December is the perfect time to break open the party food while we celebrate the festivities with family and friends. But choosing the right delicious nibbles can be tricky with so much on offer.
I tried all the part foods from TGI Fridays at Iceland to see which ones I think you should be serving this Christmas. The TGI Fridays restaurant was founded in New York back in the 1960s, and since then, it has expanded to 55 countries, although it has had a difficult time recently with the risk of closure of 87 UK restaurants after the company fell into administration in September.
Known for its American menu, the items included in the range at Iceland will come as no surprise to loyal TGI Fridays customers. From mac and cheese to burgers, this is a classic offering, but there were definitely some misses.
And I will say, some of the TGI Fridays range puts the cooking instructions on the end of the box that you open, so take care not to rip through the cooking times. And TGI Fridays, move the cooking instructions to the back of the packets, thanks.
TGI Fridays bacon mac n cheese bites 250g - £3.50 (available 3 for £10)
These looked the part, but unfortunately, that is where it ends. The texture of the cheese sauce is not smooth and velvety like I would expect and the pasta noodles are so few and soft that it is hard to differentiate them, just making it very mushy.
I could barely taste the bacon. There are better mac and cheese bites out there (the Cathedral City ones, for instance) that I would prefer to serve to my party guests. 2/10
TGI Fridays 6 Approx. battered grilled cheese mini toasted sandwiches 240g - £4.00 (available 3 for £10)
These were the ones I was most curious to try because who doesn't like a grilled cheese? They had a good crunch to them but they were bland.
It didn't really seem like bread inside and dare I say, there was not enough cheese in it. However, my vegetarian nephew really enjoyed them. Maybe they would be improved with a little Worcestershire sauce? 5/10
TGI Fridays 12 mini (approx.) hash brown dogs 420g - £4.50 (available on 3 for £10)
This was another novel take on two classics. The hash browns was really lovely, crisp on the outside and well-seasoned, I would love just the hash brown on its own, even though it was a tad too greasy, but welcome to hashbrowns I guess? It was the hot dog sausage inside that let this down as it lacked flavour and was just quite slippery in texture.
I am not sure I would serve these to my party guests either. 6/10
TGI Fridays 8 hunters chicken hash brown bites with BBQ chicken & bacon 256g - £4.00 (available on 3 for £10)
Again, the hash browns were delicious but a little greasy. The BBQ chicken and bacon filling was also great, sweet and salty; it had almost a pulled pork vibe to it that went so well together. These are great classic flavours that should have been put together sooner. 7/10
TGI Fridays 8 mini burgers with cheese in brioche buns 516g - £5.00 – exclusive to Iceland and The Food Warehouse
Would it have been a TGI Fridays range without a burger? Well, yeah, it could have been, but something would have been missing. These little burgers are really cute and taste great. The mini beef patties have cheese inside them.
The meat is a nice quality with pops of oozy cheese but perhaps could have done with a touch more seasoning and in a little brioche bun, making them great party food and, I think, a good price for £5. My four-year-old loved these in particular and they were a perfect size for him.
Party guests will love these and I think you could customise them and add your own garnishes if you wanted to elevate them further. 8/0
TGI Fridays 8 coated chicken skewers with Tennessee style glaze and sesame seeds 250g - £4.00 (available 3 for £10)
These delicious chicken skewers were the best of the range. The chicken pieces come on cute skewers that have 'Fridays' written on them.
The cooking instructions say to turn during cooking time, definitely do this otherwise some parts of the coating can get a bit too golden (burn). And also do not do what I did. After the chicken was cooked, I added the glaze and then the sesame seeds, but picking up the packet from the wrong end, I put the majority of them all over my own floor.
The outside was crisp while the chicken was tender and moist. The glaze was sticky and sweet with a slight delightful tang, these were so easy to eat and moreish. The chicken skewers will be a big hit with party guests. 10/10
Shop the full range at Iceland online and in store.