M&S Christmas

GrannyGravy13

This week I have shopped at Aldi, M & S Food Hall, Farm Shop and Sainsbury’s Local, just a normal week here…

Apart from the farm shop this sounds like my normal shop.

We’re going to Lanzarote for Xmas and New Year so food shopping is not on my horizon. That said it’s getting harder to justify anything other than certain treats from M&S.

We changed to Lidl for our main shopping years ago. A carrot is a carrot wherever you buy it. DIL's parents are very wealthy and shop at Lidl too. All my adult children shop there now. We top up at Sainsburys for anything they don't have like our preferred brand of coffee or washing liquid. I've never considered food shopping in M&S or Waitrose as they are the most expensive shops on several price surveys I've read. Waitrose closed down here and a Lidl was built on the site
I don't condem anyone who wants to pay more for their shopping, that's up to them. I prefer to save money left over each week for a rainy day.

It’s great that we have so many supermarkets to choose from.
Also great that we have shops such as Poundstretcher and other cheap shops like Home Bargains and B&M.

This week I have shopped at Aldi, M & S Food Hall, Farm Shop and Sainsbury’s Local, just a normal week here…

God who'd have thought it supermarket wars! I'm with many here, we all shop where it suits us, I don't see it as showing off. The bulk of my weekly shopping is between Sainsburys and Aldi with a few items from Marks and Waitrose. The latter two I'll definitely use for Christmas food shopping. I think Marks has lots of fresh food, it's not all ready meals. My granddaughter who is gluten free loves their chicken goujons and my o/h likes their Chicken Kyivs so I pick those two items up on a fairly regular basis along with maybe a few other things. I'm not ashamed to admit during lockdown we bought nearly all our food from Marks because of the ban on eating out, it was a bit of a compensation, at the time we had one of their foodhall's nearby and I back then, I didn't want to use multiple shops. Whilst I like Marks, I'm also equally enamoured with our newly opened Aldi next door to Waitrose.

I live in a tiny cottage style house, too small to even attempt to swing the cat (and she's mighty pleased about that!) So could you please all refrain from mentioning your larger accommodations as that is bragging?
And that request is just about as daft as objecting to people saying where they shop and what they buy. I shop in Sainsbury's, M&S, Lidl and Aldi on a weekly basis. Waitrose when I can get a delivery and want enough to justify the delivery charge etc. John Lewis foodhall when I go to Bluewater. I sometimes do Ocado. Very occasionally Tesco and Morrisons. Rarely Co-Op and almost never Asda. I like two independent butchers each a few miles away and an independent sour dough bakery nearby. Is that eclectic enough?
I will source my Christmas food shop across all and any of the places I use on a regular basis. Lidl luxury stollen bites are the bees knees in my opinion. A good Chablis and white Côte du Rhone are available from several sources, we're not the biggest champagne lovers but do get a decent one to bring in the New Year. I do not go into debt for Christmas and have always cut my cloth according to my means. Nowadays I can afford so much more than when I had a house full of children and I'm not about to short change myself out of guilt that some don't have the same disposable income. If I fancy chocolate truffles encrusted in edible gold leaf and can afford them then whose business is it to criticise? (is there such a product?) And if I fancied beans on toast and it was just DH and me then that's what I'd have on Christmas Day. Do what suits you and fits your pocket. 😊

We're the buy at farm shops, cook mostly from scratch, types. We have bought a bit more ready made stuff from m&s in the past, but nowadays we think it's expensive and not as nice as we can do ourselves. We'll get the smoked salmon and some clementines from there, and kumquats if available, but that's about it.

Normally most of our food is bought as locally as possible; even our fizz will come from a local winery, and jolly good it is too.

Helps that we are both working past retirement - and indeed that is partly so that we can afford to treat ourselves and our families at Christmas.

They sell fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, what is unhealthy about these items?

They sell gluten free products, fresh pasta.

They are much more than ready meals.

Marks and Spencer food is unhealthy, and hasn't moved with the times.

I find M And S has too much sugar and saturates. Their choc ices taste cheaper then Aldis aand are far more expensive.
Marks & Spencer Almond Sticks contain 30.1g of sugar and 14.8g of saturated fat per 100g, while Aldi Gianni's Almond Ice Creams contain 25g of sugar and 14.77g of saturated fat per 100g.

I’m having beans on toast on soggy white bread and lots of butter. Then some tiramisu. My cat will have a portion of primula cream cheese with ham as a treat.

Yes,if he still insists, ill recommend the Aldi gift card.for a tenner.

I occasionally get a few items at M&S that i cant get elsewhere, but i dont buy often anymore, one of my sons usually gives me an M&S giftcard at christmas,and i go buy myself a few treats after christmas, but with costs as they are i might tell him to save his money this year, he has his own bills to pay &food to buy bless him.

Not a great lover of Christmas food. Over facing and too rich for one meal.

M&S , Waitrose, Ocado still milking their past reputations for quality food and making a bundle.

Maybe some luxury unusual items but a lot of run of the mill stuff. Mediocre quality with fancy names and a price tag to match.

But l think for a lot of people the penny has now dropped, and they realise they can get really decent priced Christmas food from Aldi and Sainsbury if you pay I bit more.

Things ain't what they used to be.

MartavTaurus

WithNobsOnIt

greyfur16

Is it me....or is this just endless bragging? Many people do not have access to funds to go to farm shops and buy fizz.

It's performative bragging and still belongs to the class system which is still alive and well. You know looking down on people by their betters.

Knowing your place Us and Them. Doffing your cap etc

We're not still on this are we?

Yep!

It is getting rather tedious.

Perhaps we should wear hair shirts and eat nothing but tripe & onions

WithNobsOnIt

greyfur16

Is it me....or is this just endless bragging? Many people do not have access to funds to go to farm shops and buy fizz.

It's performative bragging and still belongs to the class system which is still alive and well. You know looking down on people by their betters.

Knowing your place Us and Them. Doffing your cap etc

We're not still on this are we?

There is no bragging as far as I can see. I had years of good fun Christmases, bit could not afford to shop in Marks or Waitrose. I can now and I do what's wrong with that?

Why should I not have the good things I want without thinking of how others can't afford it. I worked hard enough to get here.

I love Christmas I think it's beutiful and I wo enjoy it without conscience.

greyfur16

Is it me....or is this just endless bragging? Many people do not have access to funds to go to farm shops and buy fizz.

It's performative bragging and still belongs to the class system which is still alive and well. You know looking down on people by their betters.

Knowing your place Us and Them. Doffing your cap etc

I've just re-read the last sentence.
A catchy little alliteration for a slogan.🤣

Casdon

M&S is definitely the best option if you’re gluten free, they do things nobody else does, and are excellent at Christmas if you don’t want to faff about making different food to everybody else’s at home.
Just one example is their fish fingers, which are the only cod version available that I’ve found, and are big, with lots of fish in.

That's helpful to know, being Coeliac. I haven't ever been impressed with M&S food.
I know I'm in the minority.
I'm so used to cooking from scratch as most processed GF is yuk!
But handy to know if I'm in a hungry hurry.

Love M&S food. Their Christmas sea food platter is terrific and all their food is great quality and well prepared. Not the cheapest but undoubtedly the best.

Tesco for me for the last 20 years. Can't be bothered with fancy stuff that costs a fortune.

The secret is to make less of Xmas. What a fuss for two days.
Mind you, we now get feted by our Children; a perk of old age.
Re; Waitrose/M&S. I believe WR caters for those who like to cook by offering part cooked meals to help you along. Whereas M&S go for the ready meal trade. Both are good.
I send M&S vouchers to two of my grandchildren who are at University. Makes their day.

Without a doubt Xmas is ridiculously expensive. So, starting now, I intend to make and bake everything we need myself whilst choosing the ingredients very carefully. I’m determined on to overdo it and pace myself; also not overspend when there’s no need. So all this exhausting last minute shopping, preparation, decoration, wrapping etc is not happening this year!