Fresh pasta has become a staple in my fridge for a quick, convenient supper after a long day at work. As such, I was curious about trying Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Basil and Pinenuts Margherite.

Found in the chilled pasta, pizza and ready meal aisle, this fresh pasta comes from the 'luxury' end of the Sainsbury's own brands. The pasta comes in a clear plastic box with a purple TTD cardboard sleeve with a photo of crumbling parmaggio-style cheese and basil leaves, with the pale green pasta parcels shown clearly.

The pasta comes in a 250g packet, a serving for two people, consisting of around 13 large pasta parcels. The packet costs £2.49, which I feel is reasonable for a two-person meal, though being from the luxury end of the own-brand spectrum costs relatively more than comparative fresh pastas also available. The pasta can also be frozen (before cooking!), so you can save some parcels if you are cooking for one.

~*~* Ingredients and product *~*~

The pasta comes in ravioli-style 'parcels' with a savoury filling, shaped into pretty daisy flowers (margherite being Italian for daisy). I was pleased to see the avocado-green, spinach pasta is made with free range eggs and the main constituents are Genovese basil, ricotta cheese and pine nuts.

Because of all these rich ingredients, a serving of pasta contains 242kcals and 7.8g of fat (3.4g saturates) and almost 1g of salt. These stats probably make weary reading for anyone on a diet and, for those with other diet considerations, I've added a full ingredients list below.

~*~* How to cook and the taste test *~*~

The fresh pasta takes no time to cook, having to be only simmered for 6 minutes in boiling water. The pasta cooks easily, not being clumped together in the packet (which can tear the pasta) and not exploding in the pan or leaking filling, with each parcel puffing up to around 7cm in diameter once cooked.

The pasta casing remains firm once cooked, without being soggy and, being of a decent thickness, gives a good bite. The parcels are generously filled with a creamy cheese, basil and pine nut mixture, with crushed pine nuts adding an interesting 'bite' and variety of texture.

The pasta tastes delicious - the pasta casing retains its fresh, green colour and really makes a fantastic canvas for the buttery, rich albeit quite salty filling. The basil and moreish cheese shines through as the dominant flavours. As a vegetarian pasta, I think even committed carnivores would enjoy this as it is quite a savoury meal.

There is no need for an additional sauce or drizzle of oil in my opinion, as the pasta is not too dry.

Overall, I would recommend this pasta - it is a reasonable price for a meal for two and provides a filling and delicious meal, however if you looking to reduce your salt intake or do not like overly salty, savoury flavours, perhaps give this a miss.

~*~* Ingredients list *~*~

Egg Pasta (50%): Tuscan Durum Wheat Semolina, Pasteurised Free Range Egg (25%), Spinach Powder.

Basil And Pinenuts Filling (50%) contains: Ricotta Cheese (from Cows' Milk), Breadcrumbs (Wheat Flour, Yeast, Sea Salt, Malted Flour), Italian Medium Fat Hard Cheese(from Cow's Milk), Basil Leaf, Pine Nuts (3%), Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Potato Fibre, Sunflower Oil, Dried Potato, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid.