My week eating LoveMindis Heat 'n' Eat Curry Pots
I've been sporadically updating this blog with my drivvel since March but, until a couple of weeks ago, nobody had sent me any free stuff.
Shame on you all.
However, this all changed a few weeks ago when I got an email from LoveMindis saying they'd like to send me some free curry. Nice.
So when six of their Heat 'n' Eat curry pot ready meal things arrived, you can understand my excitement. You may also be able to understand why I chose to forego my usual sandwiches for the week and eat curry for lunch. Every. Day.
It all got off to a good start when I quickly grabbed a 'Chana Masala' out of the fridge on Monday morning, purely because I've never had a chana masala before.
When I got it to work, I realised it was a veggie curry with chickpeas in.
Chana Masala on a tangerine plate. At my desk.
However, it was just lovely. I ended up really glad I got it for free, because I'd never order it in a takeaway or restaurant, and it turned out to be really nice. I tried something new!
On the packaging (you may be able to see) it said 'Nice & Spicy', which is a pretty good summation. It left a nice tingle on my tongue. And chickpeas are good in a curry, who knew?
Day two, Tuesday, was chicken masala.
The perceptive among you will notice it says 'Very Hot!' on the packaging. And while it wasn't 'very' hot, it was definitely hotter than the one the day before. I suppose if they made it too hot, people would complain.
Along with the spice, there are quite a lot of flavours in this one. I'm no food critic, so I can't tell you which flavours. But there are flavours.
The chicken was nice, soft enough to cut up with a fork (I'm too lazy to use a knife) and there was a fair amount of it. Not loads, perhaps, but more than you get in some riggy takeaways.
Notice that all these meals are eaten at my desk? I work well 'ard.
Day three, and curry every day wasn't quite as much of a novelty anymore. At least these curry pots contain a good amount that fill you up, but not so much that you end up uncomfortable.
With my appetite, I could eat them for lunch but it's not quite enough for an evening meal. Maybe I'm just a fatty.
Anyway, this chicken tikka was alright. I think Mindi's have got it right, their curry pots are tasty but don't take any risks. That's what you need to appeal to a really wide target market.
By Thursday, I was definitely a bit sick of curry. i know that's my own fault, though, for eating one a day.
Did I mention they went off on the 9th? That was Wednesday. I still ate this one, though, and ate another today. Don't worry, Mindis, I won't sue you if I die of food poisoning. The blame is all on me.
Anyway, I'm not the biggest fan of korma, but this one was nice. It tasted exactly like a korma you'd get from a restaurant, which is a compliment considering it's a ready meal.
As I'm running out of things to say, I don't know how you're meant to eat these out of the pot. They're so hot when they come out of the microwave! Suppose you're meant to leave them to cool but I'm impatient.
Also, when I recieved them, I immediately contacted one of my friends who can't eat gluten - because all the pots make quite a big deal of the fact that they're 'gluten free'. She informed me that basically all curry is gluten free. So it's a bit redundant that they put it on their pots as a selling point.
I ate another chicken masala one today, but I've already reviewed that one. And another chicken tikki one back at home...
Overall, my week of curry was a nice change. Microwaving them every day in work's kitchen attracted quite a lot of interest, so all my workmates know about Mindis, and my blog, now.
There weren't any pots I didn't like, and you can tell that they're made from good quality ingredients. They're quite generous with the meat/other protein sources, and they do taste like something you'd expect in a restaurant.
However, I doubt I'll be popping to Booths so I can continue my one-a-day curry habit. Back to butties!
They would be good for people who fancy a treat at lunch, or small-bellied people who can't be bothered cooking tea but want something tasty.
Thanks for the free curry Mindi.