Stuart Serjent is creative head at Appetite Brand Consultants I wasn't anticipating freeze-dried (or air dried) noodles to be aimed at single, lazy males in the manner of Batchelors Super Noodles. I thought Heinz would have launched in 'fresh' pots, with more quality cues. But the design is immediately Heinz and it looks as though the brand guidelines have been followed to the letter. It lacks buy me, eat me, you know you want me' appeal, but the foil and colour palette are nice, and lots of silver gives it a low calorie, lighter feel. I never pay any attention to low calorie products (even though some might suggest I should start), but for the more health conscious male and young busy mums I can certainly see an advantage. My colleague Vicky agrees that the 99% fat free would certainly appeal to her and adds that they'd be good for travelling too. My flatmate was put off by the time factor and preferred a bowl of Coco Pops. "Five minutes to cook? I can't be bothered!" However, I found that the noodles actually take longer than five minutes. Either that or I'm not cooking them properly! Apart from the fact I didn't manage to get all the liquid absorbed on the first trial and ended up burning my chin, cooking was okay. I just ate them in a bowl, but I'm sure they would make a good accompaniment to chicken etc. Okay, so the Spicy Thai flavour isn't as good as a Pad Thai Curry after a day on the white sands of Ko Samui, but it does have an authentic Thai taste and aroma all the same. The Chicken and Beef are not too dissimilar to its dried noodle rivals, but the Curry flavour is a firm favourite. The noodles certainly fit into the single male category of Nothing in the fridge. Oh - Result!' My mum would buy them for when I make a visit and need a midnight snack, and I think students would love them. There are some cheaper instant noodles brands out there which may well have have a more authentic feel but I think the Heinz brand can carry a premium. {{P&P }}

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