#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