My Regular Ready Meals
These are the Marks & Spencer Ready Meals for one, that I regularly buy.
How Much B12 In An M&S Chicken Breast In Cheese & Ham Sauce For One?
How Much B12 In An M & S Chicken Jalfrezi With Basmati Rice For One?
How Much B12 In An M & S Lamb Hot Pot For One?
How Much B12 In An M & S Liver And Bacon For One?
Note.
In each of the linked posts, gives a B12 analysis from Google AI for each meal.
How Much B12 In An M & S Lamb Hot Pot For One?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
Based on typical nutritional values for lamb-based ready meals, a 400g–450g M&S Lamb Hot Pot for One is likely to provide a significant portion of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin B12, estimated to be well over 1.5–2 micrograms (g) per serving.
Lamb Content: The M&S Lamb Hot Pot contains approximately 21% cooked lamb.
B12 Density: Cooked lamb generally provides around 2–3 micrograms (g) of Vitamin B12 per 100g of meat.
Total Content: In a 450g meal containing roughly 90-100g of lamb, the B12 content is likely to fall within a range that comfortably covers or exceeds 50% of the daily adult requirement (which is 2.4g in the US and 1.5g in the UK).
The meal also provides roughly 25-29g of protein per pack.
As I would have expected, this ready meal is a good source of B12.
How Much B12 In An M & S Liver And Bacon For One?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
An M&S Lamb’s Liver and Bacon meal (typically 450g for one) is an exceptionally high source of Vitamin B12 due to the high concentration in liver, likely providing well over 100 µg (micrograms) of B12 per pack.
Key Facts Regarding B12 in M&S Liver and Bacon:
Liver Density: Lamb’s liver contains roughly 85–90 micrograms of Vitamin B12 per 100g.
Component Breakdown: The 450g meal contains approximately 16% liver (approx. 72g of liver).
Total Content Estimate: Based on the 72g of liver, a single 450g meal likely contains roughly 60–70 µg of Vitamin B12, which is over 2,000% of the daily recommended intake.
Additional Sources: The bacon and gravy also contribute to this total.
The UK Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for adults is 1.5 micrograms daily, making this meal a significant source.
As I would have expected, this ready meal is a good source of B12.
How Much B12 In An M & S Chicken Jalfrezi With Basmati Rice For One?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
Based on typical nutritional data for similar prepared chicken and rice meals, a 400g serving of M&S Chicken Jalfrezi with Basmati Rice likely contains a significant portion of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin B12, largely derived from the chicken breast.
Protein Content: The 400g meal generally provides approximately 32.8g of protein.
Estimated B12: As a rich source of animal protein, 100g of chicken typically provides a significant portion of daily B12. While specific B12 figures for this exact M&S product are not explicitly listed in the search results, similar chicken curry meals provide roughly 0.5–1.0 µg or more per 100g, suggesting a 400g pack could meet or exceed the typical daily adult requirement (around 1.5–2.4 µg).
Nutritional Summary for M&S Chicken Jalfrezi with Rice (400g):
Protein: ~32.8g
Calories: ~372–544 kcal
Fat: ~6.8g–20g
Carbs: ~45.2g–56.4g
The dish contains marinated chargrilled chicken breast, red peppers, and basmati rice.
How Much B12 In An M&S Chicken Breast In Cheese & Ham Sauce For One?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
The provided search results do not contain specific information regarding the exact amount of Vitamin B12 in M&S Chicken Breast in Cheese & Ham Sauce.
However, based on the ingredients list (chicken breast, cheddar cheese, cream, and smoked ham), this product is likely to be a good source of Vitamin B12, as all its main components are rich in this nutrient.
For context, typical nutritional values per 100g for this product include:
Protein: ~9.6g – 20.5g (depending on specific product variation)
Fat: ~6.4g – 12.6g
Energy: ~138 – 144 kcal
For precise B12 content, it is recommended to check the specific nutritional label on the packaging, as it is not always listed in online summaries.
How Much B12 In A Portion Of Chilli-Con-Carne?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
A standard 1-cup (approx. 240g–250g) portion of homemade or canned chilli con carne typically contains between 0.68 mcg and 1.6 mcg of Vitamin B12. This amount represents approximately 28% to 67% of the recommended daily intake (DV) for adults.
Vitamin B12 Content Breakdown:
Homemade with Beef (Approx. 250g): ~1.6 mcg (67% DV).
Canned Entree (1 cup/242g): ~0.68 mcg (28% DV).
Chilli with Rice (450g meal): ~2.28 mcg (57% DV).
Key Factors Affecting B12 Levels:
Meat Quantity: A higher ratio of ground beef increases the B12 content, as 3 ounces of lean ground beef alone provides 2.4 mcg (100% DV).
Serving Size: A larger, restaurant-sized portion (e.g., 12 oz) will contain significantly more than a standard 1-cup serving.
Chilli con carne is considered an excellent source of Vitamin B12 due to the beef content, which helps meet the daily requirement of 2.4 mcg for adults.
I generally eat, one Marks and Spencer’s Count on Us chilli-con-carne and rice, every week. It doesn’t say on the packaging if it is gluten-free, but my highly-tuned gut says it is.
What Does Google AI Say In Answer To Is Marks And Spencer’s Count On Us Chilli Con Carne And Rice Gluten Free?
The M&S Count On Us Chilli Con Carne and Rice is generally considered safe as it does not list gluten-containing ingredients, but it is not explicitly labeled as “gluten-free” and may have risks of cross-contamination. While many M&S “Count on Us” meals are considered “accidentally” gluten-free, it is advised to check the label for “may contain” warnings before consuming.
I used to have a ginger Glaswegian friend, who had a Michelin star (Not him, one of the others!) He told me that chilli con carne should be gluten-free.
How Much B12 In A Portion Of Beef Lasagne?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
A standard portion of beef lasagne (approx. 200g-300g) typically contains between 0.6 mcg and 1.7 mcg of Vitamin B12.
This amount provides roughly 25% to 70% of the recommended daily intake (RDA) for adults (which is 2.4 mcg).
Per 100g: A 100g serving contains approximately 0.3 mcg to 0.4 mcg of B12.
Higher-End Estimates: Some nutritional data indicates that a generous, nutrient-dense serving of homemade beef lasagne can have as much as 1.7 mcg of B12.
Source: The primary source of B12 in this dish is the ground beef, with additional amounts from cheese and dairy.
Note: The exact amount depends on the amount of beef and dairy used in the recipe.
I generally eat, one Marks and Spencer’s Made Without gluten-free beef lasagne every week.
Brain 1 – AI 0
Ocado left me with a bit of a problem this morning, in that they delivered a Marks and Spencer’s Chilli Con Carne without the packaging sleeve, which contains all the cooking instructions.
I decided, I should eat it tonight, whilst I was still sure, it was within its sell-by date.
But after about twenty minutes searching the Internet, I still hadn’t found the instructions.
But my brain was shouting at me, from the depths of its memory.
- Take away the sleeve. – No need for that!
- Piece the film.
- Microwave for two mins thirty seconds.
- Stir the meat.
- Microwave for two mins twenty seconds.
- Wait for a minute.
- Serve and eat.
It certainly tasted as normal!
My brain certainly came out on top in that skirmish!
Re-Use Rather Than Re-Cycle
I remember in the 1970s or 1980s hearing the Research Director of Pilkington on Radio 4, giving a defence of using glass as packaging.
He argued that one of the problems with glass coffee jars and sauce bottles was that after use and a quick wash, they looked like they could be refilled with new product. In those days, coffee jars were often used for the storage of small items like screws, clips and dry foods like rice and pasta.
Now we’ll buy a designer jars, like these from IKEA.
In those days a lot of milk and beer bottles were returned to the dairy or brewery, but are we going to send empty beer bottles back to some of the exotic places from where they came.
The Research Director argued, that the best thing to do with glass bottles was to smash them up and re-use for other purposes.
One of the uses he discussed was to use broken glass as an aggregate substitute in road construction. This does happen and I’ve read of by-passes being constructed on a bed of broken glass and seen broken glass being used under paving slabs.
Glass came from materials dug out of the ground and it’s going back under.
He also said that to create new bottles was cheaper, than reusing bottles, unless there was a direct link, like milk rounds from a dairy.
This morning on wake Wake Up To Money, they were discussing cutting the use of plastics. So I sent in the following text.
I wonder if black-plastic ready-meal trays could be replaced with a light-weight glass variant. Along with bottles, they would just be washed and crushed after use for aggregate. Several roads have been built on broken bottles.
It was read out.
Consider.
- We drink a lot of beer that comes in glass bottles. One of my beer bottles from Marks and Spencer weughs 280 grams.
- They would be oven-proof, microwave-safe and freezable.
- You could eat your meal out of the dish!
- They might save on washing-up time.
- They could go in the dry-recycling after a quick rinse.
But above all, they may have other uses.
I also suspect that the other pakaging could be similar.
Could a piece of plastic be glued to the tray in the same way?
My idea is probably total rubbish!
But some of Marks and Spencer’s pies already come in just an aluminium tray and a cardboard box.
They need to be cooked in an oven and are not microwavable.
The pie goes down the gullet and the aluminium tray and the cardboard box, go into the dry recycling.
One thing I will be right about, is to say that there are some clever packaging scientists and designers out there, trying to create a freezable ready-meal, that can be cooked in a microwave, that isn’t protected in anything that can’t go direct in the dry recycling.
The Anonymous Widower 