manchesterfoodtourist I’m really not a fan of ready-made sauces – maybe its the ‘Authentic Italian’ Pasta Sauces my mum used to use when I was younger – you know the ones, made in Holland that taste nothing like an authentic Italian sauce, and have all sorts of things added.
I also wouldn’t class myself as some kind of ‘Health Freak’ – however I am a fan of fresh and tasty produce.
I’m definitely not a fruit and veg in everything person either. I do however care about cooking at home, with fresh ingredients and knowing what’s actually gone into the dish that I’m eating.
So when I was sent a pack of 6 new ‘Raw Sauces’ that contain fresh fruit and veg – I wasn’t sure what to expect in the slightest – or to be fair, if I would really like them. And one thing that my reviews always are, is honest!
Therefore to begin with I thought I would start off by playing it safe. Rather then use the first sauce for a planned evening meal, I decided to have a cooking session on a Saturday when I was free for the whole day. What I wasn’t expecting and as I was about to discover was that I was about to start a day of indulgent feasting!
I decided to start off with the ‘Smokey Cokey’ Sauce, with ingredients like Sweetcorn, Carrot and Orange Juice I was more than a little sceptical – Described as a smokey BBQ like sauce, I decided to slow cook some pork ribs, smothered in the sauce. Simply pouring the sauce over, leaving to marinade and then cooking in the oven, it was very simple and guess what – these came out beautiful!!
The taste was sweet enough from the natural ingredients without having to add any extra sweeteners/sugars and more than smokey enough from peppers and smoked paprika. On top of that they were very moreish – was I converted? Well its only the first dish – so lets wait.
Next up was Tarragon Shenanigan – Main Ingredients are Parsnip, Pear and Grapes – I’m not going to be a fan am I?? The tarragon immediately shouted out Chicken, so I decided to make a Chicken Wrap.
I again marinated the chicken in the sauce, cooked it covered in the oven to really take in as much of the sauce as possible and finally finished it off on a griddle pan to create perfect chicken pieces for a wrap. I added a little mayonnaise and dressed chopped salad to the chicken and wrapped them up.
I ate one – then two of these…. OMG, the flavours were amazing. What’s happening, I’m eating lots of fruit and veg. I can’t help thinking that these sauces are a secret weapon for parents, that want to get their children eating healthier.
When I read about how Tanya started the company with family eating in mind, with dishes that were healthy and simple, so even people with very little time could use them, it all starts to make perfect sense. ‘Healthy in Disguise’ is how she describes the sauces, ‘Stunning in Taste’ and ‘A feast for your eyes’. Well I can certainly agree with all these claims.
Now being happy that these sauces will not ruin a dinner for me, I decided to use the ‘Fiery Fiasco’ – A tomato based sauce with Birds Eye Chilli, Basil and Ginger, but again balanced out with things such as Cucumber, Grapes, Raspberry and Pineapple.
I opted for a Chilli Con Carne – I got out a few extra ingredients to add to taste as I went along.
I Chopped Onions – Added Onions and Mince (Mine was Pork and Beef Mixed) – I did cheat and add some Red Wine at this point – Added the Sauce- Added Kidney Beans-Simmered – Tasted and then added NOTHING! Probably a little sweeter than I would usually make myself and not as meaty as I would normally use a beef stock as well It was however tasty, simple and it went down a treat.
After cooking three dishes I’m converted – In total honesty I would be fairly unlikely to buy these regularly myself, but only because I love cooking, I love experimenting and making tweaks as I go, I like the whole time-consuming part of cooking – but these sauces are not designed for people like me.
They are designed for the busy person, the parent that works full-time, the person who cares about what they eat, that wants to be healthy, but just doesn’t have the time to shop for and prepare nutritious meals every day.
Having said that – they do have another use – they also make perfect sauces AND dips.
I used the Beetroot Cahoot and the Cucumber Blunder as dips – a perfect summer dip as part of a spread, or to pull out the fridge if you have guests around.
With only one sauce of them all left to try – The Teriyaki Malarkey. This one is being kept for a Chicken Stir Fry later in the week, when I’ve had a long day at work.
The Saucy Affair sauces were sent to me to try and to review as part of the tried and tested ‘taste test panel’ – each and every review is my own and honest opinion.
