The way to a lovers’ heart is through their stomach. And so Mirror writer Niamh Kirk tested out the viral supermarket dine-in deals from Aldi, M&S and Tesco to see if it’s worth cancelling your dinner reservation…
As prices continue to soar across the board, wining and dining the object of your affection can leave a serious dent in your finances.
But for those whose love language is food, there is a cheaper way to woo your intended thanks to the Valentine’s Day dine-in specials being offered by UK supermarkets this year.
If the thought of a £100 restaurant bill breaks you out in a cold sweat, then the deals offer a perfect solution – and you could even pass them off as your own. And with easy-to-cook dishes you can whack in the oven, it leaves more time for… well, whatever you want to do on Valentine’s Day…
So with food being the way to the heart, I decided to cancel my overpriced dinner reservation and road test the romantic viral meal deals on offer at Aldi, Tesco and Marks and Spencer. With my sleeves rolled up and my oven preheated, I attempted the seriously hard task of trying a number of these dishes to see which ones are truly worth putting in your basket…
M&S
Starter, main, dessert and wine, prosecco or cocktail cans for £25
M&S is seen as the fancier supermarket, so I was impressed by the affordable price tag. For £25, you can serve up a decadent starter, main, side and dessert, complete with a bottle of wine, fizz or soft drink – and spoiler alert – like their tag line, it is seriously good.
I chose the baking burrata with nduja and ciabatta crumb to start, followed by the British wagyu beef pie with a side of cheesy green vegetable bake with garlic breadcrumb. For dessert, it was a classic vanilla cheesecake washed down with a glass of rosé.
The burrata was absolutely delicious and creamy, but the pie was something else. The puff pastry was thick and golden and the pie was packed with big chunks of melt-in-your-mouth beef. I fell in love instantly. I found the cheesecake to be very sweet but with nice subtle hints of vanilla and the rosé had a lovely, crisp taste to it which went very well with the cheesecake.
Score: 4/5
Tesco
Starter, main, side, dessert and prosecco or wine for £18
Taken from the store’s more decadent Finest range, I cooked bruschetta arancini for starters, followed by slow-cooked beef featherblade with a treacle jus and a side of potato rosti with black pepper butter. Dessert was lemon meringue oyster shells, and out of the many drink choices from beer to red wine and alcohol-free, I plumped for a bottle of red to compliment the beef main.
The arancini came with six balls, and three each was a generous serving, but the tomato flavour was very strong and perhaps slightly overpowering. The beef, however, was soft, and it absolutely just melted in my mouth. I usually find Featherblade to be quite fatty but this wasn’t too bad, and the treacle jus had just the right amount of sweetness to compliment it. The potato rosti were crisp, but I wish they were seasoned a little more, and perhaps – dare I say – a little smaller. The highlight of the meal was the beef which was rich and tender. I was less impressed with the dessert, which was just a bit too messy for my liking, and wouldn’t make a good impression if you were on a first date. However extra points for the presentation.
Score: 3/5
ALDI
Starter, main, side, dessert and prosecco for £14
Given that a bottle of prosecco alone can cost the best part of £30 in a bar these days, I was blown away by the price. But would the lower cost be reflected in lower quality and taste?
I chose the king prawn and scallop thermidor gratins to begin which cost just £3.99, followed by the heart-shaped spicy pepperoni and nduja pizza, with a side of truffle mac and cheese that cost just £2.99. To finish, I served the white chocolate and raspberry heart-to-heart, with a cheeky glass of fizz.
And I can safely say, the menu gave M&S a run for its money. The gratins were tasty and the prawns was large, however, I just wish there was a little more scallop included. I found the pizza and mac and cheese to be delicious and the pizza was fully loaded with toppings, and certainly spicy. The dessert was sweet, but the raspberry compote gave it a nice tang and the fizz held up well against the pricier versions at under £5 a bottle.
I think Aldi was the winner for me, as the price tag was just unbelievable for what I got. You can’t go wrong with the range and nothing was too overpriced – including the booze.
Score: 5/5
Do you have a story to share? Email niamh.kirk@reachplc.com
