Lost The Pot Noodle Roast Chicken

 

Pot Noodle in a packet - it has "lost the pot". This is Pot Noodle catching up some ground lost to Super Noodles, though stepping backwards in terms of saving the planet as the pots are recyclable, while the packs are not. Anyway, these are better value, but are more fiddly to prepare. 

The noodles are bland. The powder is not fully adequate for the amount of noodles so it all ends up tasting watery and like, well, Super Noodles. If you like Super Noodles you'll like these, but why buy these when you can stick with Super Noodles. If you like Pot Noodles you probably won't like this. It doesn't taste like proper Pot Noodles, the king of the slags. 

The taste is mildly buttery and mildly roast chicken. But the flavours are so mild the main taste is the soggy floury noodles. On the whole this is not great. 

Date: Dec 2021  Score: 3

 

The Pot Noodle company came up with a revolutionary idea - add flavour to the Lost The Pot packs.  It's a cool advertising campaign: 

INTRODUCING
NEW LOST THE POT
NOW WITH FLAVOUR

IT’S BOLD.

IT’S REVOLUTIONARY.

IT’S NO LONGER CRAP

Let's see... Lots of firm noodles with a mild false chicken flavour. I added tomatoes and spring onions to make it nicer.  Despite the advertising claim, there's still not a lot of flavour or character.

This is not like Pot Noodles. Though it may be interesting to do a side by side.  

Date:  Jan 2023    Score: 4

The best of the Pot Noodle slags

Lidl Newgate Express Singapore Style Curry Noodle Pot

 

I put in about two thirds of the water they suggest, and that created a pleasant chip shop-curry flavoured sauce. I don't like the thin short noodles. But the sauce was good - close to Pot Noodle style curry sauce. I'd be happy to eat this again.  I suspect this is pretty much the same as the Spicy Curry Flavour, though I haven't checked the ingredients. Perhaps different noodles. 



Date: Nov 2021   Score: 7  

Lidl Newgate Express Thai Style Sweet Chilli Noodle Pot

 

After yesterdays Newgate Chow Mein disaster I wasn't expecting to like this Lidl noods pot, but blow me it's yummy. I did put considerably less water in it than suggested, and left it a bit longer to stew, so the sauce was thicker, and the noodles softer. The noodles were still a little bland for my taste, and I don't like that they are short and thin like short Vermicelli. But the sauce worked for me - it was sweet and spicy with a firm tomato flavour. Nice one. I'd be happy to have this again. 


Date: Nov 2021   Score:  7 

Lidl Newgate Express Chinese Style Chow Mein Noodle Pot

 

Bland noodles, chopped short. An onion and marmite water sauce. Needed salt to bring out the flavour. I ate it, but there was little joy in the experience, and I suspect little nutrition. Best bit was the tiny pieces of veg. 

Date: Nov 2021.  Score: 3

Tesco Wicked Kitchen Late Night Noodles

 

This is strongly flavoured, but not attractive. It's rather too strongly flavoured, so we put in more water to make it palatable. The taste is soy sauce and onion with some heat, which is a rather uninteresting, though some interest and variation is supplied by the basil. 

Not a noods we enjoyed.

Date: April 2021. Score: 3

***

Tesco noodles

Tesco Wicked Kitchen Spicy Coconut & Rice Noodles

 

I'm not really a fan of rice noodles - I find them a bit slimy, tough, and bland. But these have worked for me. The sauce is very tasty with a yummy balance between sweet and spicy.  I enjoyed them, though I might hesitate to buy them again as I do prefer regular noodles. There is a distinct Asian flavour about this. 

Date: April 2021.  Score: 5

***

Tesco noodles

Tesco Wicked Kitchen Sweet Potato Beans Chilli Mac

 

Produced for Tesco by Wicked Kitchen. This is a modern pot noodle which is more like a vegan meal than either the stodgy British slag noods or the watery yet exotic and spicy Asian noods. There is a mix of both - there is stodge and hot spice. I like it, but it has problems. It is very dry. I put in much more water than recommended, and kept on adding water as I was eating because it soaks up moisture so quickly. It's also quite chilli hot but lacking in flavour so I had to add a lot of salt, and keep adding it until at last the flavours came through. I think the mix of kidney beans, potato and pasta is just too much stodge without variety. I enjoyed this, but I wouldn't rush to buy another.

Date: April 2021. Score: 5

***

Tesco noodles

Tesco Hearty Food Co. Chicken & Mushroom Flavour Noodles

 

Stodgy British noods. Lots of cornflower. Not much flavour. This is a typical cheap nood. Usually they are bargain supermarket brands. You can do better than this peeps. Leave this on the shelf and get yourself a Pot Noodle. It's dirty and you love it. 

Date: Dec 2020   Score: 3 1/2 

***

Tesco noodles

The best (and worse) 

Chicken flavour instant noodles

Symington's Naked Curry Malaysian Style Long Grain Rice

 

This is a rather soggy nood. In fact, it isn't a real nood - it uses rice instead of noodles. I was conned! Bought quick and cheap in Lidl. I didn't pay attention. Rice doesn't work. It's worse than the rice noodles. I followed the instructions and got cold soggy rice. The flavourings are nice. But if the main ingredient is an epic fail, then the flavourings are not going to save it. And they didn't. Nice flavourings, shame about the rice. This is not a Rice Crispies blog, nor even Rice Soggies blog, this is a Noodles blog.  Bring on the noodles, and bring them right here! 

Date: Dec 2020   Score: 4

***

Symington's

Lidl Newgate Express Speedy Noodle Spicy Curry Flavour (cup)

 

Everything about this looks cheap and nasty. In colour and appearance it's an attempt to cash in on the awesome Pot Noodle brand, but lacks the humour, the professionalism, and the slaggish class of Pot Noodle. The lid is thin and tore as I was trying to open it. You look inside at this miserable looking heap of dried noods with barely any powder. Just this small, insignificant dried lump of yellow huddled in a corner of the white cup. And where's the mango sauce? Well, that was hidden inside the noods. I poured on the water and stirred before I found it. And it was a joyless unmarked and uncolour plastic sachet. No cost saving unturned.  My hopes were not up. 

Then I started eating.  I'd had these nods before, and have reviewed them twice before under slightly different names: Vitasia Speedy Noodle Spicy Curry. And I remembered that they are way tastier than you expect them to be. It just works. Not too spicy. Not too sweet. A good balance. And they have that comfortable gooey sticky mouthfeel that is so typical of the best British noods. Asian style noods are either watery or dry. British noods are thick, moist, comforting. 

I like these noods. To be honest I'm not a huge fan of Lidl. I think their products can be good, but they can also be bland or overly sweet - simply going for the cheapest, easiest, most commercial product that is going to appeal to most people. They head downwards for the lowest common denominator. They are not looking to make distinctive, interesting, challenging, exciting food products. They just want products that are going to appeal to the most people. If what you want is the bland, slightly sweet, everyday familiarity, and are not interesting in trying something unusual, unique, interesting, with complex and fascinating flavours, then Lidl is your bag. And just sometimes, as with these noods, the familiar and the comforting is just what I want. 

Yes. This hits the spot. 

Date: Sept 2020   Score: 8 

Pot Noodle Yerk Chicken

Warm and spicy and very filthy, this is a classic Pot Noodle. I could do this again.

Veggie.


Date: July 2020   Score: 6

***

The best (and worse) 

Chicken flavour instant noodles

The best of the Pot Noodle slags

Pot Noodle Thai Green Curry

Part of the regular range, this is typical Pot Noodle noodles with a mild curry flavour sauce. Yes. OK.


Date: July 2020   Score: 5

The best of the Pot Noodle slags

Pot Noodle Asian Street Style Malaysian Laksa

There are four flavours in Pot Noodles Asian Street Style low calorie range.

As with the Thai Red Curry, the sauce is tasty if a bit watery, but the noods let it down. Use some proper fat wheat noodles and I'd be happier. If I had this again I would use less water.

Date: Lockdown July 2020   Score: 4

The best of the Pot Noodle slags

Pot Noodle Asian Street Style Thai Red Curry

Pot Noodles have a new range - Asian Street Style. The noods are made of rice, which is not my favourite. Rice noodles are too waxy and antiseptic tasting, and they take a long long while to get really soft the way I like my noodles. So the noodles I don't like. The flavouring, however, is OK. Mild curry, slightly Thai in character. A bit watery at first, so, unless you prefer weak watery noods, I'd recommend using less water than indicated. Once the noodles were eaten I enjoyed drinking the juice. Little bits of veg in there. Yeah. OK. But because of the rice noodles this isn't one I'll be rushing to buy again.


Date: Lockdown July 2020   Score: 4

The best of the Pot Noodle slags

Tesco Hearty Food Spicy Curry Flavour Noodles

This is a very basic budget pot noodle. Cheap, but not good value. Very little flavour. Very little contents.


Date: March 2020   Score: 2

***

Tesco noodles

Naked Noodle Egg Noodles Thai Sweet Chilli

Not that sweet and not that hot. It's an OK but forgettable nood. The noodles are very small and they merge with the rest of the ingredients. It's OK, but I prefer my noodles a bit bigger. There could be a bit more yum factor. I got these at half price in Tesco - I wouldn't pay full price for them.



Date: Jan 2019   Score: 4 



  

I'd prefer bigger, longer noodles, but on the whole this is a tasty little nood. There's some spice and heat, but not too much, and there is a pleasant sweet tomato flavour to contrast and cool the spice. Yeah, flavours are good. it's the noods that let it down. 


Date: March 2022   Score: 6 

***

Symington's

Ilumi Sweet Chilli Rice Noodles

I have been a bit uncertain about rice noods in the past because they can be a bit bland and chewy, but if left long enough they are fine. On the whole, given the choice, I would always go for a wheat nood than a rice nood, but, clearly, if someone has an issue with eating wheat then these gluten free noods are a decent alternative. Just remember to leave them long enough to soften. And keep the lid on so the noods say warm!

The sauce is good. There's a bit of heat, but mostly it is a savoury sweet sauce, quite tomato based, and really quite edible. Nice one.



Date: Set 2018    Score: 7

MAMA Tom Saab (Hot & Spicy) Flavour

I like the noodles in this - they absorbed the water very well, and are quite chewy and tasty with a wheaty flavour. The flavour of the sauce though is quite strong and artificial - rather overwhelming. It has some spice, but not too much as we didn't add the extra chilli powder.  We ate this with spring onion, raw mushroom and a boiled egg chopped into it. It made an OK lunch, though the chemical/artificial flavour was not that great, and we won't be knowingly eating this one again.

Score: 2

Mama's best

Yum Yum Kimchi Flavour

Made by the Wan Thai Foods company in Thailand this is a very tasty noods snack. The noodles didn't fully absorb the water, so remained a little firm, with some liquid. This is more to the Asian taste than the British, however, the overall taste and mouthfeel is very good. The flavour is sort of onion and soy sauce - mildly savoury and gentle. We ate this with spring onions, raw mushrooms and boiled egg chopped in. It makes a satisfying and tasty lunch.


Score: 7

Ilumi Singapore Style Rice Noodles

I like these rice noodles, and I like the sauce. I didn't use as much water on this one, stopping well before the line to make a thicker more British style sauce, and I liked that. This is a decent savoury sauce. I am tempted to get more of these, but in our house we are feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the amount of plastic we buy, so we prefer not to buy throwaway plastic containers.

So - nice noods, shame about the container.


Score: 7

Ilumi Tom Yum Rice Noodles

I picked up a bunch of Ilumi rice noodles from Tesco. This is the second one we've tried, and I like this. Good lemony flavours. Bright and citric.

I'm not a fan of rice noodles, but these work well, and the flavouring is fresh, and feels natural.

If it wasn't for the plastic, I might be tempted to buy more of these Tom Yum.


Score: 6

Ilumi Vietnamese Style Beef Pho Rice Noodles

I picked up a bunch of Ilumi noodles at Tesco as they are doing a deal. I was a bit reluctant as I'm getting fed up of the amount of one-off plastic we buy, but my curiosity at trying a new noods company got the better of me. 

I'm not a fan of rice noodles, but - to be fair - these were quite acceptable. Made up as directed, this is a little watery in the Asian style (Europeans like their noods to be a bit dryer and stodgy), and we wondered if we'd need spoons, but by the end there was actually very little juice left, and we simply drank that out of the cups. This is not an exciting flavour - it's mostly onion with a bit of Marmite. I was saddened to read that they used real beef extract. Why? There is no beef flavour here at all. It seems pointless and cruel to include beef extract for the sake of it. There's bits of dried veg, which work at adding a bit of texture and interest. And there's chilli (of course). It;s not too hot, so just gives a spicy warmth to the onion and Marmite water.

We thought this was quite acceptable.


Date: May 2018   Score: 5

Beef flavoured

Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy

Yeah, its spicy, and that's about it  really. Unimaginative packet of noods from the normally excellent Nissin. It's edible, and has savoury bits, and is spicy hot without burning, but there's not a lot going on to catch or hold your attention.


Score: 5

Nifty Nissin noodles

Lidl Vitasia Stir Fry Noodles Sweet & Sour

Though Lidl seem to have changed the name of their instant noodles from Vitasia to Newgate, these "straight to wok" dried noodles still use the Vitasia name.

This is not a regular instant nood, as you have to pour on hot water, then stir fry. Not the first time I've had instant noods with those instructions. It's a little fussy to cook, so is barely instant, but at the end it is a rather decent product. Chewy and pleasant noodles, and an attractive sauce. We popped some tinned mackerel in tomato sauce on top of ours, which made for a pleasant lunch.  OK - but a bit fiddly to make.


Score: 4

Mug Shot Sensations Mediterranean Pasta / Moroccan Cous Cous

We tried these two little beauts. The Moroccan Cous Cous is, of course, not a noodle dish, but it's in the Mug Shot range, which is essentially the same thing - an instant dish in a pot.

The Mediterranean Pasta sucked big time. The pasta was dull, and the sauce was insipid and dull. The little crunchy things in the plastic at the top were intended to brighten it up, but the crunchy bits soon became soggy and just made it a bloody ugly mess.  Never again!

Score: 1

The Cous Cous was quite tasty, but the seeds didn't work well. We quite enjoyed it, but would have preferred it without the seeds.

Score: 4

Symington's

Bachelors Super Noodles Bacon Flavour (cup)

Bland stodgy noodles and a sauce that tastes of bacon flavour crisps. It's edible, but it's pretty low down on the food chain.


Date: Dec 2017  Score: 3

Eet ees filthee! Bland noodles, and an artificial chemical tasting bacon. And it makes you burp up the chemical flavour for months afterwards. And your farts smell of dead pig. And your nose flattens like that of a pig. And you start masturbating in cupboards and grunting like a pig. You become a freaking streak of pig, and you go rut in the garden and make it all muddy and smelly.  Seriously, is it worth it?

Date: Lockdown April, 2020   Score: 4

Super Noodles are crap

Batchelors Super Noodles Chicken flavour (cup)

The advantage of the cups over the packets is that the cups are easier to make, and you don't have to look for a bowl to put them in (or wash up afterwards). Otherwise this is pretty much the same as the packet. It's edible, if a little bland. Taste is OK, though.


Date: Nov 2017   Score: 3

***

Super Noodles are crap

The best (and worse) 

Chicken flavour instant noodles