When did ready meals become commonplace?

[Deleted User]

I only ever bought a Vasta curry for my late OH once.I lovingly prepared it for him as a 'treat' on being dished up he took several mouthfuls and said
"have you still got the box for this ?"
to which I said
"yes, why"
"I think it would probably taste better than the stuff on the plate"
needless to say the meal ended up in the bin. Bless him, and he had a cast-iron tum that could eat almost anything.
This was in the late 1960's and I never bought a ready meal again,I would rather cook stuff myself as I then know whats gone in it.
:):)

Soworried

I only buy RM when they are YS and the kids tend to eat them if they are going out before I get home from work.
They had YS jacket potatoes with cheese the other day and told me they were horrible and left them on their plates.
When I looked at the ingredients they were made from instant mash and they charge £3.15 for just a 2pk :eek:
I do look at the RM and if 1 looks nice I try to recreate it at home.

I can't remember being given RM as a kid but we were given fish fingers that was early 70s.

Lilyplonk

I never go out with a Shopping List that contains 'ready meals' - however, I will buy some, especially the Extra Special ones, when they're 'well-whoopsied' (maybe on their 2nd/3rd/4th reduction).

They get bought and then frozen - to be used when OH is 'home alone', dgd1 arrives needing 'something to eat NOW!', or I've been on-duty for a full day shift in the Charity Shop and can't be asred with cooking :rotfl:.

Usually find myself adding a portion of veg to them to make them healthier and more substantial.

maman

JackieO wrote: »

I only ever bought a Vasta curry for my late OH once.
This was in the late 1960's and I never bought a ready meal again,I would rather cook stuff myself as I then know whats gone in it.
:):)

I actually liked the Vesta curry and had it as a quick meal for DD and I when OH was at work back in the early 70s. OH can't stand the stuff and I've teased him I'm going to buy some when I've seen it in £ shops lately.

Lilyplonk wrote: »

I never go out with a Shopping List that contains 'ready meals' - however, I will buy some, especially the Extra Special ones, when they're 'well-whoopsied' (maybe on their 2nd/3rd/4th reduction).

They get bought and then frozen - to be used when OH is 'home alone', .

I keep Aldi Thai fishcakes and WW Ocean pie for just those occasions. That's the sum total of ready meals except for the odd Indian or Chinese when on offer. They make a nice treat occasionally and so much cheaper than a take away and I can serve them piping hot!

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

We are having a ready meal this evening.


I made chilli on Friday for BoPsie. She enjoyed it then. There is enough for two more meals, and tonight new are having round 2. No need to worry, it has been on the stove since Friday brewing.

Nicki

I was born in 1968 and my mum bless her was not a keen cook and we had ready meals every night virtually so they have definitely been around for longer than some of you think. In the early days we would have had findus crispy pancakes, shepherd pies, French bread pizzas and birds eye boil in the bag stuff. When I was still at primary school mum discovered marks and Spencer's and our range of meals opened up.

As an adult I now very rarely eat ready meals but would be much more likely to get a takeaway if I didn't feel like cooking.

FrugalLina

I was born in the early 60s and I only remember Fray Bentos pies as a rare treat, everything else was cooked from scratch apart from the very occasional Vesta meal, which I totally detested

I can remember enjoying Pot Noodles in my teens, they were (and still are) the height of easy "meals".

When I married, I continued to cook from scratch, but kept a few lasagnes for emergencies. Sauces in jars were the nearest I got to convenience foods, I'd say (and I felt a bit guilty about that!).

It seems to me that the boom we have now of all manner of meals from world-wide cuisine in easy plastic, microwaveable containers is quite recent - the last 10/15 years or so?

ciderwithrosie_2

I think the tide began to turn with the arrival of microwave ovens and fridge freezers. We only had a small fridge when I was a child with an ice compartment big enough for a tray of ice cubes and a few ice poles or a packet of fishfingers. We never kept anything else in there as I recall. Some people had chest freezers but they were often used to store large quantities of meat, like if you'd bought a whole lamb (jointed up by the butcher).

The late sixties and all of the 70's saw a huge rise in 'convenience' foods as many mums were returning to work, Vesta meals had been around for a time but - Smash, Toast-toppers, Savoury rice, Crispy pancakes, packet soups, boil in the bag rice, Pot Noodles, Beanfeast, Beefburgers or meatballs in gravy. There was a lot of dried and tinned stuff. Anyone remember Surprise peas? My grandparents always ate them (dried peas you reconstituted).

Even in the mid to late 80s when I started running my own home, we didn't really eat ready meals. The only one I used to buy now and again was a vegetable bake from M&S.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

The brewed chilli has done any lasting damage, but is potent today!

culpepper

We had quite a few ready made things I think as kids(60s and 70s). Lots came in tins and were heated up on the stove or in the oven.
Bolognaise was always that orange stuff with the pasta already in it.
Alphabeti spaghetti
and ravioli too('just a lika momma used to make' as the advert went)
Sausage and beans to heat up straight from the tin

Cereals with the sugar already added

Soups were all just heat and eat.
Rubbery pre sliced cheese.
Fish fingers.
Mash potato made from powder.
Freybentos pies that were nearly all crust and runny gravy(shared between 5 they were more a taste than a meal)
Beef dinner in a foil tray that you stuck in the oven(late 70s) and single servings I think.
Those french bread 'pizzas' from bejams

There were kits for making trifles and cakes

The vesta kits that were 'foreign cuisine'
I think there were some called Atora too or were they the same people?

The first thing we learned to 'cook' in school in 1973 was a fruit flan which consisted of a bought flan base, bought tinned fruit ready stewed and a packet of quick jel....it was going to be a brave new world....LOL

We never ever had homemade biscuits or tea time cakes, they were bought from the shop and were loaded with sugar.