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

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?
Eye-catching packaging, but a slight concern over them possibly splitting if inadvertently squashed in a shopping bag.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Sadly, my 20mo was not keen on any of them!

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

No, for the reason above. He was not keen on the meals at all.

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

I am not sure I would. I had high hopes for them, as I really rate the other "bowl" meals (like the cottage pie and lasagne) and use these a lot. I tasted them after my son decided he did not like them, and without exception they tasted a bit funny to me. They rather reminded me of my primary school dinners, sorry! It is a shame, as the regular meals we get from LD are actually quite tasty.

I also felt they were too runny, too much sauce to pasta/bean.

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

I had not, sorry. I can see they would be useful bases for various meals, but if you were creating other dishes, then why not make it from scratch?

I really liked the packaging.

Unfortunately my toddler didn't like any of the recipes. I tried her with each recipe several times but she blowed raspberries! I really wanted her to like the recipes as they really handing and i like that they are no added sugar/low salt etc. I did test each of the recipes and also thought they were bland.

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?
Unfortunately not all that great. The packaging looked modern and appealing but the product didn't deliver. As a parent the ingredients looked great, however, what it resulted in was not all that great.

Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?
The Tomato Soup was the only one he would eat. The rest he refused and attempted to clean his tongue after eating. It was odd to watch him do this as he is usually such a good eater and loves his pasta and baked beans. These though, he would not eat.

Would you buy Little Dish Classics again?
No, unfortunately the taste was odd. The spaghetti hoops had an odd texture, my son refused it and so my DD (age 6) and my DH and I had a taste too, we weren't all that keen either. The beans seemed like they were missing an ingredient and the macaroni cheese was tasteless, my DH described it as "lacking in cheese" which seemed about right. I tried adding seasoning to it but my DS wasn't interested anymore.

Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
No, again for the reasons above. They may be suitable for children that dislike certain foods but for children like mine who enjoy flavours, this isn't for them.

Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!
The idea behind these recipes are good, however, these need perfecting to actually have a taste that appeals to children and is good for them. It is no good being solely healthy if the children won't eat them.

Thank you for letting us try these anyway. I hadn't considered giving my DS soup before, but it seems he isn't against it. And thank you for the apron, my 6 year old likes to borrow it for baking!

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

My overall impression of this product range, is the packaging is nice, it's attractive, eye catching, and looks appealing. I thought it washing really nicely presented in the box and I absolutely adore the free apron. This is a very clever idea for when parents are out with their children, and don't want them to spoil their clothes during their meal. I was a little disappointed that all of the dishes were vegetarian.

Which was your DC's favourite recipe?

My little DC's favourite recipe was the tomato soup, but I did have to serve it with chicken, and toast. He is definitely, not a vegetarian.

Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I would consider buying the Little Dish products but not in the Classics range. My children are not keen on vegetarian meals. They like the vegetables but they wouldn't have it without meat. I struggled with the macaroni cheese. I would only buy them, if available in different varieties, and if they were on promotion, just to see if he would like it in another flavour. If he likes these products in different flavours, I would buy them for convenience.

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

I wouldn't recommend this product range to my friends or relatives, because I would not be able to provide them with any positive feedback, given my toddlers response to the meals. I do appreciate the concept behind the Little Dish Classics, and they would be great for parents who are on the go or traveling. But I'm would really like to try this product in different flavours.

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

I did think about using the soup for a pasta recipe and adding some mince meat, a little like a spaghetti bolognese. I served the spaghetti hoops with sausage and scrambled eggs and cheese, like a baby brunch.
I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in this trial and I would definitely consider participating in a trial for this brand, if they come up with some new recipes. I think it would be interesting to create a chicken tikka masala and rice option and a Sunday roast. I would love to know how toddlers and babies would get on with this. I know mine would really appreciate it. I would want to be in on the market research for this.

Thanks for the generous samples and great apron!

What was your overall impression of Little dish classics? Well they looked lovely and very appealing but definitely felt these are more like alternatives to traditional tinned meal accompaniments rather than meals in themselves. Portion size a bit odd in that respect as e.g. beans was far too big a serving for my toddler and we would be unlikely to have beans more than once a week so not sure if they would keep? Ditto other foods. Ingredients were appealing and looked to have a good range of veg in there too.

What was your DCs favourite? Well my ds (18 months) ate most of the beans but had a good go at all of them.

Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Afraid not really. Possibly might buy beans but in general I just found them very very bland! My lo is not fussy and eats most things so he did eat them but I try to give him food with normal flavours and a mix of strong flavours too. I don't add salt to my food or sugar but do add lots of garlic/herbs etc and was surprised by how bland these were given the promising ingredients list and smell. But I do appreciate these are long life and salt and sugar free so its a tall order to match the quality of the little dish chilled meals.

would you recommend Little Dish classics?
I would recommend they try yes. This is just my opinion and other people might like them plus i can see there is a gap for healthy alternatives to the sugar packed tinned versions.

Have you thought of your own recipes that incorporate Little Dish Classics?
We added cheese to the hoops and beans and served on toast/jacket potatoes.
The macaroni we added cooked chicken and broccoli pieces to which was nice.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I really liked the packaging of these products. The ingredients lists all looked very good and I like the veg content although I would prefer for it not all to be hidden.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Macaroni cheese

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

No as my toddler didn't really enjoy them. He ate a few mouthfuls of macaroni cheese but refused all the others.

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

Yes I would as I am impressed with the products. I didn't find them too saucy as others have commented and I like the lack of additives and added sugar and salt. Other babies and toddlers may really like them.

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

Maybe to incorporate the soup into a pasta dish. The beans could be used to make cheesy bean and potato pie.

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?
I loved the packaging, they looked special and a bit different to other products. No bright bold colours etc made them look more valuable in my opinion.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Unfortunately, he did not like any of them! Even the baked beans which he normally loves! He ate some of those but unfortunately what he did eat did not agree with his tummy :/

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

No, simply because he wouldn't eat them! I think maybe because he's always eaten what we eat, he's used to stronger flavours like curry, seafood, barbecue etc? I did try them too and they were very bland to me (obviously my tastes will be different to his but he usually eats the same 'strength' food we do).

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

I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend them BUT if someone mentioned needing meals for their baby/toddler, I would point out to them that the little dish products are worth trying as they're free from nasties!

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

Nope, sorry!

Overall impression - I like the idea, and the packaging looked nice, although a bit wasteful with two layers

Favourite recipe - the beans were the most popular

Would you buy again? - no, they were too runny, I couldn't let him try and feed himself as it would have been carnage, and even feeding him was hard because it was so liquidy. Generally they tasted bland, and he wasn't that fussed on them. My 8 and 5 year olds tried the spaghetti hoops and spat them out in disgust! The portion size was odd too, I didn't feel it was substantial enough for a meal by itself, but too much to use to accompany something else
Would you recommend? - no, for the reasons above, a,though I like the normal Little Dish meals

I love the packaging and design of these meals and the fact that they are a quick, neutral, healthy meal is very appealing.
Both my daughter's (3yr & 20ms) tried these products. They enjoyed them except the Tomato Soup 😔. My youngest loved the Macaroni Cheese and my oldest liked the Spaghetti Hoops the best.
I would buy these products as I love that they are healthy with all neutral ingredients (nothing added!). And it is fab that they are quick healthy option.
I would definitely recommend these for friends/family for the reasons above. A great healthy meal.
I think a Spaghetti Bolognese and a Hotpot/Casserole would work well in these 😃
Thank you for the opportunity of trying these products and for our little apron 🖒

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

They looked really nice and appealing. children liked the look of them and loved the apron!

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? the macaroni cheese
• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why? yes as they are easy to store and good for emergencies
• Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not? yes as they are great to stick in the cupboard for a quick tea. none of mine liked the beans but everything else went down a storm!

thank you for picking us to try these, we enjoyed them lots

• 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?

Good, easy to store cupboard essentials. I did immediately notice they looked a bit sloppy for the recommended age range though.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? He only liked the spaghetti hoops, but he did really like them - the most positive reaction he's had to any food ever! Lots of "mmmm" and rubbing his tummy. I did put them through a sieve first thiugh to get rid of excessive sauce. Unfortunately he didn't like any of the others at all.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why? If they were a reasonable price, yes to the hoops, they made an excellent quick tea with toast.

• Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not? Probably not. They were just too sloppy for one-year-olds who are generally wanting to feed themselves.

• 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?

Overall a bit runny for the older end of 1-3, cooking time wasn't long enough to even warm them, good packaging, very clear to read

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Surprisingly the soup, usually hates it and loves macaroni cheese but he didn't like this - presumably not cheesy enough as we usually make our own

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I'd buy the soup but probably not the others. DS is not a fan of beans or hoops usually anyway. Though DD is weaning so may get them again for her to try as the runniness will be good then

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

I probably would for a change from Heinz.

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

We also used the soup for a pasta sauce base - would be very interested in the other soups!

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Firstly thank you so much for the apron-my little girl was so excited to see this.
The packaging is great in that the cardboard sleeve can be recycled.
I hadn't thought about the fact that the pouches can also be heated in water if out and about or camping, until I read another poster's review. This is a real positive.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The beans, although the sauce almost disappeared leaving quite stodgy beans.
I agree with other poster's that the macaroni cheese was way too runny for little ones to be able to eat themselves. My daughter wouldn't touch this, and to be honest when I tried it, I thought it was really bland and didn't taste very nice.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes if there were more vegetarian options. I like that they have less sugar and salt. I did compare the beans to Heinz Organic baked beans and although they had less salt and sugar, they did actually have more saturated fat.

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

Yes I think so as they are easy to travel with.

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

No but as other poster's have said, the tomato soup could be used as a sauce for pasta.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to taste these. I will certainly look out for them, and any additions, in my local supermarket. Hopefully more vegetarian options will be brought out too.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Great, nicely presented and easy to use with clear ingredients list/heating instructions. Good portion size and packaging not too excessive and easy meal choices to either have as is or add to other dishes, so rather versatile.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

We liked the baked beans best, I halved the potion and we tried some plain with jacket potato and I used the other half to add into a tomato/veggie pasta dish.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes, if the price was right and I had a need to (for convenience if out and about ect).

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

Yes, we have enjoyed the test and I would share our experience with others.

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

Nothing very creative to be honest, but the beans, hoops and soup were versatile enough to add to usual recipes (pasta/bolagnaise/chilli).

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?
Really good. So pleased to have lots of vegetarian things! I love the hidden veg idea, and the sugar and sweetener free recipes.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Macaroni cheese - very cheesy! They liked the beans and hoops too though.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I'd buy beans, hoops and macaroni cheese. For us tomato soup is a messy disaster! The clean up time totally negates the convenience of the meal.

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

Yes definitely. My parents look after my DC a couple of days a week and it's just the type of thing to send with them for a quick tea.

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

Nothing new, just toast or garlic bread.

Btw my 4yo loved the box they arrived in and has made a birds nest and put chicks in!

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Nice packaging but could be squished in trolley. Feels like it's been designed to look expensive rather than for practicality. Contents seemed very sloppy.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

Tomato soup.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Only if on offer, the beans were tasteless, we already buy the low salt and sugar Heinz so wouldn't replace with this version although healthier as the kids wouldn't eat it. All dishes were very sloppy but on the upside with a couple of extra bits they fed both my 1yo and my 3yo so I guess better value for money.

• Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not? Neutral. I like the original little dishes but in my opinion they are equally comparable to Hipp Organic ones so I would buy whichever was cheaper/on offer. At the moment these new ones are in fiddly packaging and are too sloppy.
• 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?

My little one has already tried some of the fresh Little Dish meals so we were expecting big things from these classics. Packaging was convenient and you could microwave the product in its bag. I did find however that the meals needed to be cooked longer in the microwave than the times stated on the packet. I thought that there was a lot of sauce in all of the dishes for the amount of pasta/beans that was in there, and tasting the dishes myself I did find them to be quite peppery in flavour, this didn't seem to bother my little one though! She enjoyed all of the meals.

Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

My daughter loved the macaroni cheese, beans and spaghetti!

Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes. These are a great alternative to the tinned full sugar and salt products that are available. They also contain extra hidden veg which is a bonus. These are very handy for travel as you do not need to keep them refrigerated.

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

Yes, I have already recommended to my sil for the reasons stated above.

Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics?

No but seeing other people's suggestions of using the tomato soup as a sauce for pasta is a great idea and I shall be trying this as my daughter won't eat the soup.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I liked the packaging which I thought was simple and representative of the brand. It was clear that they were healthy versions of kids classics and I really liked them and would be comfortable feeding them to my 1 year old on a regular basis.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The baked beans and the macaroni cheese were equal favourites I'd say! She didn't like the spaghetti though.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes definitely as I'm often pushed for time with older children having activities around dinner time and always feel it's the youngest who suffers on the meal prep front! Also very convenient for taking out and about.

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

Yes definitely.

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

I used the tomato soup leftovers as a pasta sauce and added extra pasta pieces to the macaroni cheese to make it go further. That was another thing I liked about them - generous portions sizes - my kids have big appetites!

Thank you Little Dish and Mumsnet!

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I found the packaging to be fairly flimsy. Three of the four 'pouches' had fallen out of the cardboard.

Which was your DC's favourite recipe?

Probably the beans. The spaghetti hoops, macaroni cheese and beans were all rather 'wet' - I felt there was too much liquid. This made it difficult for my just turned 1 year old to eat - she wants to feed herself and it was a bit of a disaster. I did drain off some of excess liquid.

In terms of taste the dishes were fairly pleasant.

The portion size was generous.

Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I'm not sure. I would possibly buy the beans again. Both my children ate them and they were certainly nutritional.

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

I'm not convinced that they are any better than low salt/sugar brands already out there on the market.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I thought they were maybe hyped up a bit but the low salt and sugar with hidden veg are good. He enjoyed all of them apart from the beans, usually he polishes off baked beans but he barely ate half his serving. I tasted the macaroni cheese and it didn't taste cheesy to me but he enjoyed it so that's the main thing!

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

I think the soup was probably his favourite.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I might buy the soup as he really liked it and it's better for him than standard tinned soup. For some reason he won't touch mummy's homemade soup but will inhale tinned stuff!

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

I think so, they're handy to have in the cupboard and they're good for little ones.

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

I just served up portions of each dish as a side to the meal we were having.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

I thought the packaging looked appealing although I was a bit like "beans, spaghetti hoops?" I already buy the low sugar / low salt options for the kids.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

The tomato soup

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why? I would maybe buy the soup if just for one child but it would be purely for convenience as I have a few kids it would be cheaper to make my own

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

I wouldn't, as my children disliked three out of the 4 dishes and they usually eat anything

• 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 looked and sounded good but unfortunately were not a hit with my son.

- Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?
The tomato soup, used as a pasta sauce, was the only one he'd eat.

- Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?
I would use the tomato soup as a sauce again and would give the beans another few tries as they're much healthier than the standard brands.

- Would you recommend Little Dish Classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes, although my son didn't eat them, they were so convenient and much healthier than alternatives so I would recommend friends give them a try with their own kids.

- Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them!
I used the soup as a pasta sauce and would mix in carrots and peas if I use it again. I thought of using the beans in a basic chilli con carne that would be toddler friendly.

• What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Loved the packaging - eye catching and easy to store. The list of ingredients was appealing - healthy and varied.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe? He enjoyed the tomato soup. He didn't enjoy the beans and hoops - I think he is used to the the ones with salt and sugar in. I grated some mature cheddar into the macaroni cheese to make it more appealing to him.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

I don't think so - my toddler likes stronger tastes.

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

Yes for toddlers who like milder food I think they would be a healthy alternative to home cooked food.

• Have you thought up any of your own recipes that incorporate the Little Dish Classics? If so, please share them! I would probably use the soup as a base tomato sauce for pasta or chilli

Thank you for the opportunity to try these, and the little apron was a nice touch.

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?

Very nice packaging, good quality products that clearly have had a lot of thought and work put into their development.

• Which was your DC’s favourite recipe?

My twins loves the macaroni cheese. They hated the spaghetti hoops but they aren't great with pasta shapes so it might have been a texture thing rather than the taste.

• Would you buy Little Dish Classics again? Why?

Yes I'd buy the macaroni cheese - quick, easy and was woofed down in seconds.

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

I think so - it's nice to have something that can be kept in the store cupboard that is specifically for little children. It would need to not be too expensive.

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

Haven't managed to do this - does beans on toast count?

What was your overall impression of Little Dish Classics?
I liked the look and feel of the packaging and they don't take up much room in the cupboard.
They are easy to cook and take no time at all, but I wasn't very impressed with the taste and flavours which was disappointing. The macaroni had an odd taste and didn't taste at all cheesy.

which was your dc's favourite recipe?
He ate the tomato soup the most so I guess that one

would you buy the little dish classics again? Why?
Sadly not, I was hoping he'd like them as I was impressed with how easy they are to cook and the low levels of salt and sugar but he wasn't really that interested in eating the dishes. He does enjoy the other foods in the little dishes range however, such as the pizza, so I'll continue buying them instead

would you recommend little dish classics to your friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
I think I would recommend them to try as even though my baby didn't seem particularly keen they are a much healthier alternative to the tinned varieties so they would be worth giving a go. Plus are all very easy and quick to cook. Although I wouldn't recommend the macaroni

We haven't thought up any of our own recipes sorry
Thank you for choosing us