Marks and Spencer food..

[CurlewKate]

I posed a while ago that I was doing a neighbour’s shopping for a while and she only uses M&S. I’m on my own at the moment, and she told me to shop for myself as well, which I was very excited about-I though posh convenience food would be great in this heat. But I’m actually very disappointed- it all seems a bit bland and samey. So far the things I’ve liked best are some Eton Mess cronuts-sadly I can’t live on them , much though I’d like to! And some delicious blood orange and passionfruit cordial. Oh, and a crab linguini (once I added some chilli and lemon juice) What’s your favorite M&S ready meal?

@Comet33 I think it’s probably customs related - not quality related

I buy their eggs, packet whole grain rice, fruit, potato croquettes, some veg ( depends if I’m going a farm shop visit) dusted fish, fish cakes, gluten free fishfingers ( better than normal ones in freezer section) meat, apart from chickens which I get from farm shop, Cumberland sausages, biscuits ( when eating them) and 3 for 8 in deli section plus a couple of high protein low cal ready meals ( dieting) I also get some other stuff at Waitrose too - I do think M&S ready meals though can be a bit hit and miss these days though - but I’m eating less of them anyway.

Yes! This is delicious.

As is their golden salad and another fewnof their salads.

I only tend to eat them when travelling though. The rest of the family will have McDonald's and I'll have an M&S salad.

I don't buy ready meals as a rule, but their Thai Box Meal was enjoyed by all my family. I also buy their chocolate protein cereal for my son.

I really rate their fruit.

Actually, I like their salted EVOO crisps, decaff gold coffee, picnic bits, green quiche, cakes, berries and frozen stocks.

My favourite "regular" milk is the duchy milk from waitrose. Much tastier.

The 'Ingredients' milk cooking chocolate is amazing just to eat....high in cocoa and not as sickly as most milk chocolate. It's £1.25 for 100g.

Milk 3L well priced
Frozen veg which is very good value and a lot cheaper than Birds Eye
Chicken leek and bacon pie but pricy now at £8
Moroccan cous cous
Charlotte baby potato salad
Baby beetroot with chilli
Stuffed baby peppers with cheese
New range Indian meals ie Butter chicken
Digestive biscuits much cheaper than McVities and taste the same
Gold tea bags
Miss their coronation chicken sandwiches and the egg tomato and salad cream
Also the submarine rolls with beef and onion and others.
Not sure we get the same range of sandwiches.
Not sure if this is just because I'm in NI but would love to go around a large Marks over the water.
Also have noticed that we don't get as good as dates on products as before.
Sandwiches put out last Friday had that's day date on them.
Also loving the strawberries atm especially the Scottish one and the King strawberries if they have them.

The Thai takeaway box that serves 2 is a firm favourite. Also the boeuf bourgignon from the Gastropub range. And the bao buns (with a choice of slow cooked meat filling)

I always think their food is packed full of sugar and fat and not as good as it seems. For a treat, i prefer Waitrose. Better quality and more interesting.

I dont know if this is peculiar to my area or nationwide but what's with all the chilli and curry infused food all of a sudden? Horrible! You have to watch labels like a hawk unless you want your ham ir salmon infused with chilli.

Their food has always had additives but their fresh veg and fruit are amazing.

Absolutely love Woolworths when living in SA. Just like M&S.

@Comet33 the “not for sale in EU” is a legal thing that has just been introduced. It’s call the the Windsor framework, relating to Brexit. I work for a pet food company and we sell our products in EU as well as UK. We now have to produce 2 batches of every food - the ingredients, production and everything is identical, just that the food for the UK now has to say “not for sale in EU” 🤷‍♀️

What has happened to the M&S Pitted Spanish Manzanilla & Cuquillo Olives 252g?Discontinued?

Favourites are :

Creamed Spinach
Digestives 80p a pack
White Boule sliced off the bread counter
Mayonnaise
Red Grapes
Maris Piper Potatoes
Fresh Pasta
Large Eggs

Chocolate torte is also amazing.

I’ve not lived in England for 19 years so they may have stopped doing it, but they had steamer meals with salmon and sliced leeks and potatoes that were delicious

I don’t eat ready meals. Full crap and UPF. They do decent quality meat and veg.

I had a cottage/shepherds pie this week, it was most unpleasant. The potato was like cardboard, and the rest tasted like a 50s school dinner.

I've not bought food from them for decades.

Back in the 1980s my then bf and I used to get a three course meal from their ready meals but then the quality took a dive.

Maybe I should give them another try?

The loaded dips are really nice. I like the one with salmon on top and the rueben style one. Ready made salads are excellent and it’s the only place I’d buy ready cooked chicken which is my go to no cooking meal option. My husband loves the sultana cookies and the chocolate custard creams. Some of the slow cooked meats are also good for a quick meal with salad and flatbreads. I’m disappointed they stopped the marmite cream cheese. There is another similar one they do in the little snack pots with breadsticks which are lovely but I’d like it in a bigger pot.

Well, this is the last week I’m going to be doing neighbour’s shopping, and she is insistent that I “do a big shop”! I’d rather have the cash to take to Morrisons, but she wouldn’t dream
of insulting me like that, sadly! I’ll make a list from here-thank you all!

The Cornish cruncher cheddar is top

Pie d’Angloys cheese is lovely if you like Brie type cheeses

spreadable butter is just butter whipped, no oil added so I always get that

their Cheddar and celery and salmon and cream cheese sandwiches are good

Their individual flavoured yogurts - honey and ginger, lemon etc are really good too

The chocolate covered mango pieces are god like

the apricot jam really tangy

would also second the chicken kievs (posh version) and the super green and super nutty salads - and the fruit.

I think the count on us meals are quite good, but overall I agree Waitrose/CharlieB/Cook better for ready meals

Controversially I really don’t like their bread - too dry

@CurlewKate now on that I have to totally disagree- I have never had anything from Morrisons where I thought - mm that was delicious, unless it was a generic branded thing like branston beans - and I’ve had some things at my FILs ( who shops there) that were actually totally tasteless , poor quality and nasty . ( same with Lidl and Aldi too ) - I am with you on M&S ready meals though- they have definitely deteriorated somewhat - as have waitroses too - either that or I’m an improved cook !! ( I do simply cook a couple of times a week) - I still get a lot from M&S and Waitrose- just way less ready meals!

are you saying that you’ve never had a delicious ingredient from Morrisons,or never a delicious ready meal?

@CurlewKate a delicious ready meal -

@JingsMahBucket @TheFlis
I'm another fan of the nutty superfood salad (with or without the cannellini bean dip) - it's my lunch of choice while I'm travelling!

I've just found a recipe online that claims to be a dupe of it (here). I haven't actually tried it myself yet, but it looks pretty similar from the photos (and doesn't contain any apple concentrate )