#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 Then they list the flavours and this must be out of date as I've got a Chicken & Sweetcorn pack in my cupboard which isn't listed on the site - perhaps there's fakes out there, although my guess is the out of date website.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