M&S Count on Us Cottage Pie

This is a new recipe cottage pie from the Marks & Spencer Count on us… range. These meals are ideal for those who are trying to lose weight but still want to enjoy a few of life’s comfort foods without any guilt.

M&S Cottage Pie is described as: ‘Cooked minced beef with carrots and peas in a beef stock topped with mashed potato.’ It has 45% less fat than the standard Marks & Spencer cottage pie, has 340 calories and is worth 9 Weight Watchers ProPoints.

You can find this cottage pie in the chiller cabinets, however it can also be frozen – it’s always useful to have one of these healthier ready meals in the freezer for busy times. However it must be defrosted before cooking (in the oven for 25 minutes).

This is a filling and tasty meal (400g) which, although is meant to serve 1, can easily be split between two people when accompanied by extra veggies. Potato accounts for 44% of the meal and beef just 16%. However, that’s bulked out with lots of carrots and peas in a delicious rich gravy.

Before Cooking

 The potato has a lovely crispy topping which should turn a nice even golden colour when cooked. However, my oven refuses to cook anything evenly – it’s burn one side and ignore the other, so despite turning it halfway, I had to take it out before it burned even more.

After Cooking

From a health point of view, it’s low in fat and sugar, while the saturated fat and salt content is only just over the threshold for a green traffic light.

Available in the chiller cabinets in Marks & Spencer foodhalls.

Nutrition Information per 400g pie: 340 calories, 24.0g protein, 38.0g carbohydrates, 12.4g sugars, 9.2g fat, 4.4g saturates, 6.0g fibre, 1.40g salt. 9 ProPoints as calculated by Marks & Spencer for informational purposes only.

* How Traffic Lights help with healthy food choices: Read Post

Note: This was written pre-'horse meat' scandal. However, I've no idea whether the M&S range has been affected, so it may be possible the above meal isn't currently available.