Brainy food (Tesco Mr. Brains 4 Faggots In Rich Sauce)

Member Name: wisemind

Product:	Tesco Mr. Brains 4 Faggots In Rich Sauce
Date:	04/02/09 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: tastes great,

Disadvantages: contains lard not great for arteries

The faggot has been around since the Middle Ages where they were originally called savoury ducks; the same faggot itself comes from the Latin word for bundle.
I remember with fondness from my childhood eating faggots and the brand has been around since at least the 1925, when I was a child it was a dish everyone ate.

Although it has been around for such a long time the brand nearly disappeared in 2003 when the company went into receivership but was sold and the brand lives on.

Originally faggots were made with pig's liver and offal but nowadays they are made with pig's liver and pork.

I grew up in the Black Country where Faggots and peas are considered to be a local traditional dish. They are usually served with a bug chunk of fresh bread.

The brain's Faggots can be found in the freezer section and are sold in packs of two, four or six.



This review is about the four pork faggot pack.

I purchased the pack from morrisons for £1.39.


The packaging

The come in a yellow thin cardboard box with a yellow background and a picture of faggots, mash and peas.
The box has grown in size and is 478g. The reason for this is explained on the front of the box "You asked for it now with more sauce" it also still has the classic pork recipe logo on the front.
Inside the box is a foil container with a thin card lid.

Cooking instructions

The faggots can be cooked in one of two ways either in the oven or microwave.

To oven cook
Preheat oven to 230 degrees or gas mark8
Loosen edges of lid but do not remove and place in oven on a baking tray for 45 minutes.

To microwave

Put contents in a microwaveable dish and cover with a loose lid and cook for 7 minutes.
Stir Gravy and turn the faggots then replace the lid and cook for a further 4- 6 minutes dependant upon the power of your microwave.

Ingredients
West Country sauce

Water, lard, wheat flour, modified maize starch, tomato puree, salt colour (E150c), yeast extract, sugar, onion flavour, spice and herb extracts (celery)

Faggots
Water, rusks, rehydrated pork rind, pork liver (15%), onion pork (4%), pork fat, wheat flour, salt, sage, spice extracts.

Allergy advice
Contains: wheat, gluten

Please be aware that these do contain liver so should be avoided during pregnancy.


Nutritional information

Each serving of two faggots has 280Kcal and 12.7 grams of fat.

My experience

I cooked these for tea last night.
I had to use a combined method as I started cooking them in the oven but my toddler seems unable to wait for the forty five minutes so they were finished off in the microwave.

The Gravy is a deep rich colour and the faggots are formed into round balls that are not that different to the colour of a golden brown.

I was able to transfer these to the plate without them braking up. I served them with jacket potato and mixed vegetables.

The gravy is thick gravy with a hint of tomato. The new volume of gravy is much improved and, there now seems to be the right amount for two meals. The faggots themselves are soft throughout. The taste does have a hint of liver but is a great meaty taste but not the texture. The faggots melt in the mouth, although the ingredients do state there is lard and pork fat they do not taste fatty.

My twenty one month old son ate two for tea, he loves them. He is very lazy when it comes to meat and can't be bothered to chew it so it is great for getting him used to a meaty taste and getting the Iron into him he needs from the red meat.

These make a great meal and are easy to cook. It is a great meal for all ages

Summary: Great meal for a family