We never buy ready meals because I don’t think they are particularly healthy, and if we need a quick meal, I tend to whack on a pan of pasta, but when we had the opportunity to try out some children’s ready meals from Kiddyum, we thought they might be a super quick and easy alternative. Created by a mum of two, the meals contain no added sugar or preservatives, are low in salt and are free from GM ingredients, artificial colours and flavours. Not only that, they are all made in the UK and use British meat, dairy and sustainable fish.
The meals, which are available at selected branches of Sainsbury’s, come in five varieties:
- Cheesy Peasy Pasta
- Macaroni bolognese
- Cottage pie
- Fish and veg pie
- Chicken curry
These are the sort of meals that we generally cook for the boys, so we assumed they would love them. At almost five, Harrison is above the recommended age of 1-4 years for the meals. Rather than let him miss out, we cooked some extra mashed potato and vegetables to bulk the meals out for him – I’m so glad we did!
I would love to say the kids really liked them, especially as they looked delicious. Unfortunately, other than the cheesy pasta, which Benjamin hoovered up, they didn’t go down too well in our house. I had a taste of them, and to be honest, whilst not unpleasant, I found them very bland and quite tasteless, and I think that is why the boys didn’t like them. We use a lot of herbs, spices and garlic at home, and from the moment they were weaned they were exposed to quite strong flavours, which these lacked. However, because of this, I think they would be really good for fussy eaters. I also thought the texture was a bit mushy – no real chunks of anything. Whilst not popular with us, they would be ideal for weaning.
I do appreciate that food is a very personal and subjective thing, and although not well received in our house, others may really like them. Below are links to some other blogs, who have had different opinions on the meals, so go and check them out.
If you want to try out Kiddyum meals, they’re available in some branches of Sainsbury’s (click here to find your nearest stockist) and are priced at £1.90 each.
*We were provided with a Sainsbury’s voucher in order to purchase these meals. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Both dishes look delicious. Thanks for sharing!