‘The dish has no texture’: Comparing Jamie Oliver’s new ready meals against other brands – for health and taste

We assess Jamie’s frozen ready meal lasagne, moussaka and cottage pie against the popular supermarket brands

So, Jamie Oliver, the TV chef who persuaded us to cook tasty and nutritious meals from scratch, has launched his own frozen food range. He’s right, of course, when he argues that many of us lack the time and inspiration to ensure every meal is homemade. But how healthy are frozen ready meals? And how does Oliver’s range compare in terms of nutritiousness and taste to similar products in the freezer aisle?
First up, the health bit: frozen ready meals are often more nutritious than chilled versions. “That’s because the food once harvested or prepared is frozen very quickly and there is little time for nutrients to be lost, compared to the timescales involved in putting fresh food on the shelves,” says Rupert Ashby, the chief executive of the British Frozen Food Federation. For example, frozen foods retain much more vitamin C than those kept in the chilled section.
“Freezing food is also a natural preservative, so there’s no need for additives to be included to increase the shelf life, as is sometimes done with chilled ready meals,” Ashby says. However, some frozen ready meals do contain additives, and count as ultra-processed foods (UPFs), the kind we’re encouraged to steer clear of for the sake of our health.
But how delicious and healthy are they overall? I’ve been a food writer for 20 years and judged in countless food awards, so I thought I’d put Jamie Oliver’s new range to the test alongside similar products in the frozen section. Which brands come out on top?
Enriched with tasty beef stock and herbs, this has good flavour and comes out of the container cleanly. But there’s too much pasta versus meat for my taste, and the “pulled” beef is so finely ground the dish has no texture. 
With 3.3g of salt and 10.2g of saturated fat, one serve contains more than half the recommended daily limit of both (6g and 20g respectively). However, the saturated fat content is the lowest of the brands tested. Technically this counts as UPF (yeast extract) but contains no colourings, flavourings, emulsifiers or preservatives, and has the lowest sugar content of the lasagnes tested. 
Available from Iceland now and Waitrose from October 4, £4
Contains significantly more meat than other lasagnes tested, although the flavour is a let-down; strangely sweet but otherwise bland, with an unpleasant aftertaste and grainy béchamel. Comes out of the container cleanly. 
Although quite salty, this product contains the least amount of salt of the lasagnes tested (2.3g) and similar levels of saturated fat (10.7g) to Jamie’s. Counts as a UPF (modified maize starch and the pancetta is loaded with additives and preservatives). 
Available from Iceland £5 (serves two)
Looks and tastes homemade with nutmeg notes in the béchamel sauce and visible tomato and onion in the rich beef and pork ragù. Comes out of the tray neatly. Disappointing that herbs slightly overpower the meat flavour. 
Contains quite a lot of salt at 2.58g (although less than Jamie’s), significantly more sugar (13.5g) and not far off the entire daily recommended intake of saturated fat (17.9g) in one serve. Not UPF but quite high in calories. 
Available online, Cook stores and some Co-op supermarkets £5.95
This looks appetising with a rich tomato sauce and herb-flecked top and the beef not too finely ground, so has a decent texture. Pleasant to eat and comes out of the tray neatly.
The highest in salt and sugar of the lasagnes tested, the second highest in saturated fat (16.8g), and the most calories per serve. Contains flavouring and counts as UPF. 
Available at Tesco, £4
The star of this product is the well-flavoured lamb stock and the aubergines taste appealingly fried (what there are of them). However, the dish mostly tastes of potato and herbs. Quite sloppy and hard to serve neatly. 
It’s the lowest in salt of the moussakas tested at 2.2g per serve but it contains quite a lot of sugar (12.7g). It technically counts as UPF (yeast extract) but contains no colourings, flavourings, emulsifiers or preservatives. 
Available from Iceland now and Waitrose from October 4, £4
A runny, almost soup-like product that’s virtually impossible to serve neatly. It has pleasant notes of mint but it’s lacking flavour and aubergines. 
It’s the highest in saturated fat at 15.6g but lowest in sugar (6.8g) of the moussakas tested. At the higher end of the calorie range, too, and technically counts as UPF (yeast extract). 
Available at Tesco, £3
This tastes like authentic moussaka, with lovely notes of cinnamon and oregano, and nutmeg sings in the rich béchamel. But it’s quite potato-heavy – I would welcome more aubergine. 
It’s the lowest in saturated fat and calories, but the highest in sugar (12.9g) of the moussakas tested. It counts as UPF as it contains emulsifiers and flavourings. 
Available online at Cook stores and some Co-op supermarkets, £5.95
A tale of two halves: the rich béchamel sauce is nicely spiked with nutmeg, but the aubergines are bland and under-seasoned, the potatoes watery. Overall, the taste was not great. 
It’s the highest in salt (2.4g) and calories of the moussakas tested, and this product is also relatively high in saturated fat (14.7g) with almost three-quarters of the daily recommended intake in one serve. It counts as UPF (yeast extract, modified maize starch) but no colourings, flavourings, emulsifiers or preservatives.
Available at Iceland, £3.75
I counted just five pieces of beef in the gravy, but they were chunky and the flavour of the good stock and red wine shone through. Crunchy breadcrumbs on top added welcome texture. This product was tricky to serve, as it stuck to the bottom of the container, and is quite salty. 
At 3.2g per serve, this is the saltiest cottage pie tested and the saturated fat (10.1g) accounts for more than half the recommended daily intake. Technically a UPF (yeast extract) but contains no colourings, flavourings, emulsifiers or preservatives. 
Available from Iceland now and Waitrose from October 4, £4
This tastes the least like a ready meal of any of the products I tested. The flavour is delicious: the meat and sauce rich with wine and herbs, the mash buttery. It came out of the container cleanly, and the layers held together.
This contains significantly less saturated fat than Jamie’s (8.7g) but about the same amount of salt and sugar. A pity about the flavourings and additives that make it UPF. 
Available at Cook stores and online, and some Co-op supermarkets £4.60
The least appealing of the products tested, the meat and sauce were gelatinous and devoid of flavour. The mash needs seasoning, and has a powdery, grainy texture.
It contains the lowest amount of salt, sugar and saturated fat of all the cottage pies tested, and also the fewest calories. Technically counts as UPF (yeast extract) but no flavourings, colourings or preservatives.
Available at Asda, £4.50 (serves four)
One of the sloppier products tested – it was hard to tell the difference between the meat and potato in consistency. It lacked flavour and seasoning, and left a fatty aftertaste. 
This is the highest in saturated fat of the cottage pies tested (13.6g) but contains much less salt and sugar than Jamie’s. Technically counts as UPF (yeast extract, modified maize starch) but no colourings, flavourings or preservatives. 
Available at Iceland, £5 (serves two)
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