M&S - My New Best Friend!

Well, what can I say.  Today, myself and Dean popped off to Hammersmith to get my eyes tested at Specsavers.  Whilst we were up there, we decided to pop to M&S.  My sister kept telling me that when she lost her huge amount of weight a few years ago, that is where she would trot to get some of their food.  I must say, if you have even bothered to read some of the past reviews of Sainsbury’s selection of packaged food, then you know pretty much how I feel about them.  I use them when I am trying hard to contain the portion size.   

I see them as plastic and processed and not very good if I’m honest.  Yes, I have my favourites.  The Sainsbury shepherd’s pie is one of them, be good to yourself one.  It’s filling, plastic, but filling and I swear it is made with the majority of soya as meat in gravy.  The label says otherwise, but hey ho.  That’s by the by.  So, as I may have mentioned I have stocked up on the Sainsbury packaged foods, so we could taste them every afternoon.  I must say that since the Stew and dumpling in ale gravy, I say this all with a grimace, I really couldn’t face the others in the freezer.  The bad taste that is left in your mouth after eating those boxed foods is atrocious.  

Anyway, so I popped along to M&S and looked at some of the fuller for longer, count on us – the lower calorie food items.  I was shocked that first off, the boxes are such that you can pull the cardboard aside and look to see if the image on the box resembles anything like the food in the tray, and you can.  It was amazing.  The food actually looked really nice and very much like the picture on the box.  The sausage, mash and gravy looked slightly gloopy, but I didn’t buy that one anyway, so no matter.  But overall, the site test tempted us enough to purchase.  I chose several from each range and a salmon and potatoes and watercress salad to have today, with some breakfast items and also desserts, which I normally don’t bother with.

All I can say is I have never felt food pop onto taste buds as it did this afternoon.  So much so that a one word review of ‘amazing’ would have done.  The salad in total was 240 calories, yet it felt as though I was eating well over 700.  Amazing fresh food, good taste, beautiful colour, and no bad aftertaste, just the sensation of fresh herbs and amazing dressing teasing the taste buds as the taste faded in my mouth.

I am astounded.  I have bought food from M&S before, but usually cakes, or cold and cooked meats.  This packaged food is glorious.  Their pots of food in little round see through pots that can be microwaved are so tantalising, I am scared to think of how else I shall feel when dinner time comes round.  The only thing I am not too pleased at, which I didn’t see in the store was that those potted meals cannot be frozen.  Pity.  But it is worth the trek to M&S once a week just to top up for lunch time food.

I am astounded.  I urge you to pop along and try some of these meals.  Sainsbury’s could learn so much from the boxed food.  I will of course be letting you know what the boxed meals are like which I purchased for the freezer, as and when I eat them.  I didn’t even have time to take a pic for lunch today, it was gone before I thought of leaving a review.  Tasty goodness, Lord Have mercy on my soul, I finally found portioned food that I can eat!