Valentine's Day is officially only four days away, which means that quite a few folks across the country will be planning a romantic dinner.
Whether you are single, a couple, or spending time with the girls, nothing says romance quite like a full three course meal that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.
Of course, with the on-going pandemic and the current living crisis, more people will be looking to save money instead of spending money at a restaurant.
Enter the supermarket scene, with their Dine in Meal Deals for two which are usually priced between £15-£20 and offer shoppers a luxurious dinner from home without the spending.
Out of all the supermarket deals, M&S is the OG dine in deal and this year the retailer promises shoppers the "ultimate Valentine's Day dine in meal."
It's a firm favourite for the most romantic day of the year and for just £20 shoppers can tuck into a starter, main, side, dessert and bottle of bubbly (or chocolates) - providing you with a saving of £16.50!
The retailer has also gone all out for their menu this year, by creating a menu of over 30 products to create over 200 different menu combinations - meaning we are truly spoiled for choice this year.
Considering M&S' long-reigning popularity for Valentine's Day and with their promise of the ultimate menu for 2022, I decided to see if it was worth the money.
Here is how I got on...
The menu
With so many products to choose from, I'll admit it was difficult choosing what menu I should make, but I decided to pick up the ones that M&S considered 'highlights' off their menu.
This included the Leek & Cheese Soufflé Tarts to start (delicious butter enriched puff pastry filled with leek and creamy extra mature cheddar & red Leicester), Pie Love You for the main (chicken in a creamy white wine sauce, encased in all butter pastry and topped with a Pie <3 You pastry lid), and for dessert I’m Bananas for You (banana sponge with a caramel blonde chocolate mousse and salted caramel sauce, with a wafer base and topped with a white chocolate heart).
This is what the menu looked like:
Stater: Leek and Cheese Soufflé Tarts
Main: Pie Love You chicken pie
Side: Buttery Mash
Dessert: I’m Bananas for You
Wine: Prosecco Rose
Starter
Starting off the luxurious dinner was the Cheese and Leek Soufflé Tarts that sounds pretty much like a cheese lovers dream for starters.
I popped these in the oven for 20 minutes and hoped that my first course would be the beginning of me falling a little in love with M&S' food.
And, fall in love I certainly did, as these savoury tarts were everything I wanted - the puff pastry was buttery and flaky, the cheese melted in the mouth and the hints of leek worked well with the mature cheddar.
Also, they were quite a substantial size, which offered a lot more than just one bite, unlike some starters do.
Honestly, it was a good start and my stomach was rumbling for the next course.
Main
For the main course I chose the Pie Love You creamy chicken pie and accompanied it with a side of buttery mash and vegetables - but we'll get to the sides later.
Appearances alone, this pie is easily the star of the show and maybe M&S' entire menu.
Quite frankly, I love a good pie, as it can make you feel warm and fizzy inside - and, isn't that the point in Valentine's Day, anyways?
As for the pie itself, let's just say that there is a reason the retailer has considered it to be one of their highlights, as it is absolutely delicious.
The pastry? buttery and crispy. The filling? Creamy and substantial. Am I still in love? Yes.
As soon as it came out the oven I knew I was onto a winner, as the pastry cooked nicely on the outside to give it that crispy texture and the creamy chicken in a white wine sauce just oozed taste.
As for the buttery mash as a side, it was perfect.
It was fluffy and genuinely did have a buttery taste to it which was good. None of that lumpy and dry mash that supermarket's can often sell to you instead.
I will say this, though - the only downside for me was that you can only choose one side.
For me, I think you need to add a good portion of vegetables to your dinner - which is what I did - because I think it adds to the overall dinner.
Apart from that one small nit pick, it was a delightful main.
Dessert
For pudding I had the I'm Bananas For You, which was an adorable looking dessert that was made from pretty much everything I love.
With tastes of banana, caramel, salted caramel and blonde caramel, I'll admit I fell more in love with the idea of the pudding more than anything else.
I'll be honest, I have a sweet tooth, so I absolutely could not fault this pudding from the get-go.
The sponge was moist and the hints of banana and caramel were never to over-powering. In fact, this worked as a really refreshing palate cleanser for all the savoury food I had just eaten.
Bubbly
I topped it all off with the Prosecco Rosé - because who doesn't love a glass of fizz with their dinner?
Saying that, I only had one glass to toast an incredibly luxurious dinner, but what I did taste was worth the money.
I'm a fan of prosecco, but some supermarket versions can be a little - dry and bitter?
However, M&S' had a refreshing and fruity taste with hints of strawberries and raspberries, which, like the pudding, was really really refreshing after the main and starter.
Overall verdict
Overall rating: 4.5/5
This most likely will come as zero surprise to anyone, but I absolutely loved M&S' Dine in Meal Deal for Valentine's Day this year.
They really have lived up to their promise of the "ultimate menu" and there is something for everyone to choose from and it's good value food for a budget.
Every course I had felt like a luxurious meal that I would probably get from a restaurant and were packed full with flavours that you can't resist.
The only thing that I would have preferred would have been the option of two sides, especially as there was not many choices for a selection of veg to go alongside your dinner.
As I mentioned, I like a good portion of veg because it brightens up the meal and makes it that bit healthier, and as the deal is £20 more veg choice would have been nice.
That being said, you can easily do what I done and whip up some veg from your fridge.
All in all, I can't really fault what I got from M&S' Valentine's Day Meal Deal and I can understand why it continues to reign supreme in the supermarket's meal deal's.
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