The Dine In deal is available in stores now until February 6 and features a range of delicious new items for Chinese New Year
With red lanterns swaying from the trees and a dragon ready to awaken from its slumber, it can only mean one thing – Chinese New Year is nearly upon us.
The annual festivities fall on Wednesday, January 29, so it’s no surprise that supermarket aisles are brimming with traditional Chinese cuisine. Marks and Spencer is one such retailer, launching a meal deal that offers two mains and two sides for a mere £15.
The Dine In range boasts a variety of options, from prawn toast and Miso mushroom bao buns to special fried rice, spare ribs, crispy lemon chicken and more. The offer seems to be a hit with customers if the empty shelves at the large MandS in Middebrook, Bolton is anything to go by.
But I still managed to grab a selection of items for us to sample. My kids can be fussy eaters, so I opted for meat and flavours I knew they’d enjoy, including the main dish of Sticky Chilli Chicken, ‘battered chicken breasts with an aromatic sweet chilli dipping sauce’.
This dish was a big hit, the ‘medium heat’ of the sauce providing warmth without being too overpowering. The Vegetable Spring Rolls were a delight, taking the longest to cook at 25 minutes, but they were certainly worth the wait.
Packed with beansprouts, edamame soybeans, carrots, water chestnuts, red pepper and rice noodles, all wrapped in layers of crispy pastry, they look and taste just like what you’d get from a Chinese restaurant or takeaway, albeit slightly smaller, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The Egg Fried Rice was another hit – light fluffy rice enhanced with scrambled egg, green peas and leeks – the perfect side dish to the meat and sticky sauce. But the standout dish was the Crispy Chilli Beef – tender slices of British beef coated in the lightest, crispiest batter, then smothered with the most delicious sweet chilli sauce.
It’s a taste sensation that deserves a place on your dinner table, whether you’re celebrating the Year of the Snake or not.
The £15 Chinese meal deal is available in MandS stores now.
