I used to be a MASSIVE fan of waitrose. I would come here for all my foody delights, be it for a beautiful tart, fresh vegetables, or good veggie food.
Recently, I have worked out that a lot of it is just good marketing. Like Waitrose, marks and spencers also sells itself as being a slightly more upmarket, luxurious brand. This really rings true when one tries their ready meals, which are superb in comparison to Tesco. That said, I'm not a big one for ready meals, so let's take a look at some of the other fresh produce:
Fruit and vegetables: Good selection, a few slightly more exotic options like pak choi and enoki mushrooms. They also often sell blood oranges. These options are expensive though, and dare I say it, inferior to the ones at lidls.
Bakery: Wonderful fresh French bread and croissants. Not so wonderful cakes. Had many cakes here which tasted either dry/stale or just very creamy without much real substance. The cookies at sainsburies are 10 times better. They do stock some good pre-made cakes though, like honeybuns gluten free brownies.
Store cupboard: Lots of exciting sauces to suit every cuisine: Thai, Japanese, Italian. Biscuits from around the world, including amaretti and Spanish tortas. The prices are pretty steep though.
Fridge: A few vegetarian options, mainly overpriced. Many delicious juices and smoothies, great looking desserts, from spotted dick and custard to French macaroons. Again, the prices aren't so great. There is a good selection of yogurts and cheeses, again though, these can be found elsewhere for a much better price tag. It is worth getting the fresh pasta here though, fantastic options including pumpkin ravioli and gluten free chickpea pasta. If you have to get a ready meal, go for the chana masala, it is admittedly delicious...
Freezer: Some delicious ice cream options from time to time, vegetarian options, a few novelties like frozen ravioli.
What I like: Lots of variety, very continental. A few exotic things which are hard to get like guarana Antarctica, good selection of wines. Yummy desserts and good quality fruit. One of the only places to buy marsala wine and polenta.
What I don't like: Very overpriced, sneaky marketing skills which make you feel like you're getting something better here, as evidenced by the price tag.
Foodies could quite easily get overwhelmed here and end up spending a load on stuff that could be bought elsewhere. I know, because I used to be one of them. read more