Bloody M&S!

[twobabiesandapup]

Have M&S always had a £50 minimum for Christmas food to order?! I have been excitedly waiting for their range to become available which it has done today, and I have my eye on their humongous bacon and stuffing pork pie. It’s the only thing I want to buy as I’ve already ordered all my Christmas food to order from Sainsbury’s but it won’t let me check out because I haven’t reached the £50 minimum order value 😭 have they always done this or is it a new thing? Perhaps I’ve always just spent over and not noticed it but the devastation is real, oh the pork pie that I will not have 😔

You also can’t cancel as the £50 is non-refundable. Find a friend who’s ordering and ask them to add one on for you?

Yes, they have and the deposit is about £40 usually.
I have noticed that the prices have increased but the selection has contracted again 🤔

THat Tom Kerridge beef wellington .... £200!!!

@FurForksSakeOh yes I didn’t even think of that! Yes that’s a good shout just logistically might be a pain as I would want it for Christmas Eve and I have two children under two so may be a faff organising to collect it from someone on that day with everything else going on for Christmas. I’m now thinking I’ll just boycott the whole store out of principle, not that they will give the slightest shit and I would really be only hurting myself 😂

@Nocookiesforme it’s really bad form isn’t it. I prefer Sainsbury’s by a mile and the value is so much better but I’ve always just topped it up with a few extra M&S treats.

@FrenchandSaunders I KNOW!!! 🤯

This is what has upset me the most, our finances are a bit better this year so I thought we’d be able to treat ourselves, but who the hell can justify that?

@Billybagpuss it’s absolutely ridiculous, they’re obviously targeting a very specific clientele. We’re a family of four this year for the first time so like you I thought we’d be able to treat ourselves with some nice little extra bits but £200 for a beef wellington… not in this lifetime 😂

I’ve just ordered a Kelly bronze 6kg turkey, 2 packs of sausage meat and a pack of pigs in blankets from a farmer near me for £150. A 4.5kg bronze on m&s was £150.

It’s expensive. I’ve just ordered the Organic Turkey, Goose & a Potato Dauphinoise.. £200 🤦🏻‍♀️
I’ll keep telling myself, well it is Christmas 🤷🏻‍♀️🎄

We've used M&S for the last 3 or 4 years and everything was great, until last year when we turned up at our allocated time to be told that they were out of pigs in blankets and a couple of other bits we'd pre-ordered in about September. I did kick off a bit (which I'm not proud of 😬) but what the hell is the point of pre-ordering and paying up front if they aren't going to order the right amount ?? Spent half of Christmas Eve trying to find half decent pigs in blankets and stuffing balls, or at least nice chipolatas/bacon/sausage meat. Totally defeated the purpose of pre-ordering and forgetting about it until Christmas. Complained and never heard anything back. Won't be risking it again.

Yes there has always been a minimum spend. In my opinion their Xmas food is worth it, it’s the best out there. I have not however ordered the £200 beef Wellington. I don’t think I many people will but there is lots more to choose from!

The prices seem even more mental than ever this year.

Thanks for posting OP I have just been having a great laugh at all the prices!! Lasagne to serve 6 people £28.50!!! do me a favour

@augustusglupe this is kind of what I’m sliding into thinking now, “it’s only once a year” I might just go ahead and splurge, our Sainsbury’s Christmas order is around £200 but my nectar points cover nearly £150 of that, so looking at it that way at least we’re saving a big chunk. Is there anything anyone recommends from the M&S selection? I’ve already ordered turkey, gammon, veg, dauphinois, desserts, pigs in blankets and stuffing from the Sainsbury’s one

I’ve been influenced to buy the pine cones, I hear good things!

I normally get one of the pies or a smaller joint to do around the 29th dec when we are ready to eat again.

I’m ashamed to say… partner came home from his run and I immediately told his about this awful travesty, he answered “you love Christmas, it’s only once a year, but whatever you want from there and I’ll pay for it separately” 🥹 sometimes I remember why I love him 😂 so I’ve now ordered the pork pie and a beautiful looking beef ribeye joint. I’m also eyeing up the pine cones that someone suggested 👀

Which pie did you order! And yay for the partner! He’s right, you obviously deserve it.

Trying to tell myself that and brush over the reality that I’ve been an angry post natal monster for the past two months 🙈 the turkey, stuffing and bacon pork pie! I absolutely love a pork pie and anything with a Christmassy twist makes it even more appetising to me!

I understand a minimum stand. I understand them charging what the market will bear. I understand their gouging everyone at Christmas.

But not having the ordered pigs in blankets. I don’t think I would ever forgive them. Utters bastards. That would be Christmas ruined. Depressingly, I’m not even joking a bit.

Ocado is min £90 for Christmas slots. So that’s not bad.

Add some M&S Connoisseur Christmas pudding - best supermarket pudding I have found and some M&S profiteroles.

So just spent £180 on 10 items so a bit 😩
The wagyu pie is lovely but £50 seems a bit steep but love the look of the Dashing Through the Snow pudding and have paired it up with the Sainsbury's choc orange sleigh for a bit of fun on Xmas Day as taking it to family.

The pine cones are lush @FurForksSake so definitely go for some! I've gone with the white choc & passionfruit ones for a change. It's actually quite difficult to eat a whole pine cone in one go so we cut them in half and have them with single cream as they're very sweet.
I also got the turkey, bacon + stuffing pork pie, profiteroles and a selection of the nice veggies like heritage carrots. I'm rather grumpy that there's no christmas cake other than Colin. M&S usually do a nice madeira sponge cake iced in a fun way but there's nothing like that this year which is disappointing but maybe they will do one in store?
From Sainsbury's (spent £130) I have ordered for Boxing Day the Polar Peak dessert and their panna cotta as it's cheaper than M&S's. I also got the lamb wellington and the venison casserole to pop in the freezer for new year. DP made me order him the massive clementine cheesecake even though I've told him that it's huge .
All this will generally cover a 4-5 day period for 5 of us plus what I take to family. Last year I lost all my deposits as I couldn't collect my orders because we all had flu - we spent all of the festive season in bed (or in my case in hospital) so hoping for better this year.

You could just nip out and buy some chipolatas and streaky bacon and make some no?

🤣 @MrsTerryPratchett that's pretty much what i said to the poor girl at the collection point. I'll make do with Chicken instead of Turkey. I'm not too proud to peel and cook my own roasties. I could even cope with bisto, and we don't do yorkies at Christmas (gasp!), but Christmas is all about pigs in blankets in my eyes. They are the one thing that elevates a Sunday roast to a Christmas lunch. I'm just not prepared to risk it again.

Not the point @Aluna. Not the point <shakes head sadly>