Heston for Coles: Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie (29 Aug 2014)

http://www.hestonforcoles.com.au

Heston for Home

Lazy dinner of Heston for Coles Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie ($13, 2 pieces) is a tasty success combined with some oven baked sweet potato and peas. Cooked in the oven for about 30 minutes was too easy. Pastry was quite nice and the parmesan cheese crusty on top was a winner. I thought I'd need some sauce but the filling was pretty saucy more than meaty. I enjoyed the flavours and would happily have again. Makes me want to try more of the range now.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Tasty, Easy to cook, RSPCA Approved Chicken Meat, Seems fairly low in sugar, No artificial colours and flavours

CONS: Daily intake of saturated fat is 104% per serving which sounds like it might be high?

MUST TRY: Other products in the Heston for Coles range

VERDICT: Easy to cook and quite yummy makes for a simple and tasty meal

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Heston for Coles, Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie ($13, 2 pieces) 

Heston Blumenthal Hidden Clementine Christmas Pudding vs Coles Mini Christmas Pudding (7 Oct 2013)

http://www.coles.com.au

Heston's magic pudding

I would never have thought to see a Heston Blumenthal product on the shelves of Coles so when I spotted his Hidden Clementine Christmas Pudding ($7, 227g) and Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding ($18, 1.2kg) I was excited to try them. I've saved the Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding for Christmas Day with the family but was curious to compare the Hidden Clementine Christmas Pudding with the much cheaper Coles Mini Christmas Pudding ($2, 110g). I've had plenty of the Coles mini pudding in past and have actually enjoyed them for what they are with ice cream. Steaming either pudding would take 30–40 minutes so I chose to microwave them which only takes a minute. I found the aroma and syrupy moist texture of Heston's pudding more appealing over the more cake like Coles pudding. It's definitely a rich tasting pudding which can be a little challenge to eat a lot of it but having some custard or ice cream will help cut through the richness. I still didn't mind the Coles pudding although it tasted more like a cake with sultanas and was much less moist. The Heston pudding also had a noticeable texture of nuts. Heston's packaging looks more special and sophisticated and would make for a nicer gift option.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Rich flavour and moist texture in the Heston pudding

CONS: Heston's pudding apparently sells out quickly

MUST TRY: Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding on Christmas Day

VERDICT: I enjoyed the rich flavour and moist syrupy texture of Heston's pudding. I think best enjoyed with custard or ice cream.

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Coles Heston Blumenthal from Waitrose - Hidden Clementine Christmas Pudding ($7, 227g), Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding ($18, 1.2kg)

Coles Mini Christmas Pudding ($2, 110g), Heston from Waitrose Hidden Clementine Christmas Pudding ($7, 227g)

Steam for 30 minutes or microwave for 30 seconds — I choose microwave

Steam for 40 minutes or microwave for 1 minute — I chose microwave

Heston has nicer packaging — looks more special

Heston pudding is larger and visually looked more moist

Coles Mini Christmas Pudding ($2 110g) — tasted mostly of sultanas and cake, not too dry but not very moist either

Heston from Waitrose Hidden Clementine Christmas Pudding ($7 227g) — very moist, tasted brandy, fruit & nut texture, syrupy, intense flavour so balance with some custard or ice cream
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

King Island Beef: Coles promotes No Added Hormones Beef, Randwick (7 Jan 2011)

http://www.kingislandbeef.com.au

Keeping customers informed

So it looks like Coles is doing a big marketing push for the 'No Added Hormones' label on all their beef products. I guess that's a step in the right direction to better inform customers what they might be purchasing but it makes me wonder what we were getting before — perhaps it was always hormone free, perhaps not? Tonight I decide to buy some King Island Beef Scotch Fillet ($32/kg) which doesn't get the distinctive Coles label but it's hormone and antibiotic free in any case. I wonder what other factors contribute to what customers will buy besides price — grass fed versus grain fed beef and organic perhaps?

So I wonder if the new labelling will help make customers feel more comfortable in buying their beef at Coles now?

King Island Beef Scotch Fillet ($32/kg)

No Added Hormones labelling

Coles: Possibly the worst cherries I've ever seen, Randwick (5 Dec 2010)

148 Belmore Road Randwick NSW 2031

http://www.coles.com.au

Oh dear, they're awful!

So there I was shopping for a few groceries for dinner in Coles when I came across the boxes of cherries at the end of the fruit and vegetable section next to the check out counters. I couldn't believe the disgusting looking cherries on offer at around $18 a kilo — some of them were literally so bruised and spoilt I was expecting to see flies or maggots coming out of them. Definitely not fit for consumption and very sub-standard. I read I'm not the only one that has been disappointed with the fruit and vegetables you sometimes find in Coles and Woolworths which are so proudly promoted by Celebrity Chefs these days. I truly wish they'd sort out the Coles in Randwick — it's quite a disgrace and quality checking seems to be non-existent. I don't really understand how the fruit can get to this awful state without being noticed by management and staff?

I much prefer to shop at the Royal Randwick Fruit Market across the road where they seem to take great pride in their produce and quality checking but unfortunately when it's very late in Randwick there's no other options but Coles.

Dear Reader, where's the best and cheapest cherries in Sydney these days? I spotted some at a fruit stand on Hunter Street last week for $8/kilo.

Bad looking cherries, 7.30 pm, 5 Dec 2010

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Are the Celebrity Chefs selling out these days? (30 Nov 2010)

http://www.woolworthschristmas.com.au/freshchefs

A fresh perspective

Every time I see Curtis Stone, the chef of supposedly all things seasonal, on a Coles ad or MasterChef which is sponsored by Coles I have a little cringe because I wonder if this means he's somewhat sold out. I bet his never walked into the fruit and vegetable aisles in Randwick Coles to spot the sad looking bruised and battered produce I've seen lying around — and I've lost count how many times I've noticed moldy strawberries still left on the shelf. Anyone wanna do a quality spot check? It's nothing like you see on the MasterChef pantry that's for sure — I wish it was though.

It now looks like Woolworths is getting in on the act and using Celebrity Chefs brought to the Australian household limelight on MasterChef to advertise their supermarket as a destination for all your Christmas food shopping. I seriously wonder if Margaret Fulton, Tobie Puttock and Guy Grossi really pick Woolworths for Christmas or is it more the other way around with Woolworths picking them as their feel-better-about-buying-from-a-huge-supermarket-rather-than-your-local-independent-butcher-or-farmers-market-promotional-ambassadors. I would have thought professional chefs would be buying directly from farmers and suppliers so they have more control over what they're really getting and serving their customers and building on a trusting relationship?

I also wonder if these Fresh Food Chefs actually cooked the pavlova, turkey and leg of ham they're holding or is it just all advertising props made by food technicians and food stylists. Winners are grinners as they say and someone must be winning through all this but I doubt it's the hard working farmers. That's my gripe and whinge for the day.

Dear Reader, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.