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 😔

Quite. And if I have to run around finding the ingredients on Christmas Eve with everyone else in the world, also ruined. I should be sitting with a Bailey's, feet up, watching the Muppets.

I went on to order but the vegetarian stuff looks a bit boring. They’ve added pork gelatine to the pine cones so that’s no good for us. Bit disappointing.

Exactly what we tried do but easier said than done on Christmas Eve when half the shelves are pretty much empty. Grateful for the family member who had a frozen pack left in their freezer from the previous year.
Bigger things going on in the world but a right pain in the backside when you've got yourself organised, and pre ordered and paid 4 months in advance !

I’ve just ordered the beef shin. We’ve had it the last two years and it is absolutely delicious

I think the Wellie is a psych op, loads of places add one mega expensive item to make the rest seem cheaper, reasonable even 😂

Beef Wellington is one of the easier things to make yourself, though? Basically a giant sausage roll with smooshed up mushrooms, a bit of pate and steak (huge chunk of beef) in the middle. It was a damned side easier to cook than the one year I braved a cockerel. 🐓 But the cockerel was soooo amazing! There is no frigging way that i would pay £200 for it! Think I’m going to go with Cook again this year, combined with Morrisons.

Placed my order this morning, however can’t get a turkey crown, only a leggy one !

M&S just too expensive for me now for Christmas stuff. I make my own cake,and will get all the veg and a pudding from supermarkets. Probs get a turkey crown or breast locally. It all seems like a massive waste of money these days. Sorry to be bah humbug. I'm.just getting old and cynical I think.

Thanks. That will save my DH a trip for collection.
Usually do an order in addition to my Christmas shop. Won’t bother!
Used to have plenty good veggie options. Those prices are unbelievable.
Did my Ocado Christmas shop this morning and they had some of the things I’d usually have had to get separately from M & S.

I almost long to feel this way as well and be more sensible and practical, but I’m ashamed to say at the grand old age of 39 I’m still, childishly, terribly excitable when it comes to Christmas!

"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."

No it isn't!

I know, right? People give in too easily these days...

Despite thinking the selection’s a bit rubbish this year I’ve actually ordered more than last year. Mainly their vegetables / veggie side dishes, although did get a turkey crown.

Could have just ordered it from Ocado but didn’t want to risk substitutions. At least if M&S let me down I’m already in the shop!

I find the whole Christmas food order selections very disappointing, especially if you are vegetarian. Almost everything is catered for large numbers. If you are on your own, or just a couple, there’s really no point.

I think the pine cones always had gelatine in them, as do several other of their puddings.

I bought their nut roast last year, and it was delicious. It’s my favourite thing for Christmas dinner. I can’t get excited about a pastry jobbie!

But then a lasagne for two is £9.95 in most shops

Cheese is expensive. The lasagne that are cheesy enough are usually very expensive. The cheap ones are sad and 99% tomato and pasta.

The same happened to me a couple of years ago - half my order was missing!! I’ll never trust them again - they’re far too expensive for them to fuck up and still have the stress of supermarkets on Christmas Eve!

Just placed order for the Turkey crown, vegetable selection and the pine cones. We always order far too much so I’ve been a bit more restrained this year. Am I right you can add to the order after the deposit is paid?

Do the pine cones ever come up on Ocado?

Yes I’ve put a box on my Ocado Xmas order.

The salted caramel ones? I think that’s a box of chocolates as opposed to the dessert.

Yes I usually just order the bare minimum in September and anything that might sell out and finalise early December

Not bothering this year as last year I did my Christmas Eve collection of food that had been ordered in October and there was no cauliflower cheese or red cabbage in it. They don’t point out subs when you collect. Had subbed with a potato dauphinois thing and a carrot thing.
Had to trek back in to town and luckily found some in Iceland. It was so good! Better than the M&S version a much cheaper too.
If you can freeze stuff just buy it when you see it and I will be buying the Iceland luxury brand again this year.