Grabits - Original Chicken on a stick; Quorn Light Bites – Roast [by @NLi10]

Sometimes you want a quick and effortless snack and you don't want anything sweet. Also the savoury options tend to be things like pastries which can be a bit messy, or breads which isn't that exciting. There has been a growing trend to sell these 'meat in a bag' style things that aim to fill that gap.

First up is Grabits Original (presumably the flavour) Chicken on a stick. This is exactly what it says - it's some cooked chicken on a stick. The portion is pretty good and if you got a skewer like this at a BBQ you wouldn't think too much about it. The flavour is nice and not that strong, and the texture is good and filling.

The package says "produce of Thailand" and do not refreeze suggesting that the frozen chickens are more well travelled than most of us are, and it seems a lot of effort just to pop some meat on a stick in the fridge. I was pleasantly surprised by this though and once your brain gets past the part where its meat in a bag from the other-side of the planet it's quite enjoyable.


The quorn option is a little different. For start off it's not actually meat, as Quorn is a kind of mycoprotein thing and suitable for both vegetarians and vegans (but not people who don't eat fungus - if they exist). It's a lot lighter in texture as you'd expect but the flavour is unnervingly close to that of normal bits of chicken. As most veggies I know aren't keen on eating meat this seems a bit odd. I think the target market is the calorie conscious but as the packets show - there are 18 less calories in the real chicken compared to the Quorn (although there is also 5g less stuff in the Grabits bag so it's actually 24 calories per 100g less).

The flavour is much more thought out, there is a delicate herb aftertaste here that would work really well with a lunchtime salad and a bit of dressing - this is ideal for a packed lunch that isn't just soggy sandwiches. The pack size was about right for a snack, but I ate both of these products with 1/3rd of a can of baked beans and some humus so had them as a proper meal (although proper meal is probably a bit strong).

I wasn't really looking forwards to these, expecting the meat to be tough and the Quorn to lack the excitement of when I stir-fry it up with sauces and noodles. Turns out that these are both decent enough options if you want a protein based snack instead of carbohydrates.

By Nli10

Two Quick Bites: Chicken & Gravy Pie / Balsamic Vinegar [by @NLi10] (Asda)

Sometimes a product doesn't merit a long review, so I'm going to bundle these occasionally into Quick Bites.

Chicken & Gravy Puff Pastry Pie


Sometimes things change. Once upon a time I loved the Asda pie range. They were cheap, and to my mind the best pies I could get easily. Then I became a disciple of the Pieminister, and never looked back.

I happened upon the old Asda pies a month ago and got some for old time’s sake and they were still good solid pies, but they were less satisfying than the Pieminister. Then recently Asda did something interesting - they changed their pies. This is as a part of their new "Chosen By You" range, presumably as opposed to their less popular option the "Chosen By Strangers" range where people you don't know choose your shopping.

Frankly it's not as good as it used to be. I'm not sure what they changed but the flavour is wrong, and just isn't as exciting as it was. The pastry wasn't as satisfying either. Not one I'll try again.


Rocca Di Vignola - Balsamic Vinegar


Balsamic Vinegar is now a region protected brand and has to be made in a very specific area (it's the little logo on the right). For some reason this change has increased the number of brands that were available on the shelf for my weekly shop and increased my shopping indecision related paralysis time. after a good few minutes staring at the bottles thinking which kind of balsamic vinegar best defines me as a person I decided to stop being crazy and went with the cheapest per volume.

The usual rules with super-discount brands are
1: No cleaning products (they just work less well)
2: No drinks - they are just more diluted (which is probably why number 1 is true thinking about it)

This means that Tesco value cola is generally a bad idea, ironically unless you are using it as a high abrasive cleaning solution. I wondered whether discount, but regionally protected vinegar would be similar.

It isn't - this is pretty much indistinguishable from any other balsamic vinegar I've had. I'd have tried to do a comparison review but the differences are all cosmetic. The bottle is less pretty, it doesn't claim to be brewed for ages or have a really old year on the bottle, it's just good balsamic vinegar for on your salad. And it cost under £1 - result!

I'm not a wine connoisseur either though so your mileage may vary, and the lovely square bottles may impress guests more.

by @NLi10