Monday 23 April 2012

Juniors Pantry Review - Chicken Pesto Pasta

I'm currently struggling with Blake - he's going through an awkward eating stage (again!!!) and I am really drawing a blank at what to actually cook for him!

I spent an hour making homemade star shaped chicken nuggets completely from scratch right down to paprika breadcrumbs! The kitchen was a mess, I'd used every gadget I had - particularly my blender (always fun to clean!) and my darling little man wouldn't even touch them - let alone try one!

Junior's Pantry dishes collection Even as a play at home mum - I don't have time to spend experimenting in the kitchen, or the money to waste - home made might mean better value in the long run, but it cost considerably more to buy all the ingredients needed to make those nuggets, than to buy a pack of ready made supermarket own brand frozen ones!

I wanted to make my own because I'm fed up with the "nasties" in "bung in the oven" foods to feed my kids when I'm short on time to cook something wholesome.

I was sent a tub of Junior's Pantry chicken and pesto pasta to review.

Junior's pantry is just what busy parents need - and a godsend to kids in that fussy eating stage (seriously, Blake will currently only eat chocolate, crisps and cereal!- or at least that's what it seems like!).

Created by Kate Finch - "a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, Kate has baulked at the quick fix culinary solutions for daughters Olivia 9, and Lucy 7, who have become used to mum's
wholesome range of suppers."

Designed for quick and easy after school foods for primary aged children, junior's pantry can be found in the chiller section on Ocado, our chicken pesto pasta costs £2.89

Chicken with pesto pasta: A light pasta dish using orzo pasta (like large rice) and a delicious pesto and green vegetable sauce.

Other dishes in the launch include:

Chicken, prawn and chorizo paella: A delicious paella with a hint of smokey paprika from the chorizo RRP £2.89

Beef ragu: A vibrant beef ragu with lots of hidden veggies, served with wholemeal fusilli RRP £2.89

With more dishes coming soon!

"All dishes are approved by a nutritionist as suitable for children of this age and include at least one portion of vegetables, a serving of protein and a starchy staple for energy. Salt and saturated fat levels are also within dietary recommendations. It was important to Kate that no preservatives or ‘nasties’ were used in the dishes, so mums can be confident that they are just as good as homemade!"

The products are now available to purchase from www.ocado.com.

Like Junior's Pantry on Facebook www.facebook.com/JuniorsPantry

Follow Junior's Pantry on Twitter @juniorspantry

www.juniorspantry.co.uk

Emma in Bromley xx

5 comments:

  1. These look fab. Presumably because its aimed at primary school children though, the portions would be no good for our tots? but a godsend never the less. I wanted to comment because I'm also sick of the hidden nasty’s in anything 'quick cooking'. I buy Max little dish meals for days when he can't eat our dinners, but having tasted them myself I find them very bland - he is used to our food full of herbs/spices etc (he has just finished off a homemade chilli that was too hot for me declaring it 'delicious mummy'). did you get to have a little nibble of this range to see how tasty they really was? x

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    1. I just wanted to post a quick reply to you; it sounds like your son has been exposed to a broad range of tastes at a young age which I think is brilliant. It is exactly what I did with my girls. We have made our range of food "grown up food" for little ones. So without compromising on flavour we have made dishes without salt and any flavourings that are still very tasty. I think Max would love the Paella it is really popular with children and adults! Kate Finch, Founder Junior's Pantry

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    2. Thanks Louise - I split the portion into two for Blake (almost 3) and that seemed fine.
      I tasted it too - the pesto made sure it was anything but bland! X

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    3. Thank you Kate, it really means a lot to me that you took the time to read my review and comment.

      I think children can handle more flavour that most parents think! Both my little ones love tons of garlic and herbs and spices!

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    4. I have ordred some from Ocado :o) and the fact that they can be split into two for max, or shared between both boys even since Mason will tuck into anything at 10months, means that they are even better value for money for me, hehe. Thanks for bringing them to my attention! X

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Thank you for your comments

Emma x