Honey Roast Parsnips (frozen), Iceland

A review of ‘Honey Roast Parsnips’ - available from Iceland

£1.75, 750g

This weekend I wanted to buy some parsnips to roast, but they were absent from the produce section (except in a pack coming with four unwanted carrots, and one considerably more unwanted turnip). However, as I was shopping at Iceland, there was a handy pre-prepared frozen alternative:

These cost roughly double the amount of buying raw parsnips. I’d estimate there are around four large portions in this bag, you can probably get double that if you’re using a small amount. They take about half an hour in the oven, and will slide right off the tray thanks to the grease they already contain.

What do you get for that? There are roughly two types of parsnip you’ll find in the bag: a really large one, and a really small one. Here is a picture:

I’ve tried to draw a cross-section on the smaller one of what you’ll find inside your purchase. That is, mostly batter in the small ones, and mostly parsnip in the large ones. This ratio gives two very different dinner experiences… neither are great.

Review

Small parsnips: basically an oven chip, but even less healthy. Delicious, but in a  way where some basic sense in your body is telling you that you’re making a bad choice. There’s some parsnip in there if you squint your mouth.

Large parsnips: although they do cook through, the parsnip still tastes raw and stringy. The largest ones are inedible.

Both: not sure where ‘honey’ comes into this product.

Positives:

• Handy as they’ll last for a while in the freezer.
• The only choice if you’re in Iceland.
• Do contain parsnip.

Negatives:

• Preparation time is not much better than raw parsnips.
• Unfavourable batter:parsnip ratio at both ends of the size scale.
• A little overpriced.
• A lot of batter: it would be better enjoyed in a Yorkshire pudding.