Another M&S Foodie Haul

I needed a couple of bottles of wine, some fresh flowers and bread. Let me re-phrase that. I needed some bread but I wanted some wine and fresh flowers. I can't resist calling into the Marks & Spencer Food Hall on the way home from work. It's not far from Manchester United Football ground for those readers who need to know a location. 

So I parked right next to the door. My new boss at work is a long time friend and lovely colleague called Amy, and she is constantly amazed at how jammy I am at parking. She usually asks if I have prior booked a parking space right next to the door of where we are visiting. Is this luck or is there some higher being deciding I need a break with a parking space?

I put my flowers in my trolley, found some reduced granary deli rolls (yay!) and then noticed that a young lady was reducing items methodically along each aisle. That was when all shopping lists and budgets went out of the window. I could not resist the bargains. I have bought a little more than I have listed below but here goes:

Gastropub Beef Wellington (I love the M&S Gastropub range) £10 down to £2.80. This has gone straight into the freezer and will be delicious with new potatoes and green beans. Yum.

Two Gastropub Duck a l'orange - mealss for one for 90p each. These should have cost £4 each. These are a duck thigh and leg with mini roast potatoes and orange sauce. These will be lovely with some fresh vegetables as will the individual Gastropub beef open tarts. These were also 90p each and should have been £4 each. I will probably cook some mashed potato for David to eat with these but will not bother for myself as the pastry will be enough for me.

I love these prawn and crab starters with chilli jelly and these freeze really well. They make a small and elegant starter and were half price at £1.35 instead of £2.70 each. These have gone into my freezer for when I am having family over for a meal. A little lazy I know but who doesn't have a helping hand these days.

A host of Chinese food including the bargain of a pack of Crispy Aromatic Half Duck for just £2.45. I think this should have cost around £9. I also bought two packs of duck spring rolls at just 85p which should have been around £3 a pack. There were also a couple of ready meals - beef in black bean sauce with rice at £1.10 and sweet & sour chicken with rice at 95p. I think these should have cost around £4 each. We have put these in our fridge and they will still be good to eat by Thursday. Even the staff who work in M&S say that they eat the out of date food when I have been chatting with them.

Two packs Chicken Enchiladas for £1.35 each. I think these should have been around £4.50 each. We'll have these later in the week too so these are in the fridge.

Now that David is retired I don't have to bother with what to buy him for packed lunches anymore. I used to spend ages finding sandwich fillings for him. I now find myself buying ready meals for him otherwise he will not eat anything all day until I get home from work and cook our evening meal. He is clearly a grown man and more than capable of looking after himself but I found these meals for just  80p and 85p each. Theses should have been £3.50  to £3.80 each.

I am quite suprised at how expensive ready made meals should be at full price. I just wouldn't pay it myself but don't mind these reduced prices. I prefer my own homemade food cooked from scratch but for the prices I have paid I couldn't do half a crispy duck with spring onion, cucumber, hoisin sauce and pancakes for £2.45.

Well that is our meals sorted for the rest of the week.