Aldi Specially Selected Fresh Pasta - Sweet Aubergine and Heirloom Roasted Tomato Cappellacci

So impressed was I with Aldi's Danio copycat yogurt, I went back for some more of them and also decided to be brave and give something else a go. I love fresh pasta especially the filled kinds and if they're done well I don't even serve a sauce with them because in theory they should be stuffed with flavour from the filling. Waitrose do some particularly good ones - if you've never tried their pumpkin and pinenut one you must.

These cappellacci promise 'little bites of sweet unctuous aubergine and tangy tomato all wrapped up in fresh egg pasta'. It is also produced in Italy and from the ingredients list it looked pretty good quality. 70% of the contents is filling s 30% pasta and the ingredients list was all natural ingredients and there is no added sugar.

Like most fresh pasta, it's an absolute doddle to cook ; 3-5 minutes in boiling water and dinner is basically done. I also served it with roasted sweet pointed peppers, mushrooms and courgettes (of which there is quite a lot - I love my veg!)

After cooking the pasta remained intact with none of the filling leaking out. I cut in half and there certainly was plenty of filling in there. I took a bite and I have to say I'm very impressed. The flavour here is spot on. A really good blend of aubergine, creamy mozarella, tangy tomato, garlic and fragrant basil. It's Italy in a bite. The filling is soft and fairly rich and it just oozes and coats your tongue with a good powerful punch of well balanced salt and savoury. It's utterly moreish and passed my fresh pasta test. I would be happy to eat this by itself with nothing else.

My one criticism is the pack serves two but only has 9 pieces of pasta in which seems a bit unfair especially as it's just so tasty. Aldi, you might just be winning me over...

Bought at: Aldi
Nutrition  per half pack: 249 calories, 7.9g fat, 3.6g sat fat, 3.9g sugars, 0.97g salt

Score: 9/10

Artisan Grains Greenwheat Freekeh

This interesting box of grains I came upon by pure chance whilst in the Wholefoods section of Tesco. I didn't go out searching for it but spotting it upon shelf, I knew it was something I wanted to try.

This freekeh works in a similar way to other carb side dishes with meals like couscous, rice or bulghar wheat. The only difference with this is that it seems to be more like quinoa with a lower carb content and a very high protein content to keep you going. It has 18.5g of protein per 100g - more than Greek yoghurts! It's also high in fibre, low in salt, sugar and fat and has a low GI of 43. All in all, it's pretty healthy!

This was on special offer at the time I bought it at £1.29 and I think it should have been around £1.69 if I remember correctly. The bag contains 200g, which is supposedly 4 servings so it does cost a bit more than things like rice, noodles or couscous. However, with its health benefits and high protein content for a grain I am happy to pay the premium.

It's extremely easy to cook - just as simple as rice or couscous as opposed to the long boiling time for things like black eyed beans. The pack recommends adding some olive oil and salt and then just covering with boiling water and simmering for 15 minutes. So very quick and hassle free.

I then just stirred through a variety of veg and served it as an accompaniment to a chicken escalope. Texturally, it's similar to couscous - nice and bobbly with a soft, nubbly texture. It's probably a more complex taste though - a lot more nutty and it has a bit more bite and holds its own. The olive oil really enhances it and I could quite happily eat a bowl of this by itself. It doesn't paricularly absorb sauces as much as couscous I would say and would tend to work better for things like salads or as an accompaniment as I did.

The pack also gives loads of great recommendations for serving suggestions - things like a healthier alternative to egg fried rice, as a stuffing for chicken, a Tabbouleh style salad and a sundried tomato, feta and basil dish. All of them sound really delcious and I think I was a bit unimaginative with my first cook of it so I'm really looking forward to eating this in lots of different ways!

Available: Tesco
Price: £1.29 on promotion

Pros: High protein, low GI carb, lots of fibre, lots of ways to cook it and use it, tastes delicious and makes a nice alternative to other grains
Cons: Less servings per pack than other grains so slightly more costly

Score: 8/10