Best Valentine’s Day supermarket meal combos: Tesco and M&S to ASDA and Morrisons
MORRISONS offers the best value for money Valentine's Day meal deal, The Sun has found.
Morrisons shoppers get £30.25 worth of food by spending £15 and this includes one starter, one main, two sides, one dessert, one drink or chocolates.
Tesco missed out on the top spot by just 5p.
It offers the same amount of food as Morrisons, also for £15, but the maximum amount of food you can get is £30.20.
Waitrose and M&S offer the biggest savings of £16.99 and £16.50 respectively - but they charge £20 each for their meal deals.
This means you're spending £5 more at each of these supermarkets compared to Morrisons and Tesco, effectively cancelling out the extra saving.
At the bottom of the table we found shoppers won't make any extra savings with Lidl and Aldi's DIY Valentine's Day offerings.
This is because they aren't part of any meal deal offer.
This means they don't technically offer a saving, as you just pay for what you eat - but you do spend less overall.
Iceland shoppers, meanwhile, will only save £1.30.
A spokesperson for Iceland told The Sun: “We always strive to offer great savings without restricting customer choices.
“With our offer, you can have your choice of seven steaks, 10 chips, nine sides and two drinks, so shoppers can pick the perfect meal for their romantic dinner. Who are we to tell people how to treat their Valentine?”
An Aldi spokesperson said: “Our everyday low prices mean customers will always pay less at Aldi.”
For each supermarket we have worked out the combination you need to buy to get the highest value.
Morrisons
- Price: £15
The priciest items on the Morrisons menu include the £3.50 camembert tear and share bread starter, and the £11 beef wellington for your main.
All but one of the sides are priced at £2.50 each, with options including chunky chips and cauliflower cheese, so two of these would come to £5.
Finally, pair these with any £3 dessert - such as dulce de leche or raspberry panna cotta - and the £7.75 Chilean merlot wine to get the best value.
There is an option to choose chocolates instead of a drink, but these only cost £3 so you won’t get the biggest saving.
This adds up to a maximum of £30.25 for a £15 spend.
Valentine's Day 2021 supermarket meal deals
HUNGRY for love? Here's how much each supermarket is charging for their Valentine's Day meal deals.
For some, there is a set price for starters, mains, sides, dessert, drinks and a box of chocolate.
But others are doing "mix and match" deals where you just pay for exactly what you want.
- Aldi - £10.55 (Only pay for what you choose - price based on one starter, one main, one dessert, one drink)
- Asda - £15 (One starter, one main, two sides, one dessert, one drink or chocolates)
- Co-op - £15 (One starter, one main, one side, one dessert and one drink)
- Iceland - £8 (Two steaks, chips and onion rings for £8, or two mains and one dessert from the Gino D’Acampo range for £8)
- Lidl - £10.12 (Only pay for what you choose - price based on one starter, one main, one dessert, one drink)
- M&S - £20 (One starter, one main, one side, one dessert, one drink and one box of chocolates)
- Morrisons - £15 (One starter, one main, two sides, one dessert, one drink or chocolates)
- Sainsbury's - £20 or less (Only pay for what you choose, but you only save money if your meal comes to more than £20 - price based on cheapest one starter, one main, one side, one dessert, one drink)
- Tesco - £15 (One starter, one main, two sides, one dessert and one drink)
- Waitrose - £20 (One starter, one main, two sides, one dessert, one drink or chocolates)
Tesco
- Price: £15
For the best saving at Tesco, buy the £3.50 smoked salmon tarts for your starter, paired with the £8 rump steak and pink peppercorn butter for your main.
It doesn't matter what side or vegetable dish you choose, as they're all priced at £2.60 each.
For the end of your meal, the heart-shaped brownie is the most expensive at £3.50.
And the maximum save for your drink includes Prosecco, usually priced at £10.
This combination would usually cost £30.20 but you'll only pay £15.20 thanks to the meal deal.
Waitrose
- Price: £20
Waitrose does offer the biggest saving overall of £16.99, but you're spending £5 on its meal deal compared to Morrisons and Tesco.
For this reason, we don't rate it as good for value.
The priciest starters cost £4, with choices including live parfait and seafood shells, while the most expensive main is the £10 ribeye steak with Bearnaise butter.
Pair these with two of the rainbow salads, priced at £3 each, so £6 in total, and the £5 vintage cheddar heart for pudding.
Finally, wash your meal down and the half bottle of champagne, which would usually cost £11.99 on its own.
The total price for this combination of food would normally be £36.99.
M&S
- Price: £20
M&S is just behind Waitrose in terms of savings, with diners able to save up to £16.50.
This is if you go for either the Coquilles St Jacques or prawn cocktail as a stater, both priced at £6, paired with the rump steak, sirloin steak, chicken kiev or rack of lamb, which all cost £10 each.
You'd then have to pick a £3 side, with options including cauliflower cheese and mashed potato, followed by any £4 dessert, such as the billionaire's pot or cheesecake.
Finally, finish your meal with the £12 Prosecco or Prosecco rose and £1.50 box of chocolates.
Shoppers would usually pay £36.50 for this combo.
Asda
- Price: £15
At Asda, the most amount you save is £10.
Each starter, side and dessert cost £2.50 each, while each main is priced at £7 usually - so this part of the deal would cost £17 normally.
Add on the priciest bottle of booze, the £8 bottle of cava rose, and your bill would normally be £25.
Fancy options for starters include runny Scotch eggs and tempura prawns, followed by lamb shanks, pork loins or steak for your main.
Co-op
- Price: £15
The most amount you can save at the Co-op is £9.80.
Each starter costs £3.50, so it doesn't matter which once you choose, while the priciest main is the £7 rump steak.
The most expensive side is the £2.80 mashed potato, and the dearest dessert is £3.50 chocolate and orange tortes.
Finally, pair the above with the £8 Prosecco to get the best saving.
This menu would normally come to £24.80.
Sainsbury's
- Price: £20 (or less)
Sainsbury's shoppers only save money with their meal deal when you spend more than £20.
If you spend under this amount, you'll pay the normal price of your food.
Outside the deal, scallop gratin or bresaola starter would set you back £3.75 each, and the crusted cod ratatouille costs £10 normally.
Pair these with any £2.70 side, with options including potato dauphinoise or cauliflower cheese, plus any £3.30 GU dessert and a £6.25 bottle of Prosecco.
Your bill would normally be £26 for this selection.
Iceland
- Price: £15
Iceland is doing a mix and match selection for Valentine’s Day, so you choose exactly what you want.
The only offer the supermarket is running for is two steaks for £6 - these would usually cost £3.65 each, or £7.30 for two, so a saving of £1.30 in total.
On its website, Iceland suggests pairing with two of its full-priced £1 sides, such as chips and onion rings, and a bottle of Prosecco for £7 to bring you to the £15 price tag.
Full price, this food plus the Prosecco would come to £16.30.
Lidl
- Price: £10.12
You pick and choose what you want at Lidl, so your best way to save money is to buy the cheapest food.
The best price for one starter, main and dessert at Lidl is £5.17.
This is if you go for the £1.39 dough balls, £1.99 beef wellington parcels and £1.79 GU desserts.
If you want a bottle of Prosecco as well, the cheapest is £4.95 which takes your total to £10.12.
Aldi
- Price: £10.55
The absolute cheapest price for a starter, main and dessert at Aldi is £6.56.
The cheapest food at Aldi is £1.69 the buffalo chicken wings and two vegan No Beef Bourguignon Pies which are £1.69 each.
For dessert, go for a pack of 36 mini pancakes at £1.49.
Aldi doesn't list booze as part of its Valentine's Day offering, but if you add on a £3.99 bottle of Prosecco your total would be £10.55.
You should note that both the Aldi and Lidl price we've calculated doesn't include sides.
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