I tried Iceland's Pigs in Blankets Lasagne and it was an abomination

I love lasagne and I also love Christmas, so what could be better than a Christmas lasagne? Well, it turns out almost anything. Iceland is well known for its innovative products, adding and trying out new combinations of people's favourite foods, and their Luxury Pigs in Blankets Carbonara and Luxury Pigs in Blankets Lasagne ready meals are another of their fun fusions. First up was the carbonara.

Now, I have perfected my own homemade carbonara so it was never going to beat a homecooked version. But, this is a decent enough ready meal and this is for fans of a super creamy sauce. It only takes nine minutes in the microwave, giving it a stir at the six-minute mark.



I left it a minute before tucking in, as per the packet instructions. The sauce is very thick and rich and the vintage cheddar gives it a good tang against the saltiness of the bacon and the mini pigs in blankets. The spaghetti itself holds up well considering it is a frozen ready meal.

There are three mini pigs in blankets, which are peppery, but there are only small pieces of bacon in the sauce and I felt the creaminess could have used some more bacon - but then what doesn't need more bacon. This portion would fill you and probably give you carb sweats given how rich it is - I would give it a 6/10. But then came the lasagne.

We love lasagne in our house, we had lasagne for Easter Sunday, my husband requests it for his birthday meal and we even love frozen varieties when we don't have time to make one. But this was an abomination to lasagne and possibly some kind of crime towards Italy. It serves one and takes nine minutes in the microwave.

There is no cheese and has never seen a tomato, in between the pasta layers are pieces of turkey breast with cranberries and smoked pancetta in a gravy and is topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and two pigs in blankets. Immediately you can smell the breadcrumbs which smell like stuffing, Christmas if you will, so not a bad thing, just unusual for a lasagne. The problem arose when I tasted it.

The strong herbs hit you first and it is this mismatch of flavour with the lasagne texture that is difficult to keep in your mouth. The turkey pieces are too small to really register and I couldn't taste the cranberries, which could have helped lift the flavour. The gravy is not as rich and thick as I would want it for a luxury branded product and it was just too much of an odd combination for my husband who had to go to the bin and then the sink while he looked on at me, tears in his eyes, perhaps questioning why he married someone who would encourage him to taste such a food fusion as this.

Clearly I am going to be making a lasagne to make it up to him. I love Iceland, but this is not something I could ever taste again, it questioned my loyalty to Christmas and this is where I would be prepared to draw the line - however, I also do not like the Greggs festive bake, so perhaps for people who love that baked treat this could be a ready meal dream come true. I can only give this the lowest score I have ever given anything 0/10.

In fact, it almost needs to be tasted to be believed. And if you want to try it for yourself, you can get either the Luxury Pigs in Blankets Carbonara and Luxury Pigs in Blankets Lasagne at Iceland for £3.75 each.

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