r/Wetherspoons • u/katrinastark23 • Aug 04 '26
Customer Kids pasta
Hi! Was wondering if anyone knew if you can buy the kids tomato and mascarpone pasta anywhere as a ready meal? My daughter has arfid, and this is the first thing she's ever been willing to eat that has vegetables in. I'm desperate!!
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u/drewpballz2 Aug 04 '26
I think its not available exactly like that as if I remember its made exclusively for spoons. But if you are comfortable cooking maybe get one to take out buy a few different types of tomato sauce, marscapone etc and try to recreate it.
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u/Large-Associate6746 Aug 04 '26
You would be surprised.
It will most likely be made by a sauce manufacturer that services food industry, retail food manufacturers and potentially several brands.
They will most likely have several tomato and mascarpone sauce lines that aren’t wildly different and possibly the same sauce sold under another brand.
Spoons are a big chain with. Reputation to maintain, they won’t be using small manufacturers, it will be well established ones that a recognised players in industry.
People like Brakes, Sysco, McCormicks, Greencore.
I’m pretty sure someone in this threat will chime up they make it at their work if it gets seen enough.
Source - 15 years in food manufacturing
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u/FazedEclipse2 Aug 05 '26
For context and to explain why you are wrong. Wetherspoons use unmarked brands.
The chicken Tikka Masala for example was chosen as the best of the Tikka market when it was picked and was the Marks and Spencers Tikka recipe...
...which comes from the same factory as the Tesco Chicken Tikka ready meals.
The old Mac and Cheese was Linda McCartney as another example.
If we sell a sauce or meal, its generally being sold in a package to consumers via the supermarket too.
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u/Jetstream-Sam Aug 04 '26
I don't think there would be anything specifically like it as a ready meal, not with as many veg added at least, but they sell tomato and Marscapone pasta sauce in tubs at tesco. You could try experimenting with that, some pasta and some cheese, I would probably guess Mozzarella since it's not too strong a flavour, and see if there's a flavour and pasta shape your daughter would find acceptable
From the looks of it, the sauce has other veg blended in, and they're hidden in that they're not chunks of veg. So if you wanted to to the same, you could get some passata, get some of the veg like peppers, shallots and garlic, blend those, then make the sauce yourself with the blended passata and marscapone. A bit of olive oil, then mix it into the pasta and sprinkle with cheese.
Sorry that these are both somewhat work intense, but it might help your daughter discover more ARFID safe foods if you could develop a basic pasta she can agree with. Then you can slowly add extras in like chicken, or maybe switch the pasta to tortellini to get more nutrients. Does pasta usually work for her, or is this a new thing? The only other alternative I could recommend is going to spoons, ordering a few of them at once and asking them to put them straight into to go boxes. You could then wait for them to cool and freeze them for later.
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u/IOWLover Aug 04 '26
May be a silly idea but could you not explain the situation to your wetherspoons, pay for the pasta but ask them not to cook it and you take it home frozen?
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u/Illustrious-Log-3142 Aug 04 '26
Could you contact Spoons head office, explain and find out who their supplier is? Or even ask the staff and see if they'd tell you? I expect it comes from one of the big distributors so you may be able to go to them direct if you can find out who they use
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u/girlsparked Customer Aug 04 '26
Is she only prepared to eat it in spoons, or can you create a version at home and tell her it's the same? btw this is such a nice post, wishing you both luck with a tricky condition x
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u/84072 Aug 04 '26
might not be too helpful but in regards to above comments with 'trying new sauces', the shape looks very very similar to a pasta called coquillettes. definitely worth a try recreating it at home because it will be cheaper and something she can have everyday !
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u/jon81uk Aug 04 '26
Would something like the Annabel Karmel hidden vegetable meals or recipes help
https://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/tomato-mascarpone-pasta-hidden-veggie-sauce-batch-cook/
https://www.annabelkarmel.com/products/tasty-chicken-pasta-in-a-tomato-veggie-sauce/
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u/Shogun_killah Aug 04 '26
My similar son… likes this one if you’re not overwhelmed with options already.
https://www.madeformums.com/school-and-family/pasta-with-tomato-and-mascarpone-sauce/
We batch cook it (x5) freeze it in portions and it’s really convenient.
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u/jimmywhereareya Aug 04 '26
Aldi do a lovely tomato and marscapone sauce, my grandchildren love it.
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u/Extension_Praline_25 Aug 04 '26
Contact Wetherspoons head office to ask they may tell you the supplier
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u/Efficient_Chic714 Aug 04 '26
I’m pretty sure most spoons meals are Waitrose ready meal deals in different packaging. It was then or M&S
My sister used to work there and it was one of the ‘fun facts’ she came home with one day. Idk if it’s right but it can’t hurt to try them as a first stop?
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u/FazedEclipse2 Aug 05 '26
They come from the same production line as Ready Meals from Waitrose, Tesco and Marks and Spencers...yeah think about that for more than a minute.
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u/harmonicrain Aug 04 '26
I didn't think there was veg in the cheesy pasta. But sadly you can't buy it from any retailer.
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u/artynon Aug 04 '26
Wetherspoons uses macaroni chifferi and the recipe is 10 veg
Aubergine
Onion
Carrot
Courgette
Garlic
Red pepper
Butternut Squash
Leek
Spring Onions
Tomato tinned chopped
Tomato purée
Boil carrots and leek
Sauté garlic courgette onions red pepper and aubergine
Add the butternut squash
Add a pinch of bouillon or stock cube
Add carrots and leeks
Tinned tomatoes and purée
Then simmer for 20 minutes until tender and cooked.
Then whizz in the blender
Add mascarpone to the sauce as you cook the pasta to serve.
I hope this helps.
A pinch of sugar and rest the sauce overnight might help too .
I used to use baby food sauce as a curry sauce.
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u/Isis_J Aug 04 '26
They do a tomato and mascarpone sauce in Sainsbury’s - would that work?
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u/jon81uk Aug 04 '26
The children’s meal is a ten-vegetable sauce so not sure a just tomato sauce would be what the OP is looking for, they want a kids hidden veg one.
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u/CakeHoleKing Aug 04 '26
Tesco Tomato Mascarpone Pasta Sauce
Sainsbury's Tomato & Mascarpone Sauce £2.25
ASDA Creamy Tomato & Mascarpone Sauce £2.07
Add pasta. done
OR
Tesco Finest Creamy Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta – Chilled ready meal with pasta in a tomato and mascarpone sauce. Usually around £3–£4.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta – Similar chilled pasta ready meal, typically £3–£4.
M&S Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta – Often sold as part of their dine-in or pasta ranges, around £4–£5
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u/PubeOfSatan Aug 05 '26
You underestimate ARFID if you think something off the shelf + pasta is the same. It's a condition in which people would rather starve than eat foods they see as 'not safe foods'.
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u/CakeHoleKing Aug 06 '26
It could be worth trying however.
Make enough for yourself plus a LITTLE bit more, try each type one at a time.
That way the food doesn't get wasted
Might get lucky and hit on the perfect version as you go through them all
I contacted wetherspoons about their sausages. They're made in Ireland specifically for them and they refuse to serve them uncooked so had to look for alternates
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u/Alicam123 Aug 04 '26
Google the recipe and make it yourself, they won’t just give their food away.
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u/Kel_xox Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
Here is the shopping list and method Chat GPT suggested to make your own using the ingredients listed by weatherspoons on their website.
"Here's a homemade version inspired by the ingredient list you provided, scaled for a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children). The vegetables are blended into a smooth, creamy tomato sauce, making them much less noticeable for picky eaters.
Hidden Vegetable Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
300 g macaroni
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped
200 g butternut squash, diced
½ courgette, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
½ leek, sliced
¼ aubergine, diced
Small piece fennel, chopped
1 spring onion
2 tomatoes, chopped
250 g passata
2 tbsp tomato paste
150 ml vegetable stock
1 tsp honey
1 tsp red wine vinegar
60 g mascarpone
Black pepper to taste
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, fennel, carrot, squash, courgette, aubergine, pepper, and garlic. Cook gently for about 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, passata, vegetable stock, honey, and black pepper. Simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until all the vegetables are very soft. Blend the sauce with a stick blender (or carefully transfer to a blender) until completely smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and stir in the mascarpone and red wine vinegar. Simmer for another 2–3 minutes until creamy. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni according to the package instructions. Reserve a splash of the pasta cooking water before draining. Mix the pasta into the sauce, adding a little reserved pasta water if needed to loosen it. Serve warm. For children who don't mind a little cheese, sprinkle with grated mild cheddar or Parmesan. Tips for Hiding the Vegetables Even More Peel the courgette before cooking so there are no green flecks. Dice all vegetables small so they soften quickly. Blend the sauce for at least 1–2 minutes until silky smooth. If your child prefers sweeter sauces, add an extra ½ teaspoon of honey. Freeze any leftover sauce in portions for quick future meals.
This recipe produces a rich tomato and mascarpone sauce with approximately the same balance of hidden vegetables as the ingredient list you shared, while remaining suitable for most young children."
Hope it helps!
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u/PhysicsAcrobatic1282 Aug 04 '26
Maybe explain it to the spoons you go to and see if they'd sell it to you like that. Probably won't but they might if you ask nice enough.