Booths new 'Let's Cook' recipe boxes put to the test

And while the pandemic has forced many of us to be much more organised in our meal planning, there are still times when we still struggle.

Let's face it, life is pretty boring at the moment with restrictions on our movements.

So the evening meal has become one of the highlights of the day. And that means it needs to be tasty, good value and with a bit of variation. Beans on toast just isn't going to cut it at the moment....

If you are not one of those people who is a natural in the kitchen, help is at hand.

Local supermarket Booths has started to provide boxes of ingredients, along with a recipe, which makes life a whole lot easier on those days when you are struggling for inspiration.

There are half a dozen meals on offer, including chicken cacciatore with parmentier potatoes, tomato & mozzarella pasta bake, creamy chicken and leek mashed potato topped pie and chermoula spiced salmon with tabbouleh salad.

But I opted for the pork and courgette ragu with rigatoni.

The ingredients for two came in a handy-sized box - 250g of minced pork; a courgette, 80g of rigatoni; mixed herbs; a tin of tomatoes; portions of Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar and a couple of sachets of parmesan cheese - more of which later.

An instruction card told me five minutes of preparation were required then 15 minutes cooking time. That sounded like the perfect after-work solution.

Few store cupboard ingredients were needed - olive oil, a sprinkle of sugar, salt and pepper - which most people will have.

The card also featured eight easy-to-follow instructions, all of which had a picture by way of illustration, so there really is no way even the most nervous cook could go wrong here. A bit of chopping, some opening, stirring, then boil up your pasta...

And as predicted, 20 minutes later, dinner for two was on the table.

So what was the verdict?

Well, we were impressed. The finished product was surprisingly tasty and looked pretty professional. It was quick, easy to make and on the table within 20 minutes after a day's work.

My other half pointed out that it looked good enough to provide a romantic meal for a special treat and certainly tasted like a lot more work had gone into it.

My one gripe would be that ready-grated packets of parmesan are not the best. A small piece of the cheese to grate at home would be better. And I added a few leaves of basil which I had at home to provide the finishing flourish.

But I'm nit-picking here. This is a great idea and tastes good too. If you are looking for culinary inspiration with step-by-step instruction, this could be just the ticket.

Prices range from £8-£11.50, with my box costing £9.50. And if you are a Booths cardholder, you can save 15 per cent until February 9.

If you are looking for culinary inspiration with step-by-step instruction, this could be just the ticket.