Sacla Italian Tomato & Olive Stir Through Sauce

In our house, I refuse to cook different meals for different people so the kids get the same to eat as the adults, like it or lump it ! Most of the time, they like it luckily ! The one exception is that I don't mind people putting different sauces on their pasta, as long as it doesn't make cooking any more complicated or time-consuming. In our house, that invariably means that 5-year-old Juliette will ask for pasta with butter and grated cheese, 8-year-old Sophie will want tomato sauce of some description (usually with me), and Mike will stir through pesto.

Well, this time, I put out on the table a jar of Sacla Italian Tomato & Olive Stir Through sauce, for anyone who wanted to try it, and they all did, except Juliette ! I was really impressed with the taste and texture - especially the next day when I rushed in late from work and just had to reheat some left-over pasta in the microwave and stir through the remainder of the jar for a great-tasting instant supper. It's not in the same league as any of the other pasta sauces I've tried and we'll definitely be buying it again.

The difference possibly comes from the fact that Sacla is an authentic Italian company. "Sacla' is an Italian company created by the Ercole family from the Piedmont region in north west Italy. They are typical Italians; they love convivial mealtimes and sharing good, traditional Italian food with loved ones and with friends." The people at Bzz agent, who sent me out the sauce to test, explain : "All the Sacla' sauces have a concentrated intensity and flavour only found in genuine Italian sauces. They really coat the pasta, not drown it, and their delicious flavours cling to the pasta rather than just sinking to the bottom of your bowl !". I love the fact that it tastes natural and homemade and is chunky so you can really see - and taste - what you're eating.

The sauces are perfect for when you need an instant but tasty and healthy meal on the table, but they can also be incorporated into more complex dishes. The website says, "Sacla' Stir-though sauces can be used to stir through everything from potatoes to rice, and of course pasta !" I think they would also work really well as a sauce for chicken, or to give leftovers (from a roast dinner for example) a whole new lease of life.

We tested the Italian Tomato & Olive Stir Through sauce, but there are eight varieties available in all, including Vine-Ripened Tomato & Mascarpone and Spicy Tomato & Pepper. If you don't want to just take my word for it, you might like to know that the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team awarded their highly coveted 2009 "Favourite" award to Sacla' Stir Through sauces too.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £1.99