MATTESONS CORNED BEEF (Mattesons Corned Beef)

Member Name: GentleGenius

Product:	Mattesons Corned Beef
Date:	06/10/08 (320 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty, fairly lean, versatile, fairly high in protein

Disadvantages: High in salt and fat

COST: £1.39 at my local village shop for 100g - pack contains 4 slices

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per 4 slices):

Calories: 208
Protein: 25.3g
Carbohydrate (sugars): 0.5g
Fat: 11.7g
- of which saturates: 5.9g
Fibre: 0.5g
Sodium: 1.0g
Salt equivalent: 2.5g

INGREDIENTS:

Beef, salt, sugar, preservative (sodium nitrite)

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Mattesons corned beef comes in a stiff, black plastic rectangular square tray which has a clear plastic laminated peel-off seal on the top. To the seal, a piece of paper is stuck fast, bearing a photo of a field and a tree, which is shaded in dark pink and grey. On top of that photo is a dark red circle containing the logo "Mmm... Mattessons" in gold and white lettering, with the words "Corned Beef" just underneath in white. Below, is a strip in two shades of pink (light and dark), and the nutritional information is printed onto this strip in small black lettering.

This product is to be found in the chilled delicatessen section of any grocers or supermarket. The peel-off portion of the pack isn't easily removed; and a pair of scissors or a sharp knife will be needed to get to the corned beef inside.

Mattessons Corned Beef is fairly lean-looking, and the slices are a uniform size, of medium thickness. On opening the packet, there is a fresh, beefy smell and the slices are easily separated from one another. When pulling apart, the slices hold together well and to date, I've not had any break on me....which is a bit pointless as I usually mash them up anyway, but it's great if you want to eat your corned beef intact.

I have been using Mattessons Corned Beef for a long time, as I hate grappling with the tinned stuff (manufactured by different food companies). I love corned beef and find it extremely versatile. Though I eat them sometimes, I'm not a great lover of salads so I tend to use Mattessons Corned Beef either in sandwiches, or for making meat-based recipes.

One of my favourite meals is a macaroni cheese type recipe which was handed down to me from my mother, and I find that to make a big dish of it (which lasts me 2 days), 4 slices of Mattessons Corned Beef is exactly the right amount to use, blending very well with the taste of a lovely strong cheddar. Mash the corned beef and mix with strong grated cheddar and cooked macaroni, cover liberally with sliced tomatoes, and bake in a hot pre-heated oven for around 45 minutes. I also have a lovely quiche recipe involving corned beef - make a quiche case using wholemeal instead of white flour (or buy a ready-made one), mash the corned beef, and arrange evenly inside the quiche case. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped onion and a couple of tablespoons of drained canned sweet corn evenly amongst the corned beef - then carefully pour over a mixture of 2 eggs beaten with about 6 tablespoons of milk. Decorate the surface with sliced tomatoes, bake in a medium to hot pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes (or until the egg/milk mixture has completely set), then serve with jacket potato and baked beans, or a green salad. Makes a great item for a buffet too. Just another suggested use of Mattessons Corned Beef - mash up and mix with one medium-sized finely chopped onion, 2 medium sized cubed boiled potatoes and a little made up Bisto gravy just to moisten - season with salt and pepper and using either flaky or shortcrust pastry, make pasties and bake. They are heavenly, hot or cold.

Of course, Mattessons Corned Beef makes great sandwiches. It's perfect on its own slapped between two slices of bread, and goes very well with a whole host of accompaniments, such as sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, sweet pickle, chopped beetroot, sliced cucumber, lettuce, mustard & cress, rocket, raw spinach leaves, watercress, mustard.....the list goes on!

The fat content of Mattessons Corned Beef is frighteningly high, at 11.7g, equal to just over half of the total protein content. It's not good news for those who like or need to reduce their salt intake either, as 2.5g of salt is extremely high for just 4 slices of corned beef....but, despite the high fat content, it's not too bad down "Calorie Avenue".

Despite the nutritional nightmare of high fat and salt content, Mattessons Corned Beef is a reasonably priced, good quality product that I shall continue to use long into the future.

Highly recommended, if you aren't too neurotic about what's politically correct to eat.

Summary: A nice tasty chomp - makes great pasties!