#25 - Sweet & Sour Pot Noodle

• Brand: Pot Noodle
• Flavour: Sweet & Sour
• Cost: £0.75 (buy 2nd half price deal, original price £1.00)
• From: Sainsbury’s
  
• Description: Noodles in an Chinese Sweet and Sour flavour sauce with vegetables and a little sachet of sweet and sour sauce.
• Weight: 90g (305g when prepared)
• Allergies: None listed
  
  
                                            Weird Colour Packaging

The Pot Noodle range currently has 12 flavours and this is my 7th review. Don't worry though there's also the King Pots and GTi flavours to try - how exciting!

I'll make my usual Pot Noodle comment: congratulations on nearly having 100% recyclable packaging - just got the sachet to work on. Unusually I'm going to comment on the colour of this pot - who decided that sky blue was the best colour to represent sweet and sour? Surely it should be a bright red or orange...

Anyway, that's not as important as what's inside. Hang on, yes it is! If I actually went to a supermarket (I get my rations delivered) and was browsing the aisle there is nothing that I'd find appealing about this colour. If anyone can name me a common food stuff that is naturally sky blue in colour I'd be very pleased to hear from you. I don't know why the darker blue works for the Chow Mein flavour - it just does!

“How do they taste?” The answer is a tad bland. There's a little bit of spice I can detect in the unctuous broth but not enough for my liking. In fact there's not enough all around flavour of anything, that said the flavour you get isn't offensive, it's pretty tasty actually - just needs to be stronger. Looking through the ingredients I can see an item I don't recognise, tartaric acid, but by the time you read this I'll have looked it up and there'll be a definition in our glossary. One ingredient I didn't expect to see listed is apple, didn't see any, didn't taste any.

“Do they remind me in any way of a sweet and sour dish?”  The answer is nearly. There are many sweet notes and even a hint of sour - but only a hint. I had a taste of the sachet contents and that's where they're trying to get most of the sour taste I think as it contains malt vinegar and lemon juice along with the usual citric acid.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is satiated and pretty happy, bring on the rest of the day!

Conclusion – It's average by Pot Noodle standards, not enough punch in the flavour.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5.5/10

#24 - Spicy Sweet & Sour Mug Shot On The Go!

• Brand: Mug Shot On The Go!
• Flavour: Spicy Sweet & Sour
• Cost: £0.75 (buy 2 for £1.50 deal, original price £1.00)
• From: Tesco
  
• Description: Ribbon noodles in a spicy sweet & sour sauce with peppers, carrot and chillies
• Weight: 67g (275g when prepared)
• Allergies: Wheat Gluten, Egg, Celery
  
  
                                             Better than expected

I've tried a couple of the pouch style Mug Shots and I wasn't that impressed, let's see how the On The Go! version measures up.

Well Done Symington's!

First thing is a massive positive. In all the other products I've had produced by Symington's I've never seen a single 'you can recycle this' label. On this package however there is a clear sign that the packaging is 100% recyclable - well done!

Staying with the packaging there's very clear 6 step instructions; open, pour, stir, leave, top up if required, stir. There's also big proud badges saying no artificial colours or preservatives, it's ready in 5 mins and it's suitable for vegetarians. There is however one problem, the 'fill to' line is on the outside of the packet and there's nothing on the inside at all, seems a bit silly and makes it difficult to get the recommended amount of water. This is more of a problem for me than you as I like to use all the manufacturer's recommendations, I prepare it as they suggest with the right amount of water and I never season. I want it to be as they intended it.

“How do they taste?” The answer is quite nice. There's a lovely level of spice that actually tastes of chilli. The broth is lovely and sticky and coats all the noodles and the little chunks of vegetables add a little bit of crunch. There is quite a strong tomato flavour coming through too.

“Do they remind me in any way of a sweet & sour dish?” The answer is yes, mainly down to the fact there is both a sweet flavour and a sour flavour. The spicy bit is true too. It's not going to blow your head off but you know you've been eating chilli - which in this instance is provided by ground jalapeño. A quick flick through the ingredients and it's all there, you've got sugar and dried glucose syrup for the sweet and then you've got citric acid, jalapeño and (I'm guess this adds to it) white wine extract.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is good, raring to go in fact - love a bit of chilli at lunch and this is great for me.

Conclusion – My expectations were low, they shouldn't have been, this is actually quite a lovely light lunch. The confusing thing is that they appear very similar to the packet version but they're much better. I'd really like to see a side by side comparison of what actually goes into these two products.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 7.5/10

#23 - Chinese Chow Mein Pot Noodle

• Brand: Pot Noodle
• Flavour: Chinese Chow Mein
• Cost: £0.75 (buy 2nd half price deal, original price £1.00)
• From: Sainsbury’s
  
• Description: Noodles in an Chinese Chow Mein flavour sauce with vegetables and a little sachet of oriental soy sauce.
• Weight: 90g (305g when prepared)
• Allergies: None listed
  
  
                                                Not quite...

I seem to be getting through these Pot Noodle flavours quite quickly but they're the easiest to find aren't they, they're everywhere from petrol stations to supermarkets. I don't know why they're the most popular here in the UK but they clearly are.

I've not tried this flavour before, or at least if I have I don't remember, so I'm quite intrigued as to how I'll find it. The first impressions are always good though with Pot Noodle, almost entirely recyclable packaging.

“How do they taste?” The answer is interesting. They're not as sweet as you usually find with this type of product and there's a lingering bitterness which is relatively fresh. I think I like it but I'm not totally convinced...

“Do they remind me in any way of a Chinese chow mein?”  The answer is nearly. You see a proper chow mein (not the crispy Hong Kong style) is just noodles and meat (usually stir fried with ginger, garlic, spring onion and a variety of other vegetables) then mixed with soy sauce. This has a hint of ginger running through it and leaves a salty / soy sauce kind of after taste. It's difficult to compare it properly when I've had so many chow meins in my life.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is satiated and pretty happy but with a crazy salty mouth. I am ready to hit the afternoon which is the important thing.

Conclusion – This after taste is starting to get to me, it's too salty - it contains nearly 2g of salt, that's over 30% of the recommended daily allowance - but all in all I enjoyed the experience of eating it. I can see how they've really tried to get the chow mein flavours so all in all - a good try.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 6/10

#22 - Batchelor's Chicken Flavour Pot Shots

• Brand: Batchelor’s Pot Shots


• Flavour: Chicken


• Cost: £0.60 (3 for £1.80 deal, normally £0.79 each)


• From: Sainsbury’s


• Description: A delicious, filling noodle snack in a tasty sweet & sour flavour sauce


• Weight: 46g (225g when prepared)


• Allergies: Wheat, Gluten, Milk
  
  [caption id="attachment_177" align="aligncenter" width="408"] Average[/caption]

I've only tried one of these Pot Shots before, the Sweet & Sour flavour, and I thought it was great so I'm looking forward to this one. As with the afore mentioned test I can see that ALL the packaging is recyclable - brilliant!

WOW! When you pour the water in you can actually smell chicken. If you've read previous posts you'll find that I've got quite cross about the fact that all these noodle manufacturers give a protein on the front, like Chilli Beef or Chicken & Mushroom, and they make no effort to add anything that gives you the flavour of it. However, on the ingredients list here I can see diced chicken and chicken fat - this is going well.

“How do they taste?” The answer is different.They're a little bit grainy. There is a sweet taste coming through as well as a dry kind of umami over the top. There's no spice in it and the veg doesn't really come through either.

“Do they remind me in any way of a chicken dish?”  The answer is yes, but a it's a very specific yes. When I was younger I used to go swimming with my dad and afterwards we'd have something out of the 10p hot drinks vending machine (this is about 25 years ago). Quite often I'd go for the chicken soup and that is the flavour I'm getting from this dish.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is alright but not quite full. The  flavour I'm left with is quite salty too and my mouth's gone a bit dry. Looking at the nutritional information I can see there's 18% of your day's salt intake in them - is that a lot? I'll have to pay more attention to this in future. Wait hang on, this might actually be down to the inclusion of tricalcium phosphate - take a look at the glossary to see what I mean.

Conclusion – Packaging and commitment to flavour I have to applaud but they're just a little bit too small and I don't think they got the flavour they were looking for. It's just a bit average which is a real shame and this salty after taste is a bit annoying.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5/10

#21 - Original Curry Pot Noodle

• Brand: Pot Noodle
• Flavour: Original Curry
• Cost: £0.75 (buy 2nd half price deal, original price £1.00)
• From: Sainsbury's
  
• Description: Noodles in an Original Curry flavour sauce with vegetables and a little sachet of sweet mango chutney.
• Weight: 90g (305g when prepared)
• Allergies: May contain Soya
  
  
                                                 An old school flavour - in a good way

I'm pretty hungry today for some reason so I hope these do the trick. To be fair I rarely have hunger / snacking issues following a Pot Noodle so this will be a good test.

Everything is as usual with the packaging which means that everything except the sachet (i.e. the pot and the lid) can be recycled, which is good.

“How do they taste?” The answer is nice. There's the usual noodle product sweetness with a nice kick of spice and an almost fruity flavour coming over the top. That could be from the sweet mango chutney which I tasted a little of straight from the sachet. Guess what? It actually tasted, more or less, like authentic mango chutney!

“Do they remind me in any way of a curry?”  The answer is that it does, but not an Indian / Pakistani curry. The flavour much more approximates a Chinese curry flavour which isn't a problem for me but is a little surprising given the ingredients of Curry Powder and Ground Cumin. A further look at the ingredients shows that it also contains cheese powder - I wonder why? There is also an ingredient I don't recognise, Sodium Diacetate. I will find out what it is however so head over to the glossary to see what this is where you'll find descriptions of some of the other weird ingredients; maltodextrin, MSG, sodium carbonate & potassium carbonate.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is satiated and pretty happy. I am ready to hit the afternoon and all my earlier hunger pangs have dissipated, excellent!

Conclusion – It's one of Pot Noodle's oldest flavours and you can see why it's still popular. There's a good level of chilli heat, a lovely broth, sticky noodles, great little bits of veg floating about all in a nice sized lunchtime meal.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 7/10

#20 - Batchelor's Sweet & Sour Flavour Pot Shots

• Brand: Batchelor’s Pot Shots
• Flavour: Sweet & Sour
• Cost: £0.60 (3 for £1.80 deal, normally £0.79 each)
• From: Sainsbury's
• Description: A delicious, filling noodle snack in a tasty sweet & sour flavour sauce
• Weight: 46g (225g when prepared)
• Allergies: Wheat, Gluten (produced in a factory that handles milk powder)
  
  
   

Not bad at all...

 

BIG THUMBS UP!!!

The first thing I'd like to draw your attention to is, for me, very much a positive of this little noodle pot - it is entirely recyclable. Take a look at the little picture on the right and you'll see it right there, they even advise you to remove the sleeve so that it's easier for the waste management companies and there's even a link to finding out what can be recycled in your area if you're in the UK (www.recyclenow.com) - big thumbs up from me! Also, the pot isn't any bigger than it needs to be, can you tell I'm impressed?

Less than 2& fat, no preservatives, no artificial colours - sounds positively healthy, let's have a quick look at the ingredients... Again I'm impressed, there's the usual maltodextrin, MSG & E635 but these are all harmless - check the glossary to see what they're about.

“How do they taste?” The answer is quiet nice. The noodles are soft, the flavour is sweet and the broth is thick and sticky. It's the type of flavour that has you digging in again. The only thing I'd say is that despite all the natural ingredients there is a little bit of a chemical taste coming through.

“Do they remind me in any way of a sweet & sour dish? The answer is half. They're much more sweet than they are sour but there is a hint of sourness which I would guess comes from the citric acid, maybe just a bit more or add some lemon please Batchelor's?

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is wanting more. I'm not full which is the main purpose of these things isn't it, especially when it's described as a "filling noodle snack". That said I feel good, I've got a nice warm tummy and a lovely taste left in my mouth.

Conclusion – Could be brilliant! Alas there are a couple of problems - I would happily pay a bit more to increase the volume in these pots. I think, although the taste isn't sweet and sour it is a good flavour but it needs to be sweet & sour. Please Batchelor's whack in some proper citrus flavour, make them 15% bigger and charge me a pound.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 6.5/10

#19 - The Nation's Noodle Beef & Tomato Flavour

• Brand: The Nation’s Noodle (Golden Wonder)
• Flavour: Beef & Tomato
• Cost: £0.75 (2 for £1.50 deal, normally £1 each)
• From: Tesco
• Description:Dried noodles in a beef & tomato flavour sauce with soya protein and vegetables
• Weight: 90g (277g when made up as per instructions)
• Allergies: Cow’s Milk, Wheat Gluten, Egg, Soya (may contain traces of nuts)
  
  
                                 A Lot To Live Up To

Golden Wonder noodles, the name just conjures up the early days of the Pot Noodle when instant noodles first hit our shores back in 1978. Earlier this week I reviewed the Beef & Tomato Pot Noodle and it scored a very respectable 7/10, these have a lot to live up to.

They're not off to a good start with their non-recyclable packing...

“How do they taste?” The answer is not very nice, it's a mixed up jumble of flavours that has the net effect of "wrong". I can't even really describe it... sorry, the only thing I can think of is that they've gone way overboard on the yeast extract.

“Do they remind me in any way of a beef & tomato dish? The answer is not at all. This time I can't even taste the tomato, honestly it's just a mess in my opinion.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is worried, food shouldn't taste this nondescript.

Conclusion – Never again, such a let down after their great Chip Shop Curry offering.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 1.5/10

#18 - Sticky Rib Pot Noodle

• Brand: Pot Noodle
• Flavour: Sticky Rib
• Cost: £1.00
• From: Tesco
• Description: Noodles in a Chinese style Sticky Rib flavour sauce with vegetables and a little sachet of Peking sauce.
• Weight: 90g (305g when prepared)
• Allergies: None listed
  
  
                                              Hmmm...

The full title of this product appears to be: Mr Chu's Golden Noodle Pot Noodle No.7 Sticky Rib Flavour - fair enough... I don't think there are any other Golden Noodle flavours and I'm unaware of numbers 1 - 6.

The first thing I have to say is that as soon as you add the hot water you get a great whiff of what smells just like Chinese spare ribs - these should be good!

As usual the packaging is nearly entirely recyclable, the instructions are easy to follow and the packaging is conducive to ease of preparation.

“How do they taste?” The answer is alright, if not a little bitter. I'm not a great fan of blackbean sauce because I find it bitter in the same way as I find this but at least there's a good amount of sweetness to almost balance it out

“Do they remind me in any way of sticky ribs?”  The answer is almost a little bit but not really. The smell when you're preparing it is as close as you're going to get. The overall flavour has elements of Chinese-style but they're a bit jumbled up and not that great. Looking at the ingredients there really isn't a lot of flavour in it full stop. We've got peppers, onion, chives, garlic, spices (what spices exactly?), barley malt extract and soy sauce - doesn't appear to have too much Chinese influence does it?

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is satiated but with an overriding bitterness lingering around my palette.

Conclusion – Not a great effort by the Pot Noodle posse, it's almost as if the flavour was invented and then named because I'm sure the ingredients would have been a bit different if they were trying to emulate an authentic Chinese dish from the get-go.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 4/10

#17 - Beef & Tomato Pot Noodle

• Brand: Pot Noodle
• Flavour: Beef & Tomato
• Cost: £1.00
• From: Tesco
• Description: Noodles in a Beef and Tomato flavour sauce with vegetables and a little sachet of tomato sauce.
• Weight: 90g (305g when prepared)
• Allergies: None listed
  
  
                                                                          One of the oldies, still a goodie

I think this was probably my first ever instant noodle product which I would probably have eaten around 1985 - #ohmygodiamold. Back then they looked huge and could probably fill me up for a week, these days they look about normal size and their only purpose to is to fill me up until dinner.

As usual the vast majority of the packing is recyclable which I think is great. There isn't much more to say apart from this is my 2nd beef and tomato flavour this week (after the Tesco Everyday Value I had on Monday) and I have a third waiting for me in the cupboard.

“How do they taste?” The answer is good. They're a lovely warming mouthful of a bit of sweet, a bit of umami, and all noodley goodness. I particularly like the peas and pieces of tomato floating around as they add a great bit of texture and little taste explosions when you sink your teeth in to them.

“Do they remind me in any way of a beef and tomato dish?”  The answer is no, no, no, no, NO! There is a taste of tomato, of course there is though as there's tomato all the way through it. There's 8% actual tomato in the pot and there's tomato sauce, which contains tomato paste, in the sachet. There is no beef anywhere - I'm not going to go on about it, I'm just going to stop this paragraph.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is not bad at all. It's a good flavour, the consistency is great and I'm ready to go at the afternoon.

Conclusion – A joy to prepare, to eat and to recycle. I really just wish the manufacturers would stop picking a random protein and telling us their product tastes of it when it doesn't. Another plus for me is that you recognise nearly everything in the ingredients except for a couple of flavour enhancers, MSG & disodium 5'ribonucleotides - check the glossary for a breakdown of some of the not-so-delicious-sounding common ingredients in our processed foods.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 7/10

#16 - The Nation's Noodle Chip Shop Curry Flavour

• Brand: The Nation's Noodle (Golden Wonder)
• Flavour: Chip Shop Curry
• Cost: £0.75 (2 for £1.50 deal, normally £1 each)
• From: Tesco
• Description:Dried noodles in a chip shop curry flavour sauce with peas and carrot
• Weight: 90g (277g when made up as per instructions)
• Allergies: Cow's Milk, Wheat Gluten, Soya, Mustard
  
  
                                                                                         Would be up there if it was recyclable

Good old Golden Wonder. They introduced the original Pot Noodle into the UK in 1978 before selling it off to Unilever. I think after this decision they may have looked back and in their best collective Homer voice sighed a collective "Doh!".

Symington's, a Leeds based food producer, started using the Golden Wonder name under licence in 2009 and have been producing The Nation's Noodle. As usual with a Symington's product I can't see a single sign that any of the packaging is recyclable which in this day and age is quite frankly abysmal. What is also very disappointing is that there is a web address on the packet - www.thenationsnoodle.co.uk - and at the time of writing there is no website at that URL.

“How do they taste?” The answer is pretty darn good. They're sweet with a bit of chilli heat and a lovely amount of umami. The noodles are of a great texture and the whole consistency is spot on.

“Do they remind me in any way of a chip shop curry? The answer is almost entirely. My personal love affair with chip shop curry started about 30 years ago and it's still the same thing today that I love about it - the onions. This pot has got every flavour there except the tangy sweetness that the onions provide. There is onion powder in it but I suppose you just can't beat fresh onion, perhaps I'm being a bit picky?

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is good, ready to go and have a good afternoon, bring it on!

Conclusion – Highs and lows really. I can't forgive non-recyclable packaging in 2013 but the taste is so good, however a look at the ingredients and I'm afraid I'm going to have to direct you to the Glossary unless you already know what Guar Gum, Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose, Sodium Carbonate, Potassium Carbonate, Dried Glucose Syrup, Rusk, Curcumin, Dipotassium Phosphate, Trisodium Citrate and Malic Acid are.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 6.5/10

#15 - Tesco Everyday Value Beef & Tomato Flavour Noodles

• Brand: Tesco Everyday Value
• Flavour: Beef & Tomato
• Cost: £0.40
• From: Tesco
• Description:Dried noodles in a beef and tomato flavour sauce mix with soya protein and dried vegetables
• Weight: 70g (260g when made up as per instructions)
• Allergies: Wheat, Gluten, Soya
  
  
                                              Basic but alright

This is the cheapest pot I've tried so far which isn't surprising given its origins in the Everyday Value range. Despite its cheapness it still boasts a recycle logo on the pot, not the lid but that's not bad at all in my humble opinion. It also boasts about not having any artificial preservatives, flavours, colours or MSG - now that's not bad at all - for 40p!

A quick look at the ingredients and you'd recognise every word on there as a food stuff except for one and that's our old friend maltodextrin, a perfectly harmless thickening agent made from starch. To see a bit more about it and the details of some other ingredients that are found in instant noodle products take a look at the glossary.

“How do they taste?” The answer is not bad and remarkably flavoursome. I say this as you'd expect the bare minimum of flavouring but you get a nice dark broth coating nice noodles with the odd little bite of carrot or pea.

“Do they remind me in any way of a beef and tomato? The answer is no. OK, there's a bit of a taste of tomato but it's more ketchup than the fruit itself. As for beef, don't get me started on how so many noodle producers don't even bother to attempt to replicate any kind of beefiness, I wish these were different.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is fine. I don't know what I was expecting to feel like? It's only 345 calories so I'm already considering my next snack and that is an issue.

Conclusion – For the price I'd say there's a lot of effort gone into this pot. OK, there's my usual rant about the beef issue but at least they've put in some textured soya which almost has the consistency of mince, almost. It's not going to fool you into thinking you're eating a piece of steak but I like it, at least there's some kind of effort gone in. Also, I've had worse at more than twice the price.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 4/10

#14 - Naked Noodle Thai Style Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup

• Brand: Naked Noodle
• Flavour: Thai Style Chicken
• Cost: £1.00
• From: Sainsbury’s
• Description: Instant chicken flavour soup with noodles, coconut milk, spices and lemongrass flavour
• Weight: 55g (355g when made up as per instructions)
• Allergies: Cow's Milk, Wheat Gluten, Soya
  
  
                                                The best of the Naked Noodle range

So this is the last for me to try in the current line up of Naked Noodle flavours and given my views on the other two flavours (Hot & Sour, Chilli Beef) I'm not that excited. As usual there's too much packaging and too many plastic forks inside the box - there is only 1, but that is too many.

Upon adding the boiling hot water I'm met with a strong smell of lemongrass, this could be better than I expected, and wait, yes I can also smell coconut milk. Clearly these aren't the only flavours Thailand is famous for but it's a pretty good start. I really hope it's got a good chilli kick and a lovely sweetness to it...

“How do they taste?” The answer is not bad. It's quite sweet with a hint of bitterness. The noodles are of a good consistency, as is the soup. I can taste a couple of herbs coming through but I really hoped it would be spicy.

“Do they remind me in any way of a Thai style chicken soup?”  The answer is sort of, you can really taste lemon grass, coconut milk and ginger - surprisingly no chicken however, let me just check the ingredients list... NO CHICKEN!!! Not even powdered chicken skin (mmmm, chicken skin), what the hell are these nomenclature rules in British packaged foods, surely you should have to at least attempt a chicken taste - surely? For me Thai cuisine done well is the perfect marriage of spicy, sweet, bitter and salty flavours with a fragrant overtone. This is mainly fragrant (which actually produces the bitterness) with a bit of sweetness. The colour is a little insipid as well and a quick look at the ingredients shows they've used curcumin, please check the glossary to see what this is.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is not bad at all, now I've got a little bit of chilli mingling with the coconut milk and lemongrass flavours it's actually a really nice after taste. I'm not too heavy and it's time to go at the afternoon.

Conclusion – These are my favourite of the current (08/02/2013) Naked Noodle range. They're a little bit different to most of the other types I've tried mainly I think due to the rich coconut milk flavour. I might be tempted to try these again.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5/10

#13 - Chicken & Sweetcorn Mug Shot

• Brand: Mug Shot
• Flavour: Chicken & Sweetcorn
• Cost: £0.50 (2 for £1 deal, normally £0.75 each)
• From: Sainsbury’s
• Description: Ribbon noodles in a chicken flavour sauce with sweetcorn and mushrooms
• Weight: 54g (245g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: Milk, Wheat Gluten, Barley Gluten, Egg, Celery
  
  
                                               Spot the difference

So today it's a cheap, and hopefully cheerful, option. I suppose you could carry these in your pocket which makes them an easier option than a large pot or box but you will need to have a mug on standby at your chosen eating location.

Why isn't the packaging recyclable? WHY??? It's a paper pouch, make it recyclable! While I'm looking, in disgust, at the packaging let me tell you what we've got - no artificial colours or preservatives, less than 1% fat and ready in 5 minutes (that seems like an age for instant noodles). Also, while we're on the packaging, look at their picture and then what it actually looks like - not even close!

On the back we've got the ingredients list which isn't a happy read. We've got dried glucose syrup, maltodextrin, citric acid, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (please head over to the glossary to learn a bit more about these ingredients). The only stuff on here that sounds edible is the noodles (durum wheat semolina, salt & egg white), potato starch, dried sweetcorn and mushrooms (2.5%), yeast extract, vegetable oil, milk protein and dried chives. That's everything listed, SO WHERE IS THE CHICKEN FLAVOUR SUPPOSED TO COME FROM?

“How do they taste?” The answer is pretty bland. It's a bit sweet and a bit umami - struggling here - but the ribbon noodles are quite a nice consistency.

“Do they remind me in any way of a chicken and sweetcorn dish?” The answer is no, primarily because the is NO FLAVOUR OF CHICKEN! Also, not really of sweetcorn despite the odd kernel floating about, or of mushroom despite the odd sliver of mushroom also floating about.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is pretty standard. I know I've eaten but that's about as far as it goes, no flavour left on my palette, just a bit of warmth in my belly.

Conclusion – Unlike their spicy sweet and sour flavour I'm massively disappointed with these, noodle-no-go for me, even at the price.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 2.5/10

#12 - Chilli Beef Pot Noodle

• Brand: Pot Noodle
• Flavour: Chilli Beef
• Cost: £1.00
• From: Sainsbury's
• Description: Noodles in a Beef, Tomato and Chilli flavour sauce with vegetables and a little sachet of Hot Chilli sauce.
• Weight: 90g (305g when prepared)
• Allergies: None listed
  
  
                                                Not bad, not great either

As usual with Pot Noodle the packaging is somewhere around 95% recyclable as the only thing that isn't is the sauce sachet contained within. I have noticed one funny thing about their 4 step preparation guide. It's the usual pour, leave, stir, leave, stir thing but step 4 reads as follows "grab fork and dig in". I don't know about you but I use my fork to stir the ingredients, I'd use my finger but my skin doesn't go too well with near boiling water - and they state "It's not rocket science", well clearly but they seem to think we have some alternative stirring implements hanging around. You might, I don't.

The ingredients list doesn't look harmful in any way but you will see potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, maltodextrin, MSG, disodium 5'ribonucleotides and citric acid in there. For an explanation of what these are why not have a look at the ever-growing glossary page.

“How do they taste?” The answer is alright. The first flavour you get is tomato, not surprising as it's only second by volume in the 'sauce and vegetables' ingredients to water. Then you get a bit of heat coming through which isn't overpowering and allows you to taste the rest of the ingredients. The sweetcorn is sweet and succulent but as for other stand out / definable tastes I'm at a bit of a loss.

“Do they remind me in any way of a chilli beef dish?”  The answer is no! I'm starting to get a bit wound up with the noodle industry now, that's Batchelor's Deli Box, Naked Noodle and now Pot Noodle (that I've come across) who call their products beef flavoured and make ZERO attempt to make it taste beefy. I don't need to see chunks of beef floating around but come on, I'm an omnivore that eats steak, burgers, cottage pie and many more beef based products. I know what beef tastes like and simply telling me it's supposed to taste of beef does not confuse my taste buds into thinking they can taste beef - do you know what might work, a little bit of beef stock dehydrated or even a few sprinkles of a bloody Oxo cube!

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is not bad at all. Little bit of heat dancing around my palette, a belly that feels warm and full and it's woken me up from my mid morning malaise ready to go at the afternoon.

Conclusion – There's something about Pot Noodle that makes it an enjoyable experience, I can't yet work out what it is. Nothing to blow me away here but as I've said throughout, alright, not bad...

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5/10

#11 - Spicy Sweet & Sour Mug Shot

• Brand: Mug Shot
• Flavour: Spicy Sweet & Sour
• Cost: £0.50 (2 for £1 deal, normally £0.75 each)
• From: Sainsbury’s
• Description: Ribbon noodles in a spicy sweet & sour sauce with peppers, carrot and chillies
• Weight: 67g (275g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: Wheat Gluten, Egg, Celery
  
  
                                               You can do worse for the price...

So here's the first packet option I've tried on this journey through noodles. They're produced my Symington's in Leeds, the same as Naked Noodle and Go! Noodles, but these list their own website on the back of the pack, which takes you to the Symington's website - which in my opinion is just awful. First thing I noticed is that you can get their new product "Mug Shot on the go" in 'an convenient cup' - that is not good English! Then they list the flavours and this must be out of date as I've got a Chicken & Sweetcorn pack in my cupboard which isn't listed on the site - perhaps there's fakes out there, although my guess is the out of date website.

The packaging is very simple, it's a pouch (paper on the outside, foil on the inside) but it doesn't say anywhere on it that it's recyclable. They are clearly very proud of the fact it contains less that 1% fat and contains no artificial colours or preservatives. The serving suggestion is an odd one as you can clearly see the noodles bursting over the rim of the mug. The first reason I think it's odd it is because the preparation instructions tell you to take a 'standard sized mug' (which is how big exactly?) and to fill with boiling water 15mm from the brim - I hope you can see my issues here without me having to rant on... eMail me if you can't. The second reason I think it's odd is because, having prepared it you actually have a soupy concoction. If they're going to give a serving suggestion, why not give you something you can actually create?

“How do they taste?” The answer is not too bad, they're a bit sweet but the consistency of the noodles is pretty good. It's more of a tomato taste than anything else but it's not too bad at all. There's a bit of chilli heat which I'd guess is coming through from the ground jalepeno pepper in there.

“Do they remind me in any way of traditional sweet and sour?” The answer is no. Yes they're sweet but they're not sour. If you have a look at a good sweet and sour recipe you'll see how much effort goes into the sourness with lemon and vinegar and even coriander, these do contain citric acid but there's clearly not enough.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is OK. They aren't the most sophisticated of products but the effect they produce isn't bad. I'm not sure they'll keep me going til dinner though...

Conclusion – For the price I'm quite pleased with these. OK so they don't recreate sweet and sour very well but, come on, for 50p you can't complain.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5/10

#10 - Kabuto Miso Ramen Noodles

• Brand: Kabuto Noodles
• Flavour: Miso Ramen
• Cost: £1.49 (20% off – normally £1.99)
• From: Sainsbury’s
• Description: A fresh tasting noodle dish with miso, soy and vegetables
• Weight: 85g (450g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: Gluten, Egg, Soya, Milk
  
  
                                     Awesome!

Do you know, I've looked forward to these since they arrived with the shopping on Saturday. The packaging is the usual Kabuto packaging, ecologically thoughtful and quite pretty too.

I didn't think I'd get much more excited to eat these but the aroma that comes off when you add boiling water is just delicious.

“How do they taste?” The answer is really, really nice. I think the balance is excellent, great amount of noodles to flavouring (once you've really stirred it together), and the crunchy little bits of leek and onion are brilliant.

“Do they remind me in any way of traditional miso ramen?” The answer is yes. The amount of umami coming out of this pot is just awesome with a little bit of sweetness coming from the onion, leek and other vegetables in there. As ever I haven't seasoned these as I only expect to need boiling water and a fork (occasionally a mug) and there is no need to. These noodles have been really thoughtfully put together and I think they're great. Yes I have issue with using egg noodles in ramen but I'm going to get over that for these.

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” The answer is pretty good. I feel well satiated and full of beans plus the umami taste is lingering and it tastes good.

Conclusion – Very happy with these. There is still the problem of how to mix the ingredients together properly in the tall thin pot full of boiling water but that's my only issue.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 9/10

#9 - Batchelor's BBQ Beef Flavour Deli Box Noodles

• Brand: Batchelor’s Deli Box Noodles
• Flavour: BBQ Beef Flavour
• Cost: £1.00 (3 for £3 deal, normally £1.19 each)
• From: Tesco
• Description: Noodles in a tasty barbecue beef flavour sauce
• Weight: 75g (255g when prepared)
• Allergies: Egg, Wheat, Barley and Gluten
  
  
                                         Where's the beef? Seriously, where is it ?

Here we go again with another Batchelor's Deli Box, this time BBQ Beef flavoured. You might think these are getting a lot of coverage at the moment and they are, after this exactly one third of all my posts will be about this brand. Don't blame me, blame Tesco for the cheap deal when you buy 3. There's a good point to make actually; although in my previous 2 posts for this brand I have mentioned how I like the packaging, and I do, but it's not completely practical. Yes I love the room in there to really stir up your noodles and permeate the flavour throughout but there is a sense of over-packaging. One issue is that if you were to buy 5 of these for your working week they would take up quite a lot of cupboard space being 11cm wide x 11cm deep by 10cm tall, hmmm...

Once again they're boasting about how much less fat they have than Pot Noodle and this time they're saying there's 75% less fat in this pot than you find in a Beef & Tomato Pot Noodle. First thing to point out is that these are about 17% smaller than a pot noodle, and there's more to life than fat content. I see a B&T Pot Noodle in my future...

“How do they taste?” The answer is 'of something'. What that something is I'm not quite sure but my best guess is old carrots. Once again the noodle mixture is of a lovely consistency and the flavour does find its way into every little nook and cranny but it's just not that great. There is a bit of smokiness to it but that's more in the after taste as it's mainly sweetness that pervades the eating experience.

“Do they remind me in any way of a BBQ beef dish?”  The answer is no. The main reason for this in my humble opinion is, similar to the Naked Noodle Chilli Beef, there is NO BEEF FLAVOUR in this product whatsoever. There are 'Smoke Flavourings' listed in the ingredients as the penultimate item - for those who don't know, ingredients are listed in descending order of volume - but that's it. Our old friend maltodextrin (the heap filler / thickener) makes an unsurprising appearance, as does the magical MSG / E635 combination of flavour enhancers, and these are alongside a whole host of flavours that you just don't get - here's the list: Tomato Powder, Dried Red Pepper, Sugar, Salt, Onion Powder, Veg Oil, Roasted Barley Malt Extract (???), Dried Parsley, Garlic Powder and Black Pepper Extract. The one I didn't list, which is at the top of the list, is Dried Carrot. Remember I said how they list the items, remember I said it tasted of old carrots - BOOM!

“How do I feel now I’ve finished it?” As usual with these the answer is OK but a bit peckish. My mouth feels like it's been coated with dry rub though; the smokiness that was coming through as an after taste now seems to have dried my mouth out and is now all I can taste. I wouldn't mind if I could swallow properly now and / or it actually tasted good.

Conclusion – These really don't get any better, hopefully there aren't many more flavours for me to try out. I still don't understand how they can promote the item as having a beef flavour without at least trying to add some beef flavour. I love a BBQ, I love beef - beef does not just taste of the rub / seasoning you apply or the smoke from a barbecue, IT TASTES OF COW!!!

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 4.5/10