Read MNers’ feedback on new Little Dish Classics - £300 voucher to be won for feedback! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

We’ve got together with Little Dish to find 250 Mumsnetters with at least one child aged 1-2 to try their new Little Dish Classics range, created especially for toddlers, and to share their feedback on MN. Each tester was sent 4 recipes which included Little Dish Baked Beans, Little Dish Spaghetti Hoops, Little Dish Macaroni Cheese and Little Dish Tomato Soup to try with their 1-2 year old.

Hillary, Little Dish’s founder, has said: “As a Mum, I know first-hand how important it is to give your toddlers the most nutritious food. I also know that some days I need a helping hand to get a speedy supper on the table without compromising on nutrition or taste. So I’m excited to introduce our new Little Dish Classics - a range of family favourites reinvented for toddlers’ nutritional needs.

Many top brand Baked Beans and Spaghetti Hoops contain added sugar or sweeteners and high levels of salt, so we recreated these recipes to be low in salt with no added sugar, sweeteners, artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. We’ve also blended extra veg into them such as cauliflower, carrot and butternut squash, to help your little ones towards their 5 a day. As with all Little Dish recipes, these are approved by our nutritionist and have been given the thumbs up by our Tiny Tasters across the UK. You can keep Little Dish Classics in your kitchen cupboard and they are ready to eat in minutes.

We’re looking forward to hearing what you and your toddler think.”

If you’ve taken part in this test, Little Dish would like you to post on this thread, answering the questions below:

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?
• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?
• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?
• Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

We’d also love to see some photos of your DC enjoying Little Dish Classics, so please share on the thread if you can!

Everyone who gives their feedback on this thread and completes the feedback survey will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky MNer will win a £300 John Lewis Voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw,

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Overall impression: i love the idea,great to keep in the cupboard. Packaging is eye catching and info is nice and clear.

My 22 month old sons favourite one was the soup. He loves soup. So i would love to see more flavours please.

Depending on price i would think about buying again because of a more healthier option for kids.

Yes i would recommend the soup. But not the other recipes. All our family tried them and thought the mac/cheese,spaghetti hoops and beans were very bland,too runny.

More soup flavours would be nice,great for when little ones are teething.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I really liked the look of the packaging and the extra veg included. Nice to see low sugar baked beans without sweetener added. The actual food I wasn't sure about. It smelt like baby food and had quite a bland taste.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Unfortunately we didn't have much success with any of the meals. My 21 month old eats dinner with his 4yr-old big sister and she was not a fan, which may have influenced him as he tried a few mouthfuls then joined in when she started complaining. They ate the macaroni cheese happily when I grated in lots of mature cheddar though.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I'm afraid not. I'd probably stick to other brands of baked beans/hoops that I know they would enjoy. Macaroni cheese I make easily myself by batch cooking the cheese sauce. My two have a reasonably balanced diet so, although not ideal I don't worry too much about a bit of sugar in baked beans.

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

Possibly for a younger toddler. Might be more appealing to toddlers that were weaned mostly with baby food pouches.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

Macaroni cheese with added cheese! I served it with some broccoli which the children enjoyed.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics? Packaging was nice. Easy to store. Would be great to take camping (am always looking for food to take camping). Thank you for the apron, lovely surprise.
• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? DT1 and DT2 aged 1 loved the macaroni cheese. DS aged 3 loved the soup. Twin 2 devoured the spaghetti hoops (never tried before) but twin 1 and ds not keen. They all liked the beans.

Would you buy little dish classics again? Yes. I liked the no salt and no added sugar.
Would I recommend to family and friends? Yes I would.

My own recipes? I think seasoning would be good and would probably add a little garlic, chili or paprika, black pepper to the soup or even the beans. The soup could be used as a base for a Tomato based dish.

We've only tried the beans so far which I thought would be the most popular - WRONG! DD (20 months) did eventually eat them but not with the normal gusto she has for beans. DS (4) said 'these beans are no good'. 50% hit the food waste bin. Going to try the hoops tomorrow...

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics? Great size portions that could be used alone as a meal or shared as a side in a meal. The packaging was great and very easy to open though i would like something more stackable for the cupboard.
• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? Dip-Dip-Doup everytime!
• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why? Yes as i can never find a child friendly soup other than in Asda.
• Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, they are a great cupboard staple.
• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them! No -sadly i am not creative on the kitchen, i think the soup could be very versatile though as a sauce base for many other meals.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

We liked them; felt healthy and nutritious. Easy to prepare / store. Really liked the packaging; easy to store in a cupboard; with ingredients clearly listed.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Baked beans.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Dependant on price, I'd buy the beans, hoops and macaroni again. Not the tomato soup.

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

As above - probably all except the soup which didn't feel like it would be good 'value' unless significantly cheaper than the others.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

I'd use the tomato soup as a sauce for pasta - thicken with some added veg puree and cheese, and add to cooked mince or chicken.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I was really impressed, the packaging looks great and appealing.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The Spaghetti Hoops

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

yes, they are ideal as quick simple but nutritious.

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

Yes I would recommend because my dc seemed to really enjoy them apart from the baked beans but he doesn't like any beans so its nothing to do with the brand.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics? So lovely when the parcel arrived- so beautifully packaged. Nice clear labelling. It would be great if plastic part was resealable as I sometimes split a portion over two days.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? The soup- she loved it! Could you do other soups please- vegetable, lentil and bacon etc. Soup is so versatile for little ones as you can use it as a sauce too.
• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why? Yes I would definitely buy them as they are so convenient and tasty but not full of salt and sugar
• Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes because my daughter really enjoyed them
• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them! I added cauliflower and broccoli pieces to macaroni cheese as it was very saucy- made two days lunches!

Tried the baked beans today. My one-year-old loved them. They were so easy to prepare, and a perfect on the run meal.

Portion size was a bit odd, as this either made two quite small meals, or one absolutely massive meal. Considering most of these would need to be served with something, like toast, I'm not sure why the servings are so large. Even my four-year-old wouldn't have managed a whole packet.

These are great backups to have in the cupboard though, especially as my one-year-old is now a bit old for the pouches. Sometimes we do just really need to grab something quickly.

Picture attached.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Very good - love the packaging and the fact that there is hidden veg inside.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The spaghetti hoops.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes - very convenient for holidays and when there's no time to cook.

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

Yes I would - dependent on price. They were easy to use and a healthy quick way to get food on the table.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them.

We just added toast and crudités to bulk the meal out a bit.

Thank you for choosing us and for the lovely apron.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Thought they looked really good quality and well thought out. There was a lot of packaging however!

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The soup. Have never given her soup before as was concerned about the mess, but she really enjoyed it. The others went down very well too!

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes if the price were right. Would probably not bother getting the beans as I am happy with using Heinz/own brand reduced salt/sugar and would imagine that it is cheaper.

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

Yes I would as they smell and taste a lot better than other convenience baby foods. Plus the ingredients are far better than most.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

Thought I might make a pasta bake or similar with the soup. Possibly using vegetarian sausages and frozen veg for a quick dinner that is more substantial than the soup.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I LOVED the look and concept of them, high quality but simple firm family favourites.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Definitely the spaghetti hoops, we loved those. And there was plenty in the packet too, so both my twins were able to have a large portion on toast!

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I would 100% buy these again, they were fast, nutritious, healthy and convenient for my twins. They don't always want a large meal especially for lunch so these were just wonderful and we're ready in seconds.

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

I would recommend them to everyone with young children, much better than the artificial, sugar laden alternatives

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

I actually used the tomato soup as a pasta sauce as it was so filled with goodness and little ones aren't too keen on using spoons just yet. Coupled with wholemeal pasta and a touch of Parmesan it made a nutritious and delicious meal for the twins

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I thought they were well presented and I liked the clear information on the packaging. It is a good idea to make a low salt version of favourites like beans and spaghetti hoops. I thought the portion sizes were quite big but I liked that you could keep half in the fridge until the next day.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Definitely the spaghetti hoops, she really enjoyed these.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes, I would buy the beans and the spaghetti hoops. I really liked that they were very low in salt and that they had a good amount of vegetables in them. They will be handy to keep in the cupboard.

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

Yes, I would recommend them to friends who have children of a similar age as I think they offer a healthier version than other brands.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

Sorry we didn't do anything very exciting with them, mainly served with bread or toast.

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

We totally loved them. Packaging was fab , really nicely layer out and easy to understand. Loved the pouches as they would be easy to take out & about, plus they were microwavable which is good too.

Was also really impressed that Little Dish added an easy to see suitable for vegetarians sign (I hate having to search for them), thanks Little Dish for recognising that there are vegetarian kids that need to be catered for toö.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

My son loved the tomato soup, I do my own home made tom soup and he loves that too so I wasn't surprised that he enjoyed it - I served it with some toasted cheesy tortillas strips yum!

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Most certainly. My son enjoyed them and they make an ideal cupboard stand by. I like to cook from scratch and for the whole family to eat the same meal at the same time. Of course this isn't always possible (eg take away night or a particularlyspicy meal). I like that these recipes are a quick fix yet healthy and taste good too.

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

I already have, because they are fab and my son enjoyed them.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

Not really, bit I did pair a few of the meals with other stuff. As I mentioned earlier I paired the tom soup with cheesy baked tortilla strips but also I did wholemeal 'solidiers' with the beans and veggie sausage with the hoops - my son scoffed the lot.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Packaging was lovely. Looked of good quality and a good shape for storage. Apron was lovely and a really nice touch.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Spaghetti hoops but she wasn't massively keen on any of them.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

It would very much depend o. The price but probably not. I think that compared to alternatives (many of which are organic) they were a bit tasteless (sorry!) ... I think they maybe have too much water in them as they are very 'saucy'.

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

Probably not. I think the alternatives out there are tastier and have the added benefit of being organic. It is good that you can buy toddle safe beans and spaghetti hoops but reduced sugar and salt versions of these are available. Unless it emerged that these are much much healthier I don't think I'd recommend or buy again.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

Cheesy beans - not a recipe but a delight nonetheless 😂

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Packaging was lovely and great for shoving in a cupboard. Only thing I would say re: packaging is that they're a bit thin and too tall for our microwave and I was worried they'd topple over and slosh everywhere - they didn't tho. Easy to open though, and that can't be said for many toddler meals - most need a knife and a secret handshake to get into.

I loved the concept of them - storecupboard essential type meals but sadly my son spat out all but the baked beans. He just didn't like them - not sure if it was texture or taste or both, but we had to give up on the macaroni cheese, soup and spaghetti hoops. I must admit, I usually have a few mouthfuls of his food as some of them are delicious and the beans were the only ones I'd have eaten so i don't blame him. They were all a bit sloppy and sweet. The macaroni cheese was like a white soup with pasta - runnier than the actual soup!

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The baked beans - this was the only one he would eat, sadly, but he did really enjoy it. Said "mmm" and "deeshisuss" a lot and even fed himself a bit which is unheard of.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Probably not - depending on cost I might try some other recipes and I might buy the beans again but wouldn't buy the others.

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

I would recommend them for friends to try, with the caveat that my son didn't eat them, as he isn't the best eater. I like the concept of them and can imagine they're great if your kid will eat them!

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

I added some "croutons" to the soup but he didn't eat it. Might have added some pasta to soup too.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

They had a nice flavour, not t

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?
• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?
• Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

They had a nice flavour- not too bland (I had a little taste myself) unlike some baby food, but they were all very sloppy and watery. My son is 19 months and likes to feed himself but struggled to keep the food on the spoon so although I think he liked the flavour, he got frustrated by half way through of getting empty spoonfuls and then refused any more. I think more obvious veg or chunks of things in them would have helped with the sloppiness!

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Mac Cheese went down well but I had to feed it to him because of the loose consistency - otherwise it just went everywhere and was a bit of a pain to clean up

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Not sure!

Why? It depends on price compared to other less runny brands. Also I think maybe when he's older and better able to keep loose food on a spoon. I wouldn't buy soup - I had to feed it to my son and he prefers to feed himself. It just doesn't seem practical, at least for a younger toddler

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

I'd recommend for the flavours but warn about the texture!

overall impression loved packets, loved low salt and no added sugar,portion size quite large, all quite runny also,dc fav is spaghetti hoops, he loved them but bit messy to eat.i would buy them again but not the soup.not very keen on the soup.would do a meal of fishfingers oven chips and the beans or hoops.i would recommend to friends and family,good to have in cupboard for when needed..THANK YOU FOR THE LITTLE APRON LOVELY.good quality food,

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Looked nice, simple packaging. The food looked tasty through the window. I liked the way the ingredients were listed on the packaging so it was easy to see what was in it and that it wasn't full of 'nasties'

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Macaroni Cheese - although it was a bit sloppy so a lot of it ended up on the floor!

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

No. I really like the idea of them and in theory would be great to take with you if you were out and about. But in reality they're far too sloppy. My daughter is 20 months so won't really let me feed her and these really aren't appropriate for her as she hasn't quite got the hang of using a spoon properly yet. More of it ended up on her and the floor than she managed to eat!

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

I would if they're children are spoon fed or able to use a spoon themselves. I think for the age range these are aimed at isn't really suitable as toddlers aren't the cleanest eaters at the best of times so I wouldn't dream of giving mine a soup as the risk to my dining room floor is too much! However, I really like the fact that they are fresh ingredients, free from and added extras and are just as good as something I could cook at home.

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Nice packaging, good portion sizes, DD enjoyed but I Did not find them suitable for cooking on the hob as they cooked too quickly and stuck (I know they are mainly for microwave cooking, but hob is the only option for some people)

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Macaroni cheese, but she wanted to eat it with a fork....this was not successful.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

If they were a comparable cost to supermarket own brand 'toddler portions'

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

I would recommend to friends whose children where not BLW, as my DD objected to being offered a spoon!

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

N/a

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics? They look great, and my little one enjoyed them.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? She loved the soup.
• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Yes

Why? They make the perfect lunch for a busy afternoon!.

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

Yes I would defiantly recommend them, they are full of great ingredients. If not, why not?

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I thought they were all packaged really nicely, and were very convenient for busy care givers! My daughter loved them, so I did as well! It is refreshing to see such a clear ingredients list, and gives me peace of mind feeding them to my daughter when I don't have the time to make food for her from scratch.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The macaroni cheese

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I'm not sure how much they cost and have a budget to stick to for my family's grocery shopping, but if I could afford to yes I certainly would buy them again.

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

I think I would recommend them, based on my daughter's like of them. She can be a picky eater at times so if food gets her vote I know they must be tasty.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

My daughter has eaten these as lunches so there hasn't been much need to add more to them. I've just added the usual lunch time foods like cold meats, toast or bread, cheese, and some assorted salad vegetables that my daughter approves of!

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics? Looked clean and professional.
Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? Mach cheese
Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why? Yes if needed a quick meal on the to go.
Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes because they are healthy and easy to use, although we did think the spaghetti was a little watery.
Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them! Vegetable lasagne, fish pie, Chicken pie and vegetable.

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?
I loved the packaging and design on the packets, overall first impression was a great product suitable for quick grab or when travelling the pouches would be useful to take away or camping

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

dd liked the macaroni cheese best although i did sieve and scoop out a lot of the sauce at there seemed a high amount of sauce compared to pasta ratio

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

i would be interested to try more varities particular those mentioned in the survey, the butternut squash and veg chilli sound great, otherwise the products were a bit too sauce focused for my dd, although if she was a bit younger that may have been useful

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

i certainly would, a friend was round with her dc when i was feeding dd so we got chatting about product and she loved the pouches, also at a group on monday dd wore her apron and a few of the other parents asked about little dish and i recommended them to them all

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!

i drain all my beans for the dc and i so without the sauce it was a small portion so i added some peas with them, otherwise the portions were adequete enough to eat alone but the scent of tomato soup influenced me to prepare dh and i a homemade basil and tomato soup that same evening