Ocean's 11th Disappointing Meal (Young's Ocean Pie)

Member Name: charby

Product:	Young's Ocean Pie
Date:	14/06/09 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fishy, not bad, cheap

Disadvantages: Not a patch on Admiral's Pie, and more calories

After eating and reviewing Young's Admiral's Pie the other day, I was interested to re-try their Ocean Pie to see the two compare. For my Admiral's Pie review I did some research on the Young's website, and found that both of these pies have basically the same ingredients, only in different quantities, and so I was interested to see if they did actually taste different from each other. I have had Ocean Pie several times before, but barely remembered the taste of it, as after a while I decided that I preferred Admiral's Pie, and so only ever bought that one. Today, however, I decided to buy Ocean Pie again, and remind myself of what it tasted like.

Well, the first thing that I was reminded of on eating Ocean Pie was why I prefer Admiral's! Despite having roughly the same ingredients (Pollock, mashed potato, cheese and a creamy sauce), Ocean Pie was noticeably poorer in quality compared to Admiral's Pie, and although the taste was similar, there was something different that I couldn't quite put my finger on. The creamy sauce is richer in Ocean Pie, and just as nice really, but for some reason this pie just wasn't as good. The potato seemed blander, and although there was more fish, which I thought would be a good thing, it seems that less is more with Young's fish pies, and the higher fish content did Ocean Pie no favours.

Another reason why I was disappointed with Ocean Pie was how awkward it was to cook properly. I followed the microwave instructions on the packet, which for my microwave meant that I had to cook the pie on high for six minutes, then leave it to stand for one minute, then cook it for a further four minutes. I did this, plus another thirty seconds or so just to be sure, but when I took it out of the microwave, found that the pie was still cold in the middle. I put it in for another two minutes, by which time it was warm in the middle but not hot, and so it took a further two minutes to be done. I know that this isn't a huge problem, but it is awkward, especially if you're trying to coordinate cooking time with that of accompanying vegetables, and also made Ocean Pie pale in comparison to Admiral's Pie, which cooked perfectly in the suggested time.

In conclusion, I was disappointed with Young's Ocean Pie, as it didn't meet the standards of its sister Pollock pie. To be honest, if I didn't have Admiral's Pie to compare it with, I probably would have enjoyed Ocean Pie more, but really while eating it I was constantly thinking of all the ways in which it wasn't as good as my favourite ready meal, and so didn't overly enjoy it. Having said that, it wasn't a bad meal, and is one that I would have again if I was desperate for a fish pie, and it was the only Young's pie available. Since Admiral's Pie is better and 60 calories less, however, I will probably never choose Ocean Pie in favour of my favourite one, and it will definitely just be an emergency solution.

I bought Ocean Pie for £1.19 from Spar, and have seen it for similar prices in other supermarkets. It contains 428 calories and 21.8g of fat per pack, and can be cooked from frozen either in the oven or microwave. You can have it for one person by itself, or between two people with vegetables or other accompaniments of your choice.

Summary: A disappointment compared to Young's Admiral's Pie