[lem ramsay]

I remember buying a few weeks ago some chinese from them, the egg fried rice and sweet and sour battered chicken; I didn't mind it but my boyfriend said the chicken had a fishy taste and the rice was nothing to write home about (I thought it looked a bit mushy).
I had been persuaded to try their chinese range as I had read on here how their chinese ready meals are so similar to chinese takeaways and better than the ones you find in Asda and so on. My boyfriend doesn't even really like it when I attempt to cook chinese myself, he still prefers the takeaways, same with doner kebab.
The other day I popped into M&S here in Colchester and I got chicken thighs, angus beef burgers and beef minute steaks since they are 3 for £10.
I have cooked the burgers and thighs so far and my boyfriend said the burgers weren't that great... I thought being angus beef they would surely taste better than, say, frozen burgers but he wasn't impressed. I am not as fussy as him and found them good, just like any other burger I had had before (told you I am not fussy ).
Mind you, he did eat them but that has left me thinking Marks and Spencer are not all that maybe.
I don't usually shop there as they are expensive for our budget but I thought this time I would treat us to better quality products.

[Johnnys Arcade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lem ramsay

I remember buying a few weeks ago some chinese from them, the egg fried rice and sweet and sour battered chicken; I didn't mind it but my boyfriend said the chicken had a fishy taste and the rice was nothing to write home about (I thought it looked a bit mushy).
I had been persuaded to try their chinese range as I had read on here how their chinese ready meals are so similar to chinese takeaways and better than the ones you find in Asda and so on. My boyfriend doesn't even really like it when I attempt to cook chinese myself, he still prefers the takeaways, same with doner kebab.
The other day I popped into M&S here in Colchester and I got chicken thighs, angus beef burgers and beef minute steaks since they are 3 for £10.
I have cooked the burgers and thighs so far and my boyfriend said the burgers weren't that great... I thought being angus beef they would surely taste better than, say, frozen burgers but he wasn't impressed. I am not as fussy as him and found them good, just like any other burger I had had before (told you I am not fussy ).
Mind you, he did eat them but that has left me thinking Marks and Spencer are not all that maybe.
I don't usually shop there as they are expensive for our budget but I thought this time I would treat us to better quality products.

If you want good quality then I suggest you try Waitrose. Better than M&S & around the same prices.

[earthling13]

M & S is not all it's cracked up to be but then nor is Waitrose. I shop in both but am very selective in what I buy.

[Batfink]

Very happy with my m&s xmas dinner last year. So much so that I'll be doing the same this year...

[Toby LaRhone]

Ask your boyfriend to shop and cook for a change.

[Saturn]

Oh I love the M&S chinese range

[Ads]

M&S is a bit overated - a lot of its produce is just microwave meals, which don't taste as good as freshly made stuff a competant cook could make at home

[whoever,hey]

Its crap. Its just more microwave ready meals!

Its not hard to cook their meals fresh.

[Jol44]

It used to be quality, but I'd say now little different from the other big supermarket chains. In fact, I suspect a lot of their produce today is the same stuff as you find in the likes of the others or at least it seems that way.

They used to be obviously different (of better quality), today I'm not so sure they are at all.

[lem ramsay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby LaRhone

Ask your boyfriend to shop and cook for a change.

I made it sound as though he moaned about them, but he told me those things when I specifically asked him how he found them, he did eat everything and always thanks me for preparing his meals, whether ready-made or cooked from scratch (as I do 90% of the time).

I couldn't demand he shops and cooks as those two activities are the ones he hates the most and he works and I stay at home

[lem ramsay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoever,hey

Its crap. Its just more microwave ready meals!

Its not hard to cook their meals fresh.

Yes, I don't wanna pay that much just for a microwave dinner... I buy one very rarely anyway and in Asda as it's close to my house.

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Last edited by lem ramsay : 02-03-2013 at 14:02. Reason: forgot to add this to previous post

[grimtales1]

Some M&S stuff has been pretty good - their Tin pot pies, sausages (Gloucester Old Spot and Pork and Leek I tried so far) and leek and bacon mashed potato are really nice

[cbe21ok]

M&S oven chips/fries are nice, at least they taste of something unlike plenty others i have tried. I like their pizzas as well, also the Simply M&S Roasted & Salted Peanuts are jolly good. Saying that i have just been to the local Farmfoods and they have some canny stuff for a fraction of the cost..

[grimtales1]

I had a stonebaked pizza from them and it was nice, and their freshly squeezed orange/apple juice is divine

[Johnnys Arcade]

M & S "Gastropub" Scotch Eggs with runny centres are really good!

[Darcy_]

M&S is like any other shop, some of their stuff is nice, some of it not so much. I've had some of the nicest pre-made burgers from their though, they had a pepper crust and were thick, juicy and full of flavour. I normally make my own though.

[Mr Teacake]

Their poppadoms are top notch.

[edEx]

Mostly just convenience food. Great for those evenings when you don't have time to cook properly, but certainly not worth eating every day.

Saying that I do like their ready-made salads, and 2 for £3 isn't bad for weekday lunch.

[Chris1964]

If you simply havent got time to make meals I would go for M&S every time. Some of their ready meals are works of art considering they are mass produced. Foodhall is a wonderland of presentation compared to supermarkets.

[Master Ozzy]

M&S are ridiculous. They bang on about this thing called 'Plan A' which is about them recycling etc, but they use so much packaging it's unreal. There's items of food packaged in boxes 3 times bigger than the bloody product. Also, I used to work an M&S store and it's disgusting how much food they throw away at the end of the day...it's not just the store I worked in either as I have worked in two and other people I know have said the same thing. They throw so much food away...either due to them getting too much in stock or else not reducing the food early enough in the day to get rid of it when it comes to the day of its use by date. I know for a fact that certain other supermarkets allow staff members to purchase food that is being taken of the shelves as it's going out of date the following day, or they have links with charities who give it to the homeless. M&S operate in a disgusting way though. All of this, plus the fact I think their food is overrated anyway makes me not a big fan.

[Tiggergirl]

Not that I can afford to shop in M&S much these days I had noticed the quality going downhill over the years. Only thing I tend to buy there and if they are on offer is the crispbakes and yes I know you can make your own, get cheaper elsewhere etc but that is my sometimes treat and the parmenter potatoes.

I had noticed the ready meals quality going downhill a while ago and the most notable thing was their pre cooked chinese chicken wings which my mum used to love and was one of the few slightly spicier things she could manage (she had inflammation of the stomach) and that was her treat to get those for dinner, they changed them and she couldn't eat them anymore so kind of stopped buying much from there after that.

My only essentials from M&S when I want a treat I think are their seeded rolls, chocolate teacakes and some of their chocolate range and Percy Pigs.

[clm2071]

I pop in most days after work (it's next to my bus stop) and have a scan at what they have reduced, occasionally there are some bargains to be had but I wouldn't pay full price for most of there stuff -its nice but overpriced.

As mentioned above they do sometimes have problems with overstocking, I was in yesterday and they had 3 entire cabinets full of Eve's puddings reduced to £1 as they had to be used by yesterday and aren't freezable - there must have been over 200 of them....

[Babycakes15]

The desserts are nice and their cookies are gorgeous, especially the apple crumble ones and the white chocolate ones. I have bought their fuller for longer meals and their count on us meals as I find they are the best diet ready meals and do fill me up. But I mostly just buy desserts from there unless it's Christmas, their party food is a life saver

[earthling13]

Many years ago M & S had some ethics and morals. They wouldn't stock clothes made by slave labour or open on a Sunday when it became legal but all of that has gone out of the window. They're just another highstreet store now but don't seem to know who their target customer is. And their till system is appallingly slow and I'm never in that much of a rush!

[edEx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earthling13

Many years ago M & S had some ethics and morals. They wouldn't stock clothes made by slave labour or open on a Sunday when it became legal but all of that has gone out of the window. They're just another highstreet store now but don't seem to know who their target customer is. And their till system is appallingly slow and I'm never in that much of a rush!

Trouble is, following the ethical strategy nearly put them out of business. British consumers forced them to change, so who's really to blame?