Couscouscouscous (Ainsley Harriott Roasted Vegetable Couscous)

Member Name: charby

Product:	Ainsley Harriott Roasted Vegetable Couscous
Date:	31/03/09 (439 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes nice, cheap, easy to make, low calorie

Disadvantages: None

Several of you will remember that I posted a review of Ainsley Harriott's Moroccan Medley couscous quite a while ago now, which I really enjoyed and thought was a good buy. I have since gone back to Asda and bought many more of these couscous packets in as many different flavours as I can, and so I thought that I would share my opinions on all of the ones that I've tried. This review is about Ainsley Harriott's Roasted Vegetable Couscous, which is a gorgeous meal that is low in calories and fat.


The great thing about this couscous is that it's insanely easy to prepare. All you do is open the sachet, pour the contents into a bowl, add 160ml of boiling water and leave it for five minutes or until all the water has soaked in. Then you eat it. Easy to prepare meals like this are great in so many ways, as although there are some people who can spend a long time preparing good meals from scratch, most people need food that's quick to make and eat every now and again. I'm not a terrible cook, but I'm not good enough to be able to make tasty couscous with Moroccan vegetables and spices from scratch, so it's great that I can just go out and buy this.

In terms of calories, this meal isn't bad at all. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed when I got this home, as although the packet states that there are 180 calories per serving, it turns out that each pack is meant to contain two servings. I do like to eat a lot, I'll admit, but when you see a whole packet's worth prepared, you'll realise that only someone with a small appetite or who is sticking insanely strictly to their diet will only want to eat half of the packet, unless it's only as a snack. I happily ate the whole packet, and found that it was definitely enough for a lunch, and would probably be enough for tea, too, though I'd probably need a snack later in the evening if this was my tea. In total, I had 360 calories worth of couscous in this meal, which is great for me, as I'm trying to stick to between 1200 and 1400 calories daily. The fact that it contains over 66g of carbohydrate, however, means that it's unsuitable for anyone who's trying to stick to a low carb diet.

Of course, a low calorie and fat content means nothing if the meal doesn't taste nice, but I am very happy to say that this couscous is gorgeous. The couscous tastes nice and isn't too dry or soggy, and it has a nice tomato flavour about it which isn't too strong or too subtle. The other vegetables taste fresh and gorgeous despite coming from a packet, and give this couscous a delicious summery taste.

In conclusion, since this couscous tastes great, is easy to prepare and is diet friendly, I will definitely be buying it again. To be honest, I would probably still buy it even if it wasn't all of the above, as it is so insanely cheap that by eating this couscous often I can significantly reduce my food bill. When I first bought this from Asda, it was selling at 64p each or 2 for £1 (meaning that I could have lunch for a fortnight for only £7), but when I went last week they were 3 for £1, which means that they were around only 33p each. If this offer is on the next time that I go I am going to stock up, as I feel that this couscous is something that I am going to enjoy eating for a long time.

Summary: A tasty low calorie food