Having just prepared a meal tonight, where I accidently took my potatoes off too early (by ten minutes) and proceeded to eat very very lumpy mash, I figured maybe it was wise to go back to pre-done mash. I sometimes buy the Smash stuff, you know the powder that you get in big red tubs, where you add water and it goes all fluffy and tastes..just a tad weird. A step up from Smash is the Marks and Spencer Ultimate Mash. The title alone is already heralding it as something rather glorious.

You get a pot of the stuff in the refrigerated section in M and S and then you pop it into the fridge and take out when you are ready to consume. Obviously you have to heat it up first, but this is dead easy. Several minutes in a microwave and you're away. The cooking time varies depending on the temperature, but you're looking at about five minutes. Already this has saved on the peeling time, let alone the twenty minutes regular potatoes take to boil.

Once it has pinged, leave to stand for a few minutes to let the cooking process finish. There is no need to add anything, as it has already been seasoned, creamed and prepped. The consistency was good when I tried this at my mum's. For a shop bought mash, there is a good creaminess and it is not overly runny, which is crucial. In terms of quantity, this could be hard to judge, as I like loads of mash with a meal, but a tub could do for two I reckon.

The texture gets a thumbs up, the taste then...well, pretty good on the whole, quite heavy on the palette though, suggesting it has been given a lot of butter in there. This means you do not need a massive portion. Lacking a little in flavouring, I could just detect enough salt, though would have liked a stronger pepper pushing through, as I usually go heavy on my pepper. Despite this nitpick, a two pound tub does save you time and comes out better than Smash in a taste test. However, if you want mash three times a week, a standard bag of regular potatoes will be cheaper. Making this a luxury item for special occasions.