Noodly goodness

I’m now into my fourth week of feeling unwell and, although the sore throat (which turned out to be tonsillitis- ouch!) has subsided, I am still well & truly under the weather.

That said, I’m conscious that I have still to share the next instalment(s) of my comparative noodle eating. So, here goes.

My second noodle was one of these lesser known brands called Shanghai Garden. I opted for the chicken flavour, although curry flavour was also available. They are the second cheapest from my Tesco shopping list at just 18 pence.

Again, I followed the instructions to the letter and noticed that this brand required a lot more water, 300 ml rather than just 200 ml for the Tesco value range. Then I realised that you actually get quite a lot more in the packet – 108 grams versus only 65 grams on the Tesco Value noodles!

After waiting a moment or two for the cogs in my brain to turn, I worked out that the Shanghai Garden noodles are (only a little bit) cheaper than the Tesco Value noodles when priced per gram. They also taste better and the consistency is more pleasing. Okay, there’s not a huge amount in it, but if you were on a tight budget (let’s face it, most of us are!), then you could actually stretch this to two meals, or to feed two people as suggested in the instructions.

The following day, I opted for the Tesco standard brand noodle (for those who shop elsewhere or who live outside the UK, there’s Tesco Value, Tesco, and Tesco Finest, although they don’t seem to make any Finest instant noodles!).

Knowing what to look for following my previous tests, I noted these were 85 grams and cost 28 pence. The price per gram is almost double that of the previous two, so the expectations rose a little. Alas, the expectations were not met; the noodles were fine, the flavour and consistency were okay, but for the price, I wouldn’t bother.

So far, the Shanghai Garden noodles are the cheapest, most flavoursome and the noodle with the best consistency. I still have the premium brand SuperNoodles to try, but I’m a little noodled out just now, so I’ll have to get back to you!

Oodles of noodles

I’ve not been very well this last week or so, and in the last 48 hours, my throat has been painful to the point that it’s pretty uncomfortable to eat solid food.

Today I headed along to my local Tesco to pick up the essentials for a poorly person (hubby was at work so I had to go it alone): paracetamol, ibuprofen, Strepsils, orange juice, smoothies, soup, noodles and ice cream.

Not the healthiest shop by a long shot, but when I’m feeling lousy, the last thing I want to do is cook proper meals. Juice, smoothies and soup are my vitamin boosts (along with a daily multivitamin) and noodles go down easily without hurting my wee throat too much.

The supermarket trip nearly wiped me out, bit the most tricky part was buying noodles! The cost of a packet of noodles varied from just 11 pence for Tesco Value brand and 69 pence for SuperNoodles. That’s more than 600% more! Okay, it’s just pennies, but if you’re buying more than one pack, it could really make a difference.

After much deliberation, I settled on buying four different types of noodles, with the intuition of establishing whether or not there truly is a difference.

Today I had the Tesco Value brand chicken flavour instant noodles, priced at 11 pence per pack. I followed the instructions on the pack easily. They softened well and were ready to eat in just three short minutes. They tasted fine and the texture was okay. They were close to the consistency of any other noodle I’ve tasted. The down side is that they only had chicken flavour; there was no alternative.

Tomorrow, I will try another of the four varieties of noodle, and report my findings here. Not the most exciting product in the world, but to any students out there, this could have a big impact on your weekly shop (I jest, please pardon the stereotype!)

I love this city!

The steps at The Mound

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is coming to a close and I can’t help but feel I’ve missed out a bit this year. The Fringe festivities are on for almost a full month, but sometimes it’s tricky to get round to it of it unless you plan ahead.

As you may know from my previous post, I had a week off last week. However, I ventured off camping instead of spending time with my beloved city, Edinburgh. So on Sunday my husband, Chris, and I decided to make a day of it. We took the car in to make the most of the free parking available in the city, and to give us more flexibility. As we had nothing planned (and because I’m saving the pennies!), we headed straight for the Half Price Hut at the bottom of The Mound.

We gazed at the screens listing the many shows that had become available at 50% off until something took our fancy. Any of you who have been to the Festival before will know that there are some great shows available, but there are also a whole lot of duds too, so it can be difficult to select a good’un when there are so many to choose from.

We eventually purchased tickets for a show called Korean Drum for only £7.50 each, rather than the usual £15 price tag. We had a few hours to kill before the show started so we headed off for some lunch, walking past the Royal Mile on the way. If you want to truly experience the festival, a visit to the Royal Mile is a must. It’s full of colourful characters, street performers and stalls, and best of all, it’s free!

Edinburgh Festival: Looking down the Royal Mile

We arrived at Red Box Noodle Bar for a late lunch. We’ve been there a couple of times before, it’s great value at only £5.30 for a very generous portion of noodles, served in cool American style boxes (here in the UK, noodles are usually served in plastic tubs, like disposable Tupperware, so these boxes hold the novelty factor!). There is a choice of noodle (egg, rice, udon, ramen, etc) and ingredients. I ordered chicken satay udon and Chris ordered Thai red curry beef ramen. Yum!

Oodles of Noodles

We hurried our full tummies along to the show. I usually choose shows in the Dance & Physical Theatre section of the Fringe Guide, whilst Chris prefers music or comedy. This show was a great combination of music and dance. The performers were extremely energetic, but also showed amazing levels of precision, which certainly impressed the audience. Suitably entertained, we headed off to meet a friend for a drink at the East End. We stopped in at the Omni Centre, which I would say is probably best avoided during festival time as it was so quiet and lacking in atmosphere compared to venues in and around the Old Town.

It was a great taste of the festival though, if only for one day. Next year I’ll plan ahead… Honest.