Tsingtao - Frozen

 

I've had these for so long that I've forgotten where I bought them, but given that they are a brand name then I'm not sure that's a huge issue. 

Why had I ignored them for so long? Cooking them involved deep fat frying which scares me because of those adverts in the 1980s where te whole house burnt down due to a deep fat fryer (I had a damp tea towel on hand, just in case).

 

So 8 minutes of deep fat frying, occasionally turning said items which didn't look promising pre-oil as they were pale and very flat, but they came out a lovely colour and seemed to plump up a little. A couple of agonising minutes later and bite number one was undertaken. I was expecting grease, but nothing of the sort, the crunch was superb. The filling was a little "baby food" with minimal vegetable definition, and a tad salty but one got used to that quite quickly. 

The box contained around 45 spring rolls of which yours truly consumed two thirds in one go, so it's fair to say that they are quite more-ish. A few exploded a little but not to the extent that they were ruined.

 Overall score: 7 out of 10

Too much cooking faff with the deep fat frying and the items, whiclst nice, the filling is a bit stingy and undefined. 

Morrisons - Chilled (Large)

 

So I thought I'd covered the Morrisons chilled section but I stumbled across a large variety in the aisle whilst looking for fresh basil (I know, I was going way off course).

So upon leaving the packaging the aroma is already very clear in the kitchen, but a non-fussy 14 minutes at 200 degrees on a baking tray is appreciated.

Upon leaving the oven the crunch appears excellent as they are moved from tray to plate and the anticipation regarding the first bite is palpable, although there is a small amount of stick-age to said tray. Sure enough the crunch is excellent but the vegetable definition is mixed, with some clearly defined regarding look and taste, and some baby food like. Seasoning is also mixed with some parts of a single roll being fairly bland but at the end the seasoning is almost overpowering; presumably this is a mixing process thing, but it's a tad disconcerting.

In summary, decent crunch, mixtued flavour and definition: 6 out of 10. Not my favourite but I'd have again.

 

Morrisons - Chilled

I know what you're think: why is there not a picture of the packaging?

It's really really dull, that's why, which didn;t bode well to be honest. The packaging makes them look like a budget option, but the price is similar to others so that is definitely not the case.

Cooking time is on the short side due to the bijou nature of the rolls themselves. Oil and colour are encouraging but there is a slight lack of nose for this correspondent. 

So 5 minutes or so of cooling time and we are ready for the first bite, and to be honest, it's....ummm... alright. The seasoning is ok, the vegetable definition is, at times, good, but occasionally we get mush. There is no spicy heat to speak of and by the last one or two they have become quite bland, but they have a reasonable crunch.

These are not the worst spring rolls on the block, but they are nowhere near the best. If ever a spring roll could be described as "beige plus" it's these. They are ok, but don't get you raving about them. 6/10.

Waitrose - Chilled

 

I know what you're thinking: he's doing alright eating Waitrose spring rolls. But let me burst your prejudiced supermarket bubble at this point and say that they were in a similar price bracket to all the others at around the £3 mark, so this purchase wa snot a frivolous as you might think.

Anyway, these looked really promising from the outset, with a decent colour in the pack and promise crispiness initially. The cooking instructions advertise a short 12 minute visit to the oven, but they come out looking really appetising and smelling better, with a small amount of oil on the tray.

A short cooling off period and they are ready for consumption and the wait was most definitely worth it. excellent seasoning with just a hint of spicy heat. Great vegetable definition and crunch mean that these are going to score highly.

 These are the best so far, by quite a long way, and whilst the perceived quality of the outlet would suggest they should be, they really deliver. I was reluctant to do this, but I cannot fault these so it's 10 out of 10; excellent!

 

Aldi - Chilled

 

 From "Our Correspondent In The North":

Awful. 

What positivity can I bring to the table after eating these Aldi veg spring rolls? Very little. The fact that they are small and not large is their only saving grace. Less sh1te (Ed - blushing!) to eat basically. The usual crunchy pastry after being air fried but the middle was practically non-existent! I was left mainly eating pastry with a hint of veg. 

Buyer beware 4/10

Sainsbury's - Frozen

 

This is the first set of "mini" spring rolls to go in the Rolls Choice oven so we are about to find out if size matters... and the answer is: kind of, yes.

 

The cooking instructions are pretty simple, involving a 180 degree turn at the halfway point and little else. The aorma is subtle but alluring nonetheless, so the wait whilst the rolls cool to below the surface of the sun like temperatures is a tad agonising, especially as I was pretty hungry in the build up to their consumption.

When one finally gets to hoover up the pastry parcels the taste is disappointing, with a distinct lack of seasoning and varied amounts of vegetable definition where some of the innards resemble baby food and some offer distinct carrot and green bits (not 100% sure what they are but I'm guess peas), so a genuine mixed bag.

 Overall these are a smidge disappointing in one bite, but great in the next. The greasy residue is not ideal, but the crunch is lovely. One roll is like a savoury rusk, the next a textured delight. These are therefore a 6 out 10.

Mark's and Spencer - Chilled

 

These are arguably the "posh-est" spring rolls so far but in some ways the most disappointing. It's the longest cook so far at 30 minutes, with a turn halfway through, but half of the produce had stuck to the tray by this point, and one had collapsed altogether, which was not a good start.

Once done, and hungrier than I usually am at this stage due to the extra 10-15 minute cooking time, the six rolls have a lovely darker brown look than their competitors, but the aroma is weak. First bite offers a hint of spice and a good crunch, with decent vegetable definition, but the seasoning is slightly odd, or more accurately, different to the others I've had. I don't think the different taste is unpleasant but it's a surprise, and having a taste surprise can be a bit discombobulating.

These are clearly an alternative spring roll option, and a decent one for special occasions, but if you are after a day-to-day spring roll, I'm not sure these are for you.

Good crunch, reasonable taste and definition are let down due to the collapsing cooking process, so it's a 6/10 for me.