To think M & S are taking the absolute p... with Dine in

[petitfromage]

Popped into M & S to buy the usual Dine in £12 for two. Lovely food and a great option that we use regularly.

It's now £15 for what is basically EXACTLY the same thing in slightly different packaging with Tom Kerridge's name on it. That's a 25% price increase. Are you kidding me M & S?? I don't seem to remember inflation suddenly jumping up overnight...

A few years ago it was £10 for 3 courses including a bottle of wine. Then they took the wine away. Then they increased it to £12 but no wine added back in. I felt £12 was a lot but the food quality was good... I just feel this is a complete p-take putting the food in different packaging with a celeb chef name on and thinking we will pay 25% more for the privilege. Well I didn't and I won't.

I presume a chunk of this has been paid to Tom Kerridge for his branding. I'm sorry but I'm not bank rolling your lifestyle.

Am I just being a stingy northerner or have M & S completely effed up one of the best things they did and will find that there is a barrier to how much we will spend on a ready meal we have to cook ourselves and they have just hit it??

I think I’d rather cook! And then buy a decent bottle of wine.

They have shit veggie options too.

Have you checked the weights? It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve decreased along with the price increase. Repackaging usually means a sneaky weight/size reduction.

Thanks for the warning - I liked it in the £10 with wine days, but won't be forking out £15 with no wine. The Sainsbury's corner shop near me does the £12 version. It's limited but not bad as an occasional treat.

I can't stand TK so wouldn't buy it in principle whatever the price.

But £15 is a piss take.

#northernerlivinginthesouthbutnotformuchlongerthankfuck

M&S food is very overwhelmed priced. I have looked a few times at the dine in options. One was a pizza and sides for £20 once. I can get a pizza hut delivered with my own discounts for £22 which is twice the size. Why would anyone buy that for £20? The Christmas food prices are absolutely ridiculous. £25 for a pudding you can get in Lidl for £6. £85 for a meat that's the same as the Tesco finest option which is £15. If I ordered Christmas dinner from M&S it would cost me £250 for a small family compared to £80 from Lidl, Aldi or Tesco finest ranges.

Tesco meal deal includes wine and is good. It's better to get it on a wed or Thurs for the weekend as it sells our quickly.

That's exactly what they've done! Have to say that prices have really leapt up in m&s , more than other supermarkets imo and they've been blatantly profiteering. Buy far less stuff from them now. Anyway their ready meal ingredients are frozen at source, defrosted and cooked, frozen again for transportation. Very little goodness left in the food. add to that fact high fat content and it's not worth it! Cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients much healthier and cheaper!👏👌

The quality has been going steadily downhill really. I'd rather pay a bit more and get better options.

Preferably with wine 😊

Completely agree. In many ways their approach to vegetarian food is terrible.

I live equidistant to M&S and Sainsbury's ... I only ever get these deals now from Sainsbury's ... I love M&S generally though for food

I get Marksies 3 pasta dishes for 9 quid…..they feed 4 of us ( 2 adults and 2 GC) …..lots of choice and they are lovely

I don't get Ocado Zoom in my neck of the woods (just the shoddy new app/website where receipts don't give you use-by dates and you don't get the option to add a calendar entry to remind you of when the order is coming). My M&S £15 meal deal is without wine!!

Maybe it's early days but there only seem to be a handful of dishes by "Tom". If I spot any in a forthcoming Flash sale we might give them a try but we don't tend to eat ready meals (except the occasional Chicken Kiev and the Gastropub Macaroni cheese).

I booked an Xmas slot this morning.

If you're buying it once in a while you're hardly bankrolling Tom Kerridge 😂🤣

M&S have been keeping their prices low throughout these price hikes. It had to hit them at some point

The Christmas stuff went online the other night as well and it’s the same regurgitated shite as last year but £5 more expensive.

Their clothing has really upped its game but the food hall is in decline I think.

I was looking at M & S meal deals last week, for the first time in ages. Noticed the wine had disappeared. I thought the £12 mains looked good and there was plenty of choice but there were no sides left! Actually none. There were a handful of prawn cocktails and quite a few desserts but lots of mains. Maybe just the store I was in but the balance seemed way off.

I was there today, and am with you OP. It’s all a bit stingy and very salty. Disappointed last time. Silly because if you know it’s good value, you’ll feel on a high and pick up other stuff while you’re there, instead I felt all grumpy and cba and went to lidl.
Am chucking a Camembert on pasta and buying a wine. Yum!

Don't buy it. Tom Kerridge and his overpriced grub can fuck off

Same here, stopped it when the wine went. Rarely go to the food hall now and when I do some of the prices make me feel quite faint!

Their dine ins and meal deals don't even give enough discount to make up for the fact that you inevitably end up picking up an item that you're not so keen on or wouldn't normally bother with to get the offer, any more. Their Indian meals deals are £15, now. The Waitrose ones are only £12 for the same combo (2 mains, 2 sides) and their choice is so much better and there is so much more distinction between the curries on offer.

Even worse for vegans ( I.e. none) 🤨

Have a look at Cook meals OP. Quite often in local shops, garden centres near us.

again, not cheap, £9.50 for a lovely lasagne al forno for two we had at the weekend.

I like their chicken with ginger, had a nice tai meal for one last week and DH favours the beef bourguignon. Fabulous flavours.

These meals are a ridiculous con. I'd just rather buy what I want and if it's too deatpr I don't buy it.

The Tesco one is very good value, especially if you get the steak.

COOK, a bit pricy but their food is excellent. Highly recommend for a treat and decent veggie options too.