One of the best things about holidays is spending time with loved ones and eating great food. But with great food, comes the stress of hosting, while making sure everyone is having a good time.
Iceland, however, has taken the stress out of hosting and brought back their roast dinner in a box, just in time for Easter. A similar box was released at Christmas time, which sold out, so when the opportunity came to be one of the first people in the country to try the new Lamb Easter Dinner in a Box, I was happier than a pig in mud.
When my box arrived, I was blown away by the sheer size and weight of it… to the point I was worried about fitting it into the freezer. Luckily, once you open the box, everything is individually packaged so you can put the products into multiple freezer drawers.
What do you get in the Iceland Lamb Easter Dinner in a Box?
The box was overflowing with food, and came with half a leg of lamb, which weighed 1.22kg, an entire bag of Iceland Ridiculously Crispy Roast Potatoes, four Luxury Beef Dripping Yorkshire Puddings, Honey Glazed Parsnips, a carrot, broccoli and pea mix, 12 Pigs in Blankets and 300g of Iceland Luxury Beef Gravy.
Everything you get inside the Lamb dinner in a box from Iceland
All of the products included in the box add up to almost £40 individually, so you’re already saving £10 before cooking anything.
What was the cooking experience like?
I’ve never cooked a lamb roast dinner before, so having a box with simple instructions to follow completely put me at ease.
The box came with detailed instructions on the back as well as a piece of paper to help with timings. I started the process at 1.30ish and we were sat down eating dinner just after 5pm.
One thing I didn’t expect was how easy this box would be to cook. For a usual Sunday dinner I’d be slaving away in the kitchen for several hours, especially in the last hours before dishing up.
But with this box, I’d say I was able to spend two more hours than normal with my young daughter which is just priceless.
Of course there was a mad 30 minutes towards plating up where things are coming in and out of the oven, the hob was steaming vegetables and the gravy was in the microwave, but that is to be expected.
How did it taste?
The lamb was juicy, soft and cooked perfectly – but the best thing is that there was more than enough to stretch the meat beyond four adults. I fed myself, my fiancé, toddler and my parents with meat left for sandwiches the next day.
I was surprised to see pigs in blankets included in the box as they are my favourite, but they’re not a common appearance on a lamb dinner. The sausages had a lovely herby flavour and were wrapped in deliciously crispy and salty bacon.
One of the five plates from the Easter Roast Dinner in a box
I was super excited about the roast potatoes, and although they were soft, fluffy and delicious, they weren’t the crispiest roast potatoes I’d ever had. I wish I’d cooked them in the air fryer instead of in the oven while the lamb was cooking on a lower heat.
It was the same story with the honey glazed parsnips, the taste was phenomenal and sweet, but they needed extra time to make them crispy and reach their full potential – time which I sadly didn’t have with a toddler weaving in and out of my legs asking for a “snack”.
One of the stand out products for me was the Yorkshire puddings, they were the best I have EVER had. They were perfectly crispy on the outside and had a spectacular taste to them.
The gravy also really surprised me, once I got the gravy out of the microwave I thought it smelt a little funny. I added in some of the juices from the lamb and it was was like liquid gold – full of flavour and lovely and thick.
My only complaint about the gravy is wishing there was more – but that’s the northern girl in me.
The final verdict
To be quite frank, it is very impressive that Iceland have been able to offer so much food in a box for £30, especially when the meat is something as expensive as lamb.
The process of cooking the box was a breeze, and could easily be done by any beginner making a roast dinner for the first time. The portions are incredibly generous and left plenty of leftovers for later in the week.
This is incredible value for money and gives busy parents the chance to spend time with their family, without compromising on value and taste.
I’d give the box a solid eight out of 10 overall.
Available from Tuesday 24th March, whilst stocks last, in-store and online at Iceland and The Food Warehouse.