Home cooks making fakeaway-style meals
If you are building a stir-fry, curry or takeaway-inspired bowl, compare the vegetables separately from the oil, sauce and other ingredients you will add.
Who is this for?
Microwave-first cooks
If the vegetable component needs to be quick to prepare, check whether the pack gives a microwave method. Birds Eye provides wattage-specific instructions for its Steamfresh Super Sunshine Mix.
Shoppers checking for soya
Vegetable mixes do not all have the same ingredients. Waitrose & Partners lists edamame beans (soya) in its Cooks' Ingredients Frozen Stir Fry Vegetable Mix; check the current pack when choosing for someone who needs to avoid soya.
What should you check?
Choose the vegetables for the dish you plan to cook, then compare the pack nutrition and the ingredients used in your cooking method.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat on the pack | Compare fat per 100g on the same basis. Waitrose & Partners lists 0.6g per 100g for its plain chunky mix; M&S lists 0.7g per 100g for its British Vegetable Medley. | I want to choose the vegetable component before deciding how much oil or sauce to add. |
| Cooking method | Read the preparation instructions as well as the nutrition panel. Waitrose & Partners instructs cooks to use one tablespoon of oil for its frozen stir-fry mix; the listed 0.9g fat per 100g is not the fat content of the finished meal. | For a pan-fried fakeaway, I need to account for the oil and sauce I use, not just the vegetables. |
| Format and time | Check that the pack suits your appliance. Birds Eye gives a one-bag microwave time of 3 minutes at 700W or 2½ minutes at 900W for Steamfresh Super Sunshine Mix; follow the instructions for the pack you buy. | On a busy evening, I would rather microwave a vegetable side than prepare a pan-fried mix. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Compare the ingredient lists and current allergen declarations. Waitrose & Partners lists cauliflower, broccoli and carrot in its plain chunky mix, and edamame beans (soya) in its stir-fry mix. | When cooking for someone who avoids soya, I need to check the exact mix rather than rely on its name. |
| Pack format | Check the pack size and whether you need a composed mix or separate vegetables. Tesco Groceries lists 1kg mixed vegetables and a 1kg soffritto mix in its frozen-vegetable range. | If I make several meals, a larger bag may suit my plans; for one stir-fry, I may prefer vegetables already combined for that dish. |
What can change the choice?
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Counting the vegetables as the whole meal
Fat per 100g on a vegetable pack does not include the oil, sauce or accompaniments you add. Waitrose & Partners instructs cooks to use one tablespoon of oil with its frozen stir-fry mix.
Compare the vegetable packs first, then consider the cooking oil and other ingredients separately when planning the meal.
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Assuming every vegetable mix has the same allergens
Waitrose & Partners lists edamame beans (soya) in its frozen stir-fry mix, whereas its Essential British Chunky Vegetable Mix lists cauliflower, broccoli and carrot.
Read the ingredient and allergen information on the particular pack, especially when cooking for someone who needs to avoid soya.
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Choosing a format that does not fit the meal
A microwave steam bag works as a vegetable component, while a stir-fry mix is intended for a different cooking method. Neither supplies the rest of a fakeaway meal.
Choose the format around your appliance and recipe, and check its preparation instructions before buying.
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Using an online description instead of the pack
Ingredients and cooking directions matter when fat content or allergens affect your choice. M&S states that its British Vegetable Medley is raw and must be cooked.
Check the current pack label for the ingredients, nutrition and cooking directions of the product you take home.
Relevant brand ranges
These examples show how individual plain mixes, stir-fry blends and steam bags differ; the figures apply to the named products, not every product from each brand.
Birds Eye
Garden Peas and Steamfresh Super Sunshine Mix offer different ways to add vegetables to a meal.
- Waitrose & Partners lists 0.7g fat per 100g for Birds Eye Garden Peas. Birds Eye gives microwave instructions by wattage for Steamfresh Super Sunshine Mix.
- The peas' nutrition figure does not describe the Steamfresh mix; compare the specific pack you intend to use.
Waitrose
Its named plain and stir-fry mixes offer different ingredient selections for a fakeaway meal.
- Waitrose & Partners lists 0.6g fat per 100g for Essential British Chunky Vegetable Mix and 0.9g per 100g for Cooks' Ingredients Frozen Stir Fry Vegetable Mix.
- The stir-fry mix contains edamame beans (soya), and its pan method calls for one tablespoon of oil.
M&S
Frozen British Vegetable Medley is a plain mix of broccoli, cauliflower, garden peas and Chantenay carrots.
- M&S lists 0.7g fat and 3.7g fibre per 100g for this medley.
- M&S states that the product is raw and must be cooked; added ingredients determine the finished dish.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists frozen mixed vegetables and soffritto mix in 1kg packs.
- The listed formats give shoppers different ways to plan repeat meals or start a cooked dish.
- Check the nutrition, ingredients and cooking instructions for the particular Tesco pack before comparing it with another mix.
Joybuy vegetable options
These Joybuy options include separate vegetables for cooked dishes, a microwave steam-bag mix and a stir-fry mix. Check each pack's nutrition and cooking directions when deciding how it fits your fakeaway.
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Taj Family Cut Okra 1kg
Cut okra offers a single vegetable to add to a cooked fakeaway-style dish rather than a ready-composed mix. Check the pack for its nutrition and cooking instructions, and account for any oil or sauce separately.
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Surya Sliced Okra (Bhindi) 300g
Sliced okra is an option when your cooked dish calls for that vegetable, rather than a mixed-vegetable base. Check the pack's nutrition and cooking method before planning the rest of the meal.
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Birds Eye Fresh Garden Mix Steam Bags 4 Pack 540g
The steam-bag format suits a meal planned around a microwave vegetable component. This is a vegetable mix, not a complete fakeaway; check this pack's microwave directions and nutrition rather than using figures for a different Birds Eye product.
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Taj Chopped Spinach 450g
Chopped spinach can be chosen for a cooked dish that calls for spinach, but it does not provide the selection of vegetables in a stir-fry mix. Follow the pack's cooking directions and check its nutrition alongside any additions to the dish.
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Morrisons Stir-Fry Vegetables 500g
This composed stir-fry mix suits a dish where you want the vegetables together in one pack. Check its ingredient list, nutrition basis and cooking instructions, including any oil used, before comparing it with a plain mix.
Common questions
Does a plain frozen mix make the whole fakeaway lower in fat?
Not by itself: the vegetable pack's fat per 100g does not include oil, sauce or other ingredients added to the meal. Compare the packs on the same basis, then consider how you will cook and serve them. Waitrose & Partners, for example, instructs cooks to use one tablespoon of oil with its frozen stir-fry mix.
Can frozen vegetables be used after defrosting without cooking?
Follow the instructions for the specific product rather than assuming they can be eaten after defrosting. M&S states that its Frozen British Vegetable Medley is raw and must be cooked, while the Birds Eye Garden Peas instructions shown by Waitrose & Partners say to cook them from frozen and not eat them raw or defrosted.
What should I check for soya in a stir-fry mix?
Read the current pack's ingredient and allergen declaration. Waitrose & Partners lists edamame beans (soya) in its Cooks' Ingredients Frozen Stir Fry Vegetable Mix; its Essential British Chunky Vegetable Mix instead lists cauliflower, broccoli and carrot.
What matters on a frozen-vegetable pack for this meal?
Check the ingredients and allergen declaration, fat per 100g and cooking directions for the exact product. The cooking method matters alongside the nutrition panel: M&S says its British Vegetable Medley must be cooked, and Waitrose & Partners specifies oil in the pan method for its stir-fry mix.
Is a microwave steam bag a complete fakeaway meal?
No: plan it as the vegetable component, alongside whichever other ingredients your meal needs. For Birds Eye Steamfresh Super Sunshine Mix, Birds Eye gives a one-bag microwave time of 3 minutes at 700W or 2½ minutes at 900W; follow the directions on the pack you buy.