I'm not usually one for convenience foods, but Sam Hutchinson of Blue Water Products dropped off some Silk Road products the other day which I enjoyed.
These are a range of chilled stews, tagines and curries with exotic flavours (as the brand suggests) and naans and rotis. They are made by Asian chefs in Wellington.
The breads, plain and garlic tandoori naan, and plain and garlic and coriander rotis, are a step above many flatbreads available in supermarkets.
Be sure to heat them in the oven or a toaster rather than the microwave, which can make them too chewy.
The flavours of the stews are genuine - the sort of thing you might make yourself from a good recipe - and they say they don't contain preservatives or artificial ingredients.
The stews tend to be a bit runny, but they are intended to be served over rice or couscous, and the proportion of meat to pulses and other ingredients is authentic, although big meat-eaters might want to add more meat. They can be microwaved, although you need to remove them from the pouch first.
I particularly enjoyed the smoked lentil tagine and the Moroccan chicken stew.
Silk Road products are available in many supermarkets.
