Will it stop you buying frozen ready meals

tessie_bear

i dont think i have ever bought a ready meal or indeed eaten one we have burgers for a bbq in the summer but they are birds eye which havent been named and shamed...yet:eek: either way i shall not be buying anymore

i dont understand the ready meal mentality as i fail to see how it is cheaper eg say a manky frozen lasage is 75p i need 4 so £3.00...i go for a chunk of costco mince £1 (but in fairness from a big tray that has to be paid for) tin toms 25p (got some when 4 for a quid) teaspoon herbs 5p an onion 10p lasagne sheets 79p for huge box milk 25p teaspoon marg and flour 10p cheese 20p

total £2.75 and loads of lasagne sheets left...also i know what in there (hoping the mince is as described) also im sure i make more than the puny portions

some of the ready meals make me hoot...sausage and mash ?? what the heck so easy to make cant imagine buying it

lostinrates

tessie_bear wrote: »

i dont think i have ever bought a ready meal or indeed eaten one we have burgers for a bbq in the summer but they are birds eye which havent been named and shamed...yet:eek: either way i shall not be buying anymore

i dont understand the ready meal mentality as i fail to see how it is cheaper eg say a manky frozen lasage is 75p i need 4 so £3.00...i go for a chunk of costco mince £1 (but in fairness from a big tray that has to be paid for) tin toms 25p (got some when 4 for a quid) teaspoon herbs 5p an onion 10p lasagne sheets 79p for huge box milk 25p teaspoon marg and flour 10p cheese 20p

total £2.75 and loads of lasagne sheets left...also i know what in there (hoping the mince is as described) also im sure i make more than the puny portions

some of the ready meals make me hoot...sausage and mash ?? what the heck so easy to make cant imagine buying it

I actually think some, quite a lot of, ready meals DO work out cheaper than I make them. But I home cook for reaons of epicurean pleasure. add to that a lot of people cook for one, not four, so any extra expense is longer to build up, but the time factor is harder to make free...one needs to do many of the same chores as four with no one to whom to delegate the little things that add up.

Then add the Potential of whoopsy ready meals...right time and place they can be picked up for pennies ...I can see why people with priorities different to mine buy them.

floss2

I don't buy ready meals - frozen or fresh - so it won't bother us.

Both DH and I have knowlingly eaten horsemeat and that doesn't bother us either.

As others have said, what is most concerning is the not knowing what you are eating, or rather, believing that you are eating one thing when it is in fact another. That is deceit, whether intentional or accidental.

Nelski

Im inclined to defend the use of ready meals now as some people can be so smug about the way they cook from scratch, know exactly what is in the products. Unless they have raised, slaughtered and prepared the food themselves then that is not entirely true.


Have you considered people who really do have little if any free time to mooch round the kitchen cooking from scratch, or students who have no real facilities to store and cook, single people who would have to buy far more than they need and have no freezer or people who just haven't had the benefit of any cooking education or people on such a low income that a cheap ready meal in the microwave uses a lot less energy than an oven or a hob?

mmm I just think we need to be careful here.
A birds eye beef burger is a ready meal - like it or not and to say you have never eaten a ready meal is therefore not entirely true.
I would also challenge you to cook sausage and mash in the 3 mins a ready meal would take to zap in the microwave


Now saying all of that I am one of ones who will say that I rarely now eat any ready meals but I know lots that do. I am fortunate in many ways to have the income, motivation, time and storage in my kitchen to be able to do this and ultimately I prefer my own stuff. It doesn't make the wrong labeling of any products seem any better to me.

ALIBOBSY

I can see what Nelski is saying, the other side regarding these meals is some people rely on them as a lifeline and may not have the time/knowledge/skill/equipment to be able to cook their own.

For me with a family of 6 its miles cheaper to cook one meal from scratch than buy loads of individual meals, but for someone living alone unless they are very organised and have access to a freezer it probably works the other way.

The whole thing stinks and proves to me once and for all that no big company in this country gives the remotest thought to how their actions effect their customers its all about how to extract as much cash from us as possible with no moral and a borderline legal attitude.

Exactly why I have no problem when people exploit loopholes on offers or reclaim PPI/charges etc, whats good for the goose as they say.

I wonder how long this kind of substitution has gone on, I really doubt its a new thing. Thinking back as a child we used to have those Findus mince beef pancakes and I always thought they had a bit of a funky taste :rotfl: or maybe .

Ali x

honeythewitch

Most of us will use stock cubes or gravy occasionally, and i think they must be susceptible to contamination?

Fruball

In principle I have no real issues eating horse, altho I think we need to rename it as we do beef/cow, pork/pig, mutton/sheep etc!!! Any suggestions?! lol

The issue I DO have is that this horsemeat may well contain medication that we wouldn't allow to be given to an animal planned for human consumption.

Also, we don't know the welfare/slaughter of these horses was/is humane and as it is all very secretive then I suspect not.

The thing is, if people want cheaper and cheaper food then at some point, somebody is going to cash in on that by whatever means. Illegality is at the root of this and THAT is what bothers me, not the fact I may have eaten horse.

Nelski

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

I wonder how long this kind of substitution has gone on, I really doubt its a new thing. Thinking back as a child we used to have those Findus mince beef pancakes and I always thought they had a bit of a funky taste :rotfl: or maybe .

Ali x

Ali - findus crispy pancakes rock :rotfl: or at least my fond memories of them do anyway
We used to have hot dogs from a tin as well as a real treat :eek:I really dont want to know what was in them and I still love them now

honeythewitch wrote: »

Most of us will use stock cubes or gravy occasionally, and i think they must be susceptible to contamination?

Very true and more than occasionally in my case.

I am dreading what is going to come out next as at this rate we may also manage to wreck British companies providing a service to many people. Beans on toast for my tea tonight now heaven help anyone who exposes them for something awful

Grantabrycge

Frozen food is convenient and safe. Despite a possible dip in the short term, I don't think the scandals will have much effect on its consumption in the medium to long term.

meg72

Nelski wrote: »

Im inclined to defend the use of ready meals now as some people can be so smug about the way they cook from scratch, know exactly what is in the products. Unless they have raised, slaughtered and prepared the food themselves then that is not entirely true.


Have you considered people who really do have little if any free time to mooch round the kitchen cooking from scratch, or students who have no real facilities to store and cook, single people who would have to buy far more than they need and have no freezer or people who just haven't had the benefit of any cooking education or people on such a low income that a cheap ready meal in the microwave uses a lot less energy than an oven or a hob?

mmm I just think we need to be careful here.
A birds eye beef burger is a ready meal - like it or not and to say you have never eaten a ready meal is therefore not entirely true.
I would also challenge you to cook sausage and mash in the 3 mins a ready meal would take to zap in the microwave


Now saying all of that I am one of ones who will say that I rarely now eat any ready meals but I know lots that do. I am fortunate in many ways to have the income, motivation, time and storage in my kitchen to be able to do this and ultimately I prefer my own stuff. It doesn't make the wrong labeling of any products seem any better to me.

This is so so true, I was going to post but this says everything I would have wanted to say.

It is easy to ciritise but ready meals are the only way to go for
some people. I just count my blessings that I am fortunate enough to have the means of making my own and grateful for the resources I have.

I watched a young mum who I know (by sight not to talk too) to have 5 kids pick up 6 ready lasagnes and really really wanted to say put those back love and let me help you save some money, but at my age have learnt my lesson regarding poking my nose into other folks business. made me sad though that I didnt know her better and able to offer her some help.