Ready meals aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but when you’re tired and in a time crunch, they can feel like a godsend.
But what’s the most amount of money you’d be willing to pay for one? £5? £10? What about £30?
Meal brand Charlie Bigham’s has just launched a new Brasserie range in selected Waitrose stores and the most expensive product, a Beef Wellington for two, will set you back almost £30 (£29.95).
According to the product description, the Wellington sees ‘prime centre-cut beef fillet wrapped in rich mushroom duxelles made with Pedro Ximénez and chicken liver for a deeply savoury finish. It is dressed with Dijon mustard and thyme, then hand-rolled and encased in golden puff pastry’.
There are four other dishes in the range, which are also at the pricier end of the scale, all between £16.95 and £19.95.
To put the cost of these into perspective, premium supermarket own-brand ready meals for two, such as those by Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference, Tesco Finest, Waitrose No.1, or M&S Gastro Pub range from £7 to £12 at the time of writing.
The second most expensive item in the Brasserie range is a Salmon Wellington, but other options include Venison Bourguignon with browned butter mashed potato topped with a Parmesan crumb, Coq au Vin and potato and celeriac dauphinoise, plus a Duck confit and Pommes Anna.
According to the team at Charlie Bigham’s, the meals are intended to ‘capture the essence of restaurant dining’ at home, through ‘elevated’ dishes and the food is deal for a special occasion, such as an anniversary.
‘Showstopping food doesn’t always have to mean going out,’ says founder Charlie Bigham.
‘With the Brasserie range, you can have that same restaurant-quality experience at home – the kind of treat-worthy food you’ll want to take your time over and really enjoy together.’
But is it really that good? Metro’s lifestyle team gave three of the dishes a try, including the £30 Beef Wellington, to see how they actually taste and whether they are worth the price.
Here’s our honest verdict…
Beef Wellington (RRP £29.95)
Although £30 for a pre-made dinner (without side dishes) is no small sum, making beef wellington from scratch can easily cost far more – and when you factor in the time and effort it takes, Charlie Bigham’s latest creation doesn’t seem so outrageous.
Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to its price tag.
Recommended for two, the wellington is certainly substantial, with neatly-latticed puff pastry and upmarket farmer’s market-style packaging.
But first impressions can be deceiving, and despite following the instructions to a T, it was (quite literally) a bit of a damp quib. Even though I pre-heated the oven for longer than usual, by the time it had been cooking for 30 minutes – as advertised for ‘medium rare’ – the pastry was still soggy along the sides. Another 10 minutes didn’t seem to make much difference, but at this point my mash was getting cold and the smell wafting through the kitchen was making my stomach rumble, so I bit the bullet and took it out.
As I sliced through the middle, the beef was still largely raw, and paled in comparison to the excess of mushroom duxelles that seeped through the uneven, doughy pastry.
Taste-wise, I wouldn’t send it back in a restaurant, mainly because rare meat doesn’t bother me, and this cut was lovely and tender. The mushroom filling was quite overpowering though, dominating everything else on the plate both in quantity and richness.
Overall, it was just underwhelming. If it had matched up to the photos, I’d have justified the splurge for a romantic meal or dinner party, but as it stands I reckon they’d be more impressed with good old steak and chips.
Rating: 2/5
Reviewed by Jessica Lindsay, assistant lifestyle editor
Duck confit & Pommes Anna (RRP £16.95)
Product description: Confit Gressingham Duck legs are slow-cooked in their own fat with garlic, thyme and rosemary until tender. Then served atop a rich sauce of lentils, red wine and smoked bacon, finished with caramelised onions and a moreish garlic-parmesan crumb. Accompanied by sliced potatoes with nutty browned butter and a cheddar-parmesan topping.
Our verdict: I was nicely surprised by Charlie Bigham’s Brasserie Duck Confit, which came with a rich red wine sauce complete with lentils and smoked bacon.
The browned butter sliced potatoes were absolutely gorgeous, but my only criticism here is that I couldn’t quite taste the browned butter in the sauce. If I hadn’t read the packet beforehand, I never would’ve assumed this flavour was actually part of it.
The lentil sauce was a lovely addition, but of course, the duck was the show stealer. I was really surprised by how tender I was able to get it in my humble gas oven. I could really detect that slow-cooked vibe – and for a second, I almost did feel like I was in an actual French brassiere.
However, for me, the obvious conclusion is that I wouldn’t spend £16.95 on this – even if it does serve two people. I enjoy home cooking, so if I do get a ready meal, it’s usually for convenience reasons, and I’d typically go for a more budget-friendly option. And honestly, if I wanted something a little bougier like this dish, I’d rather pay a little more to have it in an actual restaurant.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewed by Eleanor Noyce, lifestyle reporter
Coq au Vin (RRP £16.95)
Product description: Bigham’s chefs expertly french-trim chicken legs, which are then marinated in red wine and slowly braised before being served atop a rich sauce of roasted chestnut mushrooms, Chantenay carrots, onions, and bacon. Finished with potato and celeriac dauphinoise, this dish offers deep, comforting flavours with the finesse of a French bistro.
Our verdict: I had mixed feelings about this dish when I first opened the packet. The smell was off-putting and it didn’t look all that appetising, but I’ve always been a fan of Charlie Bigham’s food, so I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and hoped it would all work out well in the end.
As per the recommendation on the packet, when cooking I removed the chicken legs from the sauce and popped them on a lined baking tray on the top shelf of my oven – it worked very well as the skin on top became wonderfully crisp and nicely browned.
The red wine sauce was rich and paired wonderfully with the chicken and the dauphinoise, which was oh so creamy and cheesy. The taste was definitely of a much higher quality than your average supermarket ready meal – but you’d hope this would be the case, considering it’s almost triple the price.
As such, the biggest downside for me has to be the cost… regardless of the quality, £17 for a ready meal feels extortionate when you can make delicious food from scratch for so much less.
Given the price, I’d also expect there to be a slightly more food. There were just three teeny tiny carrots in the entire dish, which isn’t very generous when serving two people and I’d have liked even more dauphinoise, as this was hands down the best part of the entire meal.
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer
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