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 believe the Coop sources its meat etc from the same places as M &S.

I think you're the one with the problem there.

Don't! I've just discovered Mrs Balbir Singh curry powders - she was basically India's answer to Fanny Craddock. You can buy them online and they are amazing (apart from the Keralan Coconut). Probably not good for a lazy Friday as they take about an hour to do, but they taste as good as any takeaway.

Get a grip, UK food does not have additives that are not listed on the packet.

And they say not to eat it with a milk or egg allergy as it’s made in a factory that prepares things with egg and milk and cross contamination is a thing, it literally states that.

Stop talking complete nonsense.

Ooh they do look good. As long as I don't mind it taking an hour as long as it's not too faffy

No livestock in a potato dish. It keeps because it's sealed.

M&S three courses plus a bottle of wine for £10 truly were the halcyon days!

To use technical parlance, the issue is that it used to be a good deal and now it's a shite deal.

Meanwhile, they’re also the first high street retailer to stock stoma underwear and have an entire special needs clothing range for children - I think you may need to wind your neck in.

We’ve a new Co-op in the neighbourhood. They sent out vouchers locally for £3 off a £15 and £5 off a £20 shop, and insisted I use them both together. So I spent just over £12 for the £10 meal deal including wine and £10 of other stuff. Then they handed me another voucher for £3 off a £15 shop.

I’m feeling a bit embarrassed, as if I’m taking advantage of them…

Only in the sandwiches. M and s are supplied their raw chicken from farms which only supply to them. Pasta ready meals are supplied to Tesco,m and s, sainsbury and waitrose from Bakkavor.

What sort of quality and portion size can you hope to achieve for £7.50 each?

Just make it yourself for a fraction of the price, minimal packaging or branding.

These meal deals are a rip off.

I got a yellow sticker meal deal in Waitrose a few months ago. It was delicious.

Also prefer Cook for flavour although the portion sizes are sometimes questionable. If I am getting their curry for instance, I do a fair bit of Jasmine rice and get some spring rolls or sesame prawn toast from the supermarket to pad it out we are greedy There are often discounts floating about for Cook and i haven't had a shit dish from them yet - always REALLY tasty.

Agree with Tesco Finest / Sainsbury Taste the Difference Lasagnes being excellent. M&S is lovely but is priced so stupidly now that I just don't even try. I picked up a single nectarine this summer and had it weighed at the checkout. The sales assistant was embarrassed to tell me that it was £2.89 for ONE nectarine. It looked delicious to be fair, but I'll never know because i put it straight back.

Both things can be true I think. They let creepy men review womens knickers and they have a good range of other stuff.

I joined the co op app thing just as the only shop in the village which is also the petrol station changed from Co-op to bloody Asda. Sad times.

It was doubtless going up anyway and they've just fancied it up a bit to sweeten the deal.

A double espresso in cafe Nero is now 2.85, which about 18-24m ago was the price of a longer coffee in a better coffeeshop.

Funnily enough I've just returned from m and s looking to buy the dine in for £12. I agree OP, a price increase like that is extortionate and nothing has changed other than the packaging. They must have realised that it was becoming very popular because the saving used to be around £5.
I spoke to the lady at the cash desk and she said the reason the wine was discontinued was because of vat on alcohol... ie it wasn't clear how the cat was being charged out.

Yes you can get popcorn chicken or dirty fries which seem very substantial for sides
Maybe that's the next one to get a price hike!

That's a fab meal deal !

They like to get you hooked 😁

I don't shop in the one across the road from us that often, as there is also a Sainsbury's local nearby which I prefer for fruit and veg but I was glad of it, today, when I needed bread in torrential rain.

Because £12 was psychologically sort of a tenner, and therefore doable on a regular basis, whereas £15 hurts more. One doesn't feel one's getting a bargain

I bet it's the same fish and chips yuk

I shop in M&S a LOT.

I haven’t bought the Dine in meals for a long time, since they dropped the wine.

I guess having a 'name' on food increases the price, the celebrity (assume that person is such?) has to get their cut. I think Sainsburys taste the difference meal deals are best now adays, £12.