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Product Review: Donnelly’s Salads

Donnelly WOK IT UP!Food writers are lucky enough to receive lots of samples in the post from time to time. These samples tend to consist primarily of fatty and sugary foods.

Recently, we received a big giant box of many different salads from a PR company representing Donnelly’s Salads, an Irish owned company based in north Co. Dublin, where most of the salads are grown. I fretted over what to do with many different bags of salad. It scared me: salads get all mushy down the bottom of the bag and go to waste.

But it made a healthy, healthy change from boxes of cake, so it was gratefully received. The usual mixed leaves were in there, but some of the salad kits are a little out of the ordinary, such as the Irish Growers Salad Choice Bag (€3.50), which contains a variety of tender pea shoots, toasted pine nuts, and a basil drizzle. There’s also a bacon Caesar salad for €4.

I particularly liked the Wok It Up combinations: a bowl of noodles, veggies and sauce for €3, which are wok ready. I added some chicken to the Oyster and Soy Noodle Bowl, and there was enough for two. Veggies were crunchy and fresh and the stir-fry was juicy and tasty. I visited my relatively critical parents – where do I get it from, eh? – and donated the Sweet Chilli Noodle Bowl to them. Very positive reports and a statement of intent to buy the product again.

There was also a Mex it Up! Fajita Kit, costing €2.75. It’s just a mix of sliced onions and mixed peppers with a sachet of fajita seasoning, and I was less sold on this: how difficult is it to slice a few onions and peppers? Fajitas are already so simple and easy to make. Still, as we had it, we made some juicy steak fajitas – fry up the onions and peppers, add some chopped steak to the pan, throw in the mix, and put it all into a tortilla with some sour cream or natural yoghurt, and a hot sauce of your choice.

Donnelly’s salads are stocked in many different locations, including Aldi, Centra, Fallon and Byrne, Spar, Superquinn, and SuperValu.

 

6 Comments

  1. Ok, I take your point about how hard is it to chop up some veg but the nights when I am boggle eyed with tiredness I remember my mum when I was a child dreaming of being rich enough to buy m&s chopped veg, and when I truly do not care, I would prefer to have the choice of something healthy and fresh that is instant but realistically the main driver is the instant / easy. Let’s face it, people buy convenience food for a reason and if I can have a healthy choice for those nights I say “hurrah” . Suppliers like this are great, they are trying to target the market of people who enjoy good food and give them what they want.
    Sorry. I sound narky but tonight I am tired and food was way down the list so had to make do with a packet soup monstrosity standing at the kitchen counter while dealing with a sick little person screeching at me. Pre prepped veg is nice at those times.

  2. Jaysus. Ignore most of the last comment. I sound like a mean auld hag. Please excuse me and put it all down to tiredness. Eek!

  3. Not at all Fiona! It makes eminent sense what you’re saying, and I do agree that I’d rather a healthy, fresh, instant choice. God knows, I’ve been working very long days lately, and I’m not inclined to cook when I get home. I’m just not sure this is much of a time saver because it saves less than a minute 🙂

  4. Onions and peppers are my pet hates to peel and chop. Onions get me teary and the smell clings to my skin, no matter what. And every time I chop a pepper, I get all these little everywhere, and for some reason always cut myself (although I think it’s just my body refusing to do the job!).

    Still, I don’t think my budget can strech to this. Guess i’ll have to pay my kids to peel and chop the vegs

  5. Hi are they Donnelly branded in Aldi or something else (in an Aldi disguise) ?

  6. Sorry John, I’m not sure. If there’s something in Aldi that looks like them, then I guess it’s probably them. Maybe a rep can Aldi can clarify if they’re reading this?