In the last three years, I’ve probably had two ready meals. I actually learnt to cook when I was at university so they never appealed to me, as the word ready meal doesn’t exactly scream tasty. I was contacted by M&S and asked if I wanted to try their new taste range and decided to give them a go. After looking online, I was pretty impressed with the range. The range contains dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and Mexico and each dish has fresh, flavoursome ingredients.
Most of the range is microwaveable; out of everything I tried, only the mini fajitas weren’t. I was really dubious about the ‘for best results microwave’ on each pack, as normally the oven provides the best results but I decided to go with it, and was pleasantly surprised!
Taste Vietnam Wok Fried Shaking Beef*
This was the smallest dish I received, and was made up of just beef and sautéed vegetables. The beef was surprisingly tender and meaty, with a fiery kick, and the sauce was nice and zesty. I really liked the sautéed veg too, although they could have been a tad more crunchy. On it’s own, this isn’t very filling so it would be best served as either a starter, or with a side.
Taste Vietnam Beef Noodle Pho*
This was essentially a noodle soup with beef and lots of chillis. The flavour was nice, as were the beef and noodles, but I didn’t find it very filling. I’ve never had Vietnamese food before but judging by the two dishes I had, they must have very light meals!
Taste Mexico Beef Burritos*
The burrito dish contained rice, vegetables, braised beef, cheese and sour cream, along with two wraps. There was more than enough filling to create really substantial burritos, and the flavour was spot on. The beef was tender, the vegetables had crunch and the sour cream complimented the flavours well. I’d definitely get these again if I was craving a burrito.
Taste Mexico Mini Chicken Fajitas With A Sour Cream Dip*
Out of everything I received, this was the only dish I couldn’t microwave. After cooking, which took a little less time than it said to, the wraps had crisped up and actually looked like spring rolls! The fajitas were nice, but I could have done with a bit less pastry and a bit more filling. I also found the sour cream a bit plain! But if you bought a separate sour cream, these would make perfect party food. Or the perfect accompaniment to Doritos and dip on a Friday night when you just want to eat and complain how fat you are.
Taste Thailand Green Thai Chicken Curry*
This was another two person portion of sauce, chicken and green beans. Along with rice, this was nicely filling and a really nice meal. It had just the right amount of spices, tender chicken and a perfect consistency. I’d definitely get this again if I fancied Thai, although I’d have to do it on my own as Scott HATES Thai Green Curry. I’ve had a jar of it in the cupboard for about a year because he refuses to eat it with me.
Taste Thailand Chicken Satay With Peanut & Chilli Dip*
As these were being microwaved, I was really worried. Microwaved chicken skewers? Thankfully, they actually turned out really nice and you wouldn’t have guessed they’d been microwaved. The sauce was okay, not too peanutty and not too spicy, but I was a bit put off when Scott pointed out it looked like sick.
Taste Sichuan Spicy Sichuan Pork Noodles*
This was amazing. Like sooo good. Who would have known noodles, pork mince and broccoli could be so beautiful? The noodles were thick but not too stodgy, the mince had enough oil to be flavoured but not enough to be greasy, I honestly didn’t want it to end. I would 100% get this again, and I’d happily have it instead of a takeaway now and then.
Taste Japan Miso Yaki Chicken Noodles*
This was a similar set up to the Sichuan Pork Noodles, so naturally I really liked it. Stacked with thick noodles and a lot of chicken, this was super filling and had a really hearty, chickeny taste.
Overall, I have to say I’m so impressed with these. I think some of the portions were a bit small, so I’d definitely add a side or extra veggies next time, and some of the flavours weren’t up my street, but the dishes all tasted authentic and the quality was definitely more comparable to a restaurant or takeaway than a microwave meal. My personal favourites were the beef burrito and Sichuan pork noodles, I feel like everyone needs to try them.
