Is there such a thing as a decent ready meal?

I batch cook and freeze things when I feel like it (far less bother and clearing up) or buy from Cook - but you can order delicious meals from restaurants too. Sometimes, though, I just eat out instead of cooking dinner.

I tried Charlie Bighams meals on one DD’s recommendation. They have them for a treat for two when all the children are out.
I only buy them from our local supermarket when they’re reduced to £4.60. Some are OK but with others, I’m glad I’ve not paid full price. As for other ready meals you just have to try them. I got a good (said DH) cottage pie from Lidl and we like their lamb shanks-just add veg.

Charlie Bigham’s is our go-to ready meal from Sainsbury’s. or Ocado back in the day when I had home deliveries. we’ve bought these for the last 12 years on and off.

Not cheap at just over £8 a tray for two but then that’s considerably less than the price of a takeaway these days.

I don’t buy ready meals but I buy Picard frozen plain vegetables. More variety than in the frozen sections in the UK. If I don’t have to wash, peel or cut I feel I haven’t prepared, quick and easy. I cook a mixture of them on a plate in the microwave.

M&S Crispy cakes (the beef mince ones) are quite delicious with a side of peas as a quick evening meal plus a little “plastic” gravy ( I always fortify mine with Maggi or mushroom ketchup) ?

I don't eat much in the way of ready meals but I have become addicted to spinach and ricotta cannelloni. I've tried several supermarket ones but I like Aldi's one best. A chicken tikka marsala usually heats up well too.

Anything from the field doctor

I was hungry and stressed but dubious about Aldi Special Selection (I think) macarone cheese with pancetta topped with little croutons.
It was for 2 people so I just saved half in a little pyrex dish. It was really very nice ? not elegant dining though as the cheese went into looong strings but very satisfying.

I have yet to buy a substantial cottage/shepherds pie or lasagne though, even if the flavour is there they lack substance.
I wonder why?

Waitrose ready meals are very good - I find them a great standby when time is short. We have salad and a jacket potato, or steamed vegetables to accompany. I also like their fresh filled pasta if you are really in a hurry; their fresh pasta sauce is delicous, and with some Basil and grated cheese it is a tasty and extremely quick meal if you get home too late to start marinating chicken or rolling pastry.

We tried Wiltshire Farm Foods when they had a special offer on but found ther meals to be disappointing. However, their customer service is excellent, friendly and helpful, so they are good at some things. Perhaps we were just unlucky in our choices of food.

We like frozen convenience foods from Aldi or Lidl. They do bags of cauliflower cheese, paella and bami goreng which are very tasty. Frozen roasties, mash, yorkshires, veg can all be easily portioned for one with no waste. They do good cottage pie, lasagne etc in the fridge too.
I second Elegran in that you need to try them to see which you like....one man's meat is another man's poison.

teabagwman. Braines faggots in gravy, delicious!

Cook are very good, but they are expensive. I’ve tried different ranges more and more now because I’m having problems with my hands due to rheumatoid arthritis. I too like Iceland Hunters Chicken and I find the Tesco range of ready meals to be quite good. I like Parsley Box because you can keep them in a cupboard and you don’t have to buy too many at a time. I’ve also had deliveries from Wiltshire Farm Foods, although I found that the quality has gone down a bit as well as the prices rising.

That's definitely the case halfpint1

sodapop

Ready meals are pretty awful here in France GrandmaKT tasteless, cheap ingredients, not a popular option here. I miss M & S meal deals

Glad you posted that Sodapop because as I said at the beginning of this thread , they turn to mush in my mouth!
It would seem the French like their Mcdonald's takeway more!

MOnica, how I envy you having a decent butcher but thank you for reminding me about faggots, I used to love them. Hopefully Tesco still do them. One thing I’ve noticed is that many of the ready meals people have liked are heavy on the carbs - not good for this pre-diabetic. Am beginning to feel that I’m falling apart!

Ready meals are pretty awful here in France GrandmaKT tasteless, cheap ingredients, not a popular option here. I miss M & S meal deals

I’ll second Charlie Bingham. Expensive but you get what you pay for. M&S and Waitrose are pretty good too. I’d never buy a pudding though. I love making puddings and cakes and something like a crumble takes no time at all. I usually have some crumble mix in the freezer and if you use raspberries, there is barely any preparation. You don’t even have to make custard as cream is the ideal accompaniment to raspberry crumble!

I quite like those pieces of fish in a sauce that you can put in the microwave and have with new potatoes/vegetables
like these

I've got 20 home-made ready meals in the freezer. Ona day like today when I m not feeling well as I have an ear infection. I just took a chicken casserole out of the freezer and cooked some potatoes and cauliflower together and crushed them with lots of butter and grated cheese.

My local butcher has a range of assembled meat products: faggots, marinated chops, lamb parcels and pork and pastry swirls, beautiful short crust steak pies. I always have some of them in the freezer as well.

Ooh, sorry, have to disagree re Wiltshire meals - had some of my late MILs and found them tasteless and not very substantial

Have you thought of something like Wiltshire Farm Foods? We finished off the ones in my late DM's freezer when clearing her house and they were very good.

I would also endorse M & S and Charlie Bigham's for quality but do find them both oversalted for my taste. Also as I am now on Slimming World they would blow the allowance. SW's own meals only in Iceland are good. Lucky for me in a way I can cook from fresh every day but I do get fed up with it and resort to yet another salad.

You don't have to buy the complete ready meal, you can maybe buy a good quality pie from M&S and boil a few potatoes, add some frozen peas, I used to buy my late DM a few meals from M&S, she disliked the plated up type complete dinner meals, but was very happy with their Italian range of lasagne, macaroni cheese etc., with a bit of salad on the side. I agree that Cook are excellent quality, and we do buy the occasional one from our Coop so that occasional meat eating DH can have a beef bourguignon with some added veg, the good thing about Cook range is that you don't have to remember to get them out of the freezer.

I would echo the opinions of those who have recommended Cook meals. I have occasionally bought them, in particular during the stricter lockdown when I thought it might be good to have some in the freezer apropos of a mild panic, as to getting hold of fresh ingredients, which proved to be totally unfounded. Anyway I had enough baked beans at the time if all else failed! I think Cook meals are a cut above supermarket ready meals, but as already mentioned, veer on the expensive side.