Waitrose Fish Pie

We rarely buy ready meals but whilst in Bangkok recently we happened to notice a Waitrose fish pie in the freezer of one of the upmarket supermarkets. It was rather expensive (at around £6.50) but we figured we were worth it, and after all why not have a treat sometimes? I later checked the Waitrose website and found the same product on offer for £2.69 – so most of what we paid was for refrigerated air-freight rather than for the pie itself. (Yeah, I know – food miles and all that.)

Normally we don’t like frozen fish but I remembered that I used to like the M&S fish pie occasionally, and Waitrose usually produces a high standard of food. It was worth a try!

We weren’t disappointed.

Knowing me, and how I usually like to make everything from scratch, you might be surprised to find me buying a ready meal. Well, if I could get the ingredients, such as smoked haddock, then I certainly would have made the thing myself. The trouble is that smoked haddock (or cod) seems to be as rare as hen’s teeth overseas, and I just love the stuff, so I couldn’t pass up on an opportunity to savour it again.

The Waitrose fish pie consists of “Succulent pieces of salmon and smoked haddock in a sauce made with cream and white wine beneath a layer of buttery mashed Maris Piper potatoes.”

It was delicious! But the first thing I noticed was that the pepper had been overdone. Just as I don’t like my food to be over-salted – I can always add more if I want but can’t take it away if the chef has been over-zealous with it – I also don’t want to be overwhelmed with pepper. Another criticism was that, for my taste, there was too much salmon (11% salmon, 9% smoked haddock). I’d have preferred more smoked haddock, less salmon, and maybe some white fish, but you can’t have everything you want. The potatoes and sauce were everything the packaging boasted they would be.

All in all this was a tasty treat and definitely something we’d have again. And just think, if you’re in the UK, you can have it for only £2.69! Spare a thought for us poor bods who live in the sun.