A Saucy treat from Heniz (Weight Watchers from Heinz Spaghetti Bolognaise)

Member Name: Lunah_C

Product:	Weight Watchers from Heinz Spaghetti Bolognaise
Date:	22/02/07 (427 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Home cooked taste, delicious.

Disadvantages: Might not be enough for all.

Weightwatchers Diets have been successful for a number of years now, having been launched by Jean Nidetch in the 1960s.
Heinz saw the potential and bought the company in 1978. This led to a number of food products being produced by Heinz designed in particular for people following the diets and others who would prefer a low fat version.

I am not actually on a WW diet myself but am trying to shed a few pounds so when I saw these meals on offer at £1 each at Morrisons I snapped a few up.


---QUICK LOOK GUIDE---

Price 7/10
Packaging 10/10
Quantity 7/10
Taste 10/10

Calories 300
WW Points 5

Ingredients include GLUTEN, wheat and MILK



---Price---

The Meals can vary and I have found the range to be anything from 87p to £1.74. I guess it is just a case of looking out for offers. This time of year is particularly good as many people are on a health kick.


---Packaging---

On the outside is a cardboard box covered in all the necessary details you would expect such as Ingredients, cooking instructions and Contact info. It is mainly sporting the purple that identifies WW meals but also displays a picture of the meal that you would expect to find inside. Inside the meals come in a black plastic tray that is covered in film.


---Cooking---

Like most ready meals there is the option of either cooking in the microwave or in a conventional oven. They recommend the latter as giving the best results. Normally I would agree as this method usually gives a crunchier result however as I do not like my spag bol crunchy opted for the microwave method instead.

For an 850W microwave you are instructed to cook on Full for 6 and a half minutes. As mine is 900W I let it cook for 30 seconds less, as from past experience I have found that otherwise the pasta gets cooked just that bit too much.

After piercing a few holes in the film, I placed it on the glass plate and set the time. Before I knew it the microwave was pinging away, and ready to be eaten.

At this point I was very impressed. Normally they say ‘peel back the film’, and then you spend the next ten minutes trying to get it off the edges. However that did not happen and the film came off very easily and in one piece. Ideal I guess for those that have overdone the dieting or exercise and have no strength left!

After a quick stir, I was ready to tuck in.


---Quantity---

Being a diet meal I did not expect the tray to be overflowing. There is 320g in the meal, which to put in more realistic terms would probably half fill a cereal bowl. For some this may be enough, but for those who prefer a bit more you could easily add a mixed salad or if you really dare some garlic bread.


---Smell, Look and Taste---

I have a pretty bad sense of smell so I am not the best to judge here, but from the aromas I did get it was a pleasant Italian smell, just as you would expect really.

Amazingly the meal did actually look like the picture on the packaging, which really makes a change. The Bolognaise sauce itself was a good rich colour and not at all runny. I could clearly see tomato and mushroom and also a few bits of onion. There was also a good proportion of mince and spaghetti.

On tasting it, there was quite a mixture of flavours. One thing I often find with these ready meals is that they tend to be quite spicy. This one was not like that even though red chillies are listed on the ingredients. It has a number of herbs and garlic to add to the taste and a little red wine which gives a lovely kick to the sauce.

The pasta at first tasted strange. It was not a nasty taste, just slightly different to what I am used to. Maybe it is because the spaghetti is made from Durum wheat Semolina, where as I am used to the one with added egg for a richer flavour. But after a couple of mouthfuls it seemed no different. The mince taste came through quite strongly, which was nice as the meat is often skimped on in diet meals. The sauce, which had a rich flavour due to the wine also gave a good tang of tomato. Even the taste of the mushrooms managed to come through.

Due to the inclusion of wheat, gluten and milk in the recipe it wouldn’t be any good to people with allergies but they have plenty of other meals to choose from and if they are all as tasty as this then you will not feel left out.


---Overall opinion---

Altogether, both in appearance and taste it came across as very homemade. I guess the only difference would be the size of the portion. Nevertheless I was quite full after I had finished as pasta is one of those things that fills quite well. I would definitely buy it again, though perhaps only when on offer as the higher price would be the only thing putting me off.

Summary: A great tasting low calorie/fat meal ideal for those watching their weight.