun, colourful packaging that clearly stated what's inside with all the information needed to make an informed choice
• Turkey meatballs with Herby tomato sauce was a favourite (might have something to do with the obsession with meatballs at the moment :) )
• I'd recommend the meals to anyone with young children - they are convenient, easy to prepare with no nasties, only great taste :)

(they are a great idea when trying out new meals for little people - instead of cooking a family meal and ending up with food to throw away, your child can have a Little Dish meal and see if they like it first )

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• Looked and tasted great, were just the right size and quick to prepare :)
• My little one's favourite was the Chicken & Pesto one
• I'd happily recommend them to friends and family - they are just what I was looking for to make sure my little one can have his choice of pizza that's healthier than the grown up version

I hope Little Dish will consider expanding into snacks - whether sweet or savoury, I'm sure they would be excellent just like their meals.

P.S. Thank you for the spoon, he now doesn't want to eat with anything else.. :D

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

Lovely bright packaging and child friendly. My 4 yr old liked looking at all the cartoons on the packaging. I liked that the meals are healthy and clear packaging.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

The fish pie was favourite with one son (although he wanted more fish in it) and the other liked all the pasta.

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, As a quick healthy option.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

I thought they were a bit small and sparse on toppings. I'm sure this is what helps to make them healthier but my boys tare used to large pizzas.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

Cheese and tomato. He didn't really like the pizza and found it too doughy and thick. I liked the hidden veggies in the sauce as my son is fussy and refuses to eat vegetables.

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would definitely recommend the concept of a healthier pizza with vegetable sauce even though my son didn't really like it.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

Dried fruit snacks, smoothies, other snacks.

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

Neat packaging, good range of flavours and ingredients. Low levels of salt and sugar. Useful to take away when visiting relatives for the arrival night. They are 2 for £4 in the supermarket in which I shop, which is a fair price.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

She absolutely loves the curry.

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, but to be used on odd occasions. I think all ready meals, for adults or children, will never be as healthy as cooking fresh food from scratch.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

Good size, low salt, quite a thick base but this was age-appropriate and easier for her to eat than other brands.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

She loved the pesto pizza - she loves all pizza! She did pick the meatballs off the meat pizza. I would usually just buy a cheese and tomato pizza and cook vegetables on the side or else there isn't much nutritional value for a main meal.

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Definitely. More healthy than pizzas aimed at older toddlers/children.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

Range is already varied and good. Maybe some gluten free meals for children with allergies. And some 'no added sugar' puddings perhaps.

Delivery arrived well-packaged and I appreciated the free cool bag and spoon. I will buy the meals again, but stick to the curry and pizzas (depending on their price point) as it is better value for money for me to just cook appropriate food from scratch and make extra portions for my daughter (19m), rather than buy ready meals. As ready meals go, they are good value and a healthier option than many meals currently on the market aimed at children.

Little Dish meals
- What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?
Seemed quite good quality and interesting mix of options. I tried them too and some were a bit bland but probably due to lower salt levels than I'm used to as an adult.

- Which was your child’s favourite meal?
The ravioli with veg sauce, I thought it was quite tasty too although I did grate a bit of cheddar into the sauce before serving. He also really like the alphabet bolognaise.

- Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
I would recommend them for an occasional quick meal, they seemed quality produce and well made with minimal nasties. Great to have on standby.

Little Dish My First Pizzas
- What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?
Seemed quite small but well made. Personal preference but I'd rather have a thinner base, I think larger thinner slices would be easier for little ones to handle. The sample packaging was very good, brightly coloured and attractive.

- Which was your child’s favourite pizza?
Margarita, although that's DS for you - pizza only counts if it's plain. He wouldn't touch the others but I sampled them on a couple of his friends who ate them but didn't rave.

- Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Probably not, as noted I think thinner base would be better, it was a bit difficult for the small ones to eat.

- What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?
A range of puddings to complement would be good - fruit crumbles etc.

Meals
Overall I've been impressed with the meals. The portions are reasonable, although they leave space for yoghurt or fruit after. The ingredients are good for a ready meal and I think the price point is ok (I'd upgrade it to good when on offer/multi buy).
I've bought the fish pie and alphabet pasta for my daughter before (the only ones our supermarket sells) and she loves these. Of the 5 I was sent all disappeared very quickly (the ravioli she was cramming in 3 at a time. I'm not sure how she managed to fit them all in there) with the exception of the shepherd's pie which she didn't seem hugely keen on. I'm not sure I could pick her favourite out without a stopwatch . I had a taste of each and I liked the risotto best.
I would definitely recommend as a quick meal option. Really quick to heat, and clearly popular with the little person. Affordable too.
It'd be nice to see more of the range available in smaller supermarket branches, or at least on rotation, although I appreciate this is probably more of a fault with the supermarkets than little dish. It'd also be great to have more vegetarian options, and a range aimed at under 1's (bigger, easier to pick up chunks) who are doing baby-led weaning. I didn't want to feed my daughter purées when she was younger and I needed convenience occasionally, but I found all the toddler meals available had chunks/bits that were too small for her to manage at that time and the salt content was too high.

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

I was really impressed with all the meals - good portion size for my 19th month old DS They smelt great when cooking and he really seemed to enjoy all of them. The packaging was fab too and I especially liked the colouring in and finger puppet bits on the cardboard sleeves.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

My DS loved the chicken curry and the pasta and Turkey meatballs the most.

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would - they taste good and are convenient to use on a day when a young child won't necessarily eat what adults are having.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

They were a good size for a toddler to have as part of a main meal or a snack - but the topping seemed to separate from the base quite easily so these seemed to be eaten separately by my DS!

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

My DS seemed to like the chicken one the best.

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would yes - they are good for an occasional treat

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make

A dessert of some kind maybe

I have tested out the little dish meals and pizzas on my 1 year old and 4 year old. Everything went down a storm and all meals were gobbled up. The 1 year old loved the fish pie, and happily ate everything else. The 4 year old's favourite was the pizza though again, he happily ate cottage pie, meatballs & spaghetti, fish pie and lasagne. The packaging was great, the food tasted nice and I would definitely buy the products again. Overall impression - a lot of thought and effort had been made in making the food appeal to youngsters. It certainly worked on my two!

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

Really good for children's ready meals. They were a good size, had some veg and seem very healthy. They did taste a bit bland, like the sugar and salt had been removed, but left it lacking in flavour in a few meals. I think a few spices or herbs would improve it a lot.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

The ravioli was probably eaten the fastest then the risotto was a close second. They really didn't like the potato, I think it was on shepherds pie.

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend it instead of fast food or other things with high salt and sugar. I'd still recommend home cooked food first, but if there is no time for that, this is a good alternative. I liked the design of the packaging. Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

They seemed good with a good range of toppings. My daughter seemed to like the thick base. They seemed healthy and a good toddler size.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

The cheese and tomato, they wouldn't eat the others, so I tried them and liked them :)

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would I like the concept of healthy pizzas.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make

Deserts or snacks

Hi, sorry for the last minute feedback- I have been waiting for my DD to try all of the meals before posting. We didn't have much luck with the meals but she can be fussy. Shame as I was really looking forwards to this product test and wanted her to love them.

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

I think the packaging looks nice, the portion size is good although some of the meals seemed quite watery. The meals tasted a bit bland for my palate and my DD didn't really like them either but she has always eaten our meals (cooked with no added salt)

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

The only meal she would entertain was the lasagne, the rest she refused to eat.

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Maybe as an option if needing an emergency meal without the guilt of not cooking for them.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

Small, toppings look nice. Quite a doughy base. Packaging is bright but quite 'busy'. Smelled and looked nice once cooked but we're again quite bland.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

Cheese and tomato was the only one she would eat, even then it was only about 1/4. Surprising really as she LOVES pesto so I thought that would be a winner.

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

No. It's not much effort to batch freeze hidden veg sauce and make quick pitta/ English muffin pizzas with toppings that DC choose. I'm all for the easy option but I don't think these pizzas are worth it.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

The most useful things would be something that you could grab for a quick, convenient lunch on the go. We have on occasion been caught out longer Than planned or DC has fallen asleep as we have eaten. To have something Healthy to nip in and grab from a supermarket like a wrap or filled pitta, fruit and veg pots etc.

Thank you for choosing me for this product test.

Hello - another late responder! Wanted to get both DS' to try as much as possible.

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

I've used the ready meals previously when pushed for time and they have usually gone down well. Packaging is good and some of the meals are those which I wouldn't have time to make often at home (fish pie, chicken pie). Pizzas looked a bit small by comparison to the generous sizes of the meals.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

Fish pie was a favourite with both

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend on occasions when tight for time. However, I would not suggest buying them regularly based on their price. For me with two toddlers it works out far more expensive than making something myself even when they are on offer.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

Small! With two hungry boys the pizzas looked more like a snack than a meal. Very tight shrink wrapping also meant that the toppings were quite squashed which made them look less appealing.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

Chicken and pesto was the favourite here.

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Based on those we tried I would not recommend. They were too small, very bland and a bit soft. I also imagine they will be relatively expensive when compared with other toddler/children's pizzas.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

Yogurts/desserts with lots of flavour and less sugar!

Thanks for allowing us to take part in this trial.

I supplied my feedback earlier but have a question.

Are the dishes not stocked in Sainsburys? My daughter has been requesting "airplane pie" and "crocodile pie" but I could only find AK or Sainsburys own. It's a very big store too.

Which supermarkets stock Little Dish, to save me a wasted journey looking?

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

Great. Nice packaging, good portion size and surprisingly very tasty!

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

The fish pie and the shepherds pie were firm favourites although on all fairness my two ate all of them'

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, a great solution to a situation where you need a quick tasty meal for kids.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

Packaging looked great although the pizzas looked a bit small.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

My girls didn't really like any of them! They are pretty bland and I think there was too much dough compared to topping. I have a children's cookery school so my girls (age 2 and 3) are used to making their own pizzas from scratch and choosing their toppings so I suppose I'm possibly not the best person to comment on these.

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

No, too bland and portion size was pretty small.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

I think the range you make is adequate for the age range you are aiming at.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

We regularly have Little Dish Meals in the house anyway for the days where it's a rush. We pick our DD up from nursery between 6-6.30pm and she hasn't always eaten her tea at nursery.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

The pasta dishes are her favourite - the Mini Cheese Ravioli was the favourite from the selection we were sent. We needed to add some tomato to a couple of the dishes as they were a little thick although this also cools the meal down.

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would recommend and although I try to offer the same food that we eat, this is not always practical. I don't feel guilty for using convenience foods and having a range for children is great for our busy lives.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

I thought they were really good flavours and a perfect size but overall I thought the pizzas were a little dry and my DD threw the plate on the floor and the bits went everywhere, it didn't seem to be held together very well. She ate it all though!

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

Pesto Chicken and Veg

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I don't think I would as the pizzas do not offer the same convenience as the meals - you have to heat the oven etc. We are not big pizza eaters but have allowed DD to have some of our pizza as a treat but I don't consider them to be healthy and wouldn't give a pizza regularly.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

Maybe some deserts such as fruit crumbles etc? My DD loves custard with compote.

Overall I thought all the meals were a brilliant idea for introducing little ones to a range of new flavours and tastes to prepare them for more 'adult' food. I liked that they were all nutritious and had a number of their 5 a day in them, plus it was foods children actually like to eat. Out of all of them the Mild Chicken Curry with Rice was probably their favourite. They said they found it tasty and asked for more... (of course I then had to go out the next day and purchase it again!) It's great to see them enjoy something so much! Although they wasn't overly keen on Mini Cheese Ravioli as they're used to more cheesier tasting things and on testing it myself it was rather bland. But I would most definitely be recommending it to others as it's a great option for ensuring your kids learn to enjoy healthy foods.

I also think the pizzas are a good idea as if the rest of the family are going to have a pizza it allows the little ones to join in too! The cheese and tomato was their favourite with the least being the one with pesto. But either way I'd recommend them all as obviously everyone has different tastes and it's also a good way of finding out what flavours and textures your child likes.

In the future it may be nice for other meals made with veg, also maybe a mild chilli for toddlers, as well as a veggie mince dish.

Overall impression of little dish meals - I was really impressed with the meals. Packaging was interesting and the meals felt like they was a proper home cooked meal - the the bonus of no cooking, preparing and no time to heat up! They looked lovely and the food was all seperate bite sized pieces so children can taste the individual flavours within the meal. Good size portions that could have been two meals for my one year old

Child's favourite meal? - this was the meatballs. They went down a treat. My little girl could feed herself ( with hands as she just turned one) and only left what was splattered over her face and hands. It didn't need any cutting up yet was good size for little hands to feed herself.

Would I recommend? Yes most defiantly as they seemed very healthy and was a no fuss guilt free meal when I was busy and would great for days where want to make a more salty adults meal or in a rush.

Little dish my first pizza

Overall impression. I liked the toppings. They was a good size. I cooked them with my older boys pizzas in the oven so took a bit more "cooking" than the ready meals. They was a nice size and a good option for when the family was having pizza as well

Favourite pizza - meatball. She seemed most unhappy with the one with veg on dispute liking veg!

Would I recommend little dish pizzas? Yes if you doing pizza or have the oven on anyway. They did take a bit longer to cook and cool than the ready meals. I liked the fact they was a healthier pizza as my older kids have pizza once a week at least

What other little dish products would I like to see? Maybe half portions of the ready meals? Like the snap pots of ham or beans type portions. My girl has only just turned one so a portion did two meals. Or you could add a side at home like some cous cous or salad. Some healthy deserts or yougurts? Or if you did some finger foods like chicken strips ?

Thanks for letting us take part

I thought the pizzas looked really nice and was a good size. When cooked it wasn't too hard so easy to eat.
My child's favourite was the meatballs pizza and the cheese and tomato, wasn't as keen on the pesto one.
I would definitely recommend to friends and family, they look and taste much nicer than other little pizzas that are available

Thanks very much for the free meals and free spoon - very generous and a real treat! I enjoyed taking part in the test!

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

I'm really impressed by them.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

He loves alphabet pasta bolognaise!

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why?

If not, why not?

Yes. They are very high quality and I like the fact that they have no added sugar or salt. They have a long life considering the fact they are fresh chill and can be microwaved from fresh and frozen. I am a vegetarian who only cooks veggie food but who wants my child to eat meat, fish and vegetarian meals until he is old enough to choose for himself and the meals help me achieve this as we rarely cook with meat or fish at home. Very convenient to send to nursery as the can be microwaved from fresh or frozen and the nursery does not have facilities to oven cook food. I like the fact they can be frozen.

The only downside for me is the full price of the meals - I think that £2.50 a meal is too expensive, despite their quality. As a result I only ever buy them when they are on offer at three for £5, as I feel that this is an acceptable price. I think my decision may be influenced by the fact that I have to provide an evening meal three times a week for when my son is in nursery, so I do buy a lot of them.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

I like them, but I think they could be improved.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

Pesto chicken and veg.

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I'm not sure. I think that the classic margherita was too plain; I would have liked more passata and more hidden vegetables in the sauce. i thought the other varieties were more interesting and nutritionally varied. I also would prefer no added salt. I don't think its necessary and I think the reduced salt message isn't that impressive and is a bit meaningless for consumers really. I also didn't know the price point - which is a critical factor for me. However I do think that Little Dish are on the right track with these, I liked the toppings for two of the three and the base was lovely and good quality. If the issues I've mentioned were addressed and the price was reasonable (3 for £5 or equivalent) I would recommend them to friends and relatives and buy them myself. The proposed packaging was lovely as well.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

Pasta sauce and filled pasta. I use to buy the filled pasta and miss it!

Little Dish meals
What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?
I was impressed by the portion size of each of the meals and the packaging for the products. It was appealing and definitely interested my daughter at first sight.
The variety of meals was good and I particularly liked that the Fish pie included salmon, this was a big hit with my little girl. We found the Shepherd's pie to be quite dry and bland and this wasn't enjoyed by my daughter.
The pasta bolognaise with alphabet pasta was visually appealing and the sauce was also nice. This is child friendly and much better than the tinned varieties.

Which was your child’s favourite meal?
My daughter enjoyed the Alphabetti Spaghetti Bolognaise the best.

Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes, good portion sizes and flavours and as long as the price was reasonable I would definitely recommend.

Little Dish My First Pizzas
What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?
I was impressed by the ingredient combinations of the pizzas and I haven't seen any of this sort of pizza available for the children.
The cheese pizza had a good proportion of cheese on and my daughter really enjoyed this one. The pizza cooked well and the base was soft and suitable for children. The cheese didn't go too stringy either, which I think is important on a child's pizza.
I tasted each of the pizzas and I thought the cheese pizza was a little bland, but it seemed to be well received by my daughter. My personal favourite was the chicken pesto pizza, I would buy this in a regular size pizza! The meatball pizza was also very nice and enjoyed thoroughly by my daughter.

Which was your child’s favourite pizza?
The cheese pizza

Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes definitely, the size of these pizzas was just right and the different flavours are appealing. I have only ever seen cheese and ham children's pizzas or plain cheese, so these pizzas are very appealing to me. I also would recommend them, as they have less sugar and salt than most products available for children.

What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?
Low sugar desserts
lunch box snacks

Little Dish meals
- What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?
Overall, very impressive. The meals were nicely packaged, and it felt like they would be a healthy option for my child.

- Which was your child’s favourite meal?
We haven't actually tried all of them yet, still got one of two stashed in the fridge. They've all gone down quite well, but the butternut squash pie and the meatballs were both a hit.

- Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes, they are handy to stash away in the freezer for an emergency, and they went down very well with my son.

Little Dish My First Pizzas
- What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?
On the whole positive. It's a nice idea, and it's good to know they contain a portion of my child's five a day. I felt like they would be healthier than other similar pizzas, so felt more confident giving them to my child. They weren't polished off in the same way as the Little Dish meals, but that's because a lot of food ends up on the floor when he's feeding himself, no matter how delicious it is.

- Which was your child’s favourite pizza?
They all seemed about the same, to be honest. He didn't really seem to have a favourite.

- Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes, I would. I like that they seem healthier than similar child-sized pizzas and that they contain one of their 5 a day.

- What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?
Some kind of pudding or snack which contains hidden vegetables would be great. So many puddings on the market focus on fruit and I find it virtually impossible to get my daughter to eat veg.

I would definitely recommend LD to friends / family. They are really handy standbys to have on hand in the fridge!

The pizzas I felt were a little small, but then DD has a huge appetite. Her favourite was the meatball one. I did feel I had to bolster it with more veg than I'd normally give her. (Not necessarily a bad thing!)

The meals I use regularly anyway, but my supermarket only seems to stock 3 varieties, so it was good to see the other types.

DD loved the turkey meatballs, butternut squash and cottage pie. She was not so keen on the shepherd's pie, but then she is not too fond of lamb in general.

I feel they are good value for money.

Thanks for choosing us to participate in this product test, it was lots of fun!

Little Dish meals

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish meals?

I thought they were ok, a little bland, and a bit sloppy in texture. The packaging was good. My 2 and a half year old is very fussy right now, but the Lasagna/fish pie/Shepherds pie just didn't get a look in as it looked so unappealing and a bit sloppy.

• Which was your child’s favourite meal?

The Cheese and Tomato Pizza!

• Would you recommend Little Dish meals to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend them, I think if you wanted a quick meal, with no hidden nasties in them, then yes.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish My First Pizzas?

I thought the base was a little doughy, the taste was a little bland and could have done with some herbs.

• Which was your child’s favourite pizza?

Cheese and Tomato

• Would you recommend Little Dish pizzas to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Probably not- Tesco do a nice thin base kids cheese and tomato pizza which is tastier and less doughy.

• What other healthy, natural food would you like Little Dish to make?

Yogurts/Sauces for Pasta/dried fruit/puddings with less sugar

What an enjoyable product test! I loved that it was delivered in a huge box with the meals in a new cool bag to add to my collection! ;) The Little Dish spoon is really cute and DS enjoys attempting to eat with it! (Both ice packs were broken though! :/)

So, as DS has ASD and is very, VERY fussy with what he eats, I was looking forward to him trying the Little Dish pizzas as that is his only main dinner of choice! DS particularly enjoyed the cheese and tomato pizza as well as the pesto chicken and vegetables pizza. He ate them both right up, which I was surprised at but delighted! I will DEFINITELY be buying the pesto chicken and vegetable pizza again as a clever way of getting some veggies into DS on top of his favourite meal! He wasn't so keen on the meatballs and vegetables pizza, though, but that may have been bad timing on my part!

I also thought the proposed pizza packaging looks really good. It looks quite classy but also appeals to kids and has a little window so you can see what the pizza looks like! I was very impressed to read that there is hidden carrot puree in the pizza base! Genius idea!

I also had a little taste of the pizzas and was really happy with the amount of cheese on the pizzas, as well as the general distribution of the ingredients. The pesto chicken and veg pizza was really delicious! I wouldn't mind an adult sized one! ;)

We also tried the fish pie with salmon and Pollock ready meal, as well as the classic beef lasagne, mini cheese ravioli in a tomato and veg sauce, cottage pie with seven veg and alphabet spaghetti bolognese ready meals! All of which were very yummy for both mummy and DS (who tried a bit of all of them, amazingly!) and which all smelled lovely whilst being heated up. Favoured by both of us was the fish pie with salmon and pollock. Followed closely by classic beef lasagne!

What I like the most about these Little Dish meals is that they have less salt in them, contain organic ingredients and are at least one of a child's 5 a day. That gives me a lot of confidence in buying ready meals in future for a few meals a week. I am not the most talented cook or have the most time to whip up culinary delights, but knowing the nutritional benefit of these particular ready meals , I am happy to incorporate them into our weekly meals. Plus, with DS being so fussy and rigid in his routines, I often find it so demoralising and time-wasting to spend a lot of time and effort making a really great meal that DS then refuses to eat and spits out and throws on the floor. So finding something he likes and manipulating it to include as much good stuff in it (like vegetables on pizza) is a mega godsend for me! :)

(I would've uploaded a picture but DS completely smashed the screen on my phone and I lost all pictures I hadn't yet uploaded to my laptop! [sniff])

Thank you Little Dish and Mumsnet for choosing us to road test these meals!

Oh, and I would recommend these meals to other parents as a tasty, nutritious and quick alternative to a home cooked meal. I've already told some of the parents at the SN group DS and I go to! ;)

I would love to see some desserts made by Little Dish, made using less sugar and natural ingredients, as well as yogurts, fruit juices and toppings for toast!

Little Dish meals

• My overall impression of these meals was nice, bright packaging with a great range of choices.
• My little boys favourite meals are the ones with mash so the cottage pie and chicken and butternut squash pie.
• I would recommend these meals as they are reasonably priced and good choice of meals.

Little Dish My First Pizzas

• my overall impression of the pizzas was slightly small but good choice of toppings.
• He liked all of them.
• Id recommend these as my son liked them so much.

• For different meals I would like to see would be Other mash based meals such as sausage and mash, cowboy pie or maybe some desserts.