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

Ps
I added the creamy cheese and tomato to my fitness pal as I'm using that at the moment.
It's still quite high in carbs/natural sugar.
I wasn't impressed that there is sweet we added to some either as this doesn't help educate peoples tastebuds to food without sugar.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Trying to cook a healthy meal after busy day at work with limited time

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

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Healthy and time-saving and value for money

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
Creamy cheese and tomato and son really liked tomato and meatball.

Would you use the products again? Why?
Very good to keep for emergencies in the cupboard and as a back up when husband has to cook

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

Thank you for selecting us - we really enjoyed trying them out

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you? Make sure that all family eat the same thing.
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago? Yes for sure.
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family? Always to include fresh produce.
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like? The cream cheese and meatball sauce.
Would you use the products again? Why? Definitely. They were very tasty.
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member? Yes.

add on to origional review- i found the lasagne sauce and mac and cheese sauce realllly watery but still tasted amazing.thumbs up from the little ones.

I received a chase up email but can't review as my sauces never turned up. I tried to email mumsnet. Received one email advising me to contact them on Monday if they were still not here. I have emailed twice since and as yet received no reply. Really disappointed

First - thank you napolina for letting me try these - kids (13,10,6) did a review after each meal and took it all very seriously - may use this as a tactic in future to make them think about what they eat
Answers below:-
As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
As a working parent challenge is getting a healthy meal prepared quickly.
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago? Yes - sugar has had a lot of bad press of late
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family? Priority is healthy eating which means purchases are of as many unprocessed products as possible
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like? Favourite for all was definitely the bolognese - I used the time I saved in not making my own sauce to cut up and cook carrots to add to it - cheap and wholesome and helps with flavour as carrots are naturally sweet (see pic)
Would you use the products again? Why? I would use the bolognese again and possibly the Mac cheese. The lasagne sauce was too watery and not a success.
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member? I have mentioned this review to friends with a similar ethos and it is great that companies are addressing the healthy eating thing but it is a work in progress and I don't think napolina are there yet in terms of taste on everything.

So far we have tried 3 of the sauces provided. The Pasta Sauce for Meatballs tasted 'different but nice' according to DS2. I thought it was slightly sweet - ironic considering it is promoted on the basis that it is sugar-free. The Tomato with Hidden Vegetables Pasta Sauce was also acceptable, although some texture would have been nice. The biggest hit was the White Lasagne Pasta Sauce, which made a lovely, tasty, creamy lasagne. However I don't think I will buy it because I usually make my own bechamel sauce. Still to try the Smooth Sauce for Macaroni Cheese but will do so tonight.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Pleasing all 4 children, and ideally making something DH and I would like to eat too.
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes, sugar has now become the 'baddie' to look out for, rather than fat.
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Healthy, good value for money, popular with the kids
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
The white sauces were most popular - lasagne and macaroni. However they were too watery.
Would you use the products again? Why?
I would only use these products if they were on special offer. I usually make my own bechamel and tomato sauces.
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Not specially.

Had email reminding me about feedback. Didn't receive email saying had been picked. Didn't receive sauces. Have replied to same effect. Shame to have missed out.

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

I work in the evenings and have a small cooking window - finding something that everyone will eat and is healthy and quick can be a challenge.

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 but I think more people in general are having their eyes opened to added sugar in everyday foods.

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

I prioritise healthy food without lots of ingredients I don't know what they are in!

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

We liked the macaroni cheese, the kids did too. It was quite rich in s good way.
Would you use the products again? Why?

Yes I think I would, quick, easy and not full of sugar! Plus everyone liked it.

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

Yes I think i would.

Thanks for letting us test these, we are a pasta loving family of 6.
I hope you bring these out in a bigger jar size too.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
As a working mum I find it hard getting everything ready because I don't have a lot of time to prepare meals and I don't want to use ' ready' meals.

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

I would say that having children has really made me more aware of added sugar and other additives in food products.

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

I look for something which is not that time consuming and is as healthy as possible.

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

My children and I all enjoyed the spaghetti bolognaise the best. I added a few vegetables to it and the meat and it was a quick and easy meal!

Would you use the products again? Why?
I'm not sure If I would use the product again.My reason is that we are a 4 person household and the bottles are massive. In one meal we did not even consume a quarter of the bottle because it is so big! Once used, it has to be used within 2 days and even if we ate the same meal for 3 days in a row-the bottle still would not be finished! I hate wasting food. IF the bottles were smaller, than I would purchase it-or if I was having more than 10 people for dinner, otherwise no.

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

I liked the product in itself but the size of the bottle is too big which led to it being wasted. So, if someone was cooking for a lot of people or was making a very large batch of something-I would then recommend this.

We had:
~ Pasta sauce for Macaroni Cheese
~ Pasta sauce for Meatballs
~ Creamy Cheese and Tomato pasta sauce
~ White Lasagne pasta sauce

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Feeding three boys enough healthy food to fill them while also not spending all my time in the kitchen.

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 added sugar - but mostly in sweet products - not really in cooking sauces etc. I monitor my kids sugar intake, but more through restricting cakes/biscuits/sweets etc.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Top priorities are cost, ease of use, healthiness and flavour - not necessarily in that order!

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
My boys really LOVED the sauce for meatballs. That went very quickly and they really enjoyed eating that. Generally very tasty and easy to make.

The Macaroni Cheese sauce was a big fail. The boys thought it was very bland and didn't finish their food (unheard of in our house - they eat everything). My husband used the leftovers for lunch the following day with some sausage put in it with lots of salt and pepper and he said it was a bit better, but still very bland. Following the instructions also made it very watery.

The Creamy Cheese and Tomato sauce went down well with the kids, they didn't think it was any different to their regular sauce. Which I suppose could be good as they didn't notice a difference (in that it had less sugar). It went down without any comments and when I asked them what they thought, I got a few "good" comments - not raving about the sauce (unlike the meatball sauce) but didn't hate it!

I haven't made the lasagne yet - althought the boys are bugging me, so that might be tonight!

Would you use the products again? Why?
I'd use these sauces again if they're on the lower end of the cost scale - simply because I don't buy the expensive sauces as we eat a lot of pasta and it would end up costing me a fortune! They were generally good and tasty and the children loved them. My husband also said they hold up well when reheated for tomorrow's lunch.

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

I already have! I really liked the size of the bottles too - we are a "saucy" family - we like things to be more wet than dry, so these big bottles made sure I didn't have to add any extra liquid.

I am back after now using up our final two sauces-White lasagna sauce and bolognaise sauce.
I have answered the other questions in my previous post with regards to the meatball and macaroni sauce but the Lasagna sauce has taken over as favourite-everyone ate it -which is quite rare in our house -someone normally doesn't like whatever is prepared.
I would buy these ones again as delighted that everyone enjoyed and ate it up!

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

Getting both kids to sit and eat the same meal, at the same time, and actually eat enough to fill them up!

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

Probably not - I've always tried to keep an eye on sugar levels and tend to choose NAS food or more generally, cook from scratch.

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

Something filling, with fresh ingredients and something I know they'll both eat!

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
We were sent 2 x tomato and hidden veg, 1 x lasagne white sauce and 1 x macaroni cheese sauce. We all enjoyed the tomato one most - my daughter didn't really like the macaroni one, but she's not a huge fan of cheese sauce anyway!

Would you use the products again? Why?
Yes possibly if on promotion - they are sauces I tend to make from scratch anyway, but may be useful for quick dinners.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes particularly the tomato as it is very low in 'syns' for any Slimming World fans!! I liked the fact there were no nasties in it, and it didn't taste too bad either! Less keen on the macaroni sauce as it was quite thin, but we made cauliflower cheese rather than pasta so it may be better if used as designed. It had a slightly chemically taste which we weren't keen on either - you could tell it wasn't a homemade sauce.

We received the White lasagne, the macaroni cheese, creamy cheese and tomato and the hidden veg sauce. We've tried them all except the hidden veg sauce which we'll try to have tomorrow.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
DD (5, with ASD) is very fussy, so my biggest challenge is making sure she has something which she will actually eat alongside food that me and DH want to eat, as well as giving her the opportunity to eat a wider range of food.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes, definitely. I'm finding that I'm moving away from cooking from scratch so much and am much more willing and interested in ready made sauces and convenience food.

I think there's been a lot of improvement in them since my student days of Pot Noodles and Chicken Tonight, but then again just because the packaging looks more upmarket, doesn't necessarily mean that the product within is all that much healthier.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Taste, health and whether my daughter will actually eat it.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range?
DH and I really liked the White lasagne sauce. It make making a lasagne midweek so easy, particularly as I used a leftover batch of Bolognaise sauce made the night before.

Which did your children like?
Probably the macaroni cheese. DS quite liked the cheese and tomato sauce as well.

Would you use the products again?Why?
Yes. The lasagne I made was delicious, ridiculously easy and a real treat. The macaroni cheese wasn't quite as simple, but was still tasty. The cheese and tomato sauce was nice. We poured it over chicken breasts, added cheese and baked.

I liked that the ingredients were all simple -- real food. I do agree that there is no real need for sweeteners though. The whole point about lowering sugar should be able changing tastes to more savoury food. People can always add a pinch of a sweetener if they want.

I do want to try the meatballs sauce, and will be buying a jar of the White lasagne to keep in the cupboard.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes, I would. So pleased I was picked as a tester for this and I will try to have the hidden veg sauce tomorrow.

We have now also tried the cheesy tomato and the white lasagne sauces.
The meatball sauce tried previously is my dc favourite.
The children did really enjoy the cheesy tomato but said it should have been " more cheesy"
The white lasagne sauce was fine no better or worse than others I have tried.
I would recommend the products to friends for quick and easy meals. I would have preferred no sweeteners though.

We got the macaroni cheese sauce, cheese and tomato sauce, bolognese sauce and white lasagne sauce.
As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
I don't have any challenges normally as we are 'eat what you're given' type parents, we normally all eat together and my children aren't particularly fussy. I can find it a bit challenging when I am just giving
The children something to eat without us and I give them a choice as they often have different ideas about what they would rather eat! So it would be nice to find something quick and easy that they both love equally
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Probably not a year ago, but definitely since a few years ago, although I am very aware of the potential problems with sugar substitutes, so I now feel that we are a little bit between a rock and a hard place when it comes to eating sweet foods.
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Time to make, ease, cost and taste are all concerns, with ease of use probably the biggest one for me as I am not a natural chef My DH would say cost though
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
We have tried the macaroni and the bolognese sauce. My preferred sauce was the macaroni cheese, the rest of the family would say the bolognese sauce. They all said they liked the bolognese sauce and that it tasted more 'meaty' than our usual brand. They weren't as full of praise for the macaroni sauce, my DH found it too dry (an aspect that I preferred, we obviously have different taste in macaroni sauces!) although my children cleared their plates, so it couldn't have been too bad
Would you use the products again? Why?
I would use the macaroni again, it was nicely flavoured, easy to use and didn't have sweeteners. I am not convinced by the bolognese sauce though, it is only 1.3g sugar less than our usual brand but with the disadvantage of having sweeteners as well, and I also preferred the taste of our usual brand.
I will report back tonight when we use the cheese and tomato sauce and also after the weekend after we have used the lasagne sauce.
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Possibly, the sauces were nice enough, but it will depend how the jar's cost compares to other products on the market and whether they (friends/family) are aware of the implications of added sweeteners.

Questions for testers

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

Finding something that everyone will eat without moaning. Everyone has their likes and dislikes which makes things more complicated.

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

I tend to cook most things from scratch with the odd convience meal so it's not something i take too much notice of.

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

Finding something we will all eat. Sometimes i need a meal which is quick and easy to cook. Cost is also a factor.

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

My favourite was the meatball sauce which was also my Son's favourite. We weren't keen on the cheese and tomato sauce, we found it was quite acidic tasting and had a funny after taste.

Would you use the products again? Why?

Yes i would if i was in a hurry and the price was affordable. I found the macoroni cheese particulary easy to prepare, perfect for busy evenings.

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

Yes i would all of them except the cheese and tomato one.

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

Getting something that everyone enjoys, that doesn't cost too much and also sometimes time is of the essence so I need a couple of quick meals I can grab from the cupboard

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

Without a shadow of a doubt!! I have been educated by my 12yo DS who has done healthy living at school, most supermarket trips involve him checking the sugar content and numerous exclamations of "we are not buying that, have you seen how much sugar is in it!!"

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

The top priority for our family is healthy eating, we try to do our very best as a family but we occasionally have the odd chippy!!

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

We had the cheese and tomato, macaroni, white lasagne sauce and bolognaise, DS loved the cheese and tomato!! No one really liked the macaroni, it just didn't taste right for us, the white sauce was great in the lasagne and the bolognaise was good.

Would you use the products again? Why?

Yes!!! I will be buying the white lasagne sauce and the cheese and tomato so that I always have some in the cupboard as every body loved them!! I wouldn't buy the macaroni again and I think I would buy the bolognaise just because I know it has no sugar in it.

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

I have already recommended these to my friends after telling them excitedly I had been picked to product test, and I will be telling the mums at school who have expressed an interest in how the sauces taste as they are also getting the "sugar talk" from their kids!!

I wouldn't be telling people not to get the macaroni as its all a matter of taste, and what we don't like might be liked by others!!

Well done guys! Good products!

We had lasagne yesterday made with the white sauce. I've never bought a white sauce before. It had quite a pleasant nutmeg flavour and I liked the fact that it made preparing the meal really quick. The finished lasagne was quite runny. Definitely more so than my home made one. Both dcs said it was nice but neither opted for second helpings which is unusual. Ds gave it 7/10. My home made one gets 9 apparently and the school dinner one gets 11. I think it was possibly a bit too nutmeg-y for them.

I would recommend the meatball sauce and the hidden veg tomato for a quick after work meal. I wouldn't recommend the macaroni cheese sauce. I doubt if I would buy the lasagne sauce again.

We had our final jar of sauce tonight, all have been given a big thumbs up, thank you for the chance to test them.
I was sent white lasagne, meatballs, hidden veg and macaroni cheese.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
I usually plan for a week at a time, trying to have a variety but also meals that are quick to prepare but can swapped around if necessary.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
It's never really been a concern of mine tbh.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Cost is a big factor but I am happy to pay more if a product tastes good. I rarely stick to the same brand but will look for offers. Luckily my family aren't overly fussy about their food so there's usually something everyone will eat.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
I was sceptical when I saw two of them contained sweetener as generally I don't like the taste but I couldn't tell with these.
My favourite was the white lasagne, I don't mind making a tomato sauce from scratch but find white sauces a faff! The children said they liked the tomato and hidden vegetable sauce best.

Would you use the products again? Why?
I would definitely buy the white lasagne sauce as it's the best one of its type I've tried. I would probably buy the others, particularly if they were on offer

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

Update. We had the macaroni cheese we cooked the pasta separately then added the sauce before adding more cheese and then oven baking for around 20 minutes. It was v nice and actually all the girls really enjoyed it. So I would say a winner all round

Thanks for sending the white sauce again - arrived in perfect condition this time!

This week we've had the macaroni cheese and the white sauce. I was less keen to try these ones tbh as I make a pretty mean white sauce myself and am quite fussy about the way I like it!! I was pleasantly surprised with the flavour of the white sauce though and it made a good topping for my lasagna.

I didn't have any problems with the mac and cheese unlike some testers here as I found the sauce with added milk and water was enough to cover and cook the pasta. It was browned perfectly after 45 mins. The flavour was nice - a good amount of nutmeg and tangy cheese and the kids really liked it.

Have now tried them all and leaving final feedback:

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

Finding quick and easy meals that don't bore the arse off me and DH and that the kids will eat! When I'm working I don't get back until 6pm and so I do have to be super organised about meals (I find this a real challenge as I loathe and detest food shopping and having to plan meals in advance!)

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

Yes - much more so. I check labels far more often than I used to and have really cut down on certain food products after realising how much added sugar there is in them. We don't eat much processed food for this reason.

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

Speed is of the essence! I'm not an avid cook so resent any time spent preparing a meal. However, I am acutely aware of how much rubbish goes into processed food so I have to spend far more time cooking from scratch than I would like!

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

The meatballs sauce was my favourite and DH quite liked it too.

Which did your children like?

The cheese and tomato sauce went down a storm with the kids!

Would you use the products again? Why?

They are a good time saver and there are very few extra ingredients added to the sauces that I wouldn't put in them myself if cooking from scratch. I would probably buy the meatballs sauce and cheese and tomato ones again for a quick and easy weekday meal.

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

Yes definitely!

Thanks for letting me try these sauces MN and the kids have really enjoyed being part of this too.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Trying to please everyone with something reasonably nutritious without it taking forever in the kitchen when I have very little time
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Not really
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Value for money, healthy(ish) meals that will not take too much of my time up to prepare
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
Cheese and tomato went down well with everyone, though my 7 year old said she didn't like it at first as it tasted 'strong' and then ate it all up anyway
Would you use the products again? Why?
I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them unless they were on offer, bit put off by the constant references to sweeteners being added actually puts me off a bit. They would be good to have in the cupboard for emergency quick meals though
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Not sure, maybe? They are very quick and convenient

As a parent, what is the biggest teatime challenge for you?
Dinner is often a rushed affair after coming in from work and after-school activities, so having sauces handy in the larder can enhance pasta or a stew. Also, to combat pickiness: one of my children never finishes her food and my other child only likes white or brown food.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
I think I am equally aware (i.e. have never added sugar to savoury dishes in any case, and good at checking labels) but I am also not about to start buying things with sweeteners in either.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Healthy vegetarian food, not overly adventurous, fresh where possible.

From the ones you tried, which is your favorite flavor in the range? Which did your children like?
The best one for me was the pasta sauce for macaroni though I did mix it up with loads of veg and grated cheese. My first child’s favorite (the picky one) liked the creamy cheese and tomato pasta sauce even though she isn’t exactly a fan of tomatoes so that’s a success. My other child (the one that eats everything but little) also liked the creamy cheese and tomato pasta sauce. The lasagna sauce went down well too though a touch too nutmeggy to my taste.

Would you use the products again? Why?
No, they tasted slightly synthetic and too sweet (and acidic at the same time, in the case of the Bolognese sauce), and I’d rather eat sugar for sweetness than a sweetener. And apart from neutralising tart tomatoes, why would anyone put sugar in pasta sauces? The kids have simple tastes: pasta with olive oil, butter and a grating of Parmesan, and that hasn’t changed with this trial. Also, the jars are too big – we used one-third each time we tried it in a recipe, and were under pressure to use it up within two days (which we didn’t – I’m happy to report the white lasagna pasta sauce was still good after a week in the fridge after being opened – all the preservatives!).

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
No. (DD2 thinks I’m mean.)