Charlie Bigham’s Beef Short Rib Ragu with Rigatoni

Charlie Bigham’s Beef Short Rib Ragu with Rigatoni

I have been trying out a few of the Charlie Bigham’s meals. One I tried recently was the Beef Short Rib Ragu with Rigatoni. This was slow-cooked beef in a rich ragu with a fresh herb dressing, topped with Parmesan & served with rigatoni.

I followed the instructions on the packet, though I did cook for a shorter time than indicated, as my oven seems to work too well at times.

I did enjoy the beef ragu, which was intense and had a good flavour. Alas the pasta was slightly overcooked, I am not sure if it arrived like this, or whether my cooking had something to do with it.

I did like this meal, but I think it wouldn’t be one I would get again.

Charlie Bigham’s Lasagne

I have been eating a few Charlie Bigham ready meals recently. Partly as I managed to get a couple reduced at Waitrose, but others have been on special offer. Not sure how “special” they actually are, but the ones I have tried I have enjoyed.

I do quite like lasagne, but the quality of supermarket prepared ready meal lasagne does vary. The lasagne at M&S has usually been very good, whereas the lasagne from Lidl was quite flavourless in comparison. 

I know I really should make my own, but it is to be honest a bit of a faff, and a ready made lasagne is quite a good choice for quick dinner when I am either late back from work or doing something.

Charlie Bigham’s Lasagne is described as slow-cooked beef & pork ragù with red wine & oregano, layered with egg pasta & topped with our creamy béchamel sauce. The website also states:

We take pride in testing our recipes until they’re just right. That’s how we found the perfect balance of pork and beef for our slow-cooked ragù, and how we discovered the exact red wine that with a dash of balsamic vinegar of Modena, makes this dish delicious. With an extra layer of creamy béchamel hidden amongst the five layers of egg pasta, there’s a lot that goes into our much-loved Lasagne.

It takes thirty minutes in the oven and one thing I did like was how easy it was to remove from the wooden tray it is cooked in. 

I did really like the flavour of the lasagne and the sauce was nice and rich. The pasta  did have bite and the browned cheese béchamel added to the tastiness of the dish.

It certainly costs a lot more than most supermarket lasagne, I was lucky that I got mine on special offer. However, I probably would get it again, even at full price.