Barker's Meal Sauce - Family Coconut Curry product reviews

I love a good curry for dinner, thought we would give this a go it looked good and I love the jar it comes in. Nice and slim and the label is straight to the point, it gives ingredients and two ideas of meals. Now it suggested to do a fish curry instead I used the slowcooker with chicken breast cut up. I tipped one jar of this in with it and nothing else.

When opening the jar the aromas was so good, it made me happy it didn't smell coconut overpowered which I liked as I'm not a fan of coconut. Quick taste from jar and I was holding my expectations really high with the finished meal. We could smell the meal throughout the house and even guests commented as they came into our house.

Once the meal was cooked I throw in some stir fry veges and cooked up some rice and served it altogether. Now I wasnt expecting a good taste from others I've used which lose their flavour after vring cooked but I was surprised, in fact I was so happy it was amazing. A beautiful curry over rice, not overpowered with coconut and noone complained about dinner. The best part was only needing one jar for the slowcooker.

This is one sauce I would buy again as I've tried making my own and cant, something that everyone will eat and something easy for those days I know I need the help. The price isn't ideal but only needing one makes it easier.

This sauce was one of four we tried over the last few weeks (it was the last). I think my expectations had risen quite high and this one was not my favourite. I did like the consistency, the smell was good, not to overpowering and not too coconut. I again was not a fan of the little bits which visually didn't work for me - maybe with a wider range of vegetables I would be happier. I chopped some onion/chicken/carrots and steamed some rice and then we had a good basic dinner - possibly a bit of a time saver and definitely a great consistency to just heat up and eat. It turned a lovely colour and was probably a lot healthier than the choice I would have made otherwise.

I admit I reached for this sauce with some boring old chicken on a cold winter night for a pick me up and it did the job to warm us through and avoid a takeaway. I was slightly disappointed with how mild it was and I would probably add a few more spices if I was using it again - but to be honest, it just wasn't exciting enough. I think I was probably clouded by some lovely different flavours (try the apricot chickpea instead seriously!). I also loved the Mexican and Asian variants a lot more so the bar was quite high.

The texture was good and it definitely took the work out of cooking dinner and it went well with the rice. Basically it just wasn't strong enough for me but if you have kids or those who like a korma it would probably be a great success. I genuinely could not fault the product and admire Barkers for coming up with a good cupboard staple.

I love a good curry and I am a fan of hot, but with three children in the house I have to compromise for mild to please everyone and my kids prefer a sweet coconut curry so I knew this sauce would be perfect for our family. Barkers products have always been family friendly and have a great range of flavours to appeal to everyone in the household, they have long been a staple in our pantry supplies. I was so excited about these meal sauces as often I find myself after a busy day struggling to make something completely from scratch. These being ready to go are perfect and I was able to just add the sauce to my meat and vegetables for a quick and easy meal.

I noticed on this jar you could use for slow cooker dishes which was very exciting as I love to be able to set my slow cooker in the morning and forget about it until its time to organise dinner. In the morning I placed the sauce and some chicken thighs in my slow cooker and set it to cook. When I returned home in the afternoon the kitchen smelt amazing I could clearly smell that it was a coconut curry cooking and it was amking me very hungry. I had a little taste test while waiting for rice to cook as I was slightly concerned with it being labelled medium that the spice may of been too intense for my littlies but found it was infact very mild and sweet.

My kids loved it, to them it had the perfect amount of spice and a nice amount of sweetness to it, I personally woudl add more chilli for a bit of heat but wouldn't change the recipe at all being so family friendly it is perfect and easier for me to spice my portion up then try and take some heat away for the children. Everyone emptied their plates and were very pleased with the meal. The jar is quite large so you wouldn't have to use a whole jar for one meal I however cooked extra so we could have leftovers for lunches.

Family Coconut Curry has been the families top sauce flavour from all the ones we have tried and reviewed. Luckily for me I got home from work and my partner had tea on. The smell as I walked in the door was amazing and the coconut curry smelt like it should have. My partner decided to cook it with chicken and onion and served it on plain rice. The sauce was nice and thick and my toddler enjoyed watching dad cook tea and had a little stir of the wooden spoon in the frying pan.

The bottle label is great, easy to see the ingredients, eye catching and also great how it gives a couple of recipe suggestions on the bottle. The bottle size is great how ever because it is a thick sauce which is great I do find the sauce ratio is less then I would like for the rice and soaking in with the rice. That doesn't worry the others in the house though, that is my own preference.

Everyone is the house really enjoyed this flavour and my toddler really liked it and ate more tea then he has in a while. My partner commented how amazing the flavour was and to make sure I keep an eye out for this one in the supermarket to buy it. I still think the price is a little high, but the flavour is good, it is easy to use and everyone eats tea so therefore it is a winner in the house. I will recommend this flavour to friends and family. You could even spice up the heat a little with your own spices if you like it a bit hotter, this is mild to suit the family.

I've always been supportive of the Barker's of Geraldine brand because they always seem to be searching for new flavour combinations product types, with sauces, jams, syrups, condiments, and whatever other form of liquid food that they can come up with (maybe soups will be next?). Some a brilliant, some are okay, but they always seem to provide something new and exciting...except with these meal sauces. I don't know whether they are running out of ideas, or trying to break into a more mainstream market, but these meal sauces, as a range, feel unoriginal, and this coconut curry doesn't change that thought.

When I go to buy a meal sauce, it isn't just to save time when I cook. I can eat incredibly bland meals for the sake of efficiency and time or cost saving. If I'm investing in a meal sauce, it needs to wow me with a combination of a strong flavour, a powerful kick, or a unique taste. The 'Teriyaki' had a strong flavour, but its the same flavour as every other teriyaki sauce. The 'Mushroom and Red Wine' was another familiar flavour, but it lacked any strength of flavour or kick to it. This 'Coconut Curry' flavour I can only characterise with one word; sweet.

Combining this sauce with some chicken, I found myself underwhelmed with the flavour. Chicken breast is a rather bland meat which gains its flavour, instead, from the sauce, so I thought there would be no conflicting flavours. Alas, the sauce had no strong discernable flavour beyond having a sweetness to it, and a rather unappealing glugginess to its viscosity (assumedly from the emulsifiers). Sure, it was easy to use, and it came in a nice affordable jar that is recyclable and easy to open, but even the affordable products need a special something to make it worth the purchase. This product, unfortunately, lacks that creative and oral spark.

What you see in this picture is not so much a direct chicken coconut curry. A selection of extra garlic, ginger, curry powder, garam masala, fresh chillis, cumin and turmeric were added to try and zjoozj (sp?) the meal up into something that stood out. Still that sweetness ran through it, which tempered the chillis. I would struggle to call this product "mild", let alone "medium" and it does perhaps have some value as a base for a curry sauce, but as the entire flavour? It's lacking something. Edible, but mediocre.

Coconut is one of my favourite flavours. I often cook with coconut flour, and use coconut milk in smoothies and home-made curries. So this product was tailor-made for me; I was pretty sure I would like it but was keen to get other people's views as well. So I compromised. I used half of the contents to make a fish curry to have at home, and took the other half to share with friends. On opening the jar, I was very happy to find that the expected coconut-and-curry smell was there, and the first taste of the contents confirmed that this was indeed a flavour I would like. There was a slightly sweetish aftertaste which complemented the coconut beautifully.

The first half of the jar was cooked for a meal at home (just two of us) and I was worried, knowing that Barker's portions tend to be on the generous side, that we might not eat it all. My concerns were groundless; the assembled meal was so delicious that neither of us stopped until every scrap had gone and the plates were so clean they barely needed washing! I am glad I had used only half the jar as we would probably otherwise have finished the lot.

I had chosen hoki and shrimps as the base, accompanied by sliced avocado, Brussels sprouts, and lettuce. It was beyond delicious! Although the coconut and curry flavours were both easily distinguishable, neither of them was too strong so the fresh food also shone through. In some ways I thought it looked like piccalilli, although it did not taste especially like it. The creamy texture and bright yellow colour were most attractive, and as a bonus this meal was particularly low in both carbs and calories so for anyone on a diet or following a keto regime it would be an ideal choice. Not that it had any resemblance to the traditional idea of what a "diet" food might look like! And the other bonus was the time factor. The entire meal took just ten minutes to prepare - it would have been even less if we had not included the sprouts.

The other half of the jar was shared with three other people, two grown-ups and one child. We three adults all enjoyed the sauce, mentioning in particular the portion size and the convenience of having a resealable container so that any unused amount could be used on another occasion. We divided the sauce in two (125g each), mixing one quantity with tofu and the other with cooked chicken. The two mixtures were then reheated separately and served as an entree. This was a useful way of ensuring that everyone could taste it and offer their feedback.

The three adults liked the unexpected "aftertaste" which kicked in after you had eaten it. and thought that made it a cut above other similar products. They thought the mild flavour would make it an ideal choice for mixing with a number of other dishes, both hot and cold. One person suggested using it with an egg curry, or a potato salad - both dishes that can be served warm or cold. Using it instead of a cheese sauce to top broccoli or cauliflower was another suggestion. They liked the way it sat on the tofu without melting into it, and thought it would be good for people who don't usually eat tofu because it would disguise it. They also enjoyed it with the chicken, finding it went further than they might have expected.

One downside with the coconut curry was that the other people present (two children and two adults) were not particularly interested in trying it. The fourth person to try it with us (and also the third child present) had some, and said it was ok: he would eat it, but it was not his favourite. Clearly this is a taste that has more appeal for adult palates. As a result, the parents with the younger children would probably not buy it for their own family. But from my own point of view, this is a sauce that I will buy again - the reasonable price, the healthy ingredients, and the amazing taste are all something I would look for in a product like this.