Valentines meal deals: the supermarket I believe has the best | Braintree and Witham Times
From Aldi to M&S and everywhere in between, most of the major supermarkets have their own Valentines meal deal.
Taking that special someone for a meal on Valentine's Day can be quite a pricey outing and with the high cost if living still impacting households across the UK eating out can be a dauting task.
So if you are looking for a cheap alternative that won't break the bank, and an option that will allow you to stay in the comfort of your own home, I have the solution.
Ahead of the big day on Wednesday (February 14), I went out in search of the best supermarket Valentines meal deal. And the good news is, I found the perfect one.
Major supermarkets including Asda, Sainsburys, Aldi and Morrisons are all doing Valentines meal deals in 2024. (Image: Patrick Glover)
Which supermarket has the best Valentines meal deal?
While Asda[1] and Sainsburys[2] have their own Valentines meal deals for £12 and £15 respectively, I opted to take a look at Morrisons, M&S and Aldi to determine the best options for you and that special someone this Valentine's Day.
Aldi
I am a loyal Aldi shopper and would never dream of doing my weekly shop anywhere else.
So when I heard Aldi was releasing its own Valentines meal deal offer, I was excited.
But for the first time ever, they have let me down.
What I had:
Starter: Tomato and Basil Arancini
Main: Wagyu British Beef, Red Chilli Rings and an Asian Style Sticky Glaze
Side: Mini garlic pizza bread
Dessert: Gooey chocolate brownie
Drink: Barossa Valley Shiraz
You can see the full Aldi Valentines meal deal options via its website here[3].
I ranked Aldi's Valentines meal deal last out of the three I tried. (Image: Patrick Glover)
The selection available for Aldi's Valentines meal deal I felt wasn't up to the standard of the other supermarkets and you didn't get value for money which is surprising when you consider Aldi is the cheapest supermarket in the UK.
The starters were the best part for me with the Arancini balls. They were, as most Aldi foods are, delightful.
But the rest, while good, didn't particularly wow me - and that may be my fault with my choices, but I tried to keep things simple and cost effective, which didn't really work out in the end (but we'll get to that in a minute).
I love a good pizza[4] and as always the Aldi pizza didn't let me down, but compared to some of the other main options on offer at other supermarkets seems a little plain.
The sides I thought left a little to be desired, with there not being many healthy alternatives available apart from the vegetable medley.
As for the desserts the gooey chocolate brownie was ok without being great and other, more fancy options including the melting bombe duo and raspberry and vanilla macarons, cost that little bit more.
The red wine was nice, but accounted for a large part of the meal budget at £7.49.
When it came to cost - unlike the other supermarkets, who have set a price which includes a starter, main, side, dessert and drink, Aldi has separate prices on each item.
Which meant the more extravagant you went with your meal choices, the more you had to pay.
In total my meal cost £19.25, which is cheaper than M&S, but that's without branching out to some of the more fancier options.
M&S
M&S[5] was middle of the road for me when it came to supermarket Valentines meal deals.
It doesn't offer the same value for money as Morrisons (which I will get to in a minute) but is better than Aldi (only just).
While it is reasonable value when you consider you get a decent starter, main, side, dessert and drink for £25 (again that's £8 more than Morrisons and you get one less side) the food left a little to be desired considering the price.
What I had:
Starter: Crispy tempura vegetable fritters
Main: Mushroom stroganoff pies
Side: Cheesy green vegetable bake
Dessert: 2 chocolate caramel pots
Drink: Mystery Bay sauvignon blanc (white wine)
The M&S Valentines meal deal didn't offer great value for money in my opinion. (Image: Patrick Glover)
You can see all the M&S Valentines meal deal options in store or via its website here[6].
While all the food was delicious, my wife and I both felt the serving sizes were too small (especially when you consider the price).
The Mushroom stroganoff pie was flavourful and combined with the cheesy green vegetable bake was fantastic.
The starters were tasty, but again too small to share between two people. My wife and I had two small fritters each which left us wanting more.
While the chocolate caramel pots were nice without being amazing.
As for the wine, I'm not a massive white wine drinker, but my wife did enjoy the Mystery Bay sauvignon blanc.
So all in all a little disappointing for the price and what you got.
However, the M&S Valentines meal deal seems to be a popular option as the first time I went to grab one they had sold out of all stock.
The M&S Valentines meal deal seems to be a popular option as the first time I went to acquire one for myself they had sold out of all stock. (Image: Patrick Glover)
Morrisons
I don't go to Morrisons very often, mainly because I don't have one close to my house, but it was worth the 15 minute trip down the road to pick up one of the supermarket chains Valentine's Day meals. Wow!
It was hands down the best Valentine's Day meal deal out of any of the major supermarkets and a perfect replacement for a meal out.
Firstly, it is amazing value for money.
For £17, or £15 if you are a Morrisons More member, you get a started, two side, a main, a dessert and a bottle of wine/four pack of beers/soft drink.
And the food options aren't just small and cheap, they are quality.
What I had:
Starter: French Camembert cheese with cherrybell pepper sharing bread
Main: Lamb shanks in a red wine, recurrent and rosemary sauce
Sides: Maris Piper Dauphinoise potatoes and Rainbow Chantenay Carrots with Acacia honey butter.
Dessert: Gu Zillionaires' Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Drink: Marques de los Rios Rioja Crianza (red wine)
Morrisons had the best Valentines meal deal in my opinion. (Image: Patrick Glover)
From the starter to the dessert and everything in between, we couldn't fault the meal.
The camembert cheese and sharing bread we had as a starter was nearly a meal in itself, while the lamb shanks main with the sides we selected worked perfectly together - so much flavour.
Then, with the pair of us being sweet tooths we already were well aware of how delicious the Gu Zillionaires dessert pots were going to be. And as usual they didn't disappoint.
Being an Aussie and a great lover of wine, a good bottle of red is an important part of any good meal.
I haven't had much Rioja before (I'm more of a Shiraz man myself), but its safe to say I will be having it again after that. A great, drinkable bottle of red.
If none of those options tickle your fancy there is a vast range of other alternatives available which can be seen in store or via the Morrisons website[7].
RECOMMENDED READING:
My verdict - which Valentines meal deal meal to pick
So if you are looking for a cheap, stay at home meal for you and your other half this Valentine's Day, there is only one place to consider in my view - Morrisons.
Great value for money, the food and drink is excellent, what more could you want.
It's the meal deal that's sure to bag you some brownie points this Valentine's Day.
References
- ^ Asda (groceries.asda.com)
- ^ Sainsburys (www.sainsburys.co.uk)
- ^ here (leaflets.aldi.co.uk)
- ^ pizza (www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk)
- ^ M&S (www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk)
- ^ website here (www.marksandspencer.com)
- ^ Morrisons website (groceries.morrisons.com)