IAM Super Food - Souper: Peppered Beef and Superbeans product reviews

I'm always wary of foods that are peppered, I tend to find that they're a tad hot for me, pepper never has agreed with me, but that's a fab thing about reviewing, it's good incentive to try something different. I'm not a fan of the packaging but it delivers what it's aiming to which is a plus. This opens up so nice and easily, there's no fumbling about for scissors or worry that you might stab you self by accident. I opted to put this through the microwave, ended up putting it in for three minutes to get it piping hot.

This is chock full of various beans, so I knew right away that if I ate it all, it should be a filling soup. I had plenty of beans, a nice amount of potato, plenty of liquid (though it had the consistency of a gravey not a soup) but I struggled to find the two pieces of beef that I did find... I know cost wise, if they put more in they'd have to raise the price but surely there should be more than two tiny pieces? I did find the pepper overpowered the flavours a tad too much, and overall this isn't a soup I would pick but I would eat it if it was the only option. My three kids all tried it and all three said that they found it a little hot but they wanted to finish it off for me so it was easily finished off.

I stumbled across this soup while looking for quick and easy meals in the supermarket for single serve work lunches. At $2.99 each I was a bit skeptical about the quality but I grabbed a couple anyway to try. I was attracted to the fact that they have a good amount of protein (I am currently on a high protein diet) and they didn't look like they had any rubbish in them.

When I opened it and poured it into a bowl, I was impressed with the thickness and amount of ingredients. It looked like more of a hearty stew than a soup and there was a decent size serving there. Beans are definitely the dominant ingredient, with beef taking a sideline. I felt that the beef content could be increased which would make this perfect.

Taste-wise, I was impressed, however I felt there was a small something lacking. For something named "peppered beef", I didn't taste enough pepper (or beef for that matter). A quick dose of salt and pepper fixed this, and once I got over the beef thing, I really enjoyed it for what it was and I wanted more!

After a quick google, I leaned they had other flavours so I tracked down a supermarket that stocked them and bought 4 of each flavour. At 3 bucks each for a good meal, why wouldn't I? It's approaching lunchtime now and I'm looking forward to trying the pulled pork & jalapeno flavour, and will hopefully follow with another good review!

WOW I really enjoyed this Peppered Beef and Superbean soup from Souper, it was really packed with kidney and Spanish White beans, I also and loved the Peppery taste but the beef, however, was not as present and was overpowered by all the other flavours. That, however, is my only criticism - this was delicious.

I love the really bright packaging this one being bright blue with cows on it and I see the other flavours are just as bright. It really stands out amongst all the other packaged soups you can get at the supermarket. As I had this at work for my lunch having the easy perforated opening at the top makes it great when you can't locate the scissors. My workmates commented on how great it smelled and asked what brand it was so recommendations already.

Even though it's only 390g it is really satisfying I think largely due to the large amount of beans that are in it giving it a lot of substance as usually I'm over eating soup when I get a big packet and need something else but this amount was perfect.

I would definitely recommend this product and would buy it if it was easily available at my supermarket. I don't think I would specifically search and buy it online. The price is great, its the same amount I spend on other soups and a nice cheap lunch at work. GO ON TRY IT!!!!!!!!

Soup... one of those foods which my partner and I always talk about eating more of over winter but then we never do! The reason for this being that we can never seem to find the right one, this beiing because they are either not filling enough or not tasty enough. When I saw the Souper soups up for review I decided that they would be worth a shot especially with 2 of the flavours sounding as though they they would be ones we would enjoy, with the Peppered Beef and Superbeans being one of these.

The instructions for heating on the back of the package seemed simple enough and there was a diagram on the top which showed how to open the pack in 3 easy steps, however I'm not really sure what I did wrong but this wasn't working for out for me and so I ended up using a pair of scissors and snipping off one of the corners to get the box open. Then in poured the soup into a microwave bowl to be heated for 2minutes, with a quick stir at 1 minutes interval. I was relieved to see just how thick this soup was as I was to be sharing this between my partner and myself and so was hoping it would be enough for us both, and served with a side of garlic bread it sure was!

The soup both smelt and looked amazing and so I was hoping for the same taste wise. After a few mouthfuls I started getting the flavours of the soup all coming through,i loved the texture of the variety of chunky beans within the soup and was impressed to read that this was a mix of kidney beans and spanish white beans though I swear there were more! The soup was also packed with vegetables, a great way to get your 5+ a day! The beefmade up 5% of the soup ingredients and sadly I didn't see any within my soup nor did my partner which was probably the biggest let down, I could however taste a beef flavoured sock base andone that was slightly peppered,this could've also done with being stronger to I feel.

Overall this isn't a bad soup, it just lacks a bit of flavour and could do with some chunky bits of meat, though like my meat eating partner said we could always add our own. With all the added beans and vegetables this is a high protein soup great for those with busy lifestyles as it will keep you full for longer, so for this reason purely I would buy this again for my partner as a filling option to take to work when on night shift.

One of the foods I used to LOVE eating before my teeth started to give me serious issues was Pepper Steak. It was a very special "treat night out" meal at a local restaurant in Palmerston North where a friend worked as the head chef. So, of course, I had to try this soup to see how well it captured the essence of beef and pepper. The first impression I had was the clever box - with a little unfolding, I was easily able to tear off the top and open it, complete with a pour-spout.

Emptying the soup into a small saucepan, it was clear that the major ingredients were the beans and potato, with beef coming in a very distant fifth place in the quantity rankings... and since I wasn't entirely sure I wanted a soup, per se, I decided to add in a generous portion of the cooked mince I had left over in the fridge after making tacos the night before. What I ended up with was effectively a nacho mix. So... why not... corn-chips are a staple in my cupboard so it was a simple matter to line a bowl with them, grate some cheddar cheese, and make a bowl of yummy nachos out of this erstwhile soup.

The end result was delicious, and since the only thing I added was plain, unseasoned mince, the full flavour of the soup was still intact and undiluted... but I have to admit there wasn't as much of that as I could have hoped. The soup itself is very "quiet" and subtle... so I found I had to add some more pepper and a good grind of salt to really bring it all out. Still, for what it is - a very healthy meal for one - it turned out quite well.

Overall... I think it's a good meal, but its real strength for me comes from it also being a great ingredient in a larger dish... which is how I would use it in future I think.

It had been a long day with no time to stop and eat. The sort of day when I can't be bothered cooking and try to tell myself I am not hungry so why cook? That is where convenience food comes in: instant meals that fill the gap and stop you waking up in the middle of the night with the munchies. However, there are two types of convenience foods. One is the sort you buy at a drive-through that comes laden with salt and other nasties. Tasty but hardly good for you when eaten too often. Then there is the other kind - the ready meal that needs minimal preparation and is "proper food". This product fits neatly into the latter category. As a bonus, it was a very cold evening and the idea of hot soup appealed.

Preparation could not have been simpler. Pop the carton, empty the contents into a microwave dish, organise some toast or pita bread to go with it, and in under five minutes dinner was ready! This was my first time trying this product, so I was interested to see just how thick it was - almost like a stew rather than a soup. It tasted good too although I admit to adding a little pepper to jazz it up. The beef had disappeared into the liquid but the beans were well and truly in evidence, providing a satisfyingly chewy texture which meant the meat was not really missed.

I liked the fact that the soup was high protein because this is just what you need after a day spent at a gruelling pace without the chance to recoup until it was over. I also appreciated that the ingredients were all natural, something else to consider when going for an off-the-shelf ready meal. Many soups on sale are packed with preservatives and other artificial additives so it is reassuring to find one that consists of meat, pulses and other vegetables with the only extras being salt and yeast.

After finishing the soup and the accompanying pita bread, I felt I had eaten a good sized meal. I had expected, given the relatively small size of the packet, that I would probably need something else afterwards, but that was not the case. I was more than satisfied with the amount I had eaten and had no desire for anything else. I cannot wait to try the other flavours in the range to see how they compare.

Sometimes it's handy to remember that ingredients are listed on products by the quantities. They don't necessarily have to say how much is in the product, but if it says "water, mixed beans, potato, onion, beef", then you know you have more water than you have mixed beans, and less beef than you have onion. Looking at those rankings of proportions, it would give you a fair indication of the flavour profile to expect.

Interestingly, the Chick and Supergrains variety contained only 2.7% chicken, and yet the chicken was such a strong part of the flavour. In the Peppered Beef and Superbeans variety however, beef is almost double that amount at 5%, and yet it has much less presence in the meal. Granted the pepper flavour is definitely dominant, but the actual beef flavour and texture and difficult to discern, beyond recognising the aftertaste.

This brand of soup is very easy to open. No tools required, just your fingers to flip, squeeze and tear the perforated seam at the top. Quick and easy. Compared to the Chicken variety, the peppered beef is much thicker and chunkier, with a lot less fluid. Where with the chicken I could simply pour it out and try not to splash it, the peppered beef can be shaken, and almost has the consistency of a tin of Wattie's baked beans or chilli beans.

Pouring into a microwave safe bowl, I heated it for just over two minutes, before consumption. Taking my first bite, the beans were definitely a large part of the flavour. The spanish white beans and kidney beans were definitely the main ingredients, and contribute a lot to the overall flavour. The potatoes (cubed) are also present in large quantities, but don't have much of an effect on the flavour. They seem to be there mostly to thicken up the soup, and fill the hole in your stomach. The large proportion of beans gives this soup the consistency and flavour of a mild beef chilli, with much less noticeable beef flavour.

The pepper from the beef does remain present in the meal throughout every bite, adding warmth and a fullness of flavour, but it does feel like it doesn't blend altogether too well. The pepper stands out on top of all other flavours as something separate, not really complementing the other ingredients at all.

It was certainly not bad, and I was definitely feeling full afterwards, so great value for the price realistically. But it was a flavour that didn't fit together well enough for me. So not something I would likely have a second time.