My first reaction was that the packets looked small ­ would one portion be sufficient for a growing lad? As it turned out, it was ­ with Asian cuisine, it's not a question of size but of quality. The packs did look authentically Japanese, but the photography didn't make the soup look particularly appetising. First-timers to Japanese may not know what Shiitake and Wakame are, and would probably not be prompted to pick the products off the shelf. The text could be Chinese to all those who don't speak or read either lingo, and although there is a concise description of the soup on the side of the packet, it doesn't stand out enough. Also, if 99% fat free' is an anticipated selling point, it's not clearly enough marked, and should be more prominent. The cooking instructions were fairly easy to follow, but gave only mirowave instructions, suggesting that mirowave owners are the soups' only target. The mention of the soup separating on cooking and eating didn't exactly make my mouth water either. The tofu and seaweed flavour smelled typically Japanese, and the soup base was pretty tasty. The seaweed looked good, tasted good, and seemed very fresh. The tofu was slightly offputting as it crumbled into a mush. In the shiitake and spring onion flavour, the soup base was tasty and the spring onions fresh and crunchy. I think this one would probably appeal more to the mainstream market. However the onions overpowered the whole soup somewhat and there weren't enough mushrooms which was disappointing. As a Japanese food fan, I would probably buy both of these again, although I might hesitate at the 99p price tag. But my partner, who's not familiar with these Oriental tastes, described them as "disgusting". {{P&P }}