[Review] Sainsbury's Classics Beef Hotpot

In general, Sainsburys meals have been delicious especially the classic beef.
This time I got the beef hotpot which is minced British beef with onion, carrot and peas in gravy topped with sliced potato.
Interestingly it requires 8 minutes in the microwave which is quite a while compared to 3-4 minutes for other ready meals.

While it was cooking, the smell of the hotpot was delicious but then the mixing beef, onions, carrots and peas in gravy never fails.

Every mouthful was delicious and the beef was good so I had my beef craving satisfied.

Tried it again a year later and I discovered that you could actually microwave it for 4 minutes instead of the suggested 8 minutes.

The taste seemed to have changed as there was a strong thyme and rosemary taste which I did not like.

[Review] Sainsbury's Classics Beef Dinner

I love roast dinner and the Sainsbury's Classics Beef Dinner really surprised me that I felt really bad that I didn't do it justice by serving it on a plate.

It was British beef slices in gravy with roast potatoes, peas, carrots and a Yorkshire pudding.

The portion was quite substantial for one as there was quite a fair amount of beef slices while there was lots of potatoes to fill you up as well as healthy vegetables to balance.

The only thing is that it needs to be cooked in the oven but I took my chance and put it in the microwave for four minutes and the potatoes came out lovely without being dry to hard.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this classic beef dinner meal.

[Review] Fry's vegan Meat Free sausage roll

I love trying different brands of vegan sausage rolls.
This time I tried Fry's vegan meat free sausage roll.

As I got two, I tried one straight out the packet and one from the oven.

Having it straight out the packet was not that nice because the texture and taste was bland.

It tasted much better from the oven because the pastry was crisp and flakey but the vegan sausage filling was a bit of a let down again because of the taste and texture.

The colour was a bit dark so it was a bit off putting.

[Review] Sainsbury's Plant Pioneers Vegan Tikka Masala & Pilau Rice

Spotted the Plant Pioneers Vegan Tikka Masala & Pilau Rice so decided to get it.

It is Basmati rice cooked with whole spices and turmeric served with roasted soya protein pieces in a spiced coconut cream, tomato and coriander sauce.

To be honest, I didn't have any expectations because the Plant Pioneer soya pieces chicken style were not that good so I expected the same for the tikka masala.

Overall, the tikka masala was good and the Pilau rice was good but as expected the soya pieces were too chewy.

[Review] Hunza Apricots

Dried apricots have always been wrinkly and bright orange but deep down in my mind, I remember trying dried apricots which look like dried figs.
While I was at an International grocery store, I spotted these Hunza apricots by Yekta Foods which were the exact apricots that I tried. They look like dried figs, pale and hard.

According to the internet, they are left on trees to dry before being harvested from wild apricot trees in Hunza valley in Kashmir from Afghanistan and Turkey.

Although you are meant to soak them or add them to casseroles, I ate them as a snacks and the taste is heavenly because it like caramel and toffee.

When you get to the middle, there is a stone which has an almond inside so don't throw it away.

Simply crack it open and eat the almond.

The almond itself was surprisingly fragrant as well as the apricot the almond was shockingly good and different to the almonds that you get in the packets which lack almond aroma and taste.

[Review] Sainsburys Taste the difference Beef and Red Wine gravy

Tried the Sainsburys Beef and red wine gravy which has shallots and Burgundy wine.
According to sainsburys website, it made the traditional way, with roasted British beef bones, onions, carrots, shallots and aromatic herbs. Redcurrant sauce was added for sweetness and tomato purée for savoury depth.

Overall, the gravy didn't impress because you couldn't really taste all those different depths there and it was a little bit sour.

[Review] Sainsburys Summer Edition BBQ Flavoured Sausages

The Sainsburys Summer Edition BBQ Flavoured Sausages looked different so gave them a try.
Unfortunately, they were not to my liking because the texture was very different to your usual pork sausage and the taste was like chorizo.