Marks and Spencer' s french baguettes

[Greyhair59]

AIBU to think they have changed the recipe for the worse? Used to think they were the best uk supermarket ones but now crumb not crusty and inside flabby. Opinions?

I'm still missing the cheese and vegetable slice, my first ever nod to vegetarianism. 😕

The jeans are all different sizes and lengths, and sometimes colours even if they are called indigo 14 medium! It's a Jean lottery!

Sorry, I've no idea about the baguettes.

This is interesting as I've been in there recently looking for ready meals we like in the Asian range and they had virtually nothing. I thought they were just out of stock but maybe they've stopped it altogether.

It was my go to place for treats and nice bread, I love their white french boule. Haven't been in there recently, hope they haven't ruined that.

I completely agree, it's ridiculous if they're trying to get into the everyday grocery shop market. They won't be able to compete with Aldi etc and at the same time lose the customers going in there for nicer than everyday stuff.

What is wrong with them?! Who on earth is advising them and has nobody there got any common sense or data on who their customers are and why they shop there?!

@bruffin

M&S have ruined Ocado

Completely agree. Their food is awful processed crap and a very poor replacement for Waitrose.

Agree re Ocado. They've discontinued or changed nearly everything I was looking forward to re being available on Ocado. Plus I had mushy apples and tasteless carrots from them.

Yes I’ve also heard recently they are wanting to be in the Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s ranks rather than a premium shop. No skin off my nose as I like Aldi but it’s a strange move

I had one at the weekend and it tasted as they normally do

It’s bloody stupid.

Those who want a cheap shop won’t be at M&S in the first place. Making things a slight bit cheaper at the expense of food quality is going to lose their current customers and won’t do anything to attract news ones who already have cheaper options.

Ridiculous

I’m going to go totally against the grain 😄

I think they offer really good value for money. I picked up a £1 punnet of plums last week, every single one was ripe and sweet and their olive bread was to die for!

The cost of ingredients is going up so they are tweaking recipes by using cheaper ingredients to try and not raise prices.

@Stuckhere2021

The problem with M&S is that they don’t seem to appreciate their target market - middle age/older comfortable/well off people. They are trying to be all things to all people - like being an every day shop. I was in last week trying to get new 3/4 length jeans as they were my favourites and the fit was perfect. They had none at all but loads of frayed type skinny jeans/holes in material etc. Styles my daughter would wear but as a 20 something, would never be seen dead in M&S. My every day wardrobe used to be almost completely M&S but I could hardly see anything I wanted when I was last in.

This.

Plus agree about their food in general going downhill, I feel there is a misunderstanding, many would rather pay a bit more for a better quality product. And agree with the sweeter issue pp said. I don't want sweetener.

And agree with the sweeter issue pp said. I don't want sweetener.
Me neither

Used to buy the lamb shanks as a treat with rich gravy, veg etc. Bought some the other week and they were absolutely horrible, a new thin gravy with little or no veg. Why do they do this?

My husband describes the mince as horrendous and I haven't bought this for ages. Buy from Morrisons instead. Never liked the every day bread as it has a strange sweet taste.

They are going the same way with food as they did with clothes. Where I live, there is an M and S and an Aldi on the same site. Aldi do a better finest level pork steaks than M and S and their cream is 85p with M and S at £1.20. No difference at all. They cannot afford to dumb down because the competition is catching them up.

And they keep selling woody chicken breasts too. The quality of the dine in for £10 used to be amazing- it’s not nearly as good now.

Woody?!

Their Strawberry Compote trifle has definitely gone downhill, with more air whipped into the cream, custard watery and fewer strawberries.

Their Best Ever trifle with strawberry and raspberry is still OK, but more expensive.

I love M&S but they’ve done something unforgivable to their cooked cocktail sausages.

I used to buy them at least 2x per week but they’ve changed them and they are now foul. My colon will thank me in the long run as I’m sure they’re pretty bad for you.

@Quarantino.

Woody chicken is when it’s tough and spongy rather than ‘slidy’. If you can’t rip parts of the chicken breast off where it just slides off and it’s instead a really dense lump it’s woody.

For example have you ever cut open a chicken fillet?

Sometimes you will see parts that are ‘split’ so to speak and you could easily separate it. Other times it’s all a dense sponge.

cafedelites.com/oven-baked-chicken-breast/

This recipe has a picture of a good chicken breast.

www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-chicken-breast/
This looks woody

Yes, woody- it’s been explained very well above!

@Lincslady53

They are trying to up their food sales to compete with other online grocers. Perhaps they are trying to be more competitive on price, but are having to reduce the quality. Not the right move in my opinion. By all means, introduce lower price items, but they are known for high quality goods, to me it is foolish to lose that quality edge they have.

This is exactly what they’ve done with their clothes range over ~10yrs.

They just don’t get it.

If they screw up the Food Halls they have nothing. Bye bye M&S!

Their gastro lasagna used to be amazing! Its been replaced by their ‘best ever’ version which is absolute shite. Wont be shopping there as much anymore.

I’m surprised to hear praise for the old M&S baguette. It was always a last resort for me - in fact all their ‘in store’ baked breads have always been a bit meh.

Prefer either Waitrose or Sainsbury’s for baguettes.

Agree the French part-baked ones are pretty good - in fact most of the French branded frozen stuff that has cropped up in M&S over the past year or so is excellent.

I went in marks and for the first time in a long time loved all their clothes. Even impulse bought a whole load of stuff.

I'm 43 so they are getting something right.

Agree on food though, everything I get via ocado is a poor imitation of what's in the shop.

YANBU I got a free baguette the other day and it was nothing like I remember them being.
The cauliflower cheese has changed too, the sauce used to be amazing but it seems watery and much less cheesy now.