Napolina pasta sauce feedback thread; find out what MNers think about the latest range - NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We asked 250 Mners with children to try the latest range of pasta sauces from Napolina – this is the thread for their feedback.

Napolina say “we are excited to launch a new range of No Added Sugar pasta sauces to complement our existing range of over 130 products including pasta, sauces, canned tomatoes, olive oil, pulses, pizzeria and balsamic vinegar. The sauces enable tasty and convenient meals to be created, whilst reducing ‘added sugar’ intake. Flavours are centred around Italian family classic meals and have been developed to appeal to parents and children alike.

All sauces have a smooth texture and are available in seven flavour variants:

~ Bolognese pasta sauce
~ Pasta sauce for Macaroni Cheese
~ Pasta sauce for Meatballs
~ Creamy Cheese and Tomato pasta sauce
~ Red Lasagne pasta sauce
~ White Lasagne pasta sauce
~ Tomato with Hidden Veg pasta sauce

Available in a 480g/500g jar for families of four or more (RRP £1.69), the sauces are perfect for creating Italian inspired family favourites on busy weekdays or leisurely weekends alike”.

Questions for testers

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
Would you use the products again? Why?
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?

Selected testers who add feedback as required will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get a £300 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Spaghetti Bolognese Pie which was declared yummier than normal by my 5 year old

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?

I have to often prepare a meal for a fussy pre teen boy, a young daughter who will eat anything and separate meal for husband and myself as dh comes home quite late a night.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?

Yes, I particularly like to ensure that I don't give the children too much sugar in their diet and look quite closely at labels.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?

That I can use them for one mail meal and vary the food to suit everybody and for different meal times.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?

Apart from my fussy son we all liked the meatball sauce. It was nice and rich and stuck to the meatballs really well.

Would you use the products again? Why?

I wouldn't use the mac. cheese sauce, it was really bland and therefore I put in extra strong cheese on top. It didn't smell nice from the jar which put my son off from eating in the first place. To be honest, it is quicker to mix a cheese sauce yourself.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?

Yes I would recommend some of the sauces, the white sauce for lasagne and the cheese sauce for mac cheese. No I wouldn't recommend. By the time you are making the other ingredients for the recipe, then it is easy enough to make your own sauce.

We received red and white lasagne sauces, macaroni cheese sauce, and creamy cheese and tomato sauce. We also got a bonus pack of penne pasta.

DS1 (12) made cheesy bacon pasta bake with the macaroni cheese and penne pasta
I made lasagne with the red and white sauces, had to add more tomatoes as there wasn't a lot of sauce
I made pasta bake with the creamy cheese and tomato sauce, served with hunters chicken

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?

The biggest challenge is definitely making something that everyone likes. My middle child has autism and meal times are a struggle 5/7 days a week as he wont eat what we do, it's very frustrating.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?

I do try make my own foods from scratch rather than buying convenient food, but when I do buy it, I try to get the ones with less sugar in.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?

Something I know they'll all eat

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?

They enjoyed the creamy cheese and tomato sauce. It was lovely made with cheese grated on top.

Would you use the products again? Why?

I'd probably buy a jar for back up as I normally make my own bolognese as find jarred sauces too sweet. I didn't find this with these which I'm glad of.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?

Probably.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Getting a meal on the table at a time to suit all the dcs and having enough time to cook.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes I am, but that is mainly because I am following Slimming World so am much more aware of sugar.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Finding something relatively healthy and easy/quick that all five dcs will eat.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
I liked the meatball sauce and the kids loved the macaroni cheese. My macaroni cheese hating ds1 ate it and said it was the "second nicest" macaroni cheese he had ever had.

The tomato sauce with cheese was not as popular, ds1 said it was disgusting and I found it tasted very much of sweeteners, but the other kids liked it and ate it all up

Would you use the products again? Why?
Yes, the macaroni cheese was a hit and was so quick and easy to make. The meatball sauce was also tasty and made a quick and easy meal (although it doesn't take that long to make a tomato sauce for meatballs)

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?

Probably (except the creamy tomato and cheese one!)

So I used the second jar of white lasagne sauce, in a what's left in the fridge pasta bake.

Fried carrot celery onion garlic and bacon, added pork mince, tomato purée and tinned chopped tomatoes, oregano and a little water. Cooked penne mixed with pork mix poured white sauce over and grated cheese. Cooked in oven for 25 mins.

They love it!

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Planning in ad advance, especially as plans change. And quick easy things in the week.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Definitely. I'm more worried about hidden sugars than things that are obviously treats though.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
No additives. We tend to cook from scratch so like our products to be as close to that as possible.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
Would you use the products again? Why?
We had
Smooth tomato sauce for meatballs - kids really like this one and it was super quick to make spaghetti and meatballs mid week. I think I'd still rather make tomato sauce from scratch at the weekend.

Macaroni cheese - I actually used this to make cauliflower cheese for Sunday dinner. It was actually really nice.

White sauce for lasagne - was OK and good to make a lasagne quickly if you've already got leftover bolognese. Think I'd still rather make my own though

Creamy cheese and tomato - the kids had this for tea but they didn't really like it. I think this one tastes me most processed.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
It's unlikely to but yes, I probably would. Particularly the cheese ones.

Also need to add that I don't want sweeteners in my food and would rather have sugar or, preferably nothing at all. Why does cheese sauce need sugar anyway

I would be more likely to buy them if they didn't contain either sugar or sweetener.

The biggest challenge for me at meal times is to actually get everyone eating at the same time! So many after school clubs/work/friends over I need something quick easy and delicious that can be made and eaten with the minimum of fuss. Pasta jars are ideal.

I am aware of label and ingredients in foods anyway, not just in the past year. I did a nutrition course years ago so always have a little read at the labels before buying.

Healthy, balanced yet delicious and comforting.

Me: Macaroni Cheese Sauce
Kids: Bolognese Sauce
I would liked to have tried the meatball one, but didn't receive that, so it's in the shopping list for the next supermarket visit!

Yes I would buy again, and yes I would recommend.
Thank you mumsnet and Napolini for selecting us, we had fun trying out different meals and have discovered some new favourites.

The biggest tea time challenge for us is to make healthy nutritious recipes that can be cooked quickly and that everyone can eat.

I have always been aware of added sugar as I like to cook healthy meals for the children and would look at sugar and salt content from when the children were babies.

Healthy and well priced meals are our top priority.

My favourite jars were the lasagne red and white sauce.

The children liked the macaroni cheese sauce the best.

Yes we would use the products again for a quick fall back if I didn't have the time to make my own. I would also recommend them to others for this reason.

We also had open lids on the Creamy Tomato and Cheese and on the Meatball one which was a shame.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Quick, healthy, crowd pleasing meals.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Not particularly, it's something we've always been aware of.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Price and nutrition

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
The Meatball one by far

Would you use the products again? Why?
Yes - for convenience on weekday nights. They were easy and enjoyable.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member? Yes

We used the first sauce tonight so I will answer the questions now and report on the rest as we use them this week

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you? During the week the biggest challenge is to provide a variety of quick and healthy teas that we can fit in after school before clubs. Our dc's favourite quick meals tend to be ready prepared things such as chicken goujons or fish fingers.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago? Yes, there has been lots of media coverage. I still prefer sugar to artificial sweeteners though so it's all about moderation imo.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family? I tend to opt for meals that I know will get eaten and work from there to add healthiness eg by adding extra veg, or introducing brown rice or pasta to a firm favourite.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like? we've only tried the bolognaise sauce so far but both dc enjoyed it. I found it much less tasty than my bolognaise, less herby and garlicky.

Would you use the products again? Why?. I would certainly consider using the bolognaise sauce when we are camping.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member? yes, I'd point out that there is no added sugar so they are well worth keeping in the cupboard for quick meals.

Thanks for the chance to try these sauces. I rarely buy jars of sauces so probably wouldn't have bought these without this trial.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you? making something quick, that everyone enjoys and that's also a healthy balanced meal

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?

yes definitely

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?

whether they are healthy

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?

the kids enjoyed the creamy tomato and cheese and I was pleasantly surprised by the lasagna sauces

Would you use the products again? Why?

Yes. They were tasty, quick to whip up and enjoyed by the whole family (rare, in this house)

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?

Absolutely

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you? Our biggest challenge is we have an autistic, adhd son, who is food phobic.
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago? I have always been aware of sugar contents in food due to my son's conditions
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family? I always look to feed my 3 children a well round healthy meal, and try and something that I can get all 3 to eat
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like? The creamy cheese and tomato sauce
Would you use the products again? Why? I would, as when my sone was being very fussy about the food, I tried this and he ate it quite happily, he enjoyed it and managed almost all of his super
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member? I would and have done!

I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to ready-made sauces, but to be honest, these aren't too bad!

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?

Having 2 teenagers who sometimes want different meals at different times. They can cook, but won't usually eat a decent meal if they have to cook from scratch! The sauces are a good way of leaving something out for them to bung in the pan with some pasta and veg to create a reasonably balanced meal in 15 mins.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?

I've always been aware of the sugar/sweetener content of products, but I'm really not worried about a little added sugar when needed for flavour etc. I don't see the point in adding sweeteners though if they're not needed, just to add a 'no added sugar' label. If it doesn't need sugar, why add a sweetener? Just label it as no added sugar or sweeteners!

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?

Price, vegetarian, real ingredients and no unnecessary additives.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?

We all liked the meatball sauce and the cheese and tomato sauce. The white sauces were fine but a little bland.

Would you use the products again? Why?

Yes, because they're basically pretty healthy. My teens were happy to use them as they're prefer to cooking something from a jar than cook from scratch!

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?

I'd probably say that I'd tried them and they were a good short cut, but I wouldn't rave about them.

We received the macaroni cheese sauce, tomato and cheese, white sauce and bolognaise.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you
Cooking something that everyone will eat, preparing meals quickly after work or a day out.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes, there has been a lot on the press around sugar recently, which has made me more aware and conscious of how much sugar we eat. However I would prefer to eat sugar than sweeteners though I think stevia is from a natural source? I would have been interested to know what the sauces with stevia tasted like without it

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Getting a balance of different nutrients, variety. I try to make our main meals as healthy as possible.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
So far we have tried the tomato and cheese sauce and the macaroni cheese.

When I tasted a bit of the tomato and cheese sauce on its own it did taste sweet but tasted better with pasta! All three children ate it and came back for more, which is a miracle!
No-one liked the macaroni cheese. I normally make my own sauce and can complete the meal in 20 minute. The instructions were unclear. I used approx 450g of uncooked pasta. It was drier than my home made version and no one liked the flavour.

Would you use the products again? Why?
I would use the tomato and cheese sauce again, a good cupboard standby. But not the macaroni cheese sauce, it's quicker to make my own then to cook following the instruction and everyone refused to eat it anyway!

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes to the tomato based sauces. Will probably buy the hidden vegetable one to try.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Getting something healthy together quickly when rushing about between school and after school clubs.
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes I think the sugar programme on TV has made it a hot topic and something I definitely think about and look at more.
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Something healthy that will be enjoyed by all.
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
We all really liked the cheesy tomato. Used the white lasagna sauce along with the tomato with hidden veg to make a lasagna which was delicious. We've not tried the meatball one yet but am pretty confident we'll enjoy it. Would you use the products again? Why?
Yes. They tasted good and made for quicker meals on something like the lasagna. My only slight concern was the artificial sweeteners in them.
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes I'm sure I would

Thank you!

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?

• Finding foods which are healthy and both DCs will eat.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?

• yes, and so are the children, partly as a result of the government campaign.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?

• That everyone will eat them, and that meals are balanced and relatively healthy and quick to make

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range?

• the bolognese sauce was good, but the tomato and cheese sauce was voted 'best pasta sauce ever' by my fussiest DC! I felt that I could taste the stevia in the sauces, which I found offputting.

Which did your children like?

• all, but especially the tomato and cheese sauce

Would you use the products again?
Why?

• possibly. I compared the sugar content of the bolognese sauce against the Aldi equivalent, and the Dolmio sauce only had 1.5% less sugar than the Aldi sauce (which is approx 1/3 the price and doesn't have stevia taste)

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes, as a convenient product which is popular with children.

Thanks for letting us try the sauces, we enjoyed testing and rating the sauces.

Tuesday 1st March----7.30pm
Really getting into this now. I am on my 4th ( last Napolina ) test.
I couldn't have timed it better as Tescos are having special offers now.
400g Napolina chopped tomatoes---50p
375g Napolina Egg pasta Lasagne sheets---£1
500g Tesco finest Aberdeen Angus steak mince---£3.50
I used the 'Traditional Lasagne' recipe on Napolina's website. They have some great recipes and brilliant video instructions---you can't go wrong. I like to prepare all my ingredients before I start as it makes cooking much easier.
I decided to soften the pasta (6 mins in salted water ) but you don't have to.
I wiped round the dish with olive oil, learnt that tip from one of the other reviews. The white Lasagne sauce made this recipe so much quicker and easier.
My son ( age 33 ) comes home once a week and is enjoying being a 'sampler'
This meal was a big success, so tasty. The no added sugar has the thumbs up---not necessary at all
Our favourite sauces in order were...
1st Place, the creamy cheese and tomato, not only did it have a great taste but it is so versatile
2nd Place, the white lasagne, so yummy
3rd Place, the bolognese, delicious
4th Place, the macaroni cheese. We found this disappointing, found it had a bland taste.
I just want to thank Napolina for giving me a chance to test the sauces and Netmums for this fun challenge. Also to all the other testers I really enjoyed reading your reviews.

Thanks to MN for requesting a replacement for my broken jar of sauce! We've now tried all 4 jars and answers are below. For reference we're a family of four, including two kids of 7 and 12:

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Balancing a combination of healthy, quick family meals with plenty of variety week to week.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Probably aware just the same now as a year ago.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Tasty food that everyone likes (or that can be adapted easily to accommodate likes/dislikes); variety; healthy mix of food groups; keeping an eye on additives and processed foods; price.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
We liked the Bolognese and the White Lasagne Sauces, which I made into a Quorn lasagne. Never made one before and it was really quick to put together. We really didn't like the Cheese and Tomato Pasta Sauce, as it tasted really sweet. I don't add sugar to my tomato sauce so maybe we're just used to it without sugar. I don't see why sweetener was added to this sauce. The Macaroni Cheese Sauce was another we didn't like, think it was the nutmeg in it that turned the kids off this especially. They usually wolf down macaroni cheese but found the sauce cloying and 'a bit weird' (DS aged 7) compared to the cheese sauce I usually use.

Would you use the products again? Why?
Will definitely be getting both the Bolognese and White Lasagne Sauce again as a cupboard standby for making lasagne. Would definitely not get the Macaroni Cheeses Sauce and the Cheese and Tomato Sauce as we didn't like the taste (see above answer).

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes to recommending the Bolognese and White Lasagne Sauce. Would definitely not recommend the Macaroni Cheeses Sauce and the Cheese and Tomato Sauce.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?

Getting the children to try new things.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?

Definitely. I do buy a couple of staple food items with the 'low sugar/salt' advertisement not them now.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?

Deciding wether the item offers nutritional value to the meal.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?

Surprisingly the creamy tomato one was all of our favourites. We have tried creamy sauces before but they didnt go down too well but this one must have been good... clear plates all round. The hidden veg sauce as very nice too.

Would you use the products again? Why?

I'm not sure i would buy the white sauces but the tomato ones definitely because they had a good flavour and i do like the fact there less sugar and salt in them.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?

Yes, especially those struggling to get veggies into their kids.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Making something that everyone will enjoy. We all have different taste preferences and what one likes the other doesn't!!

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes, I look at labels a lot more than I ever used to. I think the media has made us much more aware of the sugars that are being added to a lot of food.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
It has to be something nutritional that we all like so I don't have to make separate meals. I also try to make sure we have one or two portions of vegetables (which aren't always eaten).

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
We all quite liked the creamy cheese and tomato pasta sauce with a little parmesan sprinkled on top. However, my children did not like the macaroni cheese sauce - they thought it tasted weird. They said they prefer my homemade pasta sauces.

Would you use the products again? Why?
I would use the creamy cheese and tomato pasta sauce again. The jars are great for keeping in the cupboard as a quick and easy dinner.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes, I would recommend to those that usually use jars of pasta sauce as they have no added sugars. However, I would not recommend the macaroni cheese sauce.

Thanks for choosing us to trial the pasta sauces.

The biggest tea-time challenge for us is catering for the different tastes of my kids as one is going through a fussy stage.
I am definitely more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now, there's been a lot of media attention on it.
Top priority is a toss up between health and price I think.
Both my girls liked the macaroni sauce although I wasn't keen on the nutmeg, however we all enjoyed the hidden vegetable.
I'd keep some in the cupboard for a quick meal especially when you get home from clubs in the evening, there's not much time to cook then.
Yes I would recommend the sauces.

^As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
As full-time working mother, who is pushed for time in the evenings, I would say the biggest tea-time challenge is knocking up something nutritional and tasty which requires minimal amount of prep time.
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Very much so. Increase sugar intake has been linked to all sorts of health issues. It is also eye opening to be told how much hidden sugar there is in 'savoury foods' and drinks.
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Nutritional value and a minimal or ideally zero content of artificial additives and preservatives. For this reason my preferred method is to prepare sauces from scratch with fresh ingredients. But there are days when this just isn't possible and it's good to know there is a Napolina for me now!!
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
Smooth sauce for meatballs - clear winner.
Perhaps because it is the kids favourite pasta dish.
Would you use the products again? Why?
Yes. Pleased with the ingredients used, the taste and the use of the natural plant sweetener as opposed to an artificial substitute.
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes. To all those who are pushed for time and are attuned to healthy eating habits.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Finding something that everyone will eat. We're a vegetarian family of 6 and 2 (ds2 and dh) are gluten free.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes. I have been using the sugar smart app to look at the sugar content in foods.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Low in sugar and obviously vegetarian!

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
I used the hidden veg sauce in a lasagne with the white lasagne sauce - both gluten free. The white sauce was thinner than my usual sauce. I hadn't told anyone there was anything different - 4 commented that it was nicer than usual and 1 preferred my usual lasagne! I preferred the Napolina sauce too so 5/6 said yes!
Also, tried the creamy tomato sauce on pasta. 3 had it on the pasta provided and 1 had gluten free pasta. All 4 ate it, but said they preferred the usual fresh tomato & mascarpone sauce that I buy. It smelt funny to me so that was a thumbs down.
Macaroni cheese sauce was not liked much either. I added a lot of cheese to it.

Would you use the products again? Why?
Definitely use the hidden veg sauce & lasagne sauce again. Although the white lasagne sauce was thinner than usual, it meant the top layer of lasasgne was soft and not crunchy which the dc said was a good thing! 5/6 preferred lasagne with these sauces. Would not buy the creamy tomato sauce as no-one really liked it - not bad enough to not eat, but prefer the usual sauce. I won't buy the macaroni cheese sauce again - it smelt funny to me, but I have never used a jar of sauce for my macaroni cheese before, so that could be normal!

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes I'd recommend hidden veg and white lasagne sauces.

We tried the following four sauces, white lasagne, bolognese sauce, macaroni cheese, cheese & tomato sauce. I made a lasagne with the bolognese & white sauce and was very happy with the outcome. Everyone ate & enjoyed it, so I will buy those sauces again. Unfortunately we didn't like the other two sauces. Thank you Napolina & Mumsnet for selecting us.