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

We had the meatball one last night. We used it as a pizza sauce it was really tasty. Quite tangy. I think I would purchase this one.

Tried macarroni cheese sauce today,honestly it was dry and there was very little taste of cheese in it,both my daughters didnt finish theirs! But for the meatball sauce two days ago was a hit and they begged me if we could have it every night,havent tried creamy cheese n tomato maybe next week,hopefully its gonna be great,will post up review after....thanks

as a parent what is the biggest teatime challenge for you
Making dinners that work for everyone; feeding before / after kids clubs and teens who eat later 

would you say you are more aware of the 'added sugar' in food now than you were perhaps a year ago
I think the kids are more aware than a year ago, so we can have a more involved family conversation

what is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
ensuring a variety, we have 2 vegetarians in the house to add to this challenge 

from the ones you've tried which is your favourite flavour in the range
creamy tomato and cheese was the favourite. The lasagne sauce was very bland

which did your children like
creamy tomato and cheese, they liked my lasagne but didn't love it!

would you use the products again
yes. 

would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member
They weren't life changing so probably wouldn't rave about them to friends. But it was a nice surprise to get to try the range thanks

as a parent what is the biggest teatime challenge for you
:
Making dinners that work for everyone; feeding before / after kids clubs and teens who eat later 



would you say you are more aware of the 'added sugar' in food now than you were perhaps a year ago:
I think the kids are more aware than a year ago, so we can have a more involved family conversation



what is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
 ensuring a variety, we have 2 vegetarians in the house to add to this challenge 



from the ones you've tried which is your favourite flavour in the range
: creamy tomato and cheese was the favourite. The lasagne sauce was very bland



which did your children like
:
creamy tomato and cheese, they liked my lasagne but didn't love it!



would you use the products again
yes. 



would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member
:
They weren't life changing so probably wouldn't rave about them to friends.

Thought I'd try that again with spaces

We were all really impressed with the meatball sauce tonight - even DH who usually hates anything out of a jar!

It's really thick and tasty and cooked down nicely - well seasoned with just the right amount of herbs. I didn't miss the sugar in this one although it does have some stevia in it which works fine. We actually had it as a Bolognese sauce with lamb mince as I had some to use up and it was really scrummy. Just fried up some peppers and mushrooms to pad it out a bit.

I would definitely buy this again either for meatballs or Bolognese.

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

Feeding 2 very hungry little girls who are extremely fussy and reluctant to try anything new

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

No, sugar isn't really an issue, they don't have lots of sweets.min fact one of my girls is very difficult to buy treats for as she doesn't have a sweet tooth.

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

I want to get my children to have a balanced diet, to try and eat more veggies

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range?
The white lasagne sauce, made making a lasagne a lot quicker. I can cook quite well, but tea times can be stress full as I often won't know what thry have eaten at school or nursery until I pick them up. This can mean that I may only decide on what we are eating for tea late in the day

Which did your children like?

Creamy cheese and tomato

Would you use the products again?
Yes

Why?
They were all tasty and ideal for when I need to have a standby in the cupboard. White lasagne sauce definitely made life easier.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes, ideal to have in cupboard or to use as a base sauce

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
It would have to be the stress of trying to make a quick, nutritious meal that is interesting every night and takes into consideration all of our dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten free) with three young children hanging onto my legs!

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes, I would agree. I try and avoid products that contain a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners, although I would choose sugar over artificial sweeteners most of the time.

What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family?
There's so many! Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Low sugar, No sweeteners, Veg content, How easy it is to cook, how natural it is, how far it's travelled, is it gm free?

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range?
The white sauce for the lasagne.

Which did your children like?
Cheese sauce for the macaroni.

Would you use the products again? Why?
Yes I would because they are sugar free, contain natural stevia sweetners, gluten free and vegetarian. They also taste nice and are pretty versatile.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
Yes I would and I have already recommended them to my friend who has four children herself. I've also talked about them to my mother.

Mine arrived. Two of the lids were popped/open.

We have tried the hidden veg tomato flavour so far. I made me for me and my 13 and 3 and 4 year old. We liked the pasta. It was easy to cook. The sauce was yummy! No one noticed the veg and my 13 year old said it tasted similar to home made. Both the little ones ate it, they don't like spicy food - I feel the taste wasn't too spicy or strong. Overall I am really pleased. I will post again when I try the white lasagne sauce in the next few days.

I have received my jars and pasta sauce.
We had macaroni cheese tonight which everyone loved.
I am making lasagne for tea tomorrow I will add my feedback after we have used them. Thanks

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

To get a meal on the table everybody likes without cooking the same things over and over again.

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

I suppose so but its more my kids who have become more aware of this.

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

My top priority is healthy meals which means lots of veggies and at least once a week fish.

From the ones you tried, which is your favorite flavor in the range?
Meatball one for taste by far followed by the lasagna sauce.

Which did your children like?
Meatball one, they loved it!

Would you use the products again?
I would buy the meatball and lasagna one. Havent tried the cheese tomato one but think the kids would like it. They have taken to boil pasta for after school snack and they can stir it though, cheaper then Dolmio stir in and no added sugar.
Wouldn't buy the macaroni cheese one as only my daughter liked it.

Why?
I would buy the lasagna for easy life as time consuming, meatball one definitely because all 4 of us liked it.

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

We really liked being part of this taste panel. I would like to see a spicier version of the meatball sauce and possibly the option of the same sauce but not smooth.

We tried our first one tonight, the macaroni cheese. I'll add proper feedback when we've tried all of them but I have to agree with previous posters- it would be really useful to know how much pasta to use and if it should be cooked or uncooked! Mine wasn't right, but was still enjoyed. A 'fill to here' mark on the jar label denoting 160mils would be great too. It's not a standard measure so difficult to get right. Lasagne tomorrow.

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

Making something that everyone will eat. Which is also healthy, not too expensive or time consuming to prepare. Sorry, that's lots of challenges isn't it?

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

Yes. I try and avoid products with a lot of sugar or sweeteners. Having said that, straightforward sugar is preferable to artificial sweetener

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

Whether they will eat them! Many is the time I've served up a lovely meal
only to be told "I don't like that".
Price, healthiness and non-faffiness are other important factors.

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

We received the two lasagne sauces, the meatball sauce and the macaroni cheese.

Everyone liked the meatball sauce (had it with veggie "meatballs " which is a family favourite) DS2 (aged 5) is fussy about lumps in sauce so the smoothness was an advantage. This was the overall favourite

The macaroni cheese sauce worked well- I added vegetables to make the meal more interesting, one child liked, one didn't.

We used both lasagne sauces to make lasagne ( quorn with grated carrots and courgette.) I liked the red sauce but thought the white tasted a bit chemically and was too salty.

Would you use the products again? Why?

I'd use the two tomatoey sauces again but not the white ones. I usually make microwave cheese sauce for macaroni cheese and lasagne (thanks mumsnet for that), which is already quick and easy.

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

Potentially, particularly if they had a fussy child who prefers smooth sauce. Mine both went through an "Urgh! It's got BITS in!" phase (DS2 still in it) so that's a factor that would attract me to the product.

Firstly I just feel the need to mention how easy these sauces were to use! I had expected the flavour to be good being napolina but they just made mealtimes a whole lot easier which was great!

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

different children wanting different meals because of fussy tastes

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

yes - things like jamie's sugar rush and other publicity has made me aware how much hidden sugar can be in food.

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

Good quality ingredients

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
We loved the smooth tomato and hidden veg pasta sauce.

Would you use the products again? Why?

I loved the clear instructions of how to use them which really helped.
I love that they are healthy options.
We all loved the taste.
I love how simple they are to use to make a meal.

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

We used the macaroni cheese sauce to make broccoli and cauliflower cheese and that worked really well. Photo attached.

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

Having time to cook for the whole group! Everyone wants something different and it's difficult to find something that everyone just says 'yum' to.

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes. With all the recent news coverage about sugar in drinks, I have now turned my attention to what's in our food - and it's scary.

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

Quick food although this is now turning into 'healthy' food.

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

We loved the meat balls sauce. Some of us like meat and some don't, so I could cook up meatballs and Qourn balls and then there was plenty of sauce to go around! Considering it was 'no added sugar' it tasted fab.

Which did your children like?

The same - the meat balls sauce was the fave quickly followed by the lasagne sauce although this took too long to prepare compared to the meatballs!

Would you use the products again? Why?

Yes! We love the product anyway and the fact that it has no added sugar just makes it even better! They taste great and there were no hungry belly grumbles afterwards!

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

Of course! If I would recommend it I wouldn't be eating it!

Thank you letting me test your products :)

I was actually really impressed by them they all tasted great. I made a lasagne with the bolognse sauce and the white sauce and it was delicious.

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you? Getting my children to sit down and eat most nights we have to count fork fulls with my little boy
Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago? Yes and normally food with less doesn't taste as good but your sauces were great
What is your top priority as a parent when choosing which products to purchase or meals to cook for your family? Tasty for me and my partner but also the kids will eat it
From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like? To be honest we all liked them all but I did like the white sauce for lasange and bolognse sauces
Would you use the products again? Why? Yes they were tasty
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member? Yes :)

The sauces have arrived, they look good but sadly one had leaked. Luckily it was well wrapped so just a mess on my hands really. Not the best start.

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

Trying to think of meals everyone will enjoy, we are large family so only cook one meal for everyone. Some are more picker than others....

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

Yes because sugar is touted the new crack cocaine :( its being campaigned against heavily at the moment but sweetners are not particularly shown in a good light so doing the best for the family is very difficult.

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

Ensuring the family has well balanced meals with healthy food.

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

We loved the Macaroni cheese one, but the instructions were vague :( no mention of how much pasta and cheese to add. I made it with wholewheat pasta and they didn't even notice :)

Which did your children like?

They seemed to agree with me with Macaroni cheese one.

Would you use the products again? Why?

Yes I would, I loved the convenience especially for a quick easy midweek dinners which normally involves pasta, but price would be a factor if it was slightly higher than supermarket own brands i would consider the sugar free alternative.

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

Yes i would especially for people who are not confident cooks.

Thank you very much we really enjoyed testing these sauces.

Thank you Napolina & MN I have just had 2 replacement sauce jars ( with perfect lids!). They are both the white lasagne sauce so will use asap

We received the macaroni cheese sauce, bolognese, creamy cheese and tomato, white lasagne sauce and a packet of penne.
**As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Making a meal that everyone will eat willingly!

Would you say you are more aware of the ‘added sugar’ in food now than you were perhaps a year ago?
Yes, I think generally the media has changed its focus somewhat from fat to sugar in food.

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

1. Something they will eat without a fight.
2. Products without unecessary additives.
3. Price.

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
I preferred the Creamy Cheese and Tomato. I had it with the penne, and only added a twist of pepper. It had a lovely flavour, and would only be improved if the sweetener were removed.
Ds 1, 2 and Dh liked the lasagne I made with the bolognese sauce and the white sauce. I added onions and carrot because lumps aren't an issue for anyone in this house! They all really enjoyed it, and would happily have it again.
I also made a pasta bake with the penne, and macaroni cheese sauce adding leeks. Ds2 and Dh really enjoyed it, although I found the sauce a bit flavourless. It wasn't cheesy enough for me. Ds1 doesn't like cheese so didn't have any.
To be honest, I see no sense whatsoever in adding sweetener to pasta sauce, sugar or otherwise. It is completely unecessary.

Would you use the products again? Why?
If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the sauces to a friend or family member?
I usually make all my sauces from scratch with the exception of white sauce, as I can't be bothered with all the stirring. I would in theory use the White sauce again, as I don't think it contained the stevia. I generally buy the Aldi White sauce, and it would depend on the price if I was going to change which sauce I use.
However, I wouldn't be tempted to buy the tomato based sauces with the added sweetener. I use caramelised onions and carrot to add sweetness to my pasta sauce, and I feel this is a healthier option. I may recommend the sauces to a friend who was looking for a sauce without lumps, but we like our veg with a crunch so they wouldn't really be for us.

I'm impressed.

I didn't officially contact mumsnet just mentioned on this thread one of my jars the lid was open & ive just had a knock on the door - a replacement jar.

The red lasagne sauce went down very well with ds- going to do meatballs tonight I think & will update next week when I've had a chance to use the others too.

I've received a replacement jar today too, thank you! Will try the lasagne tomorrow

As a parent, what is the biggest tea-time challenge for you?
Thinking of something healthy to suit everyone.

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

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

From the ones you tried, which is your favourite flavour in the range? Which did your children like?
Was only able to try one as kids were popped on the others. Tomato & cheese was only sauce left, one child loved it the other thought it was nice

Would you use the products again?
I would try the hidden veg and macaroni sauce as I have one very picky eater who may like those. I would use tomato and cheese sauce again.

Why?
Kids liked it and no sugar, although I'd prefer that no sweeteners were added, it's unnecessary. It's convenient.

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

Also would be good if they could be labelled as suitable for vegetarians where applicable.

That's interesting about the lids, as we had a popped lid too, but I just dipped my finger in the sauce and decided it was still okay. Is it just because they're proto-types, or whatever?

I agree with previous posters about not liking the inclusion of sweetener. I do think that with tomato based sauces they need a little something to sweeten them to take away the sharpness of the tomatoes, but I'd rather this was with a reduced amount of sugar than a lot of sweetener.

I don't know why they had popped, they were well packaged. One had leaked, two lids were clicky, I thought one originally but both were & I didn't want to risk it.
I would also prefer less sugar than sweetener. I actually do add a little sugar when making my own pasta sauce, as you say it does need something. I just don't like sweetners.