Hunters Chicken & Potato Wedges - £3.70 reduced to £1.60
Linguine with Scallops, Pancetta & Peas - £4.25 reduced to £1.90
Chilli Con Carne - £2.75 reduced to £1.10
Chicken and Parmesan Fettuccine - £3 reduced to £1.20
4 Cornish Pasties - 1.70 reduced to 70p
2 Cumberland Pies - £2.75 each reduced to £1.10 each
That's £20.90 worth of food for £8.70.
I thought these meals would be handy to have in the freezer with Eleanor at home, she's always in and out of the house and often eats meals at different times to us so it's good to have some convenience foods in for these occasions.
The Linguine with Scallops, Pancetta & Peas was for me, I've wanted to try scallops for a long time so I thought this was an ideal opportunity. It can also be included on my 50 Before 50 list as number 18 is try a food I've never tried before, and though I tried black pudding when we were Weekending in Wales, scallops is something else that is new to me. I thought they were very tasty and put me in mind of mussels. I'd like to try some fresh ones now so I'm going to put them on my shopping list.
I didn't share with Archie even though he had his eye on it.
Some very good bargains and a reminder to get in some pre-prepared meals for my in-between-homes house guest. Scallops are also on my list of things to try, hopefully on my summer holiday. X
ReplyDeleteI know ready meals aren't very good for you but they definitely have a place in my house, they're so convenient when everyone's wanting meals at different times of the day. I do batch cook my own meals too so that's handy as well. I'm looking forward to trying fresh scallops now.
DeleteSome very good bargains there. We occasionally see bits on special, but probably like you, not at the time we shop or things we don't eat. I've tried mussels, many, many years ago & know I didn't like, but then I don't like the taste or texture of oysters & think they may be something alike. Have a good week & take care.
ReplyDeleteI think it's quite easy to buy things for the sake of it when you see that items have been reduced but I'm quite selective these days, it isn't a bargain otherwise. I've never tried oysters but I like mussels and scallops put me in mind of those.
DeleteGoodness Jo £20.90 worth of food for £8.70 - that is a great saving - and a good selection there too.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo with Archie, it made me smile.
All the best Jan
I'm pleased with these bargains, and nice to try something new too. Archie does make me smile, he's such a funny dog.
DeleteThat photo of Archie is adorable... I'm not a big fan of sea food but I'm glad that you enjoyed the scallops. Jx
ReplyDeleteArchie's such a cutie. I don't eat sea food all that often but I do enjoy it when I do.
DeleteAs usual, Archie just makes me smile. Cheeky wee monkey! :o)
ReplyDeleteArchie's such a greedy boy, very cute though.
DeleteMy husband loves scallops, I tired them and they were ok, but not something I'd go out of my way to get.
ReplyDeleteMick won't eat any kind of shellfish and only eats fish very occasionally. I'm looking forward to trying fresh scallops now.
DeleteHope you enjoy your scallops, they are a treat that I like if we go out to eat, but I have never cooked them at home. Hope Archie doesn't take to them too much and take them away from you!
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the scallops and I'm looking forward to having a go at cooking them fresh now. Archie didn't get the chance to try them, he gets enough treats as it is.
DeleteWhat a bargain, I agree about M&S food, definitely overpriced for what you get. That pic of Archie has me laughing, it's brilliant! Glad you got to try something else on your list.xxx
ReplyDeleteI think M&S used to be a luxury brand but most of the other supermarkets can compete nowadays, I can get comparable food at a fraction of the cost from other supermarkets. Archie makes me laugh, he's always doing funny things.
DeleteWe are great fans of scallops and eat them on special occasions. Don't overcook them as they become chewy very quickly, they are particularly good along with black pudding. Great bargains.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that scallaps can become chewy if overcooked so I'll make sure I don't do that when I do get round to trying them. I'm pleased with these bargains, it's all about being in the right place at the right time.
DeleteHaha, Archie. Look at his eyes! So cute. You got some great deals on that food. I always look in the "scratch and dent" bins at the grocery store. I'm careful with fresh meat after a few bad experiences, but packaged foods and even produce can be great deals. Actually, one of the best things to buy reduced, I find, is canning supplies. I don't know why, but my preferred grocery store always has jars, pectin, lids and bands reduced to next to nothing. Maybe they can't sell them quickly enough, not that many people can these days. Good for me, though, since I do!
ReplyDeleteArchie's eyes look rather wild in the photo, he's so intent on getting to the food. It's fresh food which mainly gets reduced over here, things with sell by or use by dates. They're great if you're going to eat them straight away or they're able to be frozen. It's great when you happen upon a bargain though, whatever it may be.
DeleteWe recently got some amazing bargains on fresh fish from Tesco - lots of big salmon fillets and tuna steaks, which we would never have paid full price for ....... it somehow makes the food taste better!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I know what you mean. I'd have never gone in to M&S and paid full price for these meals but worth a try for what they cost. We used to get lots of bargains from Tesco as we used to shop at just the right time when they were reducing everything, but we've changed the time we shop now so we miss out. I used to get lots of fresh meat, some real bargains.
DeleteIsn't Archie adorable!!! Just photograph him in future, Jo, forget the food ha ha! Just loads more pix of your lovely dog!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, well done on that food shopping. However, I would exert a modicum of caution on some things ... now, I've only ever had a couple of ready-meals in my life, preferring (even in my working days) to make meals from scratch, I just prefer to and nothing wrong with ready-meals if that is what you prefer to do in order to do other thing in the time you would spend cooking ... but things like scallops are best bought fresh and cooked (very gently) when fresh. I've no idea how they will be if they have been pre-cooked to go into a pack with sauce. I'm not saying they won't be lovely - I hope they are - but if they aren't, just think that fresh ones will be like that.
We are very fortunate insofar as we have Brixham with all its lovely fish only 6 miles away, and there is a wonderful wet fish shop in a village about 3 miles away, so we're spoilt for choice where fish is concerned.
I do think that a lot of effort is put into making the photos on ready-meals look enticing. The reality is often quite different in my (very brief) experience. Do let us know which of these meals cut the mustard (oh, very droll, Margaret) and which didn't. And if the scallops were sweet and tender (as they are when bought fresh and gently sautéed) or like a rubber band.
More of Archie, please!!!
Margaret P
Yes, Archie is a cutie, he's such a lovely dog. I know that ready meals aren't the healthiest of things but I do believe they have their place. Even though I don't work, I don't want to be stood over the cooker at all hours of the day when family are wanting meals at different times. They're not something we eat regularly, but they're certainly handy to have on stand-by. I really enjoyed the scallops in this meal and as I said in the post, I'm looking forward to trying some fresh ones now to see how they differ. I'll certainly try to get more photos of Archie on the blog for you.
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed the scallops, Jo! And Archie is the star of the show!!! He should have a blog of his own, bless him!
DeleteMargaret P
He's quite a character and continually makes me laugh with his antics.
DeleteGood bargains. I generally forget to look when I'm in the supermarket. xx
ReplyDeleteMy local supermarket has their reduced chiller right in the first aisle, which is really handy. I'm always happy when I find a bargain.
DeleteWhat a wonderful picture of Archie, oh he is so cute. We never seem to shop at the right time, some great bargains there xx
ReplyDeleteArchie's so funny, he never fails to make me chuckle. My bargains have slowed down to what I used to pick up, a consequence of shopping at a different time of day now.
Deletebeing from Down Under I had a giggle, as I thought the prices *before* the bargains were pretty good! People totally freak at the prices of food in New Zealand - even the Australians do... our dairy and lamb is CHEAPER in the UK and Australian than it is here... we are paying 2 pounds for 2 litres of milk at least and 2 pounds 70 for a pound of butter at the moment... I laughed at my last visit to the UK, as couldn't believe the buy one, get one free, markdowns (they just really don't happen here much!) etc in supermarkets!
ReplyDeleteThose are high prices. We do get lots of offers in the supermarkets here but you have to be careful as some of them are not all they seem. You definitely need your wits about you when you go shopping.
DeleteIn today's on-line newspaper...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11884369
That's a big difference, isn't it. It would probably cost less here than London too, it's usually cheaper up north.
DeleteYum, scallops! I love them, but my family not so much. I can't even remember the last time I ate them. I think I'll put these on my shopping list too - one of the benefits of the kids being back at school is that I can indulge in foods that no one else enjoys at lunch.
ReplyDeleteMy family won't even try such things as scallops, though none of them are very keen on fish so I doubt they'd like them anyway.
DeleteMy family won't even try such things as scallops, though none of them are very keen on fish so I doubt they'd like them anyway.
DeleteI love Scallops and Black pudding and my dad being a chef would often follow the television chefs for ideas and so we have often had black pudding pea purée and scallops it is amazing. You fry the black pudding and scallops and stack them with the pea purée in the middle and even with out the pea purée they taste great and make a perfect starter if you have people round.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of that combination before. It must be wonderful having a chef in the family, I can just imagine all the lovely dishes you'd get to try.
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