11 May 2013

Quorn Lunch Pots (Tesco) [By @SpectreUK]



I am a meat eater, always have been. I can understand people who don’t like foods of varying kinds, one of which being meat. Some people don’t like red meat, some people don’t like fish, and some people don’t like particular meats like plaice from the local chippy. It surprises me if someone doesn’t like any kind of meat at all, but I can understand that. Many people out there just don’t eat meat on principle. I guess some of these people like or miss the taste of meat, but don’t like the idea of an animal dying to feed them. I guess as a meat eater all my life, I can understand that. I’m not a hunter and don’t like the idea of killing what I eat. I’m too lazy for that, and besides bashing something fluffy’s brains out with a rock doesn’t hugely appeal either. I even send Cinabar and her mom to the local supermarket as I’d prefer to do just about anything else. Created by Marlow Foods and Vegetarian Society approved, these Quorn Lunch Pots would appeal to those people who have morals for the rights of animals to live rather than feed themselves with the animals, but still crave the feel and taste of real meat. They are made with mycoprotein which is a member of the fungi family and is low in fat at less than 3%, and high in fibre and protein. So as a meat eater (I know, I may have said that a few times during this paragraph) I wanted to see if this mycoprotein really does taste like real meat and mixes well in any kind of TV dinner.

Chicken Style Biryani

This Chicken Style Biryani was served in a 300g plastic pot with a colourful outer card label. This meal contained 345 calories, with 10.5g of sugar and 15g of fat, and had to be kept refrigerated. The ingredients consisted of Biryani sauce, which included tomato, water, low fat yoghurt, coconut milk, onion, refined rapeseed oil, sugar, garlic, ginger, coriander, savoury stock, red chilli, turmeric, maize starch, salt, garam masala, cumin seeds, cardamom, nigella seeds and cinnamon. There was also basmati rice, caraway seeds, mustard seeds, red and yellow peppers in the pot mixed in with the chicken style pieces of mycoprotein. Recommended at three and a half minutes microwave time for 800w microwave ovens, I took a chance at cooking it for nearly three minutes in Cinabar’s 1000w machine. Stirring the pot proved quite a challenge as the portion filled the container admirably, but once I had eaten some “chicken” pieces and some rice it was easier to mix the sauce and rice together. The sauce had a spicy medium heat and I was most impressed with the “chicken” pieces, if someone had put the meal in front of me and said; “enjoy your Chicken Biryani TV Dinner.” I’d have said; “thank you, that was lovely,” afterwards without a murmur or accusation of it not being chicken! The meal was very tasty indeed and very filling. I’d definitely have this again. I can heartily say that no animals were injured whilst eating this meal, but my meat eating persona took a bit of a pounding!

Pasta Bolognaise

Again served in a 300g pot and requiring refrigeration, this Pasta Bolognese contained 285 calories, with 7.5g of sugar and 6g of fat. So if you’re looking for the healthiest option between these two TV dinners, this would be it. The ingredients included the Bolognese sauce, which consisted of Quorn mince, roasted barley malt extract, natural caramelised sugar, tomatoes, sunflower oil, spirit vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper, red wine, carrot onion, olive oil, celery, garlic, thyme, and basil. There was a whole cherry tomato on the top of the sizable portion, bits of diced red pepper, and lots of curly pasta. The sauce had a lovely rich tomato and red pepper spicy flavour. The beef mince style Quorn didn’t taste exactly like meat though, but was still very tasty. This mycoprotein mince was a good substitute for beef mince, but not precise enough to fool. If you made me taste a beef mince Bolognese against this TV dinner in an “eat off”; I reckon I’d notice the difference pretty quickly, where with the Chicken Style Biryani you could mix them up and I doubt I’d be able to pick between the two. Still, having said that I’d have this meal again and besides it’s the principle damn it!! ;-)
By Spectre

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