Stocked ready-made frozen meals

Missed Dragons Den

I’ve had a couple. They’re not cheap when compared to home cooked but against ready meals I think they hold their own. You mix and match them with your choice of carbs and/or veg. They’re quick to heat up so you save on energy used to prepare them.

Forgot to say that one pack/two portions is a lot of food! The pack contains eight blocks. I’d say six blocks makes a generous meal for two and two blocks a good lunch for one person.

The ready meals they have here are disgusting. Had one the other night because we were in a hurry. Uggh. Never again. Rather have a blooming Maccas.

I watched the Dragons' Den pitch. It was all about the money and nothing about the problem that I see in the concept and that’s delivery.

I occasionally do an online supermarket shop which I understand is picked and packed only a couple of hours before delivery but still frozen things arrive feeling part defrosted.

The FAQs say:

Your shipment can arrive anytime between 8 am - 6 pm. Our courier DPD or DHL will text or email you with a 1hr delivery window on the morning of your delivery.

If delivery can arrive anytime between 8 am - 6 pm, I think that should say, Our courier DPD or DHL will text or email on the morning of your delivery with a 1hr delivery window. … which may be 6pm.

The product has been defrosting since it left the Stocked premises.

It goes on to say:

It’s normal for the dry ice to have evaporated by the time you unpack your box. The insulated liner will still be doing its job keeping your meals frozen so you don't need to worry if it has disappeared.

If the dry ice bag is split or empty this is normal and often happens in delivery! As long as the Blocks are frozen solid, then they’ll be totally safe (and delicious) to eat.

In the warmer months, we recommend being at home for your delivery to pop your delicious Blocks straight in your freezer.

If you're worried that the Blocks have been out too long then give them a feel! If they’re just a little soft around the edges, this is totally fine, however, if they’re mushy the whole way through we can’t recommend you eat them I’m afraid!

We’ve just been through a prolonged heatwave so the possibility of that happening at certain times of year sees high.

Trustpilot reviews:

The order was delivered by the side of my house near the bins and was left out for a few hours I received no notification it had been delivered. The stock had completely melted and is no good to me. I have since contacted them to complain and they have said there is nothing they can do.

My first order arrived a day late fully defrosted then my replacement order arrived on the prescribed day but still defrosted.

The delivery for my order got delayed in transit. I contacted STOCKED to cancel order as was going away next day. The delivery came the next day despite cancellation and melted on the door step while I was away. The driver did not put the box in the ‘safe space’ that had been designated, it was left in the sun, not great for frozen meat, dangerous in fact.

There are lots of positive reviews too but the problem remains if relying on a courier using unrefrigerated vehicles.

I think Steven Bartlett may struggle to get a return on his investment.

It doesn’t tell us what these are, apart from frozen meals on Dragons Den Can you be a bit more informative about this Bella for those of us who didn’t see DD.

I don't know any thing aboutvthis particular product (more info would be great) but i don't think the defrosting thing is an issue.

We have had both Cook and Chef Akila meals delivered like this and they have been absolutely fine.

Likewise although I too have not heard of Stocked but I have Cook! and Rosie has a months worth of Bella and Duke frozen raw dog food delivered at a time and the thick cardboard box, packaging, dry ice etc prevent any defrosting (even this summer) I would never specify or rely on a “safe space” if I was going to be away.
Out, briefly, perhaps, but my boxes are clearly marked frozen contents and must not be left.
My frozen items in an online Waitrose shop have nothing like the same insulation and the driver always unpacks them first and keeps them separate. But again, no problem with thawing out. .

Graphite

I share your concerns about the delivery of this product.

Recently I've had deliveries of non-food items that have simply been dumped on the doorstep - I live on a main thoroughfare in a row of terraced houses and, as the property is built from crumbling Cotswold Stone, a safe-box is not an option - we're also Grade II Listed so it might not even be allowable.

The drivers just don't bother to knock, I know this because I'm sitting in my office which is less than a metre away from the door on the designated delivery-day. It doesn't appear to matter which company is used, it seems to be a growing trend.

The other day - a day when it bucketed down with rain - I had a call from my neighbour over the road to tell me he could see a package wedged up against my door, he thought I'd probably missed the knock - my son and I had been sitting in the office since the crack of doom, so I know the driver didn't bother with the knocker. Fortunately, it was a pack of printer-cartridges which were encased in a plastic pouch so no damage - but the blasted courier-driver didn't know that, the sodden packet simply fell apart as I picked it up...

So I'll not be ordering anything from Stocked. I don't mind waiting in all day, but I'm blowed if I'm going to keep opening the door every couple of hours to check the doorstep.

I have had a look at the website, it’s a bit misleading.

It would seem you are just buying the frozen sauce and you have to provide the meat/vegetable and carbohydrates.

The pictures however show a complete meal.

The reviews are very mixed.

Before retirement I used Gousto, they are excellent, really good quality imaginative, well balanced meals all ready to assemble.

Thankyou kittylester I have been tempted to try Chef Akila but didn't know anyone who had. I looked at the packs which all included Butter Chicken which has to be a No from me.

Sago

I have had a look at the website, it’s a bit misleading.

It would seem you are just buying the frozen sauce and you have to provide the meat/vegetable and carbohydrates.

The pictures however show a complete meal.

The reviews are very mixed.

Before retirement I used Gousto, they are excellent, really good quality imaginative, well balanced meals all ready to assemble.

If all this product is is, is a sauce, but frozen then you might as well just buy a jar of sauce off the ambient shelves in a supermarket. There are luxury upmarket brands as well as mass market brands.

Here’s the programme segment:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNKgXjS-5rY

The unique selling point was that this is a product for people who are too time-poor to shop or cook.

I don’t know what the pitcher means when he says a “retail-specific product. Surely all products are?

The voiceover describes these as premium mealtime “fillings” so they are not complete meals in themselves so you still have to shop and cook.

The website says two blocks are sufficient for a light lunch and three or four for dinner. The packs are all the same price whether there is meat content or not. £9.50 for one pack of dhal enough for two dinners seems very expensive to me and that’s only the Subscribe & Save price - else it’s £11.05.

I was also surprised Deborah Meaden didn’t ask anything about the packaging and whether it’s recyclable as she’s usually keen on green issues. The kitchens are in north west London so supplying nationwide is a lot of miles which doesn’t make the product particularly green either.

Because the margins were so poor, the pitchers also say “we can’t go into retail with this product here” and that they will have a “similar product” but with the margin necessary to make a profit. There a number of ways that can happen (and which can come with scaling up production) but that could also suggest a smaller portion size or lower quality. Some of the TrustPilot reviews mention small portion size and inadequate meat content so that could be what’s changed.

The website does say they are supplying Waitrose. I’m not seeing the product on the Waitrose website so maybe it’s in-store only - which would be one way to try the quality.

I really can't see the competitive edge for this product. If I've got to hang around waiting for delivery, so it doesn't melt any more than it already has done on its journey, I might as well be knocking up a quick batch of dhal in the microwave at a fraction of the price.

Samsara1

Thankyou kittylester I have been tempted to try Chef Akila but didn't know anyone who had. I looked at the packs which all included Butter Chicken which has to be a No from me.

You don't have to have the packs - you can choose your own meals.

I batch cooking butter chicken so we don't buy that one. Nor do we buy the prices. They are delicious but we have found the flavour is lost when eaten with the Akila curries. I tend to keep a Waitrose or Sainsbury's pilau rice in the freezer as they can be cooked from frozen too.

For prices read rices. My phone ought to get over itself.

Samsara1

Thankyou kittylester I have been tempted to try Chef Akila but didn't know anyone who had. I looked at the packs which all included Butter Chicken which has to be a No from me.

Some of their meat is Halal, I appreciate it may not concern some people but please be aware.

They are small ready meals of the sort that go with pasta rice or a wrap. Sort of meal sized sauces with meat or other protein.
They arrive in frozen blocks about 5 inches long and 1.5 inches square that come in packs of 8. They fit well in a freezer drawer.
They are very convenient and take only minutes to heat up.
My only problem with them is that they are a little on the spicy side for me.

If you look at the detailed contents the meat ones do contain meat. However it doesn’t say where the meat is from - Cooks use higher welfare British chicken. It is a bit misleading to say you have a meal in 5 minutes if you are adding it to rice, pasta or a baked jacket potato, although it’s quicker than starting everything from scratch.
I won’t be using it. I’ll stick to Cooks and make my own.

Cooks meals are very high fat and I do not buy them for that reason.

I really can't see the competitive edge for this product. If I've got to hang around waiting for delivery, so it doesn't melt any more than it already has done on its journey, I might as well be knocking up a quick batch of dhal in the microwave at a fraction of the price.

Since their pitch was targeted at people who lead "busy lives" - or "modern lives" - a concept Charlie and Sam deemed it necessary to explain to the Dragons , you're right!

Even if, as a busy-parent-on-the-school-run-after-a-long-day-at-work, your imagination has taken a nosedive or your culinary skill (or family 'taste') doesn't run to dhal - there's enough half-decent sauce mixes on supermarket shelves at half the price which can be stored at home ready to use!

... and with an extra pinch of the appropriate herbs or spices and maybe a splash of wine, you've possibly created something which more or less equals Stocked's stock?

It's the delivery issue that would put me off, completely.

The Stocked delivery I had came all the way up here in Scotland without thawing! For me, the main benefit is that it takes up less room in the freezer than the likes of Cook meals and there’s much less packaging to dispose of, just a recyclable bag.

Yes, I could make my own from scratch but I don’t enjoy cooking and I especially don’t enjoy cooking for one so I’m happy to have alternatives.

And sometimes it's nice to be able to say 'oh s*d it' and bung something in the oven straight from the freezer.

I am quite a good cook and I enjoy it but.......

Thanks everyone for replying. I’ll have a look in my local Waitrose and see if they have any. I think on balance I’ll carry on batch cooking my own meals. Though you’ve given me some good ideas for a bit of variety. I’m kind of stuck on bolognese and chicken stir fry. I’m going to try Dahl next, and investigate the ready made sauces. Thanks again.

Too spicy for me too! A lot of ready meals are!!