Gwynedd Stuart
Before we talk about the new line of Gordon Ramsay frozen food, let me just say that I really love Gordon Ramsay. A British guy who cooks well, screams at everyone, and calls people “donkeys?” Yes! Right up my alley, or whatever cute, quaint thing British people say instead. Anyway, I also happen to love frozen food, so being assigned our taste test of these new Chef Ramsay meals felt like kismet, even though I make the tasting assignments—be your own hero, ladies.
We got our hands on (almost) all of the Gordon Ramsay frozen food that’s currently on the market, including the Gordon Ramsay chicken pot pie and the Gordon Ramsay shepherd’s pie (the mushroom risotto is the only thing we didn’t find). I cooked each one according to the instructions on the back of the box—if using the oven or air fryer was recommended, that’s what I went with. Otherwise, these went in the ol’ microwave to save time.
If you were excited about these Chef Ramsay meals and appetizers as I was, there’s some harsh info ahead. But read on for the best (and worst) of what everyone’s favorite craggy-faced chef is slinging in the frozen aisle at Walmart.
- Crab Cakes
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I will admit that I am not an expert on frozen crab cakes, but I can’t imagine these would be considered “good” by frozen crab cakes connoisseurs (or Gordon Ramsay). The breading is nice because it’s crunchy and oily (but not overly so), but the crab is stringy and mushy. As the cakes cool, the filling starts to congeal into something even more unpleasant. You do get a little bit of flavor and sweetness from the diced bell peppers in the mix, but it isn’t enough to overcome the overall experience of eating these. I didn’t get any shell in the bites I took, but that’s about the nicest thing I can say about this Gordon Ramsay frozen food!
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Shepherd’s Pie
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A lot of people search the internet for “Gordon Ramsay shepherd’s pie,” probably because they are looking for a recipe, which I assume is quite good. If a UK-bred chef is going to be good at making something, it should be shepherd’s pie, right? Well, if you’re up for making Gordo’s recipe from scratch, you should probably do that, because I seriously doubt this Chef Ramsay frozen version will hit the spot. It’s incredibly greasy. It’s more like an oily sauce than an actual meal. I wrote in my notes that it “looks like dog barf,” which I wasn’t going to actually publish, but, hey, Chef Ramsay doesn’t hold back, so why should I? If you’re intent on trying Gordon Ramsay frozen food, try something other than this. (Also, technically this is cottage pie because it’s made with beef rather than lamb.)
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Wellington Bites
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These little beef-stuffed pastry bites come so close to actually being good. Yes, the puff pastry becomes one with your air fryer basket (it basically sinks into the grates as it cooks, making it impossible to get these out of the air fryer in one piece), but it tastes extremely good—buttery and flaky. I also love the moist, savory mushroom duxelles in the filling. Honestly, I wish the filling was made of mushrooms alone because the beef part of the beef wellington is pretty heinous. The bits of meat are gray, chewy, and gristly. I got an enormous piece of gristle in one of these—could have been bad luck, but it was only my second bite, which doesn’t bode well. Anyway, the flavor is good, but the overall eating experience is not. Bite-size beef wellington is such a fun concept, but the execution of this Gordon Ramsay frozen appetizer is off.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Three Cheese Stuffed Pizza Bites
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Gordon, I love ya, but I don’t know why you would make a less good version of Pizza Rolls. Pizza Rolls are so good! These do have a nice, crispy, light exterior, but they’re around twice the size of the Pizza Rolls you know and love and the filling doesn’t taste good enough to justify there being twice as much of it. And even though the exterior is nice upon first bite, it all turns a bit gluey in your mouth as you chew.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Fried Chicken Bites
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I really like the breading on these little fried chicken bites—it’s nice and oily but with that flaky, floury sort of quality you get from chicken karaage. These come with a packet of Korean-inspired sauce (you toss the chicken in the sauce after the chicken is cooked) and it’s good! It’s tangy, a little sweet, and has a good amount of heat. The problem with this Gordon Ramsay frozen appetizer is that the chicken itself is just not very good. It emerged from our air fryer dry and almost completely flavorless. Plus, some of the chicken morsels are so small it’s impossible to tell if they are chicken or just breading. The breading, delicate and pleasant as it is, just doesn’t really hold up to the sauce either.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Four Cheese Macaroni
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This Chef Ramsay frozen meal isn’t bad, it’s just so mediocre. I know from good frozen mac and cheese and this just ain’t it. It’s bland. The sauce separates and tastes a little bit floury, but all in all this certainly benefits from being pasta covered with cheese. But I think we all expected more from Gordon Ramsay frozen food.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Fish & Chips
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As soon as I looked at the breaded, fried fish in this Gordon Ramsay frozen meal I could tell the breading was too thick. I was right, and I don’t think that’s just a matter of taste. Not only is the breading thick, it also comes out so dry in the air fryer (the recommended cooking method). I almost never say this, but both the fish and the chips in this meal could use some damn grease—it’s part of what makes fish and chips good. When I wipe my hands on my pants like an animal after taking a bite, I want to see stains! The fish hidden in all that breading is pretty good—flaky and well seasoned—but I didn’t particularly care for the french fries, which are fat and potatoey and not terribly flavorful. This Gordon Ramsay frozen dinner would definitely be better if it were doused in malt vinegar, but it just doesn’t have that luscious, oily quality that makes fish and chips so satisfying.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Slow Roasted Beef in a Red Wine Sauce
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Now we’re getting to the good (or at least much better) stuff. This slow-roasted beef entree is swimming in a gravy that tastes very good and savory, with a nice beef bourguignon sort of flavor. One criticism I have is that there are a lot of mushrooms in the image on the box but almost no mushrooms in the meal. The little pearl onions are a nice touch and make up for the lack of mushrooms to an extent—at least they add some moisture, which the beef itself sorely needs. I microwaved this Chef Ramsay meal for five and a half minutes, which was the low end of the suggested timing, and the beef was very done. I genuinely like stew beef and wouldn’t hate eating this again, but my colleague Jordan Myrick suggested this Gordon Ramsay frozen dinner may have been more delicious if it were made with chicken thighs instead of beef, and I think they’re onto something.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Cheese Bites
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This was the best of the Gordon Ramsay frozen appetizers we tried. The breading is light and flaky and has a nice, freshly fried flavor, like it came from the kitchen of a pretty good sports bar. The cheese is salty and squeaky. We’ve had some pretty disappointing fried cheese in our taste tests, but these little guys are totally adequate. We’ll take it!
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Lemon Caper Chicken
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If you see this box and you’re like, “Yes, chicken piccata, got it,” you might be surprised to discover that this Gordon Ramsay frozen meal is actually made with a very fat-ass chicken breast rather than something resembling scaloppine. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece of chicken this fat in a microwavable meal, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t work. We cooked this in the microwave and although that meant the breading didn’t really crisp up all that well, the chicken turned out nice and juicy. The lemon-caper sauce is gloopy, but tastes good with the chicken. The broccoli, unfortunately, is practically pulverized and turns to mush once it’s cooked. Still, if you cut this all up and mix it all together, it tastes pretty good.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Lasagna with Bolognese Meat Sauce
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If you’re coming to this Gordon Ramsay frozen food for the bolognese, turn back now. There’s some meat in the sauce, but calling it bolognese feels like a stretch. But if you’re picking up this Chef Ramsay meal at Walmart because you like a tasty ricotta filling, this lasagna will hit the spot. It’s rich and packed with herbs and, best of all, there’s a lot of it. Frozen lasagna can be so dry. Gordon Ramsay’s frozen lasagna is not. Thanks, chef.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
- Chicken Pot Pie
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“Gordon Ramsay chicken pot pie” is another recipe a lot of people seek out online. I’m sure that chicken pot pie is exquisite, because this frozen version is very good, which is saying a lot for a frozen meal. We cooked this one in the oven and the crust came out crispy, flaky, golden brown, and very buttery tasting. The filling is salty but good. You get a lot of nice, white meat chicken in a very creamy, rich gravy, along with peas and carrots. It’s all very buttery, very simple, and very satisfying. Of all the Gordon Ramsay frozen food we tried, this was the standout. Buy this or Gordon Ramsay will come to your house and call you a donkey.
Credit: Merc / Chef Ramsay
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Vinz Karl
Jordan Myrick
I tried the pot pie and did not care for it. It was very salty , way to savory than a typical pot pie. The top was ok but nothing to write home about. But I did try the Alfredo lasagna and was delighted with that. I see you have no review for that so I recommend you try it.
Every meal I’ve tried from Chief Ramsey is like fine dining. His food is outstanding and worth the price. I love his great frozen meals. Absolutely delicious! Thank you Chief Ramsey for you incredible frozen meals, the very best meal variety. Love them!!!
the chicken pot pie is the worst crap ive ever ate. All manufacturers of the classisc are leaving the bottom crust off to save money while raisimg te price. I need a refud and we allhave been conned.
I agree. I thought it was awful.
The Steak &Ale Pie leaves a lot to be desired. I cooked this in the microwave. The crust was inedible and the filling looked like cat food although it didn’t taste horrible. Maybe it would fare better in the oven. Same with the chicken potpie. My homemade pot pie is much better. Very disappointed in these products. I won’t be buying them again
Holy crap I feel
Like I just ate dog food! Totally disgusting! 🤮 how can anyone rate this garbage more then a minus 100?
Sorry, those Wellington bites are at least an 11/10, at least if you take the time to prepare them in a conventional oven – an airfryer is a silly way to dry out these appetizers. We have never had a frozen food product taste that fantastic. If you were at a restaurant, you’d pay $20 for 3 of them and they’d be a bargain at that price. They do not taste like frozen food, they taste like a freshly prepared appetizer, and a competition-grade one at that. They might be a tad mushroom-forward, but it is probably difficult to prepare a duxelle that withstands processing and freezing where you can actually taste that, so we found that acceptable. The texture of the pastry is incredible – again, exceeding expectations. We found the beef to be properly cooked, colored, and definitely not “grey”. Where you can really see a professional chef’s engineering though is the way a small amount of liquid seeps out and sears the bottom with a pleasant umami-laden crust. At first I thought that ooze might have been a problem or shortcoming, resulting in interior dryness, but that was not the case – the bites were moist and the bottom crust was world-class. In an airfryer you will lose all that ooze without a parchment liner, and that might make these less palatable. I can’t tell you about any of the microwave offerings, sorry, we enjoy food and as such we avoid “cooking” methods that create strange oligomers not found in nature (and don’t create Maillard products).
You missed the Steak and Ale Pie. The “flaky crust” was more like a pizza crust – nothing flaky about it. The picture shows delicious looking potatoes(?), mushrooms and carrots in addition to the meat. In reality there was only the beef in a gloppy sauce. Nary a vegetable. Would not purchase again. 3 sporks.
Terrible not impressed and expected more as professional and meticulous chef that he is he should discontinue the line I’m disappointed chicken Marsala chicken pasta thumbs down his name and reputation doesn’t match the product put out
Lemon chicken caper was small and no flavor
I tried the the shepherd’s pie it was pretty good just doesn’t look good
Hi I just wanted you to add this note if u remover from plastic dish an put in tin foil they cook perfectly an tasting great much healthier to an not any more work or clean up ..he should have made them for the oven not a nukcrowsve it kill all food an nothing ever tasted looks or feels right in your mouth blame the microwave not the chef best dinner in 20 mins I ever had donkeys lol put that in just for a laugh …
I tried the chicken pot pie. I cooked it in the oven as recommended. That was not puff pastry; it was more like a thin cracker. The chicken part of it looked so bad I was afraid to taste it. It was dark gray and looked like a cup full of slugs were ground in a blender. I could see there were other things in it, but I couldn’t tell what they were. I couldn’t see or taste any chicken at all. I know for a fact that Chef Ramsay would not want his name on this swill. I have the spicy cheesy ravioli in the freezer, but the chicken pot pie was so bad I am a little scared to try it. Chef Ramsay would not be happy and I would love to hear his comments on the finished product. I doubt he’ll see this, but I hope somehow he does.
I also thought the chicken pot pie puff pastry was a cracker. Everything about the dish was horrible. Not creamy at all & very little chicken. Had quite a few gristly chicken. Poor quality meal.
Great margo you are 100% correct about t; fake fake fake pot pie . as consumers what can we do to block this con job from food manufacturers?
I am luving the chef Ramsey meals.
12/20/24 6:30. Ate dinner!!
Your Salisbury Steak diners with mashed potatoes looks good on box!! But I bought one of these and few more thinking they will be good!! “Nope!” I was mistaken! Looks great but tastes like “shit!!!!!!” The potatoes after cooking was nothing but runny and water! Have had better in other diners!! The steak tasted like shity crap and as far as the money goes the size of portion was not worth the amount of price! Shity price, shity tasted shity flavor and shitty portions but was portioned out just right for the taste and flavor cuz who would want to eat this shit? All of Ramsay’s diners i thought would be great! But they are not of good quality! Buy them and find out your self!! You will learn!! I would never buy another!! Need my money back!!
I’ve read some of these comments. And I seriously don’t know what u guys expect from a $5 dollar frozen TV dinner. I bought the Salisbury steak and thought it was a good meal with a nice taste for the money and it being a frozen tv dinner
I mean just bc it has his name on it I don’t know what ppl wanted from him when it’s being mass marketed and it’s cheap and frozen. I’m actually eating the roast beef in red wine sauce as I’m reading and commenting on this. This is what brought me to this page. And again for a frozen meal for under 5 bucks it is pretty good. I didn’t expect much it being a frozen TV dinner Gordon Ramsey’s name on them or not. So when I tried them I was surprised at how flavorful they are. And although I’ve only tried the 2 they are definitely better tasting than the other frozen dinners I’ve had.
I would not buy any of these…I’ve tried 4 and none are worth the money or taste good.
I thought coming from Gordon Ramsey this is going to be so good. Wrong!!! I tried the Salisbury Steak and mash potatoes. No potatoes and nothing great to talk about on the steak. Going back to my reliable brands. Marie Calendar and Banquet beat Gordon’s hands down no question
This purchase was simply because I love Chef Ramsay. I do not love his frozen meals. I had the Lasagna with Bolognese Meat Sauce. The pasta was overcooked and even burned in a spot. The ricotta cheese was the saving grace but to call that a bolognese sauce is a huge stretch. This is a one and I am done purchase. I had higher expectations with Chef Ramsay putting his name on this product.
Okay, when these first appeared on shelves, I got my hands on a couple of mushroom risottos, and they were SO GOOD. (For a frozen risotto, anyway.) But ever since then, they’ve disappeared. I thought it was just my store but I guess not since y’all couldn’t find them either. It’s such a bummer!!
I just tried the shepherds pie and like everyone bought it thinking this is from Gordon Ramsey. I threw it out. It was disgusting. Gordon come on, all your talk about fresh food. I’m so disappointed you allowed a product like with your name on it to be put on the market. 🤮
As an overworked nurse I was too tired to cook for myself. Saw Ramsay’s Lemon Caper Chicken. I thought “ if this is Ramsay’s, it HAS to be good”. WRONG!!! It was a mishmashed mess. The flavor was awful. The chicken was awful. Shame on you Gordon Ramsay for putting your name on this awful food… yes I know, it came from Walmart, what do you expect? But other Brand names are at least decent. I threw this in the trash. Don’t waste your money on this. Stick with Stouffer’s or Mrs. Callender’s
I tried 3 of Gordon Ramsey’s frozen dinners. I had high expectations. I totally agree with your critique. Especially, regarding the shepherds pie. I will not waste any more money on that garbage. Gordon Ramsey, you should be ashamed of yourself.
As I read through your reviews, I thought this is pretty close to what I thought. But then you got to the chicken pot pie and said it was good. What? It was horrible. The “puff pastry” didn’t puff and was solid as a rock. Like a hockey puck. The filling was disgusting. It was only about 1/4” thick and I think for the price I paid I deserved a little more. On top of the nasty food, the film that you’re supposed to lift the corner of to vent wasn’t even attached. One small portion was attached and the rest was just laying there. The worst thing I’ve had to eat in quite a while. I can’t believe you thought it was good.
Tried 4 of the tv diners,all of them horrible. Will never never try them again after one or three bites trashed .yuck. no taste. Very disappointed!!!!!!
You didn’t try every flavor because there is a risotto you flake.
As a fellow Brit I almost do not know where to start, so I will keep it short and let you fill in the blanks, so, for anyone, let alone Gordon Ramsey, to suggest that fish nuggets made from Pollack are “fish and chips” is disgraceful, and that word can pretty much be applied to the other “British” foods in this range, I like your shows Gordon but this is embarrassing.
Chef Ramsay – Chicken Pot Pie. The crispy, flaky, golden brown came out of the microwave more like a fiberboard, terrible.
Exactly! It was as hard as a hockey puck and the”filling” was only about 1/4” thick. Truly horrible.
Purchased the shepherds pie . I wish I could say something good but it was awful . Soupy horrible looking . Taste was bland and fatty tasting . Just terrible . I think Ramsey would be embarrassed to put his name on this !
He should be embarrassed at how bad these frozen meals are!!
Gordon Ramsey’s frozen dinners are mostly awful. I got the pot pie, the top crust was by no means flakey, more like a cracker; the shepherds pie was almost inedible. BUT…the beef bits with potatoes and gravy was ok! These dinners were not good….andrew zimmern’s dinners are much better! Sorry Gordon
I tried the fish and chips. I cooked it in my air fryer oven. The quality of the fish pieces was poor and musty tasting. The fries also had a irony taste. Did not enjoy. Did not finish. Cut all the fish pieces open to look at the quality but didn’t eat them all. I would like a coupon and I’ll try a different entrée. I have also purchased the Lasagna but haven’t had yet. Thanks
You didnt review the risotto. It tasted good but looked like dog shit.
I bought the Wellington Nites for kicks—retched! And I took a look at the package under ingredient; biochemical ingredient? Shameful way to make a buck.
Just had the Shepherd’s Pie. It was way better than 5 sporks, come on!…
Universally pretty lousy. Rated very poorly many places. Dint easte your miney.
Interesting and probably very accurate ratings. Of all of these, the only ones we seem to have (so far) at our Wal-Mart is the Slow Roasted beef in red wine sauce and the Mushroom Risotto you mentioned was not available for you. DO NOT GO OUT OF YOUR WAY to find one and try it. It will likely be at the bottom of the list. Perhaps I’m just not ‘wise’ to the delight called ‘Risotto’ but this was, to me, basically undercooked rice in a very ‘weird’ tasting mushroom soup kind of sauce. Not a hit for anyone in my household. We like the Slow roasted beef one and would like to try others.. but the risotto is a big risNONO. ‘Disgusting’ I wish I could have taken a video of me making an ugly face and spitting it out in the can to send to Gordon. Did not like.
Chef Ramsey’s Chicken Potpie was yuck
Absolutely true!
Notice th Ramsey write the review above.
He obviously has never eaten his own pot pie.
I will have to agree with you about the Shepard Pie, I approached the meal with extremely high hopes, only to be extremely extremely extremely dissapointed. It was more live a serving of instant potatoes, with a smattering of grease, that was drained from ground beef. I also agree that it was a very poor attempt at a cottage pie……I am a “Yank” and I know the difference, I have prepared Cottage Pie for friends over from England, and they stated it tasted just like their mums. After trying this dish and then reading your reviews, I will not be purchasing anymore of these Chef Ramsey endorsed frozen foods.
Bought lasagna, lemon caper chicken and pot pie based on this review for my family to test drive. Lasagna as described: moist ricotta filling, generous, but no flavor at all. Lemon caper chicken was also without much flavor and the texture of the chicken was meh. Nothing to distinguish it from other similarly styled frozen entrees. The chicken pot pie was a surprise and not in the best of ways. A large disc of crust with the merest layer of filling beneath it. Flip it over and you had a chicken pot pie flavored pizza of sorts. Had more flavor but really salty. Barely resembled what most people would expect of a pot pie. I was super excited by Chef Ramsay’s foray into frozen food–given his high standards, I really expected a lot. There are better choices for sure. I hope someone tips him off and he revamps these products. It is not often I make a face with every bite of food as, for example, with the pot pie…
Well I’ve tried three of these and they all pretty much sucked. I was very disappointed. The cheese bites were ok, the pizza bites tasted like mush and the fried chicken bites were just odd in a chemical way. At 7 dollars a box it really is not worth it. I was so looking forward to trying them out. But I won’t be trying anymore.
I wonder if Gordon Ramsey tasted these meals. Extremely disappointed with the meals. Bland and no flavor. Stay away from the mushroom risotto. I was sick for 3days after I ate it. “Cmon Gordon do something this is not you or your food”, I hoped you hadn’t turned into a corporate sell out but these meals make it sure seem like that… Disappointed
Oh god.. I just tried the risotto today. Not a fan. Just… yuck. Undercooked rice in a spoiled mushroom soup sauce. I hope I don’t regret it. lol
I tried the Mushroom Risjotto. The rice was very mushy and extremely salty. Not a pleasant taste. Gordon, do Quality Control on your frozen meals. After all, YOUR NAME is on it.
I can’t even believe he lowered himself to push out frozen meals. He’s always saying frozen stuff sux. So why then sell frozen crap in the first place?
I wonder if the wellington would work on a piece of foil in the air fryer
Try parchment paper. I’ve had things stick to foil
Totally overrated these meals. The Chicken Pot Pie is a smeared filing covered by a crispy crust. It’s like eating a great chip in dip. Not a meal. Not cost effective. Cheaper to buy a can of stew and crackers.
I was very disappointed.
I just had the Mushroom Risotto for lunch… SO GOOD!!!!
Wow… I’m amazed ppl can say that’s good. It was the worst mushroom soup and undercooked rice glop I’ve ever forced myself to eat.
I got two words for ya, Whane Dang.