If you're looking for good quality comfort food from home, then everyone knows that M&S' Gastropub range has it down to a fine art.
The retailers newly revamped range has been a huge hit with shoppers for years as it features a range of classic comfort dishes and eccentric new ideas - remember THAT steak and chips pie?
But, they're not the only ones on the Gastropub range these days. Budget supermarket chain Aldi is not one to be outshone, as it offers its own range that features similar dishes at low prices.
If you've ever wondered which range is better value for money, then reviews and affiliates writer Rebecca Astill has all the answers you need.
After picking up two of the viral steak and chips pies from M&S and a chicken jalfrezi meal for two from Aldi, the reviewer found one thing immediately. That Aldi's £5.77 meal came to nearly less than half of M&S' pies and it was about "ten times the size."
Here are Rebecca's overall thoughts on both retailer's Gastropub meals as reported in BirminghamLive.
"I dug into the Aldi curry first, and it was difficult to fault it. The jalfrezi had a good amount of spice, the naan did not have loads of flavour, considering it was garlic and coriander, and the rice was just like that from a curry house.
My one gripe was that the curry clearly had not had much care taken in preparation, the pieces of onion, pepper and chicken were chunky and needed cutting up rather than being bite size pieces, and the texture was thick and pasty in the middle with a watery base leaking around the sides. However, for £5.79 for two, I thought it a very good deal.
Next I tried the M&S steak and chips pie. The chips were covered in parmesan and baked directly on top of the pie.
I was curious as to what it would taste like together as my first impression was that the chips were a gimmick. I was correct.
The pie itself was actually delicious, if a little small. The meat was thick and filled the whole pie and the gravy was rich and layered with tomato chutney.
I could not get enough of the pie itself, it tasted like it had come straight from the butcher. I would have been happy to eat this in a restaurant, served with lashings of gravy and vegetables on the side.
Except I could not quite budge the feeling that I had been well and truly ripped off. Yes, the pie was good, but I was left hungry after eating it whereas the curry filled me up and gave me a rounded meal with vegetables and sides.
Once again, Aldi has proven its ability to outdo the premier supermarkets based on its down-to-earth attitude about serving good grub without the bells and whistles.
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