Top News

I used to be a loyal Lidl customer, buying everything I needed in one supermarket, but this year I started shopping more often at Marks and Spencer thanks to one simple food item. Like many people across the UK, I have noticed food prices rising since the pandemic, which has made me much more careful when budgeting for my weekly shop.I enjoy finding ways to save money, and it always feels satisfying to look at a receipt and see how many good deals I have managed to find.

That is why I used to avoid Marks and Spencer because of its reputation for being expensive, but recently I decided to give it a try this spring out of curiosity. I wanted something a little more special to enjoy in the warm weather, which led me to discover the Marks and Spencer bakery and now I do not think I can go back to buying pastries from Lidl.

Lidl is clearly much cheaper than Marks and Spencer, with many breads, cakes, and treats priced under one pound, and sometimes offering better discounts through the Lidl Plus app.

However, after trying a range of baked goods from Marks and Spencer, I feel they tend to last much longer than those from Lidl's bakery.

While I love Lidl's low prices, I often find their bread only lasts about one day, which can be a waste of money since you end up having to throw it away.

By comparison, bread from Marks and Spencer costs a little more but often stays fresh for up to five days or even a week, which has helped me reduce food waste and get better value overall.

One of my favourite treats is a pain au chocolat, and I used to walk to Lidl on my day off once a week to pick one up for breakfast.

At Lidl, a pain au chocolat costs 69p, or you can buy three for £1.80, which is a great price, but I used to avoid buying more than one as they tend to dry out within a day.

I recently decided to try out the Marks and Spencer version, which costs £1.30 for a single pastry, and I do admit I grumbled at the price when I first saw it.

After buying it, I ended up completely forgetting about it over the weekend, and a few days later, I was surprised to find it was still good to eat. Not only did the pain au chocolat last longer, but it simply tasted better as it was buttery, rich and really chocolatey, so I believe it is a much better value.

I also discovered you can buy a pack of pain au at Marks and Spencer for £3, which works out at about 75p pence per pastry, making the difference in price much smaller than it first seems.

If you want the lowest possible cost, then Lidl is still the best option, but shopping at Marks and Spencer has helped me save money by reducing waste while also offering a much tastier treat.