£195 for a beef wellington!

[Blueskybird]

Just that really, are supermarkets now taking the absolute Micky?? I know I don’t have to buy it. I know no one is forcing me to. But seriously how can they actually think it’s ok to demand that price for a Beef wellington that serves 6. Granted it’s in the celebrity chef Christmas range and I’m well aware that we all have different budgets and I absolutely expect to pay for quality but come on, that’s a scandalous price. AIBU to think we have lost the plot with food pricing or would you pay it?

I think if I took its legs off I could squish it into the boot. I’d up the beef:mushroom ratio too (more cow, obviously)

This is the M&S one isnt it?

this is the first year we havent ordered any food from M&S

I had a chat with my local butcher last week and he showed me the price he pays for a piece of rump. He literally got the invoice and showed me his price. Eye watering. It's hard for everyone

I can certainly believe a beef wellington from m&s would be that much

I think this comment was in rather poor taste. What does buying expensive joints of meat from M&S have to do with Gaza?

Yesterday I took my daughter to a vegan Chinese restaurant and, later on in the day, I bought her and her friend a bubble tea each. Would starving people have been better helped if I had not done this?

Christmas Day lunch at The Pig, which is at the end of the day just a chain of hotels with restaurants in the conservatory, is £160pp, including one drink. That seems to include canapés and three courses, with the bonus of coffee and a mince pie. At least they don’t describe that as a five course meal…which I am sure some would! Even Côte, a high street chain, are charging £90 per person. I expect a non chain restaurant would easily be in the £120 to £200 per person bracket. For Christmas Day that doesn’t seem outrageous.

You are the one who is tone death if you completely ignore that people have been relying on food bank and struggling at times you were not hit by the COL crisis 🙄

But as long as YOU were ok, it's a non-issue right?

Thank you @Tryingtokeepgoing I am obviously hopelessly out of touch!

There's some chuffing nonsense on this thread.

DH will take MIL out for lunch on Christmas day. He checked the restaurant this morning and booked it. £140 per head. Canapé and fizz on arrival, small starter, main with all the trimmings, pudding, petits fours and coffee.

I'll be at the other end of the country with my mother and step. They will cook a Christmas lunch with my help.

We split now - both sides too frail to travel. Every Christmas could be their last.

I'll do a Christmas roast the weekend before for the family - only four of us as DS now lives abroad.

Mid range turkey crown, stuffed, shop bought pigs and stuffing, gravy and red cabbage. Will do my own veg. M&S Christmas fresh cream chocolate log and some fruit.

Over the years I've ordered free range bronze turkeys from Delia's recommended supplier, etc, literally for gold from Gringotts, bought Sainos economy, and everything in-between. In my experience, the taste and quality varies. I've had bronze ones that have been dry and mediocre and super cheap saver specials that have been fab. Nowadays I go mid range. I reckon there are so many flavours on the plate that the turkey isn't theh star of the show so there's no point overpaying.

I can make a wicked beef Wellington, but will also whisper that a fabulous piece of fillet, well seasoned and roasted, served with some garlic mushrooms with a little brandy and cream with shallots and truffle oil, and some stars made from frozen puff pastry, goes down just as well for half the price and can't go wrong.

Not everything in life has to be about price and the most cost-effective item, what a boring life that would be. Must you compare the value of bloody everything?

It end up costing you more in the long term, when you are counting pennies instead of earning more money.

I don't find that beef wellington especially attractive, but I am sure I would spend over-the-top for something else that would appeal to me.

So what?

I'm not going to spend three days rolling and folding pastry. I once made my own croissants after taking pastry making classes from a Ritz trained pastry chef, and the bloody things took two days as the dough had to be refrigerated overnight!! They were buttery, delicious and tastier than store-bought though.😋

I normally get bones for my dog from my local butcher. At first they were free, then they were £1, and now they're £2 each regardless of size. When I commented, he mentioned the price he now has to pay for buying a cow.

Until boxing day when they dnd up in the bin unpurchased or given away free to a homeless charity

I live overseas m&s is a franchise here and they currently have a regular sized meat pie in for over 21 EUROS! Absolutely ridiculous! Even the shop assistants were gob smacked because people are actually buying them...!

You can buy puff pastry, though. Restaurants buy theirs.

You can find the video grom his show on YT.

www.gordonramsay.com/gr/recipes/beef-wellington/amp

Even Mary Berry recommends frozen puff. I did cordon bleu training and wouldn't bother making it. Choux for profiteroles though - beyond comparison.

Can't you make it yourself ,,?
One New Year me and dh made it together. It wasn't difficult at all and turned out beautifully

Make it yourself for 1/2 of that.

I’m patiently waiting for the Aldi knock off version and advert.

Not “supermarkets” but the demand for food products is to blame. Beef was never cheap, the price has gone up enormously recently and, are you buying value-added, ready-made food here? I think that is what you are saying. It costs even more, what got us so used to leaving kitchen work to factories rather than preparing dinners ourselves? Recent reports suggest that we should reduce our meat consumption to 15 (fifteen) grammes a day per person, perhaps now is the right time to follow that advice.

We always order M&S Christmas food to order.
expensive, but worth it and no stress.

We dont buy the beef wellington, but still spend a good £500 plus alcohol for 6 people, I know people who spend far more and many that spend much less.

It may be expensive, but clearly a customer base for it.

But you can't buy the pastry used for the £195 BW. 2K layers is 🙌

Pretty sure the Christmas food is made to order.

It's a fancy gastro pub that we go to for special occasions. We had Christmas Lunch there last year and it was fabulous. If I remember correctly it's 5 courses and a glass of fizz on arrival. I think you get a cocktail too? But it's a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and the quality is excellent.

I had the Aldi wellington last year - really didn't like it, it was very dry and the pastry was soggy.