Process for preparing a frozen meal

A process for preparing a frozen meal comprising:

• cooking meat pieces to obtain cooked meat pieces and a bouillon and then separating the cooked meat pieces from the bouillon;
• cooling the cooked meat pieces to a temperature so that the cooked meat pieces are at least chilled to obtain cooled meat pieces;
• mixing a thickening agent with a sauce at a temperature of from 60.degree. C. to 80.degree. C. to obtain a sauce-thickening agent mixture;
• cooling and allowing the sauce-thickening agent mixture to stand to gel the thickening agent to obtain a cooled gelled sauce;
• mixing the cooled gelled sauce with the cooled meat pieces in a mixer to obtain a meat and gelled sauce mixture;
• forming the meat and gelled sauce mixture into a block;
• freezing the block to obtain a frozen block;
• and
• packing the frozen block in a tray package together with at least one vegetable,
• wherein the thickening agent is a gelling agent which breaks down at a temperature at which the frozen block is heated for consumption so that upon heating for consumption, the cooked meat and sauce mixture spreads out.