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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Emma Gill

Ikea's flatpack furniture might not put a smile on your face, but the budget food will

It's mostly known for its flatpack furniture and storage ideas, but there's another reason Ikea is loved by shoppers and that's its food.

Once the chaos of Christmas has begun to descend, it's often the go-to place for households needing to find space for those new toys or kitchen gadgets, or to treat themselves in the sales.

But visiting Ikea can sometimes be a lengthy affair, especially at busier times of the year, so it's no surprise that customers find themselves needing to refuel whilst there.

Having been told about its budget meals, I decided to head to Ikea's Warrington branch to check out how cheap it really is.

You can't grumble at £5.50 for fish, chips and peas (Manchester Family / MEN)

One of the most popular dishes is the Ikea meatballs, which my children both predictably wanted.

If I'm honest, I wanted them too, but in the interests of actually trying out other items from the menu, I opted for fish and chips instead.

Ordering the food isn't a glamorous affair, it's a bit like a school canteen, but full of flustered 40-somethings questioning how they've chosen to spend their festive holidays.

Yet there's an efficiency to it and if you find yourself ordering for your family, who have undoubtedly disappeared to take a pew, you can grab a trolley to slot all your trays on rather than carrying them individually to your table.

The menu isn't huge and you can tell there are key favourites - like the meatballs - which bring in the customers.

You get 12 meatballs with an adult portion (Manchester Family / MEN)

You get a pretty large portion for your money, 12 meatballs for £5.95. As a meal they come with mashed potatoes, peas, cream sauce and lingonberry jam. All very nice, but my kids wanted chips instead - of course they did. It still came to the same price though so all good. Except for their pea dodging that is, but I've pretty much given up on that.

My fish and chips was even cheaper, at £5.50, and pretty tasty. I mean it's no chippy tea, it's a healthier breaded fish fillet for a start rather than battered, but that's probably a good thing after the excesses of Christmas.

The restaurant at Ikea in Warrington (Manchester Family / MEN)

Some of the things weren't cheap at all - £1.60 for a can of Sprite, Pepsi, or Diet Coke for example - and it cost me more to let the kids get drinks from the fridge, instead of opting for Ikea's own drinks machine, where you can get a refillable soft drinks for £1. You live and learn.

My own drink - a mug of tea - was actually free because I have an Ikea Family card. Turns out we could have all got a free hot drink with that so that's well worth remembering.

Daim Cake is a popular choice (Manchester Family / MEN)

The cakes were cheap too, £1.50 for a slice of Gooey Chocolate Cake, or £1.95 for its Daim Cake, another of Ikea's best sellers.

But the thing that impressed me most was the price of a children's meal. For just £1.50 they get a meal, a refillable drink and a free piece of fruit.

Judging by the clientele, it seemed a lot of families were making the most of this offer. And babies are catered for too, as you can get free organic baby food with every adult meal.

The only concern of parents with little ones seemed to be the lack of teaspoons. I witnessed two of them wandering the restaurant in search of something their child could actually eat with.

A children's meal with a refillable drink and a free piece of fruit, £1.50 (Manchester Family / MEN)

My main gripe was more about the trolley than the food. Honestly, it couldn't have been any louder as I pushed it along with noisy, bumpy wheels and plates clanging together. You feel like you're certainly making an entrance as you head into the restaurant itself.

But then things rarely run smoothly when you're eating out do they. This place doesn't pretend to be anything but cheap and cheerful. And while its flatpack furniture might not always put a smile on your face, the price of eating here is sure to.

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