Tinned stew, casserole, curry, chicken in sauce and so forth ...

Si_Clist

We're after buying a few tins of something to which in an emergency we can add spuds, pasta, rice or whatever and scoff for our tea.  But every such thing we've tried so far has been a big disappointment - either far too spicy for our taste, or consisting of a few bits of gristle and fat in some gravy. 

Are any of them actually worth buying?  Or should we just stick with corned beef and, if we're getting desperate, Fray Bentos pies?

Fire_Fox

Check the ingredients lists or website for meat content. Cheaper versions tend to be lower. I add frozen veg rather than pay for it overcooked in a canned meal.

Several of the Tesco canned curries are decent with plenty of chicken breast (40%). Korma and Tikka masala are staples here. Asda canned curries were DIRE.
Tesco canned chicken (42%) in white sauce, lean stewed steak (75%) in gravy, sweet and sour chicken (40%) all decent. Asda canned Pulled Pork the meat (74%) is decent but BBQ sauce is cloying.
Bought two of each last time and have eaten one of each.

I am looking forward to read what the OS regulars think.

[Deleted User]

M&S mince in gravy is proper meat not gristle and tastes OK.  I use it under potato toppings for shepherds pies and it's fine with beans etc. added to make curry and chilli.  Most stewed steak type things are full of fat, gristle and not much else so I son't buy them any more.  We do like baked beans and sausages in tins though!

Cornucopia

For me, it's been the Tale of Two Cans...

Lidl Stewed Steak in a can was probably the worst Lidl product I've ever bought (not cheap, either).   

OTOH, Lidl Chilli Con Carne in a can was delicious, if extremely rich.  

ISTR there's a Chicken dish in a can that I've yet to try.

annieb64

The M&S chicken in cream sauce is  is fine in a pasta bake or in a pie. I often add a few mushrooms or some frozen leeks. Their stewed steak in gravy is also good in a pie.

tessie_bear

another vote for m and s we like the chunky steak/mince/chicken in white sauce/lamb curry/chicken curry/bolognese they arent cheap but very nice Stagg chilli is nice too

PasturesNew

I tend to just head for: 
sausages/beans, to go on toast
spag bol, to go on toast
meatballs in tomato sauce, to serve with rice/pasta, or even chips
I look at tinned soups - e.g. Sainsburys used to do a lovely beef soup with dumplings that I ate as a stew/dumplings (don't think they do it any more). Look for chunky soups in general.

Si_Clist

Thanks folks   The only trouble with M&S stuff is that we need to buy everything online for the time being.  We can however get Tesco deliveries (he says, hopefully) so Fire_Fox's info is particularly handy.

GaleSF63

Hot dog sausages come in cans or jars. 

SDG31000

Tesco chicken in white sauce is good.  I tend to add fried onions, mushrooms and bacon to it along with a dash of worchestershire sauce and some dried tarragon.  Makes a good pie filling and is also good with rice and pasta

phoebe1989seb

We like the M&S steak & kidney which we use to make our own pies...but at £3 a tin (iirc) it's not cheap 

Personally, I hate anything that makes toast soggy and I've never been a fan of beans or spaghetti on toast but will eat Heinz baked beans/beans and sausages/spaghetti bolognese on a jacket potato. Or the beans/sausages with homemade mash - real comfort food...but not if you're my DH, lol!
Not with hoops/Mac cheese though - I hate those.

If I'm having a jacket potato as above, DH will possibly have a tin of Tesco curry (usually chicken) on his.....at the moment there's a tin of Princes chicken curry in the larder but I don't think he's tried that brand yet, so can't report back.....

We also keep a couple of jars/tins of hot dog sausages in there and despite making our own soups, we also have a supply of tinned soups. Although our tastes vary in that department too - he prefers the chunky or more 'exotic' flavours (ie, right now he has Aldi masala spiced cauliflower, Crosse & Blackwell spicy parsnip & carrot plus a couple of Big Soups) whereas my tastes in tinned soups stretch about as far as Heinz tomato or vegetable. They recently changed the recipe for lentil and it's now awful (imho) and my old childhood favourite (celery) is no longer available. Our own celery soup just doesn't come close