Indulgent food. M&S or Waitrose

[longwayoff]

Visitors due, they'll be here for a few days so I need to do a 'special shop' just so I know I'll have some nice food in. I will get bread and fish from Waitrose, cheese and ready meals (no cooking!) from Marks but MN, which is 'best'? I think Mark's comes out on top for delicious and inventive foods.

Homemade is much more special than supermarket ready food.

Marks is way better than Waitrose. Cook is good for ready meals though - is there one near you?

!!! I'd forgotten about Cook, they've opened a large one nearby and their food looks good. Thank you chicken, I may try them. And thank you swissmilk. I'm sure your homemade food excels in every respect. Mine, however, does not.

Must be Cook for desserts. M&S desserts are rank these days, very synthetic. Except the profiteroles which are still excellent!
I'd be very selective about M&S's ready meals too, some are good but many just taste processed these days.
The 'pure' stuff is still good IMO, it's the 'processed' food they seem to have gone wrong on.

Booths! From your two options I'd say m and s. Most ready meals are bland now as they've tried to be more healthy. I usually have to add in some flavouring/salt which is fine as it's not an every day meal.

I think M&S is a bit old fashioned, I'd go for Waitrose.

M&S, although I dont think it's as good as it used to be. Waitrose stuff looks nice but I find it very hit and miss.

I've been having a mad time at work so have been using some MandS ready meals. The short crust chicken or steak pies are good. The normal quich tastes exactly the same as the one they say us better. The Hummus is crap. The coronation chicken is good as is the lamb thing and the burgers that are in the same offer but they're very small.

When mil comes to stay I buy easy to cook food rather then actual ready meals, such as seasoned spatchcock chicken which our butchers do in an oven ready tray, but I've seen them in the supermarket too. I serve with veg/ salad and garlic bread or similar. Also once did some of those aldi lasagne in the wooden tray they are £4 and serve 2, they are the best ready lasagne I've found, served with fresh sides but minimal effort. I do have 3 little dc though so I don't have too much time to be in the kitchen, otherwise I'd never see our guests!

Waitrose stuff is mostly tasteless, especially the curry. They do some delicious pizzas, the top range ones and a few other things but maybe it depends on the size of the shop, ours isn't huge. Sainsburys meals are generally better.

I recently had the m and s plant kitchen range and it was delicious! Would definitely recommend

I’d also say Cook. Good family portions, a good range and more home made tasting that the super markets.
I like Waitrose deli/mezzo snack type food - the dips, pastries etc that you can serve with a nice salad maybe?

Ah, bobsters, that's what I meant, prepared food, rather than ready meals. You've just reminded me Waitrose do a nice spatchcocked parmesan chicken and also tomato and olive stuffed sea bass. Salads from there, deli from Marks, fruit and cheese. Think I'm done then. Thank you all. Have great weekends.

Waitrose every time.
All M&S food has a distinctive M&S smell/texture which I'm not keen on.

I was going to say Waitrose based on your title, popped to M&S the other day for some stuff for dinner and came away empty handed - aisles and aisles of preprepared and ready meal style food!!
As that’s what you’re after, go to M&S, there was loads of choice (but no fresh chickens ).

Marks plant kitchen mac and cheese bites and cauliflower popcorn are yum and good for picky food.

Also partial to their beef dripping chips.