Ready Meals

Another vote here for M&S food although not often the ready meals unless on Dine in for£10, but the meats and fish at 3 for £10 are very good value and good quality.

"Is it just me that thinks M & S food is really expensive?"

No, Waitrose and M&S are both expensive places to buy, and ready meals are an expensive way to eat.

Typical Waitrose ready meal: £4.68/1000kcal
Typical Tesco ready meal: £3.65/1000kcal
Average cost of my dinners: £1.54/1000kcal

Somebody tell me that this is an April fool. £30 for a ready meal!!

jings have you tried Waitrose frozen spinach? It's very cheap!

Tanith yes M&S food can be expensive but there are bargains to be had!

I don't know anyone who does their full weekly shop there, no matter how wealthy they are, as the range is limited for a family shop. But the choice of lovely 'eatables' is second to none ..... nothing like a smoked salmon mousse, chicken liver pate, or dressed lobster to lift the spirits!

As for ready meals in general - I think they're great and very convenient if you choose well from a good source.

That Waitrose ready washed and cook in the bag spinach is fantastic!

With Mr P away during the week I often resort to ready meals, usually Waitrose with their 3 for £6 option. I do sometimes do "proper" cooking, as I'm very fond of liver (especially the calves liver in Lidl) but cheat a bit by using Waitrose frozen mash. It looks like sticks of chalk. It is better then their "fresh" prepared mash, which I find too sloppy. With the frozen I just take out enough for me, pop it in the oven. I then steam a whole bag of spinach and gently fry the liver in a little butter. Yummy, healthy supper!

I also try to invite a friend round for supper once a week, as it does make me cook a proper meal. Although I did cheat a bit on Wednesday, I did a home made pasta dish with salad and bought garlic bread.

I dont think that M & S meals are expensive, not given the quality of the ingredients. I frequently buy their cottage pie, at around £4, and with loads of added veg it is a cost effective meal for 3 of us. I would be hard pushed to make one from scratch for that price, even without the cost of my labour. When they have 3 for £5 on their Italian meals for one, I buy a few for the freezer for when someone is going to eating at a different time.

We have tried ready meals from several different sources, some that are delivered (like Oakhouse and Wiltshire Farm Foods) and some that we shop for - like Waitrose.

On the whole I would agree that M&S definitely have the edge. We tend to share a meal between two as we find them rather too large for our appetites. They are in the long run good value I think, partly because it is hard to buy small quantities, and partly because of the cooking costs.

They are ideal for us as we live in a very rural place.

Charleygirl thats a good way to shop , I suppose I was thinking about it from the weekly shop point of view..

tanith I agree, but if one is selective, one can buy bargains. Provided one is not doing the weekly shop there, I find it works out okay price wise most of the time.

Is it just me that thinks M & S food is really expensive? I saw the thread and thought it must just be me so I went to take a look at M & S food online and I haven't changed my opinion.

The variety does look good and its nice that people can find healthy tasty meals in their price range but on the whole I find it too expensive.

I keep a supply of M&S or Waitrose meals - they're very useful for work and for when I'm too lazy to cook.

I called into Marks last night hoping to bag a few 'yellow label' bargains but no such luck!

I like some of the Chinese dishes but definitely their fish and chips. I have never tried meat and 2 veg there nor eg spag bol because I would prefer to cook the latter for myself.

I like M&S single meals. I CBA to cook roast and two veg just for myself. Their roast lamb meal is good. Their curries are the best around and I love their smoked salmon.

Nothing wrong with ready meals IMHO.

My father surprised me by enjoying them, he said the portions suited him, as long as he had a 'big pudding'.

We lived on M&S ready meals when we went away the other week and they were delicious. My one complaint is that we did end up adding more vegetables to them.

I am a north east Gran and I have never been asked to be a tester but there again I probably keep M&S afloat by the amount I spend on food in the store.
We do buy food that ha s to be cooked from scratch but if I am having guests then convenience is paramount. 10 for dinner on Sunday and I will cheat like crazy.

I love ready meals. Waitrose, M and S, and Co-op. They are a good way of counting calories too if you are dieting. And they usually contain all the food groups. Though the addition of a bit of extra veg is good.

My MIL and DM both found the M&S range of small complete meals were just right. Living on their own they would never prepare such meals for themselves: they mostly comprise meat and 2 veg. Mum particularly enjoyed a baked gammon in white sauce and MIL liked the Roast lamb dinner. No complaints there. Good value. No waste at all. Good old M&S!