Delicious meat free dinner! (Quorn Cottage Pie)

Member Name: poonam82

Product:	Quorn Cottage Pie
Date:	20/05/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can be shared, is low in fat & great weight watchers alternative!

Disadvantages: The potato is excessive and aneamic looking!

The Quorn range I am a big fan of and this cottage pie I used to love in winter to take to work. Our work place used to be constantly cold so this would be a great winter warmer!!

The meal in itself is very big - 1 ½ times the size of a regular ready meal, so it is pretty filling on its own, never mind if you have vegetables...etc to accompany it!

For those of you doing weightwatchers, the whole thing is a really low 5 points - given the size of it, is really good so you feel like you've had a really good hearty meal without having been naughty. It is low in fat and relatively low in calories too.

The packaging is simple - the cardboard sleeve that can be recyclable. The actual plastic dish can be placed in the microwave. The film on the lid however is the biggest pain known to man and woman to get off. It doesn't just peel off for some reason! You find your self spending ages just trying to get into it - so take a pair of kitchen scissors with you if your work kitchen is downstairs or use a knife.

As I said, you can put this in the microwave although it does tend to come out a little bit sloppy. The mashed potato feels almost too sloppy (ITS NOT RUNNY but its not like firm mash potato either - consistency is difficult to explain) and looks a little anaemic in colour. There is a lot of the potato too (in fact the majority of this dish is potato at 52%! The Quorn only makes up 8% lol!).

The mince is lovely though, in a great onion sauce with peas and carrots. It doesn't stick to the container which is great! And the flavour isn't overpowering. I think it is a lot more sloppy than a regular cottage pie but it is nice :).

If you cook it in the conventional oven, it does taste better. The potato obviously has a grilled top (eventually) and the consistency does feel a lot firmer.

It is a bit pricey but you can sometimes find deals in Sainsbury, 2 for £5. Otherwise, it is usually about £2.99. Although I suppose considering the size of it, if you bulked out a peal with say roast potatoes, vegetables and beans or something - two people could easily share it.

Summary: It's tasty and great to keep in the freezer for the days you can't be bothered to cook!