HEADING out for a meal is a luxury many are struggling to afford in the cost of living crisis.
But you don’t have go to a restaurant to get your favourite meals, many chains are now offering cook-at-home options in supermarkets at a fraction of the price.
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But just how good are the frozen and fridge dishes?
Thea Jacobs puts them to the test and give the verdict on if they match up to the restaurant original with marks out of five.
Zizzi Rustica Margherita Pizza Tesco £3.50, Restaurant £13.25 – 3/5
IN the restaurant this pizza is the perfect mix of gooey mozzarella and crisp dough.
The home version is more crispy on the edges and droopy dough in the centre.
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It’s still the classic rounded rectangle shape but smaller – no surprise as it’s almost £10 cheaper than the eating-out option.
It tastes OK but doesn’t beat going out for a chef-cooked pizza.
- Restaurant wins
Zizzi Chorizo Carbonara Tesco £3.75, Restaurant £14.95 – 5/5
MY Zizzi favourite, this, and I’m not expecting the ready meal to live up to it. I was wrong.
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It takes a little longer to cook than the packet says but smells delicious, better than in the restaurant.
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It also tastes just as good, complete with the underlying smokiness of the chorizo.
This is going to be a staple in my freezer and it beats eating out as it’s a fraction of the price.
- Frozen wins
Itsu Chicken Goyoza Asda £3.95, Restaurant £5.59 – 4.5/5
COOKING this at home sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the packet suggests several ways to do it.
I opted to steam, as this is recommended, and within minutes I was sat with a bowl of hot, fragrant food.
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Absolutely perfect, and not slimy in the slightest.
I’d buy this ready meal and make it at home any day rather than going out to eat.
It’s cheaper and you get a whole lot in the bag, too.
- Frozen wins
Itsu Duck Bao Asda £4.25, Restaurant £7.25 for three – 4/5
ANOTHER great do-it-yourself option from Itsu.
I decided to microwave these instead of steaming them and they smelt fantastic as they got hot.
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As you bite down into them you’re engulfed with a fabulously super-sweet bao bun before the tangy plum and duck centre hits you.
These are much better value than getting them from the restaurant itself.
- Frozen wins
Gino D’Acampo Cannelloni Ragu Tesco £3.25,
Restaurant, not on offer
WHEN I take this out of the oven it looks extremely unappetising because it is covered in and oozing oil.
I’m not expecting much as I put it into my mouth, but I’m pleasantly surprised when hit with a strong beefy taste.
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This is not as good as I’ve tasted in one of Gino’s restaurants but it’s no worse than a standard supermarket-ready meal.
Pizza Express Dough Balls Asda £3, Restaurant £5.45 – 4/5
BEST thing on the menu at Pizza Express and I won’t hear otherwise.
Heating up the home version is easy and quick.
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The balls even come with the little pot of garlic butter you get in the restaurant.
But making them at home means you get them piping hot, which melts the butter.
I’d definitely cook them myself rather than go to Pizza Express for an evening.
- Frozen wins
Greggs Sausage Rolls Iceland £3 for four, Restaurant £1.20 for one – 5/5
A SAUSAGE roll from the baker’s is always a treat but Greggs’ cook-at-home ones are even better.
They have the same meatiness as the originals and you can bake them to be as crispy as you like.
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Even better still, you know the pastry won’t be soggy from sitting out on a warm display counter.
Baking at home means the roll is piping hot and crisps when it makes its way on to your plate.
- Frozen wins
Pizza Express Margherita Pizza Tesco £5.50, Restaurant £10.95 – 1/5
DISAPPOINTING all round.
It’s much smaller than the restaurant version, and almost every other frozen pizza at its price point.
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Despite following the cooking instructions to the letter, this doesn’t get crispy.
And despite keeping it in the oven for longer than the packaging says, it remains limp and doughy, so is hard to cut up.
Best eat out.
- Restaurant wins
Wasabi Chicken Katsu Yakisoba Tesco £4.25, Restaurant £8. 15 – 0/5
THIS is really pretty similar to the meal that you will get in the restaurant – which in my opinion is just not all that nice.
There’s little flavour other than something that I reckon tastes a bit like soil.
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If you are someone who enjoys their hit of wasabi, then you’d maybe get some enjoyment.
Sadly I don’t, and this ready meal is just disappointment in a box, simple as that.
Franco Manca Quattro Fromaggi Tesco £5.75, Not in restaurant. Margherita is £8.35 – 3/5
FRANCO MANCA makes some of the most delicious pizzas, so I have high expectations for its frozen ones.
Sadly, this one doesn’t match up.
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It’s much tastier than the other branded frozen pizzas I tried but still doesn’t crisp up like the chef-cooked one.
While it’s nicer than the average oven pizza, it’s not anywhere near like going out for the real deal.
- Restaurant wins
Harry Ramsden’s Jumbo Scampi Iceland £5, Restaurant £8 on average – 2/5
SADLY these aren’t quite as good as Harry Ramsden’s home-meal fish and chips, and pale in comparison to getting your scampi straight from the chippie.
Even after being put in a hot oven, the batter is soggy and oozes water, meaning there’s no crunch.
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While the fish tastes good, the texture is ruined by the soggy batter.
- Restaurant wins
Harry Ramsden’s 2 Battered Cod Iceland £6.50 (and HR chips £2.50), Restaurant £6.43 for fish & chips – 4/5
I CAN see why Harry Ramsden’s cod ready meal, and its chips too, are top sellers.
The fish isn’t identical to eating out – no beer batter – but it’s still pretty good at home.
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It flakes beautifully and the skin is nice and crispy.
The chips are better than what you get eating out, fluffy on the inside, crisp on the outside and not coated in oil from a deep-fat fryer.
Happy to have the home versions again.
TGI Fridays Chicken Fingers Iceland £4, Restaurant £12.99 – 4/5
IT’S hard to go wrong with breaded chicken fingers and these, with chilli mayo, taste pretty similar to the restaurant offering.
The best bit is that they aren’t dripping in oil after being cooked in a deep-fat fryer.
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Defrosting the chili mayo to dip them in is a faff and more effort than it’s worth.
If you’re not worried about the dip, these are better than restaurant ones.
- Frozen wins
TGI Fridays Tripple Pepperoni Iceland £4.50, Restaurant, not on menu – 2/5
THIS is not on offer at the restaurant so I can’t tell you what it would taste like prepared by one of their chefs.
At home, to try to get the dough to cook I have to burn it, but even then it is still raw in the centre, which is a bit grim.
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Despite the burnt cheese, the pepperoni is the main flavour.
This pizza is OK but nothing special and certainly not restaurant quality.
