Recipes and foods for UK people

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EponineLove
EponineLove Posts: 69
in Recipes
I thought I'd make a thread where people from the UK can discuss good food brands and recipes.

I mean whenever I look at recipes and websites I always see ingredients and snack suggestions that are only available in America, which can be a little bit disappointing as they often look good!

I thought I'd start off with a little something I found a few days ago in Sainsburys. Its a Quaker Porridge called "Heaps Of Fruit" and its delicious. Porridge is great for you but can be quite high in calories if you want to keep it light (Can be around 350-400 for a bowl), but this is great! Its 133 calories for a sachet (around 200 with the added milk) and really tasty! The dried fruit pieces (I have the Strawberry and Banana ones) taste real and give a natural sweetness. I would definitely recommend it!

Anyone else have any recipes/healthy snack suggestions and brands?

Replies

  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
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    My fave shop bought fresh soups are

    Yorkshire Provender chicken and butternut squash
    Tesco Finest puy lentil and vine tomato
    Glorious Tuscan chicken

    Really tasty and filling I have half a pot as the main part of my lunch most days all around the 150-180 cal mark :)
  • kasiawojo
    kasiawojo Posts: 2
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    Oh I hope this thread catches on!!! I am Canadian, and even though I lived here for over a decade, I moved back to Canada for 4 years where I got used to the brands ingredients etc. Now being back here again I've had a hard time adjusting. I agree the internet is full of great clean recipes but hard to find some ingredients here.
    Ezekiel bread???? Can you get it here??? it's sprouted bread, and used all the time in North America for bodybuilders instead of whole wheat bread.
    I'll keep my eye on this one, and add when I can
    Thanks again!
  • joolsweb
    joolsweb Posts: 81 Member
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    Hi - everyone's welcome to look at my discussion with my meals, all uk, and I try to add simple instrcutions: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1071117-various-recipes-with-pics-from-uk

    For my end things I've discovered - kerry low low cheese - well lush - i love fondue and this melted with some crusty bread is nearly the same thing
    laughing cow light (of course)
    cathedral city lighter mature cheddar - i find this to be the best of the low fat cheese and it can tolerate melting as well, although better in sauces than on toast
    Tulip ham mini joint - i actually find this better than wafer thin ham, as it feels more luxurious and 'meaty' i just chop 100g into my salad each day
    crucials dressings - these are available in the pound shop and they're great in partiucalr the yoghurt and mint and the chilli mayo - both are brilliant for turning normal sandwiches into nicer stuff - great for fake kebabs, adding to curries etc
    marimte (of coruse) - i have this on a crusty toasted roll, with low low cheese and poched eggs - weird but i love it
    Aldi choceur dark choclate, i buy the mini bars and half of one a night, letting it melt slowly - same for asda value dark choclate, btu more difficult to portion control
    Philadelphia mushroom sauce - great on steak
  • joolsweb
    joolsweb Posts: 81 Member
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    For recipes I find good food and all recipes both good websites, if you can't find the american version I ususally just google the translation as its normally the same as something we do get over here - i.e zucchini.
    Otherwise I look at what affect its supposed to have on the recipe, i..e thickening, citrus, sweet etc and just replicate it with a uk ingredient.
  • ntg13
    ntg13 Posts: 10
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    You can find a whole load of recipes here that are super cheap, mostly easy, use UK ingredients and are pretty healthy too :)
    http://agirlcalledjack.com/page/2/
  • runningjen74
    runningjen74 Posts: 312 Member
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    Okay - I'm Irish, but I think most of these are available out your side of the Irish sea.

    Lidl 81% dark choc (or maybe it's 85%) - Think it's , JD Gross - the highest % I can find.
    lindt 85 or 90% dark choc (both good) - these have weaned me off cadbury's/etc...
    I oddly enough don't really like green and blacks dark choc - find it's a bit bitter, or a funny after taste.
    Also have to be carefull, both do 'flavoured' dark choc, say orange, etc... but it's rarely 70% + dark choc. I now just go for the highest % I can find.
    I'm starting to branch out in to some of the more boutique choc brands without soya, but early days. still can't beat good old Lindt.

    glenisk greek style natural yoghurt (great with fruit) - not sure about UK, but readily available in Ireland. It's a real case of less is more it's so thick and creamy.

    during a busy time where I wasn't cooking as much, I got to try the glorious chicken soup and a couple of the cully and scully soups I agree with other poster, really nice. But most of the time I make my own.

    In a pinch, I like the John West Tuna pouches. I did accidently get a piri piri, I think it was sardines, pouch and it was not nice to me at all. I'm starting to eat tinned sardines, but I haven't found a favourite brand yet. smoked salmon is a huge weakness, but no favourite brands - Aldi + Lidl both very acceptable. Sometime Aldi over here does whole smoked mackeral, really really nice, but not seen it for a whole. This is the whole mackeral - head and all.

    Otherwise I'm not generally one for the brands. Most food is home made. Don't eat low fat cheese/butter/etc... would rather eat a full fat, locally produced product, but less of it.
  • kym117
    kym117 Posts: 315 Member
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    I cant stand tinned soup but I find logging ingredients, servings etc for homemade soup a lot of hassle but I LOVE Glorious Soups! half a tub and I am good to go and they have such a wide range I love trying them all. Another quick breakfast at work I found was Dorset Cereals, Porridge with honey...yum :love:
  • AprilOneFourFour
    AprilOneFourFour Posts: 226 Member
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    M&S are making a lighter double cream, it has a little cornflour in it, but it's still low calorie and low carb (3 for about 75ml). I have used it for panna cotta and it worked very well. You can cook with it, but it doesn't say that you can whip it and I doubt you can, but it's a good product. (also like m and s light choc mousse if I'm in the mood to ignore the slightly complex ingredients)

    Tesco finest Alaskan wild smoked salmon - a treat but very healthy and the nicest smoked salmon in any supermarket. I thought so, then read a chefs taste test that picked it out too

    Werthers Original sugar free are sold in most supermarkets and taste really good and satisfy sweet craving

    I don't have aldi or lidl, but my Iceland sells large free range eggs for a £1 for half dozen!
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
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    Bump
  • FoodieMotion
    FoodieMotion Posts: 78 Member
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    My go to product is Fage Total 0% although I do find at my local Tesco that they don't always have the big tubs (which are slightly more cost effective).

    I sweeten it with a little agave nectar just to take the edge off.
  • lovetoad
    lovetoad Posts: 7 Member
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    Ive been enjoying a delicious but low cal pud:
    Defrost 100g raspberries then blitz them until they are a puree then sieve out the pips. Add a little canderel to sweeten if you like - I don't bother tho. Chuck this over 150g sliced strawberries and 100g blueberries and let them sit a while in the fridge. The whole of this lot is 157 calories but I spread this over 3 days so just over 50 cals for fruity yumminess.
    If Ive got some spare calories I would add 100g Golden Acre Quark from asda - 34 cals for 50g - its really rich and creamy, think mascarpone and you are not far off. I love it.
  • lovetoad
    lovetoad Posts: 7 Member
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    I love that greek yoghurt too. Its more expensive than the supermarket low fat greek yogs but worth it imho.
  • misschoppo
    misschoppo Posts: 463 Member
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    For easy lunch options I like innocent veg pots sweet potato chilli, john west Moroccan salmon light lunch & the merchant gourmet lentil pouches that come in a few flavours and microwave in a couple of minutes.
  • flow2512
    flow2512 Posts: 74 Member
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    Talking of uk supermarkets, I love marks and Spencer's count on us range, some are expensive, but dome are the same price as other shops. But I love the teriyaki beef roll ups, they are in a large salad type box, there are six round things that look like sushi rolls, but are filled with beef, cucumber, carrots etc all wrapped together with mouli ribbon, the pack comes with about six thick slices of cucumber and a pot of sweet chilli sauce to dip them in, the whole pack is only 180 calories. And cost £3.50 and at the moment you get a free bottled juice.
    They also do pork ones and tuna ones, which are roughly the same calories.
  • dammitjanet0161
    dammitjanet0161 Posts: 319 Member
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    Good thread!

    Back on the soups, another vote here for the Glorious ones, especially the Skinny Soup Thai Carrot (although I HATE the name skinny soup, grrr). Morrisons do good fresh soups too, their carrot and coriander is very nice.

    I like fromage frais as it's cheaper than Greek yoghurt, and has more protein than normal plain yoghurt.
  • tomorrowstrength
    tomorrowstrength Posts: 12
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    I need to get on this Glorious soup thing, they sound delicious!
    (also bumping to stick this in my threads :D )
  • amwood89
    amwood89 Posts: 165 Member
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    Talking of uk supermarkets, I love marks and Spencer's count on us range, some are expensive, but dome are the same price as other shops. But I love the teriyaki beef roll ups, they are in a large salad type box, there are six round things that look like sushi rolls, but are filled with beef, cucumber, carrots etc all wrapped together with mouli ribbon, the pack comes with about six thick slices of cucumber and a pot of sweet chilli sauce to dip them in, the whole pack is only 180 calories. And cost £3.50 and at the moment you get a free bottled juice.
    They also do pork ones and tuna ones, which are roughly the same calories.

    Never seen these in M&S but they sound sooooo good! Deff gonna look out for these at weekend :) Although my nearest M&S is 15 miles away & they don't stock half of the stuff you can get in the bigger stores across the country! Hope they have them in!!

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