What are they?
"These pancakes are deliciously different - their crispy coating and saucy filling makes them completely irresistible."
from http://www.findus.co.uk/cp_main.htm
Findus® Crispy Pancakes are filled pancakes, folded into a
half-moon shape and coated in crispy
breadcrumbs. They are sold frozen and should be oven-cooked, grilled or shallow-fried from frozen. Available in 375g
packets of
six pancakes, the serving suggestion is two per portion, accompanied by "
vegetables,
chips or
salad".
1They are currently available
2 in three
flavours:
The pancakes are packaged in brightly coloured boxes
4 that feature two pancakes
spilling their filling while sitting on a round
white plate. Behind them are either very small vegetables or chips. The
predominant background colour of the box is a bright,
eye-catching green. There is a broad red stripe on the left hand side of the box which features the Findus logo and the following information:
- Less than 5% fat
- Good Source of Calcium
I began eating Findus Crispy Pancakes after trying them at a friend's house in 1997. You know how it is,
you're living away from home for the first time, they're cheap to buy, quick to cook, and you're entitled to a quarter of the freezer space so you're damn well going to put something in there. My first impression was that they tasted much like all other frozen, breadcrumbed products (
fish fingers, cheap
chicken kievs etc.): processed, crunchy and with an lingering aftertaste vaguely reminiscent of cardboard. I bought and ate them mostly because they were cheap and easy and possibly partially because of the brightly coloured, eye-catching packaging which made them stand out from the other frozen food.
Some other opinions from the web:
"Pros: Yummy and nutritious
Cons: very hot in the middle"
Reviewing Three Cheeses flavour from http://www.ciao.co.uk/Findus_Crispy_Pancakes_3_Cheese_Flavor__Review_52706165
"After the recommended 20 minutes I took the tray out to find that most of the cheese filling had escaped from the pancakes and was now sitting bubbling on my baking tray ... The filling that remained, along with the pancake was very bland and although you could definitely taste the cheese in the sauce, it was very artificial."
Reviewing Three Cheeses flavour from http://www.ciao.co.uk/Findus_Crispy_Pancakes_3_Cheese_Flavor__Review_5332225
"Now I know there are a lot of people who love these, my parents included, even I did as a kid but maybe my taste buds have changed enough to want some flavour in my meal rather than just texture. All in all I’m quite disappointed but out of 10 I would give the beef 7 (which I think might be a bit generous) and the chicken 3!"
Reviewing Three Cheeses flavour from http://www.ciao.co.uk/Findus_Crispy_Pancakes_3_Cheese_Flavor__Review_5310742
This information could be viewed as misleading as the details "per serving" only cover one pancake and therefore are lower than "per 100g". For completeness I have listed both sets of details, in this case from Three Cheeses flavour.
Typical Values
         
per serving (one pancake)
       
per 100g
Energy          
          490kJ/120kcal
         
          780kJ/190kcal
Protein          
          4.5g
         
         
        7.0g
Carbohydrate
         
    16.0g
         
         
        25.0g
of which: sugars
         
1.5g
         
         
          2.5g
Fat
         
         
    4.0g
         
         
        6.5g
of which: saturates
        2.0g
         
         
        3.0g
Fibre
         
         
  0.6g
         
         
        0.9g
Sodium
         
          0.4g
         
         
          0.6g
1. http://www.findus.co.uk/cp-minced-beef.htm
2. According to http://www.findus.co.uk
3. From memory, in 1998 they were also available in with a Ham and Cheese filling. This now appears to have been withdrawn.
4. Pictures can be viewed at http://www.findus.co.uk/cp_main.htm
5. This review also mentions three other flavours not previously listed here or at www.findus.co.uk which are: Beef Bolognese, Pepperoni Pizza Style and Sausage and Baked Beans.