Are you good at recreating dishes you've tasted?

M&S do a lovely roasted vegetable cous cous, but they add sugar to it! I want to try and replicate it, either with raw cane sugar, or honey (or another sugar alternative) - but it got me wondering, anyone here good at reproducing something you've tasted?

Yup, and if it's something in a restaurant, I'll often ask for the approx recipe (as I know lots of chefs won't tell you the whole thing!). I'll keep making it until I get it right!

Problem with trying to recreate ready-meal type food is that often flavour enhancers etc are used, as you can't recreate that in a domestic kitchen!

You're probably not going to be able to completely recreate the M&S thing if you're using raw cane sugar, or honey... what are you substituting them for?

The sugar is part of the 'lemon dressing' in it, and as it's M&S there won't be any flavour enhancers in it

I will pick some more up today and get a full ingredients break down - I wouldn't mind just buying them if they didn't put sugar in it (or used a more acceptable substitute). But it's so tasty as well would be a neat recipe to have.

They are currently on offer 2 for £3 so if you're up for a challenge check it out They're in the salad/tub section

We don't eat anything out of packets (unless you count tinned tomatoes and beans!), but would be interested in seeing the ingredients list, if you'll post it!

I've just got back with some here's the ingredients...

• Couscous
• Roasted vegetables (Aubergines, Courgettes, Red peppers, Red onions - sunflower oil, salt)
• Lemon Dressing (9%) (lemon juice, sugar, Dijon mustard (water, black mustard seeds, spirit vinegar, salt) salt, white wine vinegar, garlic puree, ground black pepper)
• Tomatoes
• Basil infused sunflower oil
• Parsley

I've bought all the ingredients (even the separate ones for the Dijon mustard as all the ready made ones had preservatives etc) so am gonna give making it a go myself also I only have apple cider vinegar so will use that instead of the ones they used. Got some agave syrup to use in place of sugar.

If you try it let me know how you get on

Could you use concentrated grape juice instead of sugar?

Are you adding the salt?

Azz, I make something similar all the time.

Chop up the veggies (I use Romano pepper, bnut squash, courgette, mushrooms and plum tomatoes) and put them in a roasting pan, then add a pinch of sea salt, some olive oil and I would add some dried basil and oregano.

Roast for about 20 mins of so on 180, until well cooked.

Meanwhile soak your cous cous in some boiling water (add a heaped teaspoon of bouillon to make a light veggie stock first) as per the instructions on the packet. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon.

When the veggies are cooked, stir them in and job done.

It might not taste quite the same but it is delicious!

I also re-created one of Waitrose 3 rice salads successfully. I think because most of my cooking is done on taste rather than ingredients/recipe methods I find it easier to follow.

Recipe for this if you want it ;o)

Nice one Pidge! Only thing I couldn't use their is the bouillon as they usually contain yeast and things like that (plus I hate not knowing exactly what goes into my food).

If I fail my M&S-replica attempt I will try yours as it sounds a lot easier

Good idea LS - I totally forgot about that, tho I've never seen it in the shops. Can you get pure concentrated grape juice that's organic? Or is it easy enough to make at home?

Now you mention it, apple juice is another natural sweetener, I might try that first as I've always got plenty of apples here - and apples are a super food

When I tried conc. grape juice in recipe, I bought grape juice and juist boiled it down to concentrate it. The Organix range of children's stuff use grape juice instead of sugar and the Nakd cereal bars don't have any added sugar. I'm sure you must be able to make grape juice - maybe by chopping, boiling and straining to get rid of the skins? Then maybe juice them?

Apple juice is a great choice. I made a banana cake yesterday with Carys and we made apple sauce (chopped apple, boiled up in a little water) to use instead of sugar. The cake did have mashed banana and dried fruit/grated apple too, which made it fairly sweet. I've used apple sauce in carrot cakes and muffins too and they came out nice - not as sweet as with sugar but sweet enough for us. I have read that you can also reduce the amount of oil used (if you use oil) if you use apple sauce.

Thanks LS - I did wonder how I should go about it, didn't realise I had to boil it down to 'concentrate' (I am new to cooking LOL!)

I will try the agave syrup today as it's ready made, but will prob use apple juice boiled down in future

Will let you know how it pans out - tho I don't have high hopes