When did Spar get so posh? Since when did it have self-service tills? Or fresh avocado and kale smoothies? Or – perhaps most surprisingly – a takeaway Sunday lunch service?
In fact, judging by the queue out the door at noon on Sunday, it seems like I'm one of the last to know. But for the rest of the Narberth population it's common knowledge.
The new-look Spar store reopened in the Pembrokeshire town on April 1 boasting a fresh new approach.
Gone is the tired white, red, and green façade, instead replaced with a swish matt black frontage, and a new focus on fresh foods catering for customers on ‘making a meal’ or ‘grab and eat’ missions.
I've peered through the new windows, lined tantalisingly with fresh bread (and sliced lemons in Kilner jars for some unknown reason), but had yet to try out the beef dinner for £6.50 which to be quite frank sounds like a bargain.
And so last Sunday I joined the queue, which was made up of an eclectic bunch of pensioners and a couple of dads with kids in football kit.
There was a sense of anticipation as we watched the serving ladies prepare for the great lunchtime rush. Today there was a choice of beef or pork. I noted the stuffing and Yorkshire puddings with approval.
There was admittedly a wait of 15 minutes, which isn't quite what I see as a 'grab and eat mission', but it's still establishing itself so I'll forgive them that. And I must caveat my review with the fact that no-one goes to a Spar for Sunday dinner expecting a gourmet dining experience.
So my expectations were set accordingly.
Finally it was my turn to be served and I watched my recyclable cardboard container get loaded up with three roast potatoes, a hefty dollop of mashed potato, three stuffing balls, carrots, peas, cauliflower, three thick slices of beef, and a Yorkshire pud, all crowned with a ladle-full of gravy.
I took it over to the posh self-service checkouts but the barcode was stuck on horizontally which meant I had to turn the whole thing on its side, which would've caused a gravy disaster. So I went to the normal till. I still couldn't help but feel like it was a lot of food for £6.50.
Back home, mainly for the purposes of this article, I carefully replated my dinner onto white china.
It was still nicely hot and it smelt quite appetising. I dug in – but not before I'd added a slick of my own wholegrain mustard from the fridge. The potatoes were less roasted than they initially seemed – I think they had a special golden coating on them to make them look roasted but, even so, they were still tasty potatoes. The mash was, well, mash.
The veg was colourful and on the softer side while the stuffing balls were what I'd call robust and the gravy was that generic instant stuff.
The Yorkie was quite dense – probably not helped by being carried home in a steamy box – but the crowning glory was undoubtedly the beef. It was soft and meaty and generously-sliced and was surprisingly delicious.
On balance I was actually quite blown away that a convenience store could turn out a hot and nutritious dinner for this price. It won't blow your mind but it will certainly satisfy a Sunday lunch hole. And it's such a lovely thing to be able to do – to pick up a Sunday lunch on the way home from the football or collect one for an elderly relative say.
One of the gentlemen in the queue told me he was 74 and he'd bought several dinners in advance so all he had to do was pick one up each week. It was clearly a treat for him.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a Sunday dinner for under a tenner these days unless you're cooking it at home. But I have to say this really is a pleasant surprise.
If I was being bold I'd say this is possibly the poshest Spar in Wales, which is appropriate seeing as Narberth is one of the trendiest places to live in Wales.
I'm not really sure what this says about me or the future of the high street nor retail habits in 2023. Have we gone so far down the 'grab and go' culture that a Sunday dinner – traditionally a meal over which we pause the week – has now become convenience food too? Is nothing sacred?
Or is Spar onto something?
