Why cook from scratch when Ambrosia does it beautifully (Ambrosia Devon Custard)

Member Name: sandra101

Product:	Ambrosia Devon Custard
Date:	28/10/08 (420 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ease of use, lowish in fat, source of calcium, long use by date

Disadvantages: very sweet

When I was younger the only custard we ever had was a tin of the yellow powder that was Birds Custard Powder. This was lovely but never came out the same way twice, it was mostly either ridiculously watery or thick enough to stand on and there were also many occasions were the milk burnt onto the pot and you either spent a long time scrubbing or my mum was known to just throw the pot out.

Thankfully times have moved on and we can now get a wide variety of ready- made custards which are of a consistent thickness and sweetness, with the added benefit that they can be microwaved so no chance of a burnt out pan.

Having tried most of these including some of the budget brands I have plumped for Ambrosia creamy devon custard being my preference and I always keep a couple of tins of Ambrosia ready made custard in the cupboard as they are so easy to heat through, taste great and are consistent in their flavour\thickness.

Last night I was feeling a little peckish and discovered two little pots of M & S rhubarb crumble in the fridge, (leftover from the wonderful dine in for £10.00 meal deal). As the kids were in bed and there were two I asked hubby if he fancied one, his immediate response was ohh lovely and can I have custard on mine. Now if I had to get the tin of birds out, heat the milk and stir in the powder the answer would have been a swift, "only if you make it!" but as adding custard simply meant opening the Ambrosia tin, emptying the contents into a pyrex jug and sticking it in the microwave for two minutes the answer was yes.

I put the crumbles into the microwave while readying the custard. As with any canned goods there was a long sell-by date and the lid was easily removed with an electric tin opener. I have been a little spoilt by beans etc. having a pull tab like a can of coke and would prefer them to update the tins to incorporate this.

- - The look - -

On opening the contents are very yellow, not a light primrose yellow or a lemon but a really deep yellow. On pouring into the pyrex jug the custard is very thick and looks creamy and a spoon is required to get the remainder of the contents out of the tin (waste not want not). I mention a pyrex jug because I really believe sauces, custard etc. tastes better heated in this than in the bowl they are to be served in.

- - To Serve - -

This custard can be eaten hot (2 minutes in the microwave) or cold. I don't like trifle but I would imagine that it is certainly thick enough to be used on a trifle to save an awful lot of bother with making up a jug of birds custard and waiting for it to cook and then washing the pot.

- - The taste - -

After two minutes in the microwave (or a few minutes being stirred on the hob) you simply stir the custard in the jug and pour over your preferred desert. I find one tin (425g) serves two medium portions and a family would need at least two tins. The taste is indeed like an old fashioned custard and the consistency is quite thick and very creamy. The mix of crumble, rhubarb and this thick sweet custard was as good as many a restaurant dessert I have experienced.

Unlike my mum's custard you will never experience lumps and each spoonful is as good as the last with no faint whiff of burnt milk.

100g of Ambrosia Devon Custard has 2.9g of fat of which 1.6g is saturated and comes in at 102 calories which I don't think is a ridiculous amount and certainly lower than a large piece of chocolate cake although I suppose how healthy it is depends on what you choose to serve your custard with.

There is a low fat version available but I haven't tried it as I usually find low fat versions are usually sweeter and filled with more additives.

Pros
Consistent thickness and creaminess
No artificial colourings or preservatives
No burnt pot
No need to run out and buy extra milk if you fancy a snack
Source of calcium
Gluten free

Cons
Very sweet
Its not nicer than Bird's custard made correctly (I just can't make it correctly very often) and then there is washing the pot.

Summary: Probably the best ready-made custard out there