Tuesday, 7 April 2026

Product Test


Kimbo had mentioned that he'd bought some frozen Lamb Shanks from Lidl (I think), and that they'd been delicious.

Then, I just happened to notice that they had some in Sainsbury's; so I invested.


Inside the pack were two separate, frozen, vacuum packed, Lamb Shanks in a deep rich gravy.

They needed about 45 mins in the oven, so in went some spuds to roast, then 15 mins later in went the emptied packs of lamb; making sure to keep all the sauce. When the hour was up; they were all perfectly cooked.

We were both very pleasantly surprised. In fact I shall visit Lidl this week to see if they have some; if not I'll buy them again from Sainsbury's. A pack of these in the freezer is an excellent back-up; as it was for me on Easter Day.

The finished dish was impressive looking, very tender and tasty, and no work! If I had one tiny criticism, it would be that the sauce had a slightly artificial mint flavour; but nothing to worry about.

Verdict: 9/10 I shall now keep a pack of these in the freezer at all times.

 

34 comments:

local alien said...

With the gravy included it's a real convenience pack. I haven't tasted mint sauce in years. It's not a combination known around here.

Cro Magnon said...

Proper home made mint sauce is excellent with all Lamb dishes, but this was a bit strange. It didn't take-away from the overall taste, but it was something we could have done without.

Christina said...

As always, I recommend Lidl. The lamb shanks are very good and they do Gammon shanks too! They are not frozen though. They are in the chilled isle.
You didn't report back on the Lidl Deluxe Cornish butter. What did you think?

Cro Magnon said...

This morning will be my first visit since your recommendation. I shall report back about the butter!!!

Frances said...

They sound tasty...I wonder if Aldi do them. Always looking for easy food for the freezer in case of not being able to go food shopping .

Susan Heather said...

They sound good. Haven't heard of them here. Lamb shanks are a ridiculous price, more per kilo than a leg.

Traveller said...

Will be interested to hear what you think about the Lidl ones. I have tried them and had the same issue with the mint sauce, it didn’t taste right to me and I only brought them once. We tend to go for the half price half legs from Tesco.

Poppypatchwork said...

We regally have them from Lidl, we always cook them in our slow cooker.

Cro Magnon said...

I had bought some, I'd forgotten. Yes, very good!

Cro Magnon said...

Lidl didn't have any this morning, so I bought the same again from Sainsbury's (£7). £3.50 each for a really nice meal; can't be bad!

Cro Magnon said...

We were amazed how good they were. When we have them again I'll take a photo. I forgot on Sunday evening.

Cro Magnon said...

Next time I'll make my own usual Mint Sauce; that should disguise the strange flavour of their mint.

Cro Magnon said...

I'm annoyed they didn't have any.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

We have had them from Aldi where you can get both chilled and frozen versions. The frozen ones are cheaper. I agree with you about the gravy taste.

Cro Magnon said...

We'll have to write to them about the Minty gravy! I shall try Aldi on Saturday. They're probably all much the same; it's just a matter of if they have them or not.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

At Aldi you can get them with two different gravy flavours - red wine or mint, Personally, I would prefer a simple onion gravy. We could add our own mint as desired. This is important stuff. Who cares about the war in Iran?

Cro Magnon said...

'Mint' is a serious subject; especially as I took some roots of Spearmint from my neighbour's front garden two years ago, and it's now running amok in my back garden. I need to use it more!

Coppa's girl said...

Lamb Shanks are something I've only seen in Iceland here (Spain), but I've never thought of looking for them in the frozen section in Lidl. Will do so next time I'm in there, as it's years since I've had a lamb roast - or any kind of roast! When my husband was alive, I used to buy the frozen shanks in red wine after we found, as you did, the mint sauce tasted artificial. We'd make our own fresh mint sauce and pour it over the red wine!

Cro Magnon said...

The minty-ness certainly gets a Thumbs Down everywhere. It won't stop me buying them.

Traveller said...

Might I suggest a Hugo?

Travel said...

I will look for those here, unlikely in the USA, lamb is much less popular on this side of the Pond. Stephen's mom showed me how to cook it 20 years ago during a visit to Yorkshire.

Cro Magnon said...

They've only just appeared here in the past year or so. They are a good addition to the shopping list!

Susan said...

The only way I truly like lamb is at a Greek restaurant. It is always tender and savory. I've not experienced mint with the lamb at the restaurant. I'll look at Trader Joe's (AKA: The US Aldi) for the frozen lamb shanks.

Cro Magnon said...

Mint Sauce (chopped mint with vinegar and some sugar) is standard in the UK to serve with Lamb. It was one of the first things I learned to make as a small child.

Cro Magnon said...

Is that 'mint and champagne/prosecco'?

Traveller said...

Raise the mint put in decent sized wine glass, add ice, then 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts elderflower liqueur and 1 part soda water. Lovely on a hot day. Don’t waste champagne on it

Traveller said...

Do you have a cut glass mint sauce boat on a glass saucer?

Graham Edwards said...

Oddly, what the post has brought into my mind is not so much the the fact that I love lamb but the fact that I cannot remember the last time I ate meat in the form of a joint of any sort.

Cro Magnon said...

Yes I do. I'm not sure where it is, but it's a treasured possession. I don't suppose many people would know what it is these days!

Cro Magnon said...

The Lamb Shank was surprisingly 'meaty'. At £3.50 for each person, it was an absolute bargain!

Cro Magnon said...

It sounds like a really refreshing Summer drink. I shall try it.

John Going Gently said...

Bloody lovely

Traveller said...

Bruise….not raise! If you don’t have elderflower liqueur use cordial, but not as much. Lidl sells it. It is a very refreshing drink, we discovered it in Italy. Adjust quantities to your taste. TO me the addition of sparkling water is essential

Cro Magnon said...

How right you are!

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