As things stand (never say never), I’m a firm meat eater. I love a good steak, prawns are one of my staples, and the thought of no bacon or sausage ever again…
That’s not to say we don’t mix up our eating. We lean heavily on our veg box for inspiration, and vegetarian, and vegan food offers different flavours and textures that you can’t get with meat or fish. But sometimes it can feel like a lot of effort, and there are only so many times a stir fry or a curry is going to cut it. Friday night when lots of people are throwing on their glad rags, I’m dreaming of easy, but filling food, my pyjamas and a half doze on the sofa.
Rock and roll.
Which is why when Goodlife asked us to try their products, we were happy to. For those lazy evenings, where you don’t necessarily want a big heavy meal, just something tasty and easy.
For our first meal, we tried the mushroom and spinach kievs with a garlic and cheese sauce, putting them simply with some purple kale and new potatoes.
Now, whilst it might not look like the pretty picture on the website (when does anything?), we were rather impressed. Texture and flavour were good and, unlike some of the meatier versions, the sauce in the centre was both present and tasty.
We also didn’t miss the meat. The texture and flavour were interesting enough to keep our tastebuds happy.
Our next choice was perhaps my favourite.
I do love a sausage. Even a veggie one. This time it was one of those end of the month, use up all the scraps meals. The sausages went into the oven, and we used up a little hispi cabbage, a manky leek, some pretty dead baking potatoes and a couple of scraps of bacon.
Yes, I know, it kind of defeats the object a bit, but otherwise, they were going in the bin. So…
Again, a pretty satisfying combination. The skins on the French bean, spinach and Wensleydale sausages meant you still got a little ‘pop’ when you bit into them, the cheese means they’ve got a good flavour, but it doesn’t overpower the vegetables.
Our final box, was perhaps the most recognisable.
The falafel with chickpeas, cumin and coriander is something most people will recognise. It long has a place in my heart since my days working in Rusholme and our Friday afternoon lunches. And yes, though they’re not that difficult to make, these are even easier. Chuck them in the oven, warm a wrap or two, and add goodies of your choosing. Guacamole, hummus, sliced peppers and a little chilli sauce was just what we needed.
Overall, these are pretty good. Yeah, they’re a little carb heavy for me to eat all the time (14-24%) but that’s not the point. When you want something quick and easy, when your teenager is going through a veggie phase and you can’t cook two separate meals, when it’s a night in and you just want something satisfying, and when you just want an easy way to add more vegetables to your diet, then these are a great option.
These products were sent to us for review. As ever, I’m pretty truthful. If I didn’t like them, I’d say so. Yes, they’re a little carb heavy for my training diet, but as a long run carb up, or a lazy tea, they’re not bad at all. Especially those sausages.