New M&S food store - must buys

[Givemestrengthorvodka]

Very excited that a new M&S food store has opened up where I live. What are your must buys? I'm going to create a wish list shopping list to start working my way through.

This thread prompted me to go to my local M&S yesterday, their trade has probably been roaring this weekend ! Bought the mexican layered dip and had with tortillas and sweet potato enchiladas last night. Wanted the almond croissants but couldn't justify the price. Spent another £25 I wouldn't have spent had I not come onto this thread !!

When I was a teenager I did a Saturday job at M&S. At the end of the day we would queue up to buy food that was near it's use by dates. We paid pennies for stuff and I'd go home with a bag full of stuff. Of course you couldn't plan what would be on offer but my mum would be waiting to see what I had, sometimes a chicken often cakes, one time a whole bag of chocolate which we forced ourselves to eat before the use by date because it would be wrong to waste it.

I'd earn about £1.50 for the day and spend 20 or 30p for a big bag of lovely stuff. Happy days.

Odd shoes and slippers were always bagged up and donated to the local orthopedic hospital. It was amazing how many we had, I always wondered if people did it deliberately. We did check when selling things so I suspect some people did a crafty swap after they'd paid.

I never buy from the garage, the prices are SO inflated.

Agree, the garage prices are beyond reason now.

I blame you all

@Flatleak 🤣

My local foodhall used to sell the chococcino muffins which I LOVED, but they haven't had them in stock over the past couple of months 💔

@Flatleak what no Cheese Tasters? 😁
Those Tiffin squares are delicious but I can't buy them as too hard to stop at one.

Chocolate covered custard creams. They are amazing.

I don’t buy much in M&S, only because it’s not local to me, but I bought DD2 some orange chocolate covered cookies this weekend. I’m waiting to hear her verdict.

I have been writing a list as I've read the posts ready for my trip this week 😂

I would recommend :
freshly sliced runner beans
sweet potato tortilla chips
burger sauce ( son in law says it's just like being in Orlando ! )
frozen 8 pack croissants ( only tried them as freebie on Sparks card 😁)
loose cheese scones from instore bakery
butter
tomato sauce
brown sauce
mayo
boxes of milk/plain/white chocolate biscuits - such thick chocolate .......

enjoy !

If you like this, try the Victoria sponge muffin in the bakery. It has a blob of jam inside and a dollop of buttercream on the top. I get one when I have a birthday cake craving and I don’t want to buy an entire birthday on a random day. 🙈

Cheese scones (from bakery and also the ones on the 4 pack, both are good!)
Ketchup (the one shown in the photo above)
Chip Shop Curry Sauce in the little pot
Palmiers from the bakery
Sweet potato tortilla chips
Seeded tortilla wraps
Fresh tartare sauce
All of the flavours of crispbakes
Swiss rolls (both the boxed ones and the fresh cream cake ones)
Peach tea
Salted caramel rice cakes (absolutely dangerous)
Dirty Fries (stupid name but spicy and delicious)
Mac n cheese bites
Fresh noodles
Any of the whips (the bag bar at Christmas was amazing and now there is an Easter one too…)
Garlic bread made with the fresh bakery bread and frozen
Cola colins
Chip shop scraps in a pot (yes, I know it’s completely ridiculous but I can’t get these in a chip shop where I am now so it’s an amazing treat sometimes, although I feel daft buying them when they should be free on some hot chips)
Also Mexican dip

Had a Ocado delivery yesterday due to being ill and not able to shop. They upended the Mexican dip so it all ran together. I knew it was a risk as Ocado are so rubbish for just bunging stuff any old how into the bags and so I literally rifled through looking for it straight away. It was upside down. I was gutted.

It’s delicious on a baked sweet potato.

Flat leak, you’re in for a good evening! 😁

And I also agree their fruit and veg is always good
Avocados
Bag of spring green cabbages (to microwave)
Stir fry veg mixes are always fresh

Ooh and

8 hour daal

I’m not a huge lentil fan but this is so flavourful)

I also like all their Chinese range and am looking forward to see what they are about to come up with for Chinese New Year 😃

It’s delicious on a baked sweet potato.

Ooh, this recipe idea has just given this Mexican dip new appeal. I didn’t like the dip’s trifle appearance until you said this as I love a sweet potato. I had just imagined the dip pot with tortilla chips as nachos with I can take or leave. Grabbing my coat and off to M&S….

Sorry to hijack the OP’s thread but any other ideas like this, alongside the suggested item, would make this thread even better than it already is.

They also do giant pasta shells (conchiglie) which are amazing on their tomato sauce (if feeling lazy/CBA to make your own), with spinach and ricotta stuffed inside and Parmesan on top. Mopped up with the bakery freezer garlic bread obvs…

I know you’ve already been but:

Cheese scones
Four cheese ravioli
Cumberland Pie
Dinky sausages/best ever sausage rolls/ quiche Lorraine (3 for £8 deal)
Frozen croissants
Any of the Devonshire ice creams
Cheese Tasters(full fat, not the diet version)
Honey roast ham crisps
Dark chocolate mountain bars
Millionaires Shortbread
Red Leicester bread from the bakery
Sourdough or Date and Plum crackers
All butter biscuits
Beef bourgignon
Coffee and walnut cake
Clotted cream and jam Swiss roll
Own brand salted butter
Golden whole meal bread
Any of the ‘slow cooked’ range
Sour cream and chive dip
Iced and spiced buns

As you can see I’m a ‘treat’ shopper rather than a ‘big shop’ gal at M and S!

Ive not forgiven them for discontinuing the chocolate covered coffee Swiss roll 🤦‍♀️

I’ve had honey & cinnamon butter on a toasted teacake at our local farm shop and it was amazing! I’m off to M&S Food today now 😀 Thanks!

It was Posh Cow brand so maybe on sale at other stores too. 😊

@ScribblingPixie this sounds incredible!
Cinnamon lovers, I recommend the cinnamon sugar palmier biscuits too.
Now I want that butter. On fruit toast or Cholla bread. Damnit!

On Cholla bread

Ooh!

If you need to cater for a coeliac their gluten free sausage rolls and quiche Lorraine are excellent.

Consider me influenced 🥴🥴

@GellerYeller I'm eating M&S black pepper crisps with the sour cream and chive dip right now! No other sour cream and chive dip will do after you've tasted the M&S one.

Also the chocolate covered honeycomb is delish. Better than a crunchie.

@preggo39 yes it’s so creamy!
Can also vouch for the lemon buns in the photo above being absolutely delicious!

Some one already mentioned the ' best ever ' sausage rolls, they really are ! Tho they are expensive ! but are in the deli offer of 3 for £8

I used to work in M&S, and one day ( during Covid/all these lock downs ) a colleague made some sausage rolls ( amongst other things ) and brought them in for us all ( i.e. they were in the canteen, with a sign saying ' enjoy ' ) I found her sausage rolls to be as good as the ' best ever ' and vice versa.