Scratch. is a new range of almost ready meals using fresh ingredients and recipes conceived by culinary don Michel Roux Snr. Scratch. meals come complete with all the ingredients you need to cook a delicious meal for one in around 15 minutes.
The arrival of our sample, Chicken & Chorizo Jambalaya, conveniently coincided with my arrival home post pub as my wife was heading out on the tiles. Too ‘tired’ too cook a full meal, I got stuck straight in…
The instructions make it almost impossible to mess up, and after adding a few unscheduled splashes of water to stop the recipe from sticking I was ready to serve – time check 17 minutes.
Marks & Spencer has come close to making convenience food taste good, but with Michel Roux Snr’s name on the pack I was hopeful that this product would deliver where others had failed. Yes: I had to do more work that simply slinging it in the oven. Yes: I had to dirty a couple of pans. But by the time I’d spooned it onto the plate and squeezed over the fresh lime juice I was certain I was set for a good time.
The Taste Test
Upon forking the Jambalaya into my trap I was greeted with an incredibly fresh and zingy taste sensation, containing a complexity of flavour I’d never experience before in a ready meal. This meal was delicious and had a friend secretly served this to me and taken the credit there’s a strong chance we’d be closer as a result.
The fresh herbs a lime juice really help to transform this dish and, as a avid cook myself, I’m more than happy to let Michel Roux do the hard work on occasion in the future if it means I can eat well in record time without letting my standards slip.
If you’re crap at cooking, then why not let a Michelin Star don take charge for the evening? I can assure you you’ll be raking in the plaudits as a result.
Varieties include:
- Moroccan Chicken Tagine
- Malaysian King Prawn Noodles
- Lamb Provencal
- Chicken & Chorizo Jambalaya
Each meal costs £4.99 per portion from Sainbury’s and selected suppliers