A Convenient Store Cupboard Staple

Tilda Steamed Basmati Rice

Tilda Rice is one of the products you will always find in my cupboards.  Their sachets of microwavable Steamed Basmati Rice are so easy to prepare on those days when I am rushed and still need to feed the family.  The children really enjoy the flavoured rice served with curry, chilli or stew.  They take just two minutes in the microwave and are ready to serve.

I was sent some to try out; Lemon Basmati, Vegetable Biryani, Sweet Chilli and Lime and Coconut Basmati.

They are all made with quality steamed Basmati rice and there are currently eighteen varieties available.  They are gluten free, veggie friendly and free from any artificial colours, preservatives and flavourings.  They can be used as an accompaniment or in recipes making them a versatile store cupboard essential.

I find that one sachet is plenty enough for two adults.  I really liked the Vegetable Biryani rice which is just 148 calories per serving.  We served it with a Panneer and Mushroom Korma, a samosa and a vegetable pakora.  The Coconut Rice went equally well with a curry.  The children enjoyed the Lemon Rice as a side dish instead of potatoes and the Sweet Chilli went perfectly as a side to Mexican fajitas.

For a quick, easy, versatile and convenient accompaniment, the Tilda Steamed Basmati Rice range is definitely a great store cupboard product.  Available in all the big supermarkets, the Co-Op and from Ocado, it costs around £1.59 for a 250 g packet.

Meat-Free Meal Ideas From Dalepak

As a vegetarian mum with a vegetarian family I am always on the lookout for meat-free products to feed us all.  Although I do enjoy cooking veggie meals from scratch, there are times (lots of times!) when I need to (or prefer to) prepare something quickly and easily.  It's times like this when I am grateful to food producers like Dalepak!

Dalepak have a great range of frozen meat-free goodies that are approved by the Vegetarian Society, meaning I can buy them in confidence.  I was asked to review some of their veggie offerings.

Dalepak Cauliflower Cheese Grills are a blend of cauliflower, green beans, onion and mature cheddar cheese wrapped in golden crumb.  They can be grilled, baked or fried from frozen making them very convenient.

They are ideal for feeding to my vegetarian children who all thoroughly enjoyed them saying they were "very tasty" and "cheesy"!  The clean plates were proof of how much they liked them.

The Cauliflower Cheese Grills were just £1 in Iceland, making them really reasonable as well as yummy!  They are a great product to keep on stand-by in the freezer for a quick, nutritious, veggie meal.  They are also great for non-vegetarians who want to cut down their meat intake making an easy, everyday meal option for all the family.

Other Dalepak Meat Free products include Vegetable Quarter Pounders, Vegetable Fingers, Vegetable Grills, Stuffing Balls, Mini Crispbakes, Nut Roasts and Spicy Bean Quarter Pounders.  Asda and Iceland are the main supermarket stockists of Dalepak products.  I live in a very small market town and I've not been able to find some of the products, but I am definitely looking forward to sampling them next time I shop further afield.  I especially like the sound of the Mini Crispbakes in cheese and onion, garlic mushroom and spicy bean flavours...perfect for a hot buffet!  And the Nut Roast, perfect for a Sunday lunch.


Find out more about the Dalepak range at www.dalepak.co.uk

Seriously Good Sauces

Seriously Good Cooking Sauces are now available in two different ranges, Italian and Indian. I was offered the chance to try one variety of each range to test Inside the Wendy House. 

The Italian Bolognese and Red Wine sauce is a rich, authentic tomato sauce flavoured with 12 year old balsamic vinegar, red wine , thyme and sundried tomatoes. 

The Indian Butter Chicken Sauce is a rich, mild butter sauce finished with spices, lemon and cream.  Tumeric, garam masala, coriander, clove, paprika and cumin provide authentic depth.

Gordon Ramsay has lent his expertise to this range and his face is on the jar labels!  At least 10p from every jar goes to Comic Relief to help people living the toughest of lives in the UK and overseas.  However...Gordon doesn't get a single penny!!

The sauces are made with top quality ingredients and can be simply heated up, served and enjoyed!  Just add your favourite ingredients to make a mouthwatering meal in minutes.  

We were sent a jar of each of the two flavours mentioned above.  The package design was fun and the lids clearly displayed their link to Comic Relief.  It's such an easy way of giving to charity just by buying a brand that supports a good cause.

As vegetarians, we used Quorn as our added ingredient to make our meals.  We made a Quorn Mince Bolognese with sundried tomato pasta.  The sauce was very intensely flavoured and smelled very authentic.  It was so easy to just heat through and serve and the finished result was delicious.  We made Butter Quorn Fillet (rather than Butter Chicken!) with basmati rice.  The sauce itself was suitable for veggies so we were able to enjoy this Korma style dish.  It was creamy and mildly spiced.  Perfect for my children's palettes. We all enjoyed both meals.  They tasted like "real" food which is important to me when using convenience products. 

The ingredients list had nothing artificial in it and it was reassuring to know that Gordon Ramsay is the man behind the brand!  In fact Ramsay was the one who cooked up the idea of Seriously Good sauces following a trip to Tanzania in 2002 for Comic Relief.  He decided to use his profile to help raise money for Comic Relief all year round and Seriously Good cooking sauces were born. So if you want a delicious, convenient cooking sauce that helps support the fantastic work done by Comic Relief...this is Seriously Good!!