What a find! Quite possibly, the best baby food in the world. Don't get me wrong, Hipp Organic is all very well (and jars are great for being out and about) but after finding out the process the food is treated with in order to give it a longer shelf life, I wanted to find an alternative. Babylicious is basically food prepared exactly as I would at home, and then frozen immediately. It comes in little cubes so you can use as much or as little as you like. It's not the cheapest option - obviously, that would be to do it myself - but it is convenient and healthy. What more could you want?

by Martini Mummy

http://www.martinimummy.com/2009/08/babylicious-food-just-like-youd-make-it.html 

Rave reviews from The Baby Website!

http://www.thebabywebsite.com/review.Babylicious.htm 

“It tasted more like I'd make at home.”

“Everything about it was great. Much more like 'home' food than the others.”

“It seems to be made to a good standard by someone that is a mother and knows the sort of thing that mothers are looking for.”

“My son liked this product the most. I also think this was the best one; it had the consistency of ‘real’ food. It was as if I had made it myself and frozen it – you could not tell it wasn't homemade. It was delicious and smelled good too, and I liked the fact that I could actually see the ingredients in it.”

“It was the only meal which didn't have a really strong (over powering) flavour or smell.” 

Overall score:

Test length: 3 days x lunch & supper

Parent Panel review by Joanna

Texture: We tested both Stage 1 & 2 varieties & found them all to be well blended - some runnier, some thicker but all very smooth. We would have preferred Stage 2 to have been a bit lumpier to encourage chewing.

Appearance: They all looked like real home cooked blended food. They weren't brightly coloured as some jars of food seem to be.

Smell: They all smelt really good as they heated in the microwave - especially the chicken curry.

Ease of use/versatility: All varieties are served in individual easy pop ice cube trays so it's brilliantly easy to microwave as little or as much as your child needs. There really are no left overs & they seem to have a very long sell by date so will keep for ages in the freezer.

Taste (mum): As far as baby food goes I'd say they were delicious. There is no added salt in any of the dishes which is fantastic. The flavours are all very natural using herbs & spices - nothing artificial.

Taste (babies): My son eats anything so I assumed the Babylicious range would be eaten just as well. However, it was almost as if he knew it hadn't been home cooked because after just 2 mouthfuls he literally clamped up and nothing else went in. It didn't go to waste though because his 8 month old friend Archie loved them all much to his mother's delight.

Value for money: The average serving required 5 cubes which meant it cost approx 95 pence per meal which I think is quite expensive. However, it is a fantastic product with absolutely no 'added anythings' which these days is so difficult to find. For the convenience of not having to make lots of home cooked meals I'm sure I'd have a few in the freezer (had my son liked it!)

Best Feature: Absolutely fresh & natural

Worst Feature: My son didn't like them

Ease of Use:

Value for Money:

Quality:

Overall score:

Verdict: Brilliant idea, quick, easy to use, gutted Evan didn't like it

About the reviewer: Mother of Evan, 7 & 1/2 months

Like many mums I felt that home-cooked foods would be best for my baby, but with another child to look after I found I didn't have the time to cook enough varied & nutritious meals for my little one. I decided to stock up on the Babylicious stage 2 meals because they were exactly the sort of food I would have made myself & frozen. Reading the ingredients list is like looking in a baby recipe book and gives reassurance that you are giving your baby as close to homecooked food as it gets.

The food comes in ice cube-style trays so you can choose how many to cook depending on your baby's appetite (and the empty trays are handy to reuse when you do cook yourself). The boxes come with 2 trays, each with a different meal. There is a good choice of food (we have tried 10 so far), including lasagne, fruity lamb casserole and creamy salmon & broccoli mornay.

The food is slightly runny, but not a smooth puree so your baby can get used to the different textures. If you want to increase the lumpiness, you could add small pasta shapes or finely chopped veg so your baby gets used to chewing.

As far as taste is concerned, apart from pulling a face for the first mouthful of a completely new / strong-tasting food like sweet & sour vegetables or cod & veg in parsley sauce, he loves all the different meals, eats quickly and complains loudly when it has all gone!

As for me, I now enjoy weaning rather than stressing about what to make & how to make it! I still do some homecooked food & use the Babylicious range to help me develop my own recipes, but don't spend every night in the kitchen cooking!

Member review by Abigail - Mum of 5yr old & 6 mth old

Ease of Use:

Value for Money:

Quality:

Overall score:

My son went off home made cooking and I wanted him to have something other than jar food (all of which is bright orange!). So i tried Babylicious Stage 2.

So far he has eaten most of the range - however I do think it could be slightly lumpier!

You can also take the cubes out with you in a suitable container and just heat (for less time) when needed!

I will definitely try the old range when he is ready

Member review by Caroline - mother of one

Ease of Use:

Value for Money:

Quality:

Overall score:

Overall score:

Quick, tasty authentic toddler meal

Parent Panel review by Kim

Daniel loves the salmon and tuna varieties. They are very creamy and taste like homemade. I use these when I haven't had time to make him fish in white sauce. He doesn't notice the difference they are so good.

Best Feature: frozen food

Worst Feature: portion size is too large for him at the moment and the food can only be heated once

Ease of Use:

Value for Money:

Quality:

Overall score:

Verdict: brilliant tastes like homemade

About the reviewer: cloth mad mum of Daniel 14 months

Nappy Valley Years blog review - 'Yummier than mummy makes at home'

http://thenappyvalleyyears.blogspot.com/ 

Reviews from ASDA mummy bloggers

http://babyclub.asda.com/2011/6/16/babylicious-bloggers-feedback/comments/37504
  
http://babyclub.asda.com/2011/6/16/babylicious-bloggers-feedback#comments 

http://mumstreet.co.uk/content/your-child/diet-nutrition/food-wars/

Hi there,
 
Just to say my son loves your apple crisps. I love them too! My son has allergies so it is really nice to have products I can buy for him easily that have a few ingredients and are healthy.
 
Thanks!
 
Rosita DelleDonne

http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2011/06/23/baby-food-diet-or-why-ive-gone-gaga-for-cheryl-coles-purees/

I never write these emails, but as a first time mum with little experience feeding small children, my son hands down strongly expresses his preference for Babylicious and Kiddylicious meals every time. 

When weaning him and encouraging him to eat, we took bites of his food to try to get him to copy us, and my husband and I were shocked to discover that unlike nearly ever other brand including the premium brands, your food tasted great and we would happily eat it ourselves.  Some of the other food we tasted was really unappetizing and certainly not challenging growing taste buds.

The only complaint I have is that we can almost never find the food in the shops.  I always order from Ocado just to get your food, as we can’t find it in our local Waitrose, Sainsbury's or Asda – they don’t stock it at all.  I would recommend the food to any parent and would love you to be able to get it into every supermarket!

Best and good luck

Heather 

Kiddylicious

"Children need to eat healthy snacks, just so they can keep up their busy, active lifestyles! So parents are always looking for healthy ways to keep their children refuelled. Kiddylicious have brought out Fruit Crisps (in Apple, Banana and Pineapple flavour) and Fruit Wriggles  (made of wriggly fruit strings) which are made of the finest fruit and provide one of the recommended five a day portions of fruit. Yum Yum my kids loved the Fruit Crisps…"  

http://www.gurgle.com/news/lifestyle/nifa-gurgle-com-editor-s-february-wishlist/2775 

Play Pennies online - Smoothie Melts review

http://www.playpennies.com/kiddylicious-smoothie-melts-review-50661 

Hi there

I just wanted to say what a great range you have. My son just turned one and can be quite a fussy eater but he gobbles down anything from your range. I love seeing him eat the fruit wiggles - it's a guaranteed laugh every time. Thank you!

Kind regards
Lara
 

http://www.mummynews.co.uk/reviews/kiddylicious-smoothie-melts/ 

Test length: 4 weeks

Parent Panel review by Sue

Texture: The Kiddylicious foods looked quite appetising and James seemed to like feeling the textures and moving his fork around the bowl. The portions are quite generous and were plentiful for lunch or dinner.

Appearance/Smell: The foods are quite cheery and colourful and James seemed excited when I put it on his high chair. The smells were quite nice, though I wasn't a big fan of the tuna and sweetcorn pie (and neither was he funnily enough!)The curly pasta with salmon & broccoli smelt the best and I was quite tempted to eat the lot myself.

Ease of Use/Versatility: The meals are snap frozen so you just defrost what you need when you want to use it. If you don't think your baby will eat all of it, you can store it (unheated) in the fridge for up to three days - a good way to have food on standby should your child get a sudden urge for something yummy.

Taste (mum): I have to admit I didn't like the fruity chicken or spag bol much (though James polished it off in about 2 seconds flat) but the Lancashire hot pot was delicious and I ended up eating the leftovers when James was having his nap. Overall I would say they offer a tasty alternative to jars and other bland ready-made foods.

Taste (baby): James gave it the thumbs up. There were only a couple of tastes he didn't like - the rest were devoured with gusto!

Value for money: These meals are more expensive than average, but worth it -if only to see your child get really stuck in to his dinner!

Best Feature: The textures and tastes

Worst Feature: A bit pricey for every day use

Ease of Use:

Value for Money:

Quality:

Overall score:

Verdict: Appetising and fun 

About the reviewer: mum to James, gorgeous 15 month old

Overall:

Value for money:

Quality of packaging:

"Perfect for on the go"

Perfect Snacks for on the go with Toddlers/ Children. Easy to eat, appealing to youngsters & reasonably priced.

Product Tested By Nicola Beavan - Finlay Aged 1 Year 4 Months

Nicola Awarded The Kiddylicious Frozen Toddler Food 4/5

First impression was bright packaging with ingredients clearly marked. I had never seen or heard of this brand before so was keen to try the savoury range. You can microwave or cook from frozen. The food was not too lumpy and the carrots were nice and soft (not hard like some dishes). Nice texture in all the dishes sampled.  Finlay's favourite was the Cottage Pie. You can purchase this online, but I personally prefer to purchase food items from the supermarket. I normally purchase ready made meals for convenience especially when I do not have much time in the evening to prepare a meal for Finlay (when I have been at work all day). These are good wholesome ready meals and good value for money. My son loves risottos so if they could include a risotto in the range would be ideal. Now I know my son likes the brand will definitely be purchasing more. Kiddylicious is easy to prepare and nutritionally balanced.

Product Tested By Darren Chaplin - Cameron Aged 2 Years 6 Months

First impression looks good, well presented and clear labelling which was easy to read. Must admit this was the first time we had heard of this brand of frozen toddler food. So quick to prepare in the microwave, which is just what we needed when returning home late and in need of a quick meal for the kids. The food seems well prepared and nutritious and even we like it! Cameron found this easy to chew and swallow, encouraging him to also feed himself more.  We tried all of the food sent through and was a hit with us. Cameron had a few favourites which included Lancashire Hotpot, Spaghetti Bolognese and Fruity Chicken Curry (also one of our favourites). Price is a major factor in the current economic climate, although the ingredients are value for money. We were advised this is available to purchase online but does need to be available in major supermarket chains for availability. Need to be able to pick up a couple if we are running late and need something quick when we get home. Would like to see this available in Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda. Normally we purchase jars of Hipp Dessert for our 16 month old daughter as handy when travelling. Would like to see the price come down and be more competitive say ranging from £1.99 - £2.50. We all liked this product so yes absolutely will consider purchasing more. Great product, great taste and great ingredients, perfect for a quick alternative to fresh home cooking in 4 minutes, just concerns about current price.

In a taste test challenge for Prima Baby, a reader and her one year old son sampled cottage pie from three different manufacturers, including our Kiddylicious Cottage Pie. We’re very pleased to say that it soundly thumped the other two brands – both on price and taste. Kiddylicious was the only brand to score 5/5 (the other two got 3/5 each) and it was between 90p and £1.50 cheaper than the other products. The reader described our product as follows: 'The mash tasted really creamy and delicious. He loved it and it was just the right size for him too.' So there you have it, the proof is in the pie!

"Hi i have a 15 month old and i just wanted to say she loves your products she knows exactly where they are in our local store and makes me go to that aisle first and she holds them till we get to the till i can't wait to get her the smoothie ones they look yummy looking forward to trying more new things soon"

Mel Brand
 

Browsing at the supermarket the other day, I spotted one of those four for one deals on a snack called Kiddylicious Apple Crisps. Never having tasted these before, I sneakily opened a pack for the boys and I to sample (I know, naughty mama) before I invested in all three.

I left the supermarket with eight packs. Yup, they were that yummy. These apple crisps are cooked in a hint of veggie oil with a teensy bit of added maltose (natural sugar).

If your kids love munching on potato crisps, these make a healthier alternative and each pack counts as one portion of fruit.

Part of the Babylicious brand founded by mum Sally Preston, Kiddylicious offers other fruits such as banana and pineapple in crisp form.

I’ve since bought Annabel Karmel’s version of apple crisps which I find too sweet and feathery tasting but Ezra probably enjoys almost as much as the Kiddylicious variety.

Either way, I’ve got to hand it to these brands for coming up with such tantalising ways to help kids catch up on their five a day.