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

Arrived today while I was at work, so kids had already eaten. Very excited to try lasagne and macaroni cheese. Dh is going to try meatballs and I'm doing veggie Bolognese at the weekend.

I have my set and I will be making macaroni cheese tomorrow or Thursday! I have Lasagne planned for the weekend, and will probably do the meatball sauce the following week. Exciting! I've told my fussy eater son that they've been sent especially for him and he's keen to try them all. It's a good start!

Got mine today, 2 jars the lids were open the one I hadn't asked for and no one will eat so I'm left with only one to test. Shame

After reading all your posts I've just been to check my jars by checking the safety button. The meatballs jar is open so I won't risk using it.

Lovely parcel from Napolina arrived today! Can't wait to try the sauces out. thanks so much - they look fab and should help me save time in the kitchen as well as hopefully taste nice. Feedback to follow once we've put them through there paces.

I hadn't checked the lids but will do so now. Really hope tonight's macaroni cheese hadn't been open and that we'll all still be alive tomorrow!

Macaroni cheese sauce and the white lasagne sauce both have clicky lids, so sadly can't use either which is a real shame as macaroni cheese is my 5 year old's favourite and we were looking forward to lasagne at the weekend. Will try the cheesy tomato sauce out on pastry pizza tomorrow.

Thank you MN and napolina for picking me....jars arrived today. All intact and lids safely shut.

I will plan to use them over the next wee while.

Main thing that appealed to me was the no added sugar, but the tomato based ones both contain sweetener (stevia) as a "natural sugar". I was really disappointed to see sweetener added to this product as this seems to me to be paying lip service only to trying to reduce dependence on sugar/sweet flavours. As a previous poster mentioned when I make a tomato sauce I don't need to add sugar to make it taste nice.....I don't understand why food companies need to add sugar or sweeteners rather than just getting the recipe and ingredients right. I'm no food nazi or health freak but when a product advertises its good, clean, healthy credentials then I think adding sweeteners is a bit disingenuous.

Similarly with the lasagna sauce....it's advertised as no added sugar. And doesn't contain any, not even stevia. But I just took a look at other similar sauces (dolmio, Lloyd grossman, sainsburys) and only dolmio lists sugar as an ingredient at all. Lloyd grossman and sainsburys lasagna sauces don't contain sugar anyway. 🤔

Hmmmm......

Anyway...will still go into taste taste with open mind, but those are my thoughts so far!

Everyone who has open lids if you message mumsnet Rebecca she will request replacements.

My jars haven't arrived yet. Hope they come soon.

Mine arrived yesterday, DD had recorder club so we ate out, so we havent tried them yet. Ill see if DS wants pasta tonight. DDs still on cold food only since her tummy bug.

Im not at home, but will check all the lids when I get back.

Mine arrived but the lid pops on the white lasagne sauce so I can't use it

Ours arrived yesterday, we got macaroni cheese, bolognaise, white lasagne and a tomato pasta.

Looking forward to trying the macaroni cheese tonight!

Thanks for selecting us, stepdaughter will be most pleased as she loves pasta and we dont have it often as her and ds wont agree on which one he doesnt eat the one with bits in (tomato and herb) she wont eat the cheese one after discovering it had bacon in so mean as i am i wont make various different ones so they dont get it- i am hoping since the macaroni has no meat in and the hidden veg will appear not to have the veg in to strike it lucky with both of them!

Mine arrived yesterday, checked and all lids are fine. We received macaroni cheese, white lasagna sauce, hidden veg tomato sauce and cheese and tomato sauce

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the tomato and cheese sauce, seems odd for a sauce to me - would love to hear what everyone else does with this one
Macaroni and lasagna ones are self explanatory
Hidden veg I will use with veggie meatballs or veggie mince to make a pasta bolognese i think. This is probably the one I will use the penne pasta with too

dotty there are a few testers with faulty lids - I have 2 jars. Message MNHQ and they will help.

How do you message them? I use the app and don't know if I'm being dense but can't see how to do it?!

An email, not sure you can PM through the app

So pleased to have been selected for this. I was a bit baffled by the box that turned up on the weekend as I had totally forgotten I'd signed up. The bag of pasta was a nice touch too.

I've just bunged a lasagne in the oven, using the cheese sauce. It's the first lasagne I've ever made, so I'm quite proud of myself.

Macaroni cheese made here to feed me and 2 small boys while DH is working late. It went down well with me and DS1 but DS2 is pickier although still ate it fine.

Biggest teatime challenge is DS1 being picky and taking ages to eat so finding something that they'll both eat that is nutritious.

Am I aware of sugar more? Not really. I cook mainly from scratch so I know what is going into everything

Priority when planning food is variety and healthy balanced food across the week.

Favourite sauce - we've only had macaroni so far. Will try the others over the weekend. Boys thought the macaroni cheese was fine. Not particular fans but no problems with it.

Would I use it again? Possibly the tomato based sauces but probably not the macaroni cheese as I prefer to do that from scratch.

Probably wouldn't recommend them just because I can't ever see it coming up on conversation.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Finding recipes suitable for the whole family and that they all enjoy.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes only because there is so much about it in the media

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Ease of preparing and cooking, something that is enjoyed by everyone without too much adapting to cater for everyone.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range?Which did your children like?
I particularly liked the creamy cheese and tomato pasta sauce as did the children it was easy to prep, cook and serve.
Clean plates all round plus second helpings.

Would you use the products again? Why?
Most definitely they are nice to keep in the cupboard for when time is limited and you want something filling. Plus the no added sugar.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
It has and i did.

Here goes....As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Finding food that we all enjoy that can be cooked quickly when we get in late from work/nursery/after-school club. Children are tired and hungry and as a result we don't always eat together on those days as I need to give them something quick and get them ready for bed.
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 slightly more aware than I was. I do find it odd how many ready made savoury foods do have added sugar. I'm also shocked by the salt levels of some foods.
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Weekday meals need to be quick to prepare. I want them to be reasonably healthy and tasty and not have added ingredients that I don't recognise.

I'll answer the last three questions when we've tried more of the sauces but we had the meatball one tonight and it was a huge hit with the children. Ds (7) gave it 9 out of 10. I asked what they would have to do to make it a 10 and he said he'd like pieces of tomato the way I usually make it. He loved the flavour though. Ds (3) said it was great. They both had second helpings. I thought it had a good strong flavour. I don't generally buy this kind of sauce as it's easy enough to throw a tomato sauce together and I know exactly what's in it, but I could see me having a jar in the cupboard as a stand by. It would also be good for a camping trip. I wasn't sure why it contained cornflour though. I would never put cornflour in a tomato sauce.

Here is my feedback

as a parent what is the biggest teatime challenge for you

Cooking something healthy and nutritious at the same time as coming home with tired kids after a long day at work ! Also finding something that a picky 9 year old girl , a ravenous 12 year old boy and two middle aged parents trying to be healthy will all eat

woould you say you are more aware of the 'added sugar' in food now than you were perhaps a year ago

Yes due to the media . I was horrified to read in the Sunday times that a mocha in Costa can have up to 15 teaspoons on sugar in it and a chai latte that I thought was a relatively safe bet was just as bad

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

Convenience price , I don't feel I'm a good cook so something that says it's healthy and the kids will eat makes me feel happier .

from the ones you've tried which is your favourite flavour in the range

I was a bit disappointed we got two lasagne white sauces as dh makes a fab white sauce from scratch and this one tasted a bit tasteless :-( the other one I'm Aftaid will be donated to the local food bank
The kids loved the creamy cheese and tomato sauce with their favourite stuffed pasta : it's the meal I make on swimming nights so this sauce makes me feel happier it's not got hidden sugars

which did your children like
See above
They also preferred homemade sauce in lasagne

would you use the products again
Yes definitely the cheese and tomato pasta one , not the White sauce

would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member
Yes I would

Thanks for selecting me and thanks for the pasta , the kids favourite meal is pasta !

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Time. I work and have quite a long commute. By he time we all get home we're tired and hungry, so I don't always have time to cook anything that takes lots of preparation and cooking time.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes, absolutely. Sugar is the latest thing for us to feel bad about.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
Quality. I don't like feeding my kids rubbish.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
So far we have had the meatball sauce and the macaroni cheese. I found the meatball sauce a bit sweet but the children found it too peppery, so we won't be having it again. The macaroni sauce was really good, although I precooked the macaroni as I find baking the pasta in the sauce from dry can result in dry, starchy meals. We're having lasagne Friday, so I'll pop back with more feedback then.

Would you use the products again? Why?
I'd use the macaroni cheese but not the meatball sauce. I'd rather there wasn't sweetener in the sauces. The Dolmio no added sugar doesn't contain sweeteners. I usually make sauces from scratch (passata is a cupboard staple) and think pasta sauces don't need to be sweet. This is why the sugar issue is so bit. People need to embrace savoury flavours.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Probably, the macaroni sauce was very nice.

Thanks for the opportunity to test, I'll put my pics up shortly and be back to review the lasagne.