It’s a scenario that occurs as frequently as the full moon. You get home, too tired after a long day at work to bother stopping at the shops (there has to be something edible rattling around, right?). You open the fridge. Cue the cricket sounds. You walk over to the pantry. A tumbleweed rolls past the bottle of expired fish sauce and box of raspberry jelly you can’t remember buying. You’re about to order Chinese food (hey, a couple of extra bucks on the credit card won’t make much of a difference), when it all comes back to you. You remember how your past self, flush after pay day, had a bit of a moment in the Woolies’ freezer aisle, loading that trolley like some kind of Olympic shopper. Röstis, fish cakes, those irresistable mushroom- and Gruyère-filled chicken pockets, steakhouse chips, petit pois peas, pancakes, Italian kisses…
And then you preheat the oven, knowing that there’s stilll enough frozen reserves to whip up a pretty decent dinner – and pudding, if you’re lucky.
The TASTE team pretty much wrote the book on creating delicious feasts supplemented with Woolies frozen foods. I, for one, am a big fan of the röstis. They have an amazing crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture, and are a crucial element at our house, when we have them with pork bangers, baked beans and fried eggs on toast. “Those röstis are the best!” adds food editor Abigail Donnelly, with online editor Amy Ebedes agreeing,“They’re fantastic for quick but necessary fry-ups. I like to add the onion bhajis for a bit of spice.” Keeping in the potato family, online content producer Ashraf Booley is a staunch supporter of the steakhouse cut potato chips. “I usually have them with fish cakes or burgers for a quick supper,” he says. Contributing food editor Hannah Lewry’s spud preference goes towards the potato wedges. “I can’t resist them,” she says. “They’re so creamy and fluffy on the inside.” Although not a technically a freezer item, Amy says she always has a packet of beef mince in her freezer. “It defrosts quickly for Bolognese, lasagne or burger patties!” she says.
Of course, some of us also have a sweet tooth to satisfy. “I love the berry sorbet,” says art director Lené Roux. “And we always buy the scones, which my husband Danie loves with strawberry jam and cream and would eat every day if he could.” Speaking of jam, Abi can’t get enough of the doughnuts. “They are such a stand-by freezer secret,” she says. “They take five minutes to defrost and are full of berry jam and cream.” Perhaps the most decadent way to clinch a meal with something sweet (and frozen) is Hannah’s. “I always try to keep a triple chocolate mousse cake in the freezer for unexpected guests and post Sunday dinner cravings!” And here you thought the freezer aisle was only good for fish fingers…
What are your freezer favourites from Woolies? We’d love to hear from you!
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