Deluxe Beef Wellington

Sorry, sorry, sorry - I've been very remiss in keeping this blog going. However, I have been stuffing my face with Lidl products, as well as testing things my guest bloggers recommended - the three fish roast is delicious, and the baby wipes are ideal for cleaning the chain on my racing bike after a ride. But, now it's time for me to blog again. So here goes...

Price: £6.99

Score (out of 5): 3 1/2

Review: this is part of our slow exploration of the Deluxe frozen range. We still have the beef bourguinon pies to go. To not beat about the bush, these were nice, but a mixed bag. They come with a pork and red wine and mushroom jus (top-tip - take it out of the bag to heat it in the microwave). The jus is flavoured with dried thyme, and combined with the incredibly strong umami flavours of the mushrooms, it just hopelessly overpowers everything else on the plate.

Which is a shame, as the wellingtons themselves were worth the price - very good pastry, with a solid hunk of very good quality meat, and the pate to make them even richer. So, I've marked them down for the jus, but I would probably buy them again and just go a bit easy with it. 

Deluxe Chicken and Chorizo Pies

Price: £2.49

Score (out of 5): 4

Review: well, this blog became the talking point of Christmas parties and at most of these I discovered I am not alone in being a middle class lover of Lidl. The Deluxe frozen range came widely recommended, so I've invested in all the meals that were mentioned by various friends. First up, the chicken and chorizo pie.

When I looked at the box for this and noticed that the chicken was from either Brazil or Thailand I was not hopeful. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken did not have a bizarre texture or taste, but the least I know about its journey from a farm to my plate, the better, I suspect. The chorizo was a bit of a lurid red colour. But the creamy sauce that blended them all together was very tasty indeed.

The pastry was an absolute revelation - very crispy and short, not a soggy bottom in sight, and very easy to slip the pies out of their foil trays for nice presentation. My only comment on how they could be made better would be if they just had a bit more chicken in them. Otherwise, definitely get these in your freezer. With mash and veg, you've a very good meal on your plate in 40 minutes. 

Deluxe Three Fish Roast

Apologies folks, this blog's been a little dormant in the New Year. Let's just say the return to work has been a bit of a shock to the system. But, everyone wants a treat for a dark, cold January, especially with all the storms and snow we've been having. So for the next few weeks we'll be reviewing the Lidl Deluxe range.

First off, we have my old friend from school and uni, Joelle McNichol reviewing the Three Fish Roast. I'm very impressed it has it's own Facebook page!

Price: £5.99

Score (out of 5): 4.5

Review: I've been on the look out for completely effort free meals, so this frozen ready meal seemed worth a punt. Stick it in the oven and forget about it for an hour or so, steam a bit of frozen veg, et voila, dinner.

I was not optimistic as ready made fish pies are often just fishy slop. But the packet reassured me with a list of ingredients I might actually find in my kitchen, and three types of MSC certified fish giving details of where each was caught. In googling to check the price for the review, I find this pie has its very own Facebook community, sharing information about when and where it is available and urging Lidl to keep it in stock. Apparently some people feel very strongly about it. http://www.facebook.com/lidlfishroast

Could this be as good as my home made and frozen fish pie?

The USP is that the fish comes in a rectangular block made of layers of cod, salmon and smoked haddock, like a fishy neopolitan ice cream. This is surrounded by a creamy cheesy sauce, and topped with a crunchy breadcrumb, cheese and fried onion topping. It doesn't claim to be a pie, but it so is.

On serving, it did lose some points for presentation, especially as I hadn't anticipated the central fishy block so my first serving was a confusingly fish free sauce slop. But in fact the layered up fish has a real advantage over the more usual chunks of fish in sauce as it gives structure and substance to the dish. Instead of a pie slop, you have a nice fish fillet with a crispy top and a cheesy sauce on the side.

Taste wise I thought it was very tasty. Creamy and comforting as fish pie should be, but with the distinct flavours of the different fish coming through, and the crunchy topping was really good.

Would I buy this again? Yes indeed, but not with people round.