4 out of 5 from Ye Gads

It’s Tuesday lunchtime at Ye Gads HQ and we’re sitting down to lunch courtesy of Kitchen Monkey.  The previous Friday a large polystyrene box containing a selection of Kitchen Monkey homemade frozen meals had been delivered and we couldn’t wait to test them out.  The first great thing about these products is that you don’t even need to be in to take delivery of the frozen food as it’s cleverly packed to remain frozen until you get back from work (assuming you don’t work a 2 week shift on an oil platform!).

The dishes we had on trial were Beef Bouguignon (£3.75), Pork with Scrumpy Apple Sauce (£3.75), Moroccan Lamb Tagine (3.95), Kid’s Macaroni Cheese (£1.75), Pear & Ginger Sponge Pudding with Custard (£1.75) and Chocolate Sponge Pudding with Milk Chocolate Sauce (£1.75).  (I had tried to hide the puddings from my fellow tasters but was soon found out!)

All the meals are cooked straight from frozen and can either be put in the oven or the microwave if you’re in a hurry.  We tried both methods and in each case the results were the same, which was impressive as so often microwave food has a certain “nuked” flavour to it.

Having got everything cooked per the instructions, our first test was on portion size (we like our food here at Ye Gads!).  The pork dish had 3 reasonably sized chunks of pork and plenty of sauce, similar to the beef, so while not massive, it was certainly an adequate meal.  It was time for the taste test… the place went quiet but the peace was soon broken with a chorus of mmms and yums.  The Kitchen Monkey meals are like no frozen food we have tasted before.  Somehow they have managed to keep a great homemade flavour, unlike most other frozen ready meals which have that unmistakable processed taste.  Every dish we tried looked great and was very tasty, including the Kid’s Macaroni Cheese which we were fighting our 3 year olds for!

The puddings took only 70 seconds to cook in the microwave and came out perfect (although I did figure out you have to take the lid off beforehand after the first one…).  This is the kind of cooking that anyone can manage and the results are very impressive.  This is very tasty, homemade food that arrives on your doorstep and can be ready in minutes….perfect – don’t even have to wait in a supermarket queue!  The prices are not bad either (similar to other frozen meals) and while you pay a delivery charge of £4.95 for orders under £50, it’s worth it not to have to go near the supermarket.

Our top tip for all you guys out there to get you in the good books, is to get yourself a second freezer, stock it up with Kitchen Monkey meals and stick one in the microwave when your other half isn’t looking.  Putting a meal like that down for your tired missus, especially if followed by a gorgeous pudding, will win you no end of brownie points.  And if you don’t leave a mess behind in the kitchen (which is easy to accomplish with microwave meals), your luck might even be in!    

For more information or to order visit www.kitchenmonkey.co.uk and if you use the code YGDAD08 at the check out you will get £5 off your order