Company: Innocent
Rsp: £3.49
Size of the vegetarian ready meal market: £11m
The competition: Covent Garden Food Company, Linda McCartney
The Consumer
I found four of the flavours delicious, but the pea & broccoli rice was bland. The products had a satisfying texture, with fresh, crunchy vegetables in a hot stew. The size may be too small for a hungry man though. The pots looked good and had informative labels. The downside is that you can’t recycle them. I would buy these for lunch if the price were about £3, but probably not if it was above £3.30. Four stars (out of five)
Tiina Ruonamaa, commissioning editor, John Wiley & Sons
The Expert
Good for Innocent. It is doing something exciting and innovative in a category that I believe has been lacking in ideas. If I saw the pots on shelf I would definitely be intrigued because the packaging is fun. However, because the pot is transparent, you assume you can eat the thing cold and on the go. The fact you have to microwave them is not made clear. It caught me out anyway. Despite that, they tasted good – and would be even better heated up! Three stars
Nigel Ashton, business manager, Nisa-Today’s
The Grocer
The package design is great and I like its environmentally friendly cardboard sleeve and the wacky ideas for things to do with the tub. However, the overall taste left me feeling short-changed. Although I was proud of myself for getting three portions of veg in one hit, the overriding lack of flavour made it difficult to finish the pot. With quite a high price tag for a snack, it needs to be tasty as well as virtuous. Two stars
Michael Barker, fresh foods editor
Rsp: £3.49
Size of the vegetarian ready meal market: £11m
The competition: Covent Garden Food Company, Linda McCartney
The Consumer
I found four of the flavours delicious, but the pea & broccoli rice was bland. The products had a satisfying texture, with fresh, crunchy vegetables in a hot stew. The size may be too small for a hungry man though. The pots looked good and had informative labels. The downside is that you can’t recycle them. I would buy these for lunch if the price were about £3, but probably not if it was above £3.30. Four stars (out of five)
Tiina Ruonamaa, commissioning editor, John Wiley & Sons
The Expert
Good for Innocent. It is doing something exciting and innovative in a category that I believe has been lacking in ideas. If I saw the pots on shelf I would definitely be intrigued because the packaging is fun. However, because the pot is transparent, you assume you can eat the thing cold and on the go. The fact you have to microwave them is not made clear. It caught me out anyway. Despite that, they tasted good – and would be even better heated up! Three stars
Nigel Ashton, business manager, Nisa-Today’s
The Grocer
The package design is great and I like its environmentally friendly cardboard sleeve and the wacky ideas for things to do with the tub. However, the overall taste left me feeling short-changed. Although I was proud of myself for getting three portions of veg in one hit, the overriding lack of flavour made it difficult to finish the pot. With quite a high price tag for a snack, it needs to be tasty as well as virtuous. Two stars
Michael Barker, fresh foods editor
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