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AIBU?

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Original poster

£195 for a beef wellington!

653 replies

Blueskybird · 11/10/2025 16:28

Just that really, are supermarkets now taking the absolute Micky?? I know I don’t have to buy it. I know no one is forcing me to. But seriously how can they actually think it’s ok to demand that price for a Beef wellington that serves 6. Granted it’s in the celebrity chef Christmas range and I’m well aware that we all have different budgets and I absolutely expect to pay for quality but come on, that’s a scandalous price. AIBU to think we have lost the plot with food pricing or would you pay it?

OP posts:
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Tryingtokeepgoing · 11/10/2025 18:16

CrystalShoe · 11/10/2025 18:11

A third smaller? You sure? It says it serves 6-8, and the Marks one serves 6.

Marks may not be frozen, but it's mass-produced. Anyway, I thought beef benefited from being frozen. Beef casserole does.

I just googled about the pros and cons if frozen/fresh beef and saw a few studies that said fresh isn't superior and consumers can't tell the difference.

I don't think a few extra ingredients are worth much.

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On a weight basis I think the F&M one is probably a third smaller as it only weighs about 1.2 kilos, and someone further up posted that the M&S one weighs 2.1 kilos. I haven’t checked that, but for 8 I’d use a 2 kilo piece of fillet, which is well over £100 before you’ve started

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:16

flowrrpoh · 11/10/2025 18:15

Pardon?

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What are you struggling ro understand please.

flowrrpoh · 11/10/2025 18:15

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:13

Yes, 1.4 kg v 2.1 and it won’t be mass produced as it’s fresh.

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Pardon?

Growlybear83 · 11/10/2025 18:15

BlueSlate · 11/10/2025 17:54

Not with those ingredients. And not many people would risk it in case it didn't work. In which case, if they wanted to serve that paying £195 for it probably wouldn’t seem too bad.

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I bought an enormous whole fillet of beef a couple of weeks ago for £75, which I cut into 16 large steaks, even allowing for the equivalent of two large steaks per person, and taking the other ingredients into account, I still think you could make your own easily for under £100. I’ve made beef wellington many times - it’s a fairly straightforward thing to make.

flowrrpoh · 11/10/2025 18:14

CrystalShoe · 11/10/2025 18:11

A third smaller? You sure? It says it serves 6-8, and the Marks one serves 6.

Marks may not be frozen, but it's mass-produced. Anyway, I thought beef benefited from being frozen. Beef casserole does.

I just googled about the pros and cons if frozen/fresh beef and saw a few studies that said fresh isn't superior and consumers can't tell the difference.

I don't think a few extra ingredients are worth much.

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How is it mass produced please?

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:14

CrystalShoe · 11/10/2025 18:12

I haven't seen the Marks one, but the OP said it serves 6 and the Fortnum one serves 6-8.

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It’s the weight of the product you need to check .

CrystalShoe · 11/10/2025 18:14

Rosscameasdoody · 11/10/2025 18:11

A fillet of beef is available from online meat supermarkets from about £40 depending on size. Recipes online will give you the rest - pate and mushroom duxelles as well as the pancake that wraps around everything before wrapping in (excellent supermarket) puff pastry at a significantly reduced price. It’s not hard to do yourself - don’t be fooled by those who would have you believe otherwise.

Yeah, sounds just like wrapping a present. I'm sure it's not so hard that most couldn't do it, if they tried.

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:13

flowrrpoh · 11/10/2025 18:10

The only reasonable response OP should have thought of.

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Yes, 1.4 kg v 2.1 and it won’t be mass produced as it’s fresh.

Comeonbabylightmyfire · 11/10/2025 18:13

You are obviously not their target audience.

(Neither am I as a vegetarian)

CrystalShoe · 11/10/2025 18:12

DontCallMeLenYouLittleBollix · 11/10/2025 18:06

And it's very hard to believe that this is a fair price for BW. As we can see with Fortnum's offering the exact same thing for 75 pounds less.

Is it not also rather smaller? The one I found was, though I admit to not being an expert in ready made luxe beef wellingtons.

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/whole-beef-wellington-oven-ready-1-2kg

I haven't seen the Marks one, but the OP said it serves 6 and the Fortnum one serves 6-8.

Rosscameasdoody · 11/10/2025 18:11

A fillet of beef is available from online meat supermarkets from about £40 depending on size. Recipes online will give you the rest - pate and mushroom duxelles as well as the pancake that wraps around everything before wrapping in (excellent supermarket) puff pastry at a significantly reduced price. It’s not hard to do yourself - don’t be fooled by those who would have you believe otherwise.

CrystalShoe · 11/10/2025 18:11

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:04

Good lord. It’s not. Fortums is a third smaller with less ingredients. And frozen. So mass produced. And markies do one at 6o quid.

Show quote history

A third smaller? You sure? It says it serves 6-8, and the Marks one serves 6.

Marks may not be frozen, but it's mass-produced. Anyway, I thought beef benefited from being frozen. Beef casserole does.

I just googled about the pros and cons if frozen/fresh beef and saw a few studies that said fresh isn't superior and consumers can't tell the difference.

I don't think a few extra ingredients are worth much.

flowrrpoh · 11/10/2025 18:10

DiscoBeat · 11/10/2025 18:08

I think it's a ridiculous amount of money but I can't get worked up about it if they can sell it. It doesn't cause anyone any harm. However, I shall be hovering for the many yellow stickers on the Use By date!

The only reasonable response OP should have thought of.

DrowningInSyrup · 11/10/2025 18:10

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:06

Then what’s the point. They canr offer more than the basics?

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That food prices have massively increased since brexit, just as we all now they would. So why that is a positive I don't know. Seems a funny sort of freedom to me.

DiscoBeat · 11/10/2025 18:08

I think it's a ridiculous amount of money but I can't get worked up about it if they can sell it. It doesn't cause anyone any harm. However, I shall be hovering for the many yellow stickers on the Use By date!

DreamyTealGuide · 11/10/2025 18:08

DrowningInSyrup · 11/10/2025 18:03

Yes, but that still doesn't make the price reasonable. A Birken bag is unreasonably priced, people still buy them.

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define "reasonable"?

Putting a price on not only ingredients/ material but also the work and skills of someone?

Do you try to get a "reasonable" salary, or to get paid at the top of what you can reasonably expect?

If someone wants to charge £900 for a beef wellington AND they find people to buy it, good for them. I wouldn't but I don't resent people who do.

Why do we expect food to be free, or as close to free as we can get away it?

Sandy483 · 11/10/2025 18:08

We'll have a chicken with all the trimmings and be perfectly happy.

realsavagelike · 11/10/2025 18:07

Don't know about the rest of you, but I've gone right off beef Wellington lately...
#mushroomforaging

flowrrpoh · 11/10/2025 18:06

padronpepper · 11/10/2025 18:01

Lidl had a deluxe version for £9.99 - maybe for Valentine’s Day

Nice. I'm sure you wouldn't taste the difference.

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:06

DrowningInSyrup · 11/10/2025 18:05

Sigh, I think you missed the point.

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Then what’s the point. They canr offer more than the basics?

DontCallMeLenYouLittleBollix · 11/10/2025 18:06

And it's very hard to believe that this is a fair price for BW. As we can see with Fortnum's offering the exact same thing for 75 pounds less.

Is it not also rather smaller? The one I found was, though I admit to not being an expert in ready made luxe beef wellingtons.

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/whole-beef-wellington-oven-ready-1-2kg

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/whole-beef-wellington-oven-ready-1-2kg

DrowningInSyrup · 11/10/2025 18:05

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 18:02

Sigh, the op picked the most expensive one. They sell one for 60 quid as well.

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Sigh, I think you missed the point.

CrystalShoe · 11/10/2025 18:05

Charlenedickens · 11/10/2025 17:59

I’m away for Xmas this year, but if I was home and serving six I’d consider it. I think for what it is, the ingredients, and its size, it’s a decent price.

and I’d not be thinking oh gosh those on a state pension can’t afford it. So I can’t treat us. I mean who actually thinks like that. Some people have no money so I should only buy what they can afford at all times. No one. That’s who.

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Wouldn't you buy the Fortnum's one for 120 pounds? It serves 6-8. Only difference is that it doesn't have the Tom wotsit label on it.

DreamyTealGuide · 11/10/2025 18:05

APTPT · 11/10/2025 18:02

You're a wanker if you think the difference is anything other than being enough of a knob to part with £200 for a steak pie.

It's what it fucking is.

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I am not sure who the "wanker" is, when someone is not able to accept that some cut of beef are more expensive than others 😂

defrazzled · 11/10/2025 18:05

I thought that was the "economic stretch" item. Lots of shops and cafe have one very expensive item - like the £10K a night hotel suite, £7 coffee or the £250 T shirt, to stretch the possibility of pricing and make what you chose seem more reasonable, in this case prob a turkey or or other main course which would definitely seem expensive without the sttreeeeeecchhhhh..... 😂