Discussion:
jill Archer/paddy Greene
(too old to reply)
Btms
2017-08-12 09:48:49 UTC
Permalink
Just listened to this interview from Womens Hour. A not to be missed
event. However, I fear there might be a tad too much of the Jill Archer in
me and the insights Paddy offers have me thinking. 🤓. I mean some bought
fish pies are very good....... but.
Kate B
2017-08-12 15:39:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by Btms
Just listened to this interview from Womens Hour. A not to be missed
event. However, I fear there might be a tad too much of the Jill Archer in
me and the insights Paddy offers have me thinking. 🤓. I mean some bought
fish pies are very good....... but.
I didn't hear it, but as to bought fish pie (and lasagne and some other
things): when I broke my wrist and, the best beloved not being up to
anything more complicated than omelettes, we had to find an alternative
source of ready-made food, we tried Finest and Difference and everything
Extra Special including Waitrose that we could find and they all fell
between actually inedible and only just about edible, and we were
shocked by the meanness of some of the portions and we do not eat huge
quantities. The only exceptions were those supplied by a company called
Cook which were and remain excellent - their fish pie and vegetable
lasagne taste of real ingredients, not cardboard and wallpaper paste.
Their portions are reasonable too. They apparently make it all in
Sittingbourne and have won all sorts of awards.
--
Kate B
London
Btms
2017-08-12 15:49:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by Kate B
Post by Btms
Just listened to this interview from Womens Hour. A not to be missed
event. However, I fear there might be a tad too much of the Jill Archer in
me and the insights Paddy offers have me thinking. 🤓. I mean some bought
fish pies are very good....... but.
I didn't hear it, but as to bought fish pie (and lasagne and some other
things): when I broke my wrist and, the best beloved not being up to
anything more complicated than omelettes, we had to find an alternative
source of ready-made food, we tried Finest and Difference and everything
Extra Special including Waitrose that we could find and they all fell
between actually inedible and only just about edible, and we were
shocked by the meanness of some of the portions and we do not eat huge
quantities. The only exceptions were those supplied by a company called
Cook which were and remain excellent - their fish pie and vegetable
lasagne taste of real ingredients, not cardboard and wallpaper paste.
Their portions are reasonable too. They apparently make it all in
Sittingbourne and have won all sorts of awards.
I did specify "some" and added a but. I have in mind two small producers I
have bought from in Cornwall. Cook are ok generally. Ready meals from
supermarkets are dreadful ime.
--
BTMS - Equine Advisor Extraordinaire.
Penny
2017-08-12 16:49:44 UTC
Permalink
On Sat, 12 Aug 2017 15:49:56 -0000 (UTC), Btms <***@thetames.me.uk>
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Btms
Ready meals from
supermarkets are dreadful ime.
Some of them are OK. My main complaint is too much pepper - red, white and
black. Why have all the people who produce these things removed all the
salt and substituted with pepper? It ruins the flavour :(
--
Penny
Annoyed by The Archers since 1959
Chris McMillan
2017-08-12 17:24:16 UTC
Permalink
Post by Penny
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Btms
Ready meals from
supermarkets are dreadful ime.
Some of them are OK. My main complaint is too much pepper - red, white and
black. Why have all the people who produce these things removed all the
salt and substituted with pepper? It ruins the flavour :(
One of my bugbears for tinned soups is pepper, and I do occasionally have
to rein in McT and the pepper pot.

And every recipe these days if it can (and it can't) has chili.

Sincerely Chris
Jenny M Benson
2017-08-12 17:32:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by Chris McMillan
One of my bugbears for tinned soups is pepper, and I do occasionally have
to rein in McT and the pepper pot.
And every recipe these days if it can (and it can't) has chili.
I'm afraid I'm rather a fussy eater and as I can't be doing with peppers
or chilli I find my diet quite restricted these days.
--
Jenny M Benson
Vicky
2017-08-12 17:55:43 UTC
Permalink
On Sat, 12 Aug 2017 18:32:15 +0100, Jenny M Benson
Post by Jenny M Benson
Post by Chris McMillan
One of my bugbears for tinned soups is pepper, and I do occasionally have
to rein in McT and the pepper pot.
And every recipe these days if it can (and it can't) has chili.
I'm afraid I'm rather a fussy eater and as I can't be doing with peppers
or chilli I find my diet quite restricted these days.
I quite like peppers, not chilli though, nothing hot. As I eat meals
often that are either Weightwatchers or other brands with low WW
points I have to check carefully. They tend to replace fat with chilli
to get flavour. I sometimes don't notice thelittle symbol for chilli
and get a nasty surprise.
--
Vicky
Penny
2017-08-12 20:56:26 UTC
Permalink
On Sat, 12 Aug 2017 18:32:15 +0100, Jenny M Benson <***@hotmail.co.uk>
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Jenny M Benson
Post by Chris McMillan
One of my bugbears for tinned soups is pepper, and I do occasionally have
to rein in McT and the pepper pot.
And every recipe these days if it can (and it can't) has chili.
I'm afraid I'm rather a fussy eater and as I can't be doing with peppers
or chilli I find my diet quite restricted these days.
Yep, chili swamps everything too. My brothers used to make curries from
scratch, grinding whole spices. Very tasty. They were kind enough to leave
out the chillies until the end so I could enjoy mine chili-free.

I can cope with a bit of heat from ginger but chili just spoils it.
--
Penny
Annoyed by The Archers since 1959
J. P. Gilliver (John)
2017-08-13 22:47:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by Chris McMillan
Post by Penny
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Btms
Ready meals from
supermarkets are dreadful ime.
Some of them are OK. My main complaint is too much pepper - red, white and
black. Why have all the people who produce these things removed all the
salt and substituted with pepper? It ruins the flavour :(
They've removed the salt because of the concerns about salt, I would
guess. (With the result that I always ask for a salt to go with my chips
in McDonalds.)

Quite why pepper instead, I have no idea - I haven't noticed, but then I
probably buy the different brands of ready meals to other UMRAts. (Such
as Sainsbury's Basics.) I know my mother liked a little food with her
Post by Chris McMillan
One of my bugbears for tinned soups is pepper, and I do occasionally have
to rein in McT and the pepper pot.
And every recipe these days if it can (and it can't) has chili.
Sincerely Chris
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)***@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

If you carry on hating, you're the one who's damaged.
- Sir Harold Atcherley, sent to the Burma/Siam railway in April 1943
Penny
2017-08-12 16:46:24 UTC
Permalink
On Sat, 12 Aug 2017 16:39:19 +0100, Kate B <***@nospam.demon.co.uk>
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Kate B
I didn't hear it, but as to bought fish pie (and lasagne and some other
things): when I broke my wrist and, the best beloved not being up to
anything more complicated than omelettes, we had to find an alternative
source of ready-made food, we tried Finest and Difference and everything
Extra Special including Waitrose that we could find and they all fell
between actually inedible and only just about edible, and we were
shocked by the meanness of some of the portions and we do not eat huge
quantities. The only exceptions were those supplied by a company called
Cook which were and remain excellent - their fish pie and vegetable
lasagne taste of real ingredients, not cardboard and wallpaper paste.
Their portions are reasonable too. They apparently make it all in
Sittingbourne and have won all sorts of awards.
Ooo, I thought that might be in the old pie factory - previously Tiffany
Pies and before that... I forget. But I looked 'em up and they operate from
The Eurolink industrial estate and have an interesting history - a couple
of blokes with a good idea which struggled to get off the ground
https://www.cookfood.net/info/history/

The food certainly looks good! Rather more costly than I generally pay when
I decide to eat something I didn't cook myself.
--
Penny
Annoyed by The Archers since 1959
Serena Blanchflower
2017-08-12 17:53:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by Penny
The food certainly looks good! Rather more costly than I generally pay when
I decide to eat something I didn't cook myself.
It is pretty good; it's formed a large part of my diet for the past
decade or so. My main quibble is that (as with most other ready meal
manufacturers) they put much more sugar in their meals than I would
ideally like. I do like some sweet / spicy things but, for my taste,
the balance should be far more towards the spicy than the sweet.
--
Best wishes, Serena
It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up. (W. Somerset
Maugham)
LFS
2017-08-13 06:42:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by Penny
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Kate B
I didn't hear it, but as to bought fish pie (and lasagne and some other
things): when I broke my wrist and, the best beloved not being up to
anything more complicated than omelettes, we had to find an alternative
source of ready-made food, we tried Finest and Difference and everything
Extra Special including Waitrose that we could find and they all fell
between actually inedible and only just about edible, and we were
shocked by the meanness of some of the portions and we do not eat huge
quantities. The only exceptions were those supplied by a company called
Cook which were and remain excellent - their fish pie and vegetable
lasagne taste of real ingredients, not cardboard and wallpaper paste.
Their portions are reasonable too. They apparently make it all in
Sittingbourne and have won all sorts of awards.
Ooo, I thought that might be in the old pie factory - previously Tiffany
Pies and before that... I forget. But I looked 'em up and they operate from
The Eurolink industrial estate and have an interesting history - a couple
of blokes with a good idea which struggled to get off the ground
https://www.cookfood.net/info/history/
The food certainly looks good! Rather more costly than I generally pay when
I decide to eat something I didn't cook myself.
Interesting. They have shop near us. I haven't ever tried their food but
I have occasionally looked in their freezers. The "home cooking" selling
point was emphasised on the packages by including the name of the person
who had supposedly cooked it - by implication in their kitchen - which
always put me off. This doesn't seem to be mentioned on the web site,
though.
--
Laura (emulate St George for email)
Btms
2017-08-13 08:05:58 UTC
Permalink
LFS <***@gmail.com> wrote:

Snipped
Post by LFS
Interesting. They have shop near us. I haven't ever tried their food but
I have occasionally looked in their freezers. The "home cooking" selling
point was emphasised on the packages by including the name of the person
who had supposedly cooked it - by implication in their kitchen - which
always put me off. This doesn't seem to be mentioned on the web site,
though.
I don't think they claim home cooking. They do claim the ingredients used
are no different from those you might find in your own kitchen.

Vg puds.
--
BTMS - Equine Advisor Extraordinaire.
Vicky
2017-08-13 08:30:45 UTC
Permalink
Post by LFS
Post by Penny
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Kate B
I didn't hear it, but as to bought fish pie (and lasagne and some other
things): when I broke my wrist and, the best beloved not being up to
anything more complicated than omelettes, we had to find an alternative
source of ready-made food, we tried Finest and Difference and everything
Extra Special including Waitrose that we could find and they all fell
between actually inedible and only just about edible, and we were
shocked by the meanness of some of the portions and we do not eat huge
quantities. The only exceptions were those supplied by a company called
Cook which were and remain excellent - their fish pie and vegetable
lasagne taste of real ingredients, not cardboard and wallpaper paste.
Their portions are reasonable too. They apparently make it all in
Sittingbourne and have won all sorts of awards.
Ooo, I thought that might be in the old pie factory - previously Tiffany
Pies and before that... I forget. But I looked 'em up and they operate from
The Eurolink industrial estate and have an interesting history - a couple
of blokes with a good idea which struggled to get off the ground
https://www.cookfood.net/info/history/
The food certainly looks good! Rather more costly than I generally pay when
I decide to eat something I didn't cook myself.
Interesting. They have shop near us. I haven't ever tried their food but
I have occasionally looked in their freezers. The "home cooking" selling
point was emphasised on the packages by including the name of the person
who had supposedly cooked it - by implication in their kitchen - which
always put me off. This doesn't seem to be mentioned on the web site,
though.
After reading Kate's praise for them I went to the site and checked
Weightwatcher points and decided on 3 meals I liked the look of.I put
2 of each in my basket and then B came downstairs and said God no! He
remembered our friends in Bolton had them and said that Tescos or
Sainsburys finest were better and he thought they were the basic range
but with good marketing. He said he'd had to have a few when the
friends really didn't like them. Closed the site and left the basket.
:)

He mostly likes Italian meals if they are ready meals as he thinks
those lend themselves more to being produced that way. I quite like
some of the WW ones, Sweet and Sour Chicken and the hot pots and some
Quorn ones are ok too, the stew and dumplings.
--
Vicky
Kate B
2017-08-13 09:35:13 UTC
Permalink
Post by LFS
Post by Penny
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Kate B
I didn't hear it, but as to bought fish pie (and lasagne and some other
things): when I broke my wrist and, the best beloved not being up to
anything more complicated than omelettes, we had to find an alternative
source of ready-made food, we tried Finest and Difference and everything
Extra Special including Waitrose that we could find and they all fell
between actually inedible and only just about edible, and we were
shocked by the meanness of some of the portions and we do not eat huge
quantities. The only exceptions were those supplied by a company called
Cook which were and remain excellent - their fish pie and vegetable
lasagne taste of real ingredients, not cardboard and wallpaper paste.
Their portions are reasonable too. They apparently make it all in
Sittingbourne and have won all sorts of awards.
Ooo, I thought that might be in the old pie factory - previously Tiffany
Pies and before that... I forget. But I looked 'em up and they operate from
The Eurolink industrial estate and have an interesting history - a couple
of blokes with a good idea which struggled to get off the ground
https://www.cookfood.net/info/history/
The food certainly looks good! Rather more costly than I generally pay when
I decide to eat something I didn't cook myself.
Interesting. They have shop near us. I haven't ever tried their food but
I have occasionally looked in their freezers. The "home cooking" selling
point was emphasised on the packages by including the name of the person
who had supposedly cooked it - by implication in their kitchen - which
always put me off. This doesn't seem to be mentioned on the web site,
though.
It's probably there somewhere, I believe it's actually true, not just a
gimmick. If you took it out of the plastic dish and put it in one of
your own it would actually look home-made. We tend to buy dishes that
are fiddly, like vegetable lasagne or a dauphinoise, or comfort food
like the fish pie, and (when they have an offer on!) their Indian dishes
which are excellent and better than our local takeaways. They have a
good policy on sourcing ingredients. They're a bit expensive, but a
reliable safety-net for emergencies. They seem to be expanding, so I
hope they maintain the quality.
--
Kate B
London
LFS
2017-08-13 15:02:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by Kate B
Post by LFS
Post by Penny
scrawled in the dust...
Post by Kate B
I didn't hear it, but as to bought fish pie (and lasagne and some other
things): when I broke my wrist and, the best beloved not being up to
anything more complicated than omelettes, we had to find an alternative
source of ready-made food, we tried Finest and Difference and everything
Extra Special including Waitrose that we could find and they all fell
between actually inedible and only just about edible, and we were
shocked by the meanness of some of the portions and we do not eat huge
quantities. The only exceptions were those supplied by a company called
Cook which were and remain excellent - their fish pie and vegetable
lasagne taste of real ingredients, not cardboard and wallpaper paste.
Their portions are reasonable too. They apparently make it all in
Sittingbourne and have won all sorts of awards.
Ooo, I thought that might be in the old pie factory - previously Tiffany
Pies and before that... I forget. But I looked 'em up and they operate from
The Eurolink industrial estate and have an interesting history - a couple
of blokes with a good idea which struggled to get off the ground
https://www.cookfood.net/info/history/
The food certainly looks good! Rather more costly than I generally pay when
I decide to eat something I didn't cook myself.
Interesting. They have shop near us. I haven't ever tried their food
but I have occasionally looked in their freezers. The "home cooking"
selling point was emphasised on the packages by including the name of
the person who had supposedly cooked it - by implication in their
kitchen - which always put me off. This doesn't seem to be mentioned
on the web site, though.
It's probably there somewhere, I believe it's actually true, not just a
gimmick. If you took it out of the plastic dish and put it in one of
your own it would actually look home-made. We tend to buy dishes that
are fiddly, like vegetable lasagne or a dauphinoise, or comfort food
like the fish pie, and (when they have an offer on!) their Indian dishes
which are excellent and better than our local takeaways. They have a
good policy on sourcing ingredients. They're a bit expensive, but a
reliable safety-net for emergencies. They seem to be expanding, so I
hope they maintain the quality.
The web site indicates that the names are the names of the chefs but I'm
sure when they started they strongly implied if not stated directly that
this was actually home cooking by named individuals. I think the Oxford
shop was one of the first. Sophie Grigson is often in there, I'm told, I
don't know if she has a commercial interest in the company.

I have a friend who confided to me that she has on occasion served their
food to guests and pretended she had cooked it, and been complimented
for it (IIRC June Whitfield did this in a Birds Eye ad years ago.). She
hasn't done this to us, we would certainly have noticed as she is a
lousy cook and the meals she gives us are not very nice at all!
--
Laura (emulate St George for email)
Serena Blanchflower
2017-08-13 17:44:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by LFS
The web site indicates that the names are the names of the chefs but I'm
sure when they started they strongly implied if not stated directly that
this was actually home cooking by named individuals. I think the Oxford
shop was one of the first. Sophie Grigson is often in there, I'm told, I
don't know if she has a commercial interest in the company.
I've been getting their meals for a long time[1] and I've never had the
impression that their meals were home cooked. The meals always had the
name of the cook on the packaging but I always took that to be which of
their employees was responsible for that particular dish, cooked in
their commercial kitchens.
Post by LFS
I have a friend who confided to me that she has on occasion served their
food to guests and pretended she had cooked it, and been complimented
for it (IIRC June Whitfield did this in a Birds Eye ad years ago.). She
hasn't done this to us, we would certainly have noticed as she is a
lousy cook and the meals she gives us are not very nice at all!
An old friend of mine, who's a very good cook, has done the same, on
occasion.


[1] Quick check suggests my first order was almost exactly eleven years ago.
--
Best wishes, Serena
If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. (Anon)
Btms
2017-08-13 17:55:02 UTC
Permalink
snipped
Post by Serena Blanchflower
I've been getting their meals for a long time[1] and I've never had the
impression that their meals were home cooked. The meals always had the
name of the cook on the packaging but I always took that to be which of
their employees was responsible for that particular dish, cooked in
their commercial kitchens.
Post by LFS
I have a friend who confided to me that she has on occasion served their
food to guests and pretended she had cooked it, and been complimented
for it (IIRC June Whitfield did this in a Birds Eye ad years ago.). She
hasn't done this to us, we would certainly have noticed as she is a
lousy cook and the meals she gives us are not very nice at all!
An old friend of mine, who's a very good cook, has done the same, on
occasion.
[1] Quick check suggests my first order was almost exactly eleven years ago.
Agree. I don't use them often as there is no store nearby (tho' they will
deliver) and my sense of economy pipes up that I am being lazy. For me,
their spicy stuff is a bit bland for my taste but their puddings are
excellent and their beef and wine pie is excellent. For those who don't
enjoy cooking, they are a great option if you can afford them. We don't
really entertain but would be happy to include a contribution from Cooks so
I didn't have to "do it all" if we did.
--
BTMS - Equine Advisor Extraordinaire.
Sally Thompson
2017-08-13 21:49:16 UTC
Permalink
Post by Btms
snipped
Post by Serena Blanchflower
I've been getting their meals for a long time[1] and I've never had the
impression that their meals were home cooked. The meals always had the
name of the cook on the packaging but I always took that to be which of
their employees was responsible for that particular dish, cooked in
their commercial kitchens.
Post by LFS
I have a friend who confided to me that she has on occasion served their
food to guests and pretended she had cooked it, and been complimented
for it (IIRC June Whitfield did this in a Birds Eye ad years ago.). She
hasn't done this to us, we would certainly have noticed as she is a
lousy cook and the meals she gives us are not very nice at all!
An old friend of mine, who's a very good cook, has done the same, on
occasion.
[1] Quick check suggests my first order was almost exactly eleven years ago.
Agree. I don't use them often as there is no store nearby (tho' they will
deliver) and my sense of economy pipes up that I am being lazy. For me,
their spicy stuff is a bit bland for my taste but their puddings are
excellent and their beef and wine pie is excellent. For those who don't
enjoy cooking, they are a great option if you can afford them. We don't
really entertain but would be happy to include a contribution from Cooks so
I didn't have to "do it all" if we did.
I think I might get some. There are days when husbad decides rather late in
the day that he doesn't want to eat, and I try to keep the odd meal in the
freezer for me for those occasions.
--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
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