Good Emergency Meal (Crosse & Blackwell Cheesy Macaroni)

Member Name: Recon

Product:	Crosse & Blackwell Cheesy Macaroni
Date:	14/02/08 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty, Only 10 mins to make, Easy to make

Disadvantages: Smells a bit naff, cooking instructions need changing, unhealthy

Normally any ready meal that I buy, which supposedly is macaroni cheese, tastes really salty and horrible. After just having this for lunch, I am quite pleased with what it was like as it had a nice flavour although the cooking instructions were a bit wrong.

It comes in a shiny packet with the largest font being 'Pasta in 5!' This pasta actually took me around 10 minutes to make, so this isn't correct, however it may be because I had to adjust the amount of water I put in because from past experience, it never gets cooked correctly with the amount they suggest. It has a picture of the pasta on the front, which surprisingly looks very similar to what I actually made.

On the back of the pack are the instructions for microwave or hob as well as ingredients and nutritional information. The packet is made of a think paper with a shiny label on the outside with all the information. It weighs 120g and is not insulated with foil inside.

The pasta itself when you rip open the top looks miniature. They appear as tiny tubes with a powdery mix that will give it the taste. This mix also contains many herbs, which adds to give a lovely flavour overall.

Here are MY suggested cooking instructions to make it perfectly:

1. Grab a deep saucepan
2. Add 400ml water and one tablespoon of butter
3. Bring to the boil and add contents of packet
4. Simmer gently for 6-7 minutes
5. Turn up the heat to speed up cooking for 2 minutes
6. Once most sauce has gone, turn off heat
7. Leave in pan to stand for 2 minutes and serve

Because I suggest 400ml of water rather than 375ml, it may take longer to cook but still is ready in 10 minutes, which isn't bad. The saucepan is easy to clean after; just make sure you rinse it in warm water right after serving it. Then go enjoy your meal.

This can be eaten as a lunch or dinner as it is quite filling. It has a cheesy taste to it, but not such a strong taste that you could tell it was cheese straight away. However, it wouldn't be as nice with a strong cheesy taste, so I like it just how it is with a lighter cheesy taste and a creamy taste too. There is no salty taste, apart from the aftertaste, which tastes a tiny bit salty for a second after a spoonful. The herbs definitely add to the taste and it has some kind of addicting taste to it like most pasta snacks such as this one. It makes you excited about the next spoonful to leave the plate empty.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
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Per Cooked Packet:

Energy - 532kcal / 2236kJ
Protein - 17.5g
Carbohydrate - 69.7g
Of which sugars - 6.4g
Fat - 20.3g
Of which saturates - 13.1g
Fibre - 9.6g
Sodium - 1.6g

This is per packet, and is extremely unhealthy on a regular basis. Adults should not have more than 2.4g of salt a day, and considering everything normally contains some sodium, this is a large amount. As for the other information, it isn't very good for you, acting as a large chunk of your guideline daily amounts.

You can buy this pack for around 89p at any good supermarket and it is worth it. It is a great emergency meal and easy to make in around 10 minutes. It tastes quite nice but what you are eating is very unhealthy and should not be had on a regular basis. It does smell a bit horrible too but once you start eating it, it's very nice.

Thanks for reading,

- Recon -

Summary: A good quick meal to make for lunch or dinner