Sainsbury's own brand noods

Sainsbury's was founded as a single shop in Drury Lane in 1869, and is now the UK's second largest chain of supermarkets. They sell a selection of instant noodles - mainly/exclusively from UK companies, as well as their own brand noods. The packet noods are made in China. The pot noods are made in the UK.

The original Drury Lane shop - photo taken 1919

Curry Flavour Noodles by Sainsbury's (pot)

Very simple, but oh so yummy.

Sainsbury's Chicken Flavour Pasta

Nothing special, but soft, comforting and edible.

Sainsbury's Curry Flavour Instant Noodles (packet)

An everyday, low cost and edible nood. Was made in China, now made in the UK. 15p for 85g. 
Score 3

Sainsbury's Cheese Flavour Pasta
Cheap and cheerful and fairly edible.

Sainsbury's Vegetable Flavour Instant Noodles (packet)

Cheap and cheerful.

Sainsbury's Basics Chicken Flavour Noodles (pot)

Warm and comfy.

Sainsbury's Basics Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour (packet)

An acceptable if not outstanding chicken nood.

Sainsbury's Chicken Flavour Instant Noodles (packet)

You can eat it, but you'll be left feeling dirty yet unsatisfied.

Battle of the brands

Curry Flavour Noodles by Sainsbury's (pot)

Mmm .Good tasty UK style noodles in a pot. 90g for 60p. Made in the UK (probably in the Pot Noodle mines in Wales). Well, this is a Pot Noodle type product, but cheaper, and - for me at least - a little tastier. Modest warmth, and plenty of sweetness. Good curry flavour. I really liked this. Up front, but not aggressive, flavour. Little citric notes, lots of sweetness, chip shop curry flavour. Good thick, slightly floury, sauce. Very British. This should be called British Curry Noodles. I liked this so much I wanted another one immediately.

Very simple, but oh so yummy.

Go on, you know you want to.....

Best curry flavour instant noodles

Sainsbury's own brand noodles

Aldi Make in Minutes Instant Noodles Chicken flavour

Cheap and cheerful. Well, perhaps cheap and very bland is more accurate.  I like the noodles - firm and chewy, if a little flavourless. But the flavouring leaves a lot to be desired. At least no chickens were powdered to make this. Doesn't say where made, but this feels like a Chinese nood; and the flavouring - onion powder and Marmite - is a common chicken substitute in Chinese chicken flavoured noods.

Score: 3

The best Chicken flavour instant noodles

Aldi Instant Noodles

Sainsbury's Basics Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour (packet)

They say "Mild flavour with oodles of noodles" - well, it's only 65g, so not a big amount of noodles, but the flavour - if restrained - is acceptable, and this comes out as a better product than Sainsbury's pot version of the same thing. The packet is made in China from purely veggie ingredients. The chicken is "Vegetarian Chicken Flavouring" - which means onion powder and Marmite.

An acceptable if not outstanding chicken nood.

Score: 5

On a head to head between Sainsbury's basic and Sainsbury's regular chicken flavour instant noods, there really wasn't a lot in it, but the regular had slightly more flavour.


Other reviews
*Vegannonnoms
*RamenRater

The best Chicken flavour instant noodles

Sainsbury's own brand noodles

Blue Dragon Noodle Wok Oriental Chicken flavour

I like spicy, but I am sensitive to chilli, so this got my face sweating and my lips burning. I hadn't realised it would be that hot! At £1.50 for 65g, this is not good value - you pay more for the packaging than the food; however, you do get a reusable blue plastic bowl - useful for those who like their noods from a bowl rather than a pot. This is all veggie - the chicken flavour comes from garlic and soy sauce powder. It doesn't taste much of chicken. The flavour is dominated by the chilli, and by rehydrated veg. Dried veg is not good. It's best in powdered form. This thing comes with a separate packet of dried veg. So you get the crunchy, chewy artificial tasting peas and carrots thing familiar to those who used to eat Bachelors dried soups. It's not good. There are few noodles, and I don't recall them much. I was rather overwhelmed by the chilli and the dried veg. I did eat it, and it wasn't offensive. But it's an expensive mistake. These noods are SIX TIMES more expensive than Nissin, and nowhere near as good. These are made in Thailand for Blue Dragon, a British company, founded in the early 1980s, which sells Asian sauces and dried noodles.


Date: March, 2014   Score: 2

Some savoury flavouring, mostly onion ans soy sauce, and some heat. Not impressed at all.

Date: Sept, 2017  Score: 2

The best Chicken flavour instant noodles

Tiger Tiger Chinese Peking Duck Instant Noodles

Mmmm. Very tasty. Good noodles and a brilliant sauce. Great value for money. 100g for around 60p. Made in China with no meat products or MSG, just a careful use of onion powder and spices. Peking duck is a Chinese national dish - it has been served in one form or another since the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). These noods don't taste of duck, but of hoisin sauce,  a sweet and salty sauce used to glaze the duck.

This is my second Tiger Tiger nood, and I'm impressed.


See also:

Tiger Tiger

Nissin Demae Ramen Duck Flavour

Tiger Tiger Indian Tikka Masala Instant Noodles

These are very tasty! Good chewy flavoursome noodles, and a damn fine sauce - interestingly spiced, and not too aggressive. It's warm, exotic and interesting, rather than kick you in the balls and laugh. 65p from Sainsburys for a 100g packet, these are better value than most noods from UK based companies (though not as good value as Asian companies). Made in China without any meat for Tiger Tiger, a UK distribution company, they were launched in 2012,  Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the most popular dishes in the UK; it is widely considered to be a recipe created in Britain, though no one is quite certain where. It tends to be pieces of chicken in a creamy, spiced sauce - a blend of the popular Indian chicken tikka and a wet masala (spice mix) designed for the British taste for a wet sauce. This product, as is common with noods, didn't resemble any tikka masala that one might recognise, but it's an attractive name, and the packet design is equally seductive.

Good stuff.

Other raters
*RamenRater
*Need4Noodles

Tiger Tiger

Best curry flavour instant noodles

Batchelors Super Noodles Thai Green Curry

Crap.


Other reviews
*Need4Noodles

Best curry flavour instant noodles

Super Noodles are crap

Aldi Make in Minutes Instant Noodles Chow Mein flavour

Soggy and bland noodles, and very little flavouring. There's plenty of noodles, and its very cheap  (108g for 18p from Aldi), but unless you like eating wet mops, then it's too much noodle at any price. The ingredients don't list much of interest - seems the main flavour comes from onion powder. No meat products, which is a bonus. But I don't think there's any meat product in a wet mop either. Doesn't say where they are made.

These are worse than Super Noodles. That's a new low for noods.

Score: 1

Best instant noodle chow mein

Aldi Instant Noodles

Nissin Demae Ramen Curry Flavour

100g; made in the EU with chicken powder. 40p. A rather dull nood. The noodles are firm and flavoursome, but the sauce is thin and unexciting. Yes, there a curry flavour, but it's very thin and basic. The sauce is so watery and otherwise lacking in interest that this is a rather disappointing nood from the mighty Nissin. While this European made packet contains chicken powder, the Japanese one doesn't.

Date: March 2014  Score: 4/10

Other ratings
*RamenRater
*Ramen Butterfly
*RamenLovers

Best curry flavour instant noodles

Nifty Nissin noodles

Best curry flavour instant noodles

Some flavours are just perfect for instant noodles. Curry is one of them. Curry Pot Noodles is a classic, and is probably the instant noodle more than any other responsible for turning people onto this delicious food.

Most noodlicious curry flavour noods

Nood score: 8

* MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Green Curry Flavour (Made in Thailand)

* Tiger Tiger Indian Tikka Masala Instant Noodles (Made in China)

*Tiger Tiger Thai Red Curry Instant Noodles

Nood score: 7

* Naked Noodle Malaysian Laksa Curry  (Made in the UK - veggie)

* Lidl Vitasia Speedy Noodle Spicy Curry Flavour (cup) (Made in the UK)

*Curry Flavour Noodles by Sainsbury's (pot) (Made in the UK)

Nood score: 6

*Vifon Kurczak Curry (Made in Vietnam with powdered chicken)

* Mug Shot On The Go! Mighty Spicy Madras Noodles The BIG One! (Made in the UK - veggie)

*Koka Curry Flavour (Made: Unknown)

*Aldi Snack Noodle Spicy Curry Flavour (Veggie - Made unknown)

Nood score: 5

Maggi 3 Minute Noodles Curry Flavour (Made: Not stated - possibly India or Malaysia)

Nood score: 4

*Ko-Lee Go Noodles Bombay Masala (Made in Malaysia)

*Ko-Lee Instant Noodles Curry Flavour (Made in Malaysia)

*ASDA Smartprice Noodle Snack Curry Flavour

*Maggi Curry Flavour (Made in Malaysia)

*Batchelors Cup a Noodle Mild Curry (Made in the UK)

*Pot Noodle Original Curry (Made in Wales)

*Sawadee Instant Noodles Indian Curry Flavour (Made in Malaysia)

*Tesco Everyday Value Curry Flavour Instant Noodles (Made in China with powdered chicken)

Nood score: 3

*Sainsbury's Curry Flavour Instant Noodles (Made in UK)

*The Nation's 'Normous Noodle Chip Shop Curry Flavour (Made in Yorkshire)

* Tesco Everyday Value Spicy Curry Flavour Noodles (pot)  (Made in the UK - Veggie) 

Nood score: 2

*Nissin Demae Ramen Curry Flavour (Made in the EU with powdered chicken)
*Micro Noodles Curry Flavour (Made by Unilver, probably in the EU. Veggie)

Nood score: 1

*Batchelors Super Noodles Mild Curry (Made in the UK?)

*Batchelors Super Noodles Thai Green Curry (Made: Unknown)

*Shanghai Garden Instant Curry Flavour Noodles (Made in China with powdered chicken)

*ASDA Smart Price Curry Flavour Instant Noodles (packet) (Made in China with powdered chicken)

*Morrisons Curry Flavour Noodle Pot (Made in the UK)

Nood score: 0

*M Savers Curry Flavour Noodles (Made in China with powdered chicken)

Least noodlicious curry flavour noods

Nood blogs

A work in progress to find, list and comment on all the other nood blogs.

*Ramen Rater. 

The main Noodle blog, written by Hans Lienesch since 2002. Still active. Has loads of reviews, and while American based, people do send him noods from the UK. He is very active in promoting his blog, and has managed to get the press interested in his Best and Worse ratings.

Hans Lienesch

+++++++++++++

*RamenLovers

Active from 2005 - 2009.
168 posts.
There are four reviewers based in America who review whatever noods they can get their hands on, plus their local noodle bars. They put up plenty of pictures. As there are several of them, opinions will vary, so it's difficult to get a handle on what noods the blog itself favours, but the advantage is that they discuss each other's reviews. They seem to favour Super Noodles over Nissin, mainly due to the noodles. There are a good few Westerners who prefer bland, soft and floury to firm and flavoursome - like preferring white bread to wholemeal, and filtered lager to cask ale. Each to their own.

++++++++++++

*Ramen Butterfly

Active from 2011 to now.
"exploring the realm of gourmet junk food"73 posts on noods. Also comments on other foods. German woman living in America.  There's little actual information on texture or flavour of the noods or details on the manufacturer, but she writes in a chatty expansive manner, so you get lots of friendly chit chat, and she takes plenty of pictures. You get a picture of the packet, then the contents, then the finished product in a pretty bowl. OK.


*CheaperThanFood

Active 2008 - 2010. American female working in the communications media. Informative and interesting noodle blog. Lots of pictures, and interesting format where she lists the flavours, packets, amount of salt, etc. She then grades each aspect of the experience, and even lists what music she was listening to.  Her first blog explains it all very clearly. I like this blog and this woman. Shame she stopped.

++++++++++++

*Ramenlicious.com

Recipes and history.

++++++++++++++

*The Official Ramen Homepage

Looks like mostly recipes.

++++++++++++++

Others

Foodstufffinds

NoodleFreak

*CookingWithFrog
*BakeCookLove

Freetique blog -

Studentmunch 

Foodifancy.com

• Go Ramen!
• Guilty Carnivore
• Noodleson
• Ramen Ramen Ramen
• Ramen Recipes
• The International Noodle Review

 http://julesworld88.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/the-noodle-review/

http://ramenreview.wordpress.com

Ramenate - another noodle blog.

http://noodles.2ne1.com

http://need4noodles.blogspot.co.uk/

http://ramen-o-rama.tumblr.com

http://boingboing.net/2010/04/06/ramen-beyond-borders.html  (http://i-ramen.net)

http://noodlegrader.blogspot.co.uk

MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour

I love these. No chickens suffered to make these noods, and it's oily, dirty, flavoursome, satisfying, with firm, wheaty noods, and a genuinely savoury sauce. The flavours come in three packs, so it's a little awkward, but that does allow you to add your own level of chilli. There is also a pack of palm oil and garlic, which really fires things up. Finishes with some chemical flavours, so not completely top notch, but certainly above average - especially as regards the noodles.

55g for 28p. Made in Thailand with artificial chicken flavour.

Score: 7


Other reviews
*RamenRater

The best Chicken flavour instant noodles

Mama's best

MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum Flavour

My first Mama noods. 28p for 55g from  Tradewindsorientalshop.co.uk. Two sachets - powder and a sauce. Flavouring is a bunch of e-numbers, cream powder, shrimp powder and chilli powder. It's certainly creamy and spicy. Not sure about the shrimp - hard to taste that through the sugar and lime.

Date: March 2014     Score: 5

Yummy. Easy to make and very tasty. The red sauce is a little hot, and I shouldn't use all of it, as I'm sweating like a pig right now. Quite a lot of tomato flavour, which is OK, but a little goes a long way. Noodles are quite small - I prefer mine a little fatter. There's a little bit of lime, which is nice. If the noodles were fatter, and there were some more savoury notes, I would love these even more. But as it is, another good one from Mama. No meat, but there is shrimp powder.


Date: May 2015     Score: 8



Other reviews
*RamenButterfly

Most yummy Tom Yum

Mama's best