Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and this year, you may want to treat your loved one to a romantic dinner at home – so, what are the options this year?
Each year, the major UK supermarkets offer a Valentine’s Day menu for couples looking to do a quiet night in. Each year, chains push that these options are better for money, as they give you a tasty meal with a starter, main, side, and dessert, so you don’t have to cover the cost of all the ingredients. This year couples across the country may be considering this as costs continue to rise and budgets continue to be stretched.
When it comes to Valentine’s Day, it’s important to remember that it’s the thought that counts, not how much you spend on the person you love. If you are unable to stretch this year, you should not feel pressured to do so, and you should talk with your significant other about this. However, if you do fancy something a bit different this year, such as a home-cooked meal, then here are your options. Below, we explain the dishes and drinks you can get at each of the major chains, the cost of the deal, and whether you need a loyalty membership to get it.
M&S – £25
- Price: £25
- Availability: February 10 to 14
- What’s included: Starter, main, side, dessert, drink
M&S is one of the main go-to options for Valentine’s dates in, as it markets itself as a little more upmarket than other supermarket chains. This year’s offer will set you back £25 – so £12.50 per person – and you get a starter, main, dessert, side and a bottle of wine. There are also none alcoholic versions for those not drinking.
According to the chain, its Valentine’s Day menu offers more than 40,000 possible combinations, including vegan and gluten-free options. For starters, you can choose from baking burrata with nduja and ciabatta crumb, prawn and lobster thermidor gratins, or dumpling bao buns.
For your main, you can go for a British Wagyu beef pie or fillet steak beef in Wellington. Fish options include salmon and prawn en croute, and there’s a vegan butternut squash and spinach pie, too. To accompany the dish, you can get Mediterranean-style roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and salt and pepper wedges, as well as others. For afters, you can get M&S chocolate and caramel pots, Sicilian lemon possets, tiramisu cheesecakes and more, including a chocolate praline heart.
M&S has a wide range of wines available as part of its Valentine’s Day offering this year, as well as mojitos, passion star martinis, and pina colada cocktails. For those not drinking alcohol, the supermarket chain also offers alcohol-free Frizzero rose and pink raspberry lemonade.
Waitrose – £20
- Price: £20
- Availability: February 7 to 16
- What’s included: Starter, main, side, dessert, and drink
Coming in a little cheaper than M&S’ £25 deal is Waitrsoe offering dinner for two for £20, which includes a starter, main, side, dessert, and a drink – either a fine wine, cocktail, beer or non-alcoholic option. Starts at Waitrose include prawn cocktail, moules marinière, vegetable antipasti arancini with basil pesto, and goat’s cheese and lemon bakes with wild garlic pesto.
For your main, you get a few options ranging from British beef flat iron steaks, cheddar potato dauphinoise, paella, spinach in puff pastry, beef bourguignon, truffle chicken kiev, and Juicy Marbles plant-based steaks. Sides are very similar to M&S and include maris piper mash, triple-cooked fries, and roasted garlic and buffalo mozzarella flatbread. Finally, for your Valentine’s Day sweet treat, you can get melt-in-the-middle chocolate puddings, raspberry panna cotta desserts, sticky toffee pudding, and Sicilian lemon tarts,
Dinner drinks include a range of wines – both still and sparkling – and cocktail tipples such as negronis, old-fashioneds, and cosmopolitans. For booze-free drinks, the options include DA-SH raspberry-infused sparkling water.
Sainsbury’s – £18
- Price: £18 with the Nectar
- Availability: February 11 to 16
- What’s included: Starter, main, side dessert, and drink
Sainsbury’s is offering shoppers a choice of 35 items for this year’s Valentine’s Day deal – but you will need to be a Nectar Card member to get it. The deal for two diners will set you back £18, and you get the usual starter, main, side, dessert and a drink.
All of the dishes and drinks on the menu are part of Sainsbury’s premium Taste the Difference range, with options for meat-eaters, veggies, and vegans. To start, you can get things such as a vintage cheddar and leek tart, scallop gratin, tempura king prawns, and a vegan antipasti platter. For the main, you can choose from sirloin steaks with heart-shaped butter, duck legs with cherry teriyaki glaze, or a mushroom Wellington. For your side options, again, you can get things like dauphinoise or hasselback potatoes with pink peppercorn butter, creamed spinach, triple-cooked chips, and cauliflower cheese.
Desserts are very much the same across the board with these supermarket deals and with Sainsbury’s you can get either a lemon tart, chocolate melt-in-the-middle pudding, morello cherry cheesecake, or a sticky toffee pudding. Finally for your drinks, you can get a range of different wines – both straight and sparkling – as well as orange gin and tonics and diet and normal coke.
Morrisons – £15
- Price: £15 with a More Card
- Availability: February 8 to 14
- What’s included: Starter, main, sides, dessert and drink
Morrison’s Valentine’s Day deal is the second cheapest deal of the lot setting you back £15 for three courses and a tipple. To get the deal, however, you will need to be a Morrisons More card member. The deal offers you a choice of dishes as part of its The Best range for meat-eaters, veggies and vegans.
Starter options consist of a tear-and-share camembert wreath, a goat’s cheese and caramelised onion tart, with the vegan option being a vegetable rose bao buns, For your main, you can pick a 30-day matured rump steak with pink peppercorn butter, a mushroom, spinach and pine nut wellington, or to smoked salmon fillets. To pair with your main, you can get roasted Chantenay carrots with acacia honey butter, cauliflower cheese or – once again – dauphinoise potatoes.
For the final dish of the night, you can pick up melt-in-the-middle puddings, sticky toffee pudding, lemon cheesecake or raspberry and vanilla heart-shaped panna cotta. To wash it all down, there’s a choice of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks from Kylie Minogue’s alcohol-free sparkling rosé and Sicilian lemonade to Peroni Nastro Azzurro gluten-free beer and prosecco.
Asda – £11.97
- Price: £11.97
- Availability: February 6 to 16
- What’s included: Starter, main, sides, dessert and drink
Asda is offering this year’s cheapest Valentine’s Day meal deal at £11.97 for a starter, main, side dessert and a drink. To start, you can choose from cod fishcakes, mac and cheese bakes, tempura king prawns or goat cheese and caramelised onion tarts.
Mains include sirloin with smoked garlic and pink peppercorn heart butter, salmon fillets with black pepper and lemon zest with dill and lemon heart butter, and vegan breaded no-brie hearts. Meanwhile, to pair with the meal, sides include cauliflower cheese, beef dripping skin on chips, potato dauphinoise, tomato and mozzarella focaccia, and green vegetable medley.
To finish the meal, you can choose a melt-in-the-middle Belgian chocolate pudding, strawberries with Belgian chocolate dip, or vanilla panna cotta hearts with raspberry and prosecco jelly. To wash it all down, you can choose from a range of selected red, white, or bubbles or low and no-alcohol tipples, including Kylie Minogue’s alcohol-free sparkling rosé.
Tesco – £18
- Price: £18 with a Tesco Clubcard at large stores, £12 at Tesco Express Stores (excludes starter)
- Availability: February 10 to 15
- What’s included: Starter, main, side, dessert, drink
Like other chains, Tesco’s Valentine’s Day meal deal includes a starter, main, side, dessert, and drink from its Tesco Finest range. For £18 – or £12 at Tesco Express Stores for a menu excluding a starter – you can start your romantic dinner for two with breaded Mediterranean prawns with hot honey dip or caramelised onion chutney-filled Camembert tear and share bread.
For your main, you can choose from chicken ballotine with parmesan and wild garlic, mushroom stroganoff pies, chicken and portobello mushroom risotto, and seabass with king prawn and champagne sauce. For sides, you can opt for creamed spinach, three-cheese cauliflower gratin, and heart-shaped sea salt and black pepper rosti. To finish your dinner, you can choose from Tesco’s Finest Chocolate cheesecake hearts, lemon meringue oyster shells, a raspberry, passionfruit and pistachio tart, or a selection of its finest British cheese. To whet the whistle, you can choose from Moth canned cocktails, prosecco, alcohol-free lager and more.
Aldi – under £16
- Price: Under £16
- Availability: February 10 to 16
- What’s included: Starter, main, side, dessert, fizz
Aldi has opted for a different approach to the other supermarket chains, and rather than having a set menu, you can choose from it’s whole Specially Selected range, although the prices will vary. Aldi’s cheapest menu will see you get a Specially select heart-shaped pizza, mini heart-shaped garlic bread, mini heart-shaped pancakes – can you see the theme here – and a bottle of prosecco. This totals up to £5.97 for two without wine and £10.72 with.
The premium meal deal will set you back £7.02 without wine or £11.71 with it, and its vegan deal is the most expensive at £7.47 without wine and £15.46 with it.
Among the range of starters offered by the supermarket, you can get vegan wild mushroom tomato and basil arancini, tempura prawns with sriracha dip, and red pepper swirls while sharing bread with camembert. For the main, you can get duck breast with plum and hoisin sauce, lamb rump with mint and rosemary rub and spiced Damson glaze, and lobster, truffle and parmigiano reggiano pasta. Puddings consist of things such as vegan caramelised biscuit heart sponge pudding, raspberry and vanilla macarons, or a tear and share cookie with milk chocolate dip.