The Orchard (Tesco), Healthy Living and Frozen Veg

I very much enjoy being part of Tesco's Orchard  programme. It is a great opportunity to feel closer to the supermarket in which I do the bulk of my food shopping.  The programme invites you to try specific products and ranges, most commonly new launches.  You write reviews of the products and share these views, coupons and products with friends and family.   A lover of discovering new products and writing reviews it suits me very well.   I also  like that, one is sent discount coupons for money off which can be passed onto friends and family.

The campaign that is currently running is one for the healthy living, newly introduced frozen food products, frozen vegetables and herbs.   There was such a wide selection to choose from, I really was spoilt for choice.

Tesco Healthy Living Oriental Whole Food Mix

A great frozen ready meal style veg and grain mix.  It is packed full of veg including carrots, broccoli, pepper, baby-corn and soya beans.  So highly flavoured, there was no need to add extra spicing.  Slight warmth from chilli with soy and sesame being the key flavours.  Texture was provided by the whole cashews.  First way used, was to make sweet and sour- added a handful of bulgar wheat to the grain mix to bulk it out and served it as a side instead of the usual rice/noodles.  Mum and sister whom I was cooking for really enjoyed it.  The mix has a high ratio of veg to grains which is a positive. 

Tesco Petit Pois

Peas are peas, but these are very tasty and fresh.  They just pop and are sweeter than standard peas.  Tiny, they are such a versatile veg to add into dishes the favourite being veg curry.  Very much liked the zip lock style bag they come in, very convenient.  Found their £1.50 price to be excellent value for money

Tesco Baby Broad Beans

Again, another useful freezer standby.   These broad beans are so fresh, they have none of the bitterness that can sometimes be associated with the broad beans outer shell.  Great on the side of a dish, most often use them in stir fry's, salads, curries and chilli/bean stews. 

Tesco Healthy Living Lentil and Vegetable Soup

A thick and warming soup that is full of flavour and reminiscent of homemade.  Think this is due to there being a mix in the size of the chunky veg.  Plenty of it too.  Subtly spiced which allows the flavour of the veg to come through. 

Tesco Healthy Living Three Bean Soup

A light tomatoey soup, full of beans and veg- enjoy the addition of sweetcorn.  It is a highly flavoursome soup, with a bit of a Mexican edge.   It is  not too salty which is a nice change.  Find tinned soups generally err on the too salty side.

Tesco Healthy Lifestyle Balsamic Dressing

A delicious and tangy salad dressing, very low in calories and not at all oily.  Attracted by the packaging.  Athough it is a dressing it is a lovely dip for warm bread alongside olive oil.

Marks & Spencer Salads, Veggie Sweets and Beautiful Nougat

NEW Barley, Orzo Pasta, Cranberry and Almond Salad

A delicious and light, new seasonal salad.  Lovely texture to it, plenty of veg, fruit, nuts and herbs so it was packed with flavour.  Orzo pasta is tiny, rice like but softer.  This coupled well with the firmer barley.  Plump raisins and cranberries added sweetness, the latter tartness.  Enjoyed very much the accompanying dressing.  Not too oily, the dressing has a distinctive honey flavour, lemony and has a warmth due to the cinnamon and allspice added.  As ever with their salads, very well balanced.

NEW Black Barley, Roast Carrot, Raisin and Walnut Salad

 Another appearance for barley, this time black which I had not heard of before.  Looked very good and tasted so too, say that it had a nuttier flavour than standard barley.  This salad was jam packed, it had so much to it.  Much more filling than the above, certainly think the whole walnuts added to that.  Such varied textures, as well as the nuts, fruit and barley it contains wheat-berries.  The accompanying dressing was packed with flavour, zesty orange and hazelnut- tangy with vinegar and with an edge of spice including smoked paprika and cumin.

2x Salads for lunch with chilli sauce, dressing, peppers, iceberg and spirallized cucumber

Marks and Spencers Deli, La Petit Due

It was the beautiful tin that attracted my sister (pictured) to this product.  Inside are individually wrapped almond and honey nougatine bites.  They contain candied fruit, namely citrus fruits and melon as is the norm for nougat.  Mum is a big almond fan and she found them to be delicious, very almondy and surprisingly not too sweet.

 Colin the Caterpillar Birthday Balloons

As it is the anniversary year of the introduction of Colin the Caterpillar; Marks and Spencer have introduced a new sweet in his honour.  These vegetarian jellies are very fruity, they have a pleasant texture not too soft or hard.  Closest thing that my siblings and I likened them to was a chew bar but they are not at all sticky.  There are green and yellow, as well as pink and yellow caterpillars these have jellied balloons on them.  The balloons embossed with 25.  Found these very tasty and unique looking.

Colin the Caterpillar Fizzy Rainbows

Such fun to eat, these large caterpillar shaped sweets.  The flavours are apple and lemon the green, the pink are raspberry and lemon.  Pretty sour, these have a lovely firm yet soft texture.  They are the most delicious veggie sweets I have ever tried.  They have nothing of that peculiar wax-like texture that so many veggie sweets tend to.  A regular mix and match promotion runs whereby you can purchase two bags for £2.50.

Mixed Christmas Food Spots

Snackers Tubs

These generously sized tubs come in three varieties: hula hoops (salted), discos (salt and vinegar), nik naks (spicy) or wheat crunchies (cheesy).  They contain individualised selections of crisps and are made by the company that makes.  Ideal for a savoury snack over the festive period, including parties.  It is a nice idea to include a selection of snacks in one and does remind me of a favourite crisp product sold in Marks and Spencer in bags. They are generous 250g tubs and available in all of the major supermarkets.

Aldi Christmas Chutney

Aldi's Christmas food selection is especially good this year. Much more in the way of sweet gifts and biscuits, some new antipasti and savoury offerings.  Amongst the festive fayre, is this this delicious chutney.  It has all of the warming flavours of Christmas in a jar and is very fruity.  The combination of plum and orange works really well.  The orange is subtle.  The chutney would be fantastic with crackers and cheese, bread sticks, cheese straws and other such nibbles.  Not to forget a turkey sandwich!  I really love chutneys and sauces and this one from Aldi offers a perfect balance of sweetness and tangy sourness- full of flavour and just lovely.

Marks & Spencers Haul, Fruit and Treats Review

My lovely Mum handed me in a delicious selection of messages from Marks and Spencers.  The local M&S, has recently started selling more exotic fruits.  It is great to be able to sample such unusual items and was delighted to see kumquats and star fruit (which I've not seen sold in stores for a-few years).  A childish delight befell my sister and I as we dug into a fruit platter, trying out a fruit new to us in mangosteen.  It is a fantastic ending to a meal and also way to encourage children's curiousity trying out these unusual fruits. Morrisons supermarket is also very good for their exotic fruit options and that extends to veg too.

Lemon, Black Lentil and Quinoa Pecan Salad With Allspice Dressing 

Loved this salad, it is full of lots of little bits, herbs, nuts and is so full of flavour. Within the salad there are wheat berries, quinoa, black lentils, pecans and other grains.  It is ready dressed with a lemon and allspice dressing.  This has a citrus zing, freshness and an aromatic peppery flavour from the spicing. The combination of ingredients makes this salad so palate tingingly delicious!

Marks & Spencers Delicious Salads

Marks & Sparks must be the prepared salad kings of the British high street/supermarkets.  Such a range of foods they have on offer for lunchtime and very tempting meal deals.  Their prepared salads are always so fresh and full of flavour.  They sell boxed tubs of salads, many of which are on a 2 for £3 mix and match deal.  These come ready dressed or with an accompanying  pot of dressing.  In this post I will share some of my favourites in their range.  They add new ones all the time too, so am always on the look out for them!  They had a nice one called a shaker salad but haven't seen it for a while.

A light salad, especially considering it is a pasta one.  Orzo is more like a grain than pasta and is very nice.  The salad itself contains juicy sundried tomatoes and a basil dressing.  It is a bright and colourful salad, the yellow Orzo stained with turmeric has a lovely contrast with the bright red tomatoes.  It was a little oily for me but still very enjoyable and packed full of flavour.  Really must look out for Orzo would be great to have for a change and like the idea of it in a herby minestrone soup. 

Feeling Saucy- Stir Fry Sauce Reviews

A fail safe and a regular meal, fast, simple, easy and tasty.  Probably eat this at least 3 times per week therefore it is important to vary it with different veg and sauces!  I often have a simple stir fry just with soy, fresh ginger, chilli and garlic.  Also make a peanut satay sort of sauce with peanut butter and if I am really lazy just add lashings of sweet chilli sauce.  In this post will share some of my favourite sauces on the shelves of the trusty old supermarkets.

Blue Dragon Spicy Szechuan Tomato

A delicious and tangy sauce.  I never before associated tomatoes with Asian food.  Was quite sceptical when trying it for the first time.  The sauce is lovely.  It is spicy and has a sweet peppery flavour, the tomato comes through too.  The sauce is slightly sweet but well balanced out with the addition of rice vinegar.  Ginger and garlic also come through fairly strongly.  The sauce is full of flavour and my absolute favourite stir fry sauce.

Fabulous Fresh Soups

In supermarket chillers are an array of fresh soups flavours, brands and varieties to chose from.  Soup is one of my very favourite things and would rather have a mug of it than a chocolate bar as a snack more often than not!  Do make homemade soups often but store bought soups are so handy.  Thought I'd do a post to share some of my favourites.



Marks and Spencer Spicy Lentil Soup

A lovely thick soup, packed full of flavour, chunky veg and of course lentils.  Pleasantly spiced, it is very warming with a nice tomatoey base.  It is a very thick soup and found it needed to be watered down just a little.  It is spicy without being hot, the spices used are warming ones such as cumin and they come through well.  You always know that you will get quality from M&S and this certainly did not disappoint.

Tasty Sauces, New and A-few Favourite Products

Such a great product and a regular in the shopping basket!  These cook quickly and make an excellent side dish.  Can also be used incorporated in a curry.  I often have the dahl with salad, a wedge of lemon and some pitta bread.  The mix is fine as itself but often add some garlic and/or spices.  Ainsley Harriot has a full range of meal kits and are often found 2 for £2 in Morrisons.  Others include Lime and Chilli Quinoa and rice, Creamy Vegetable Spelt and a Moroccan rice one.  Have tried all bar the spelt and have found them all to be delicious, handy and a versatile addition for meals.

 

A tomato and chilli paste with a distinct smoky flavour and Middle Eastern spicing.  It is very warming and instantly ups the flavour of sauces etc...  Very nice addition to cous-cous, tomato based soups and the perfect product if making a tagine.  A little bit goes a long way.

Summer Salad Recipes

The weather has been anything but summery, however it feels good to be healthy.  Here is hoping that the rest of July onwards delivers a-lot more in terms of weather!

1- Thai Inspired Carrot and Peanut Salad

Had this as a side dish at a beautiful Thai restaurant in Perth called Roca Blu.  Liked it so much I've attempted to re-create it.  Adaptable to suit tastes and what you have available, it is also nice to have as a side dish with curry, a sandwich/wrap filler.  A lovely place to eat, chilled out atmosphere and decor- there are pots of herbs growing around the place that smell beautiful.  They also offer cocktail classes.