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Whether you’re planning a romantic rendezvous or keeping things low-key with your housemates this Valentine’s Day, plumping for a bouquet of flowers or opting for something a little more off piste to present to your Valentine, you may be wondering what to do about dinner plans.
If you’d rather hunker down at home than fork out for a table somewhere – and don’t want to fall back on a soggy takeaway at the last minute – pre-made meal kits offer an easy alternative that doesn’t require hours spent cooking a meal from scratch (we can’t all be Ottolenghi).
Supermarkets have delivered on their Valentine’s Day meal deals, and while they aren’t available just yet, the menus look promising. Costing between £12 and £20 (depending on where you shop), you can expect the full works – that’s a starter, main meal, sides, dessert and a bottle of something boozy or non-alcoholic (think Nozeco rosé) to wash it all down.
From vegan antipasti platters to truffle mac ’n’ cheese and melt-in-middle puddings, the choice this year looks varied and decadent, with multiple choices for each course – including vegan options from most supermarkets – which means there’s bound to be something to tickle your fancy.
It’s not just supermarkets preparing Valentine’s Day spreads for two, though – if your budget can stretch further and you want to make quality restaurant food in your own kitchen, restaurant meal kits consisting of cold but pre-prepared meals offer another great alternative for dining in.
Keep reading to find out what we know about this year’s supermarket meal deals and how to order restaurant fare ahead of Valentine’s Day feasting.
M&S Valentine’s meal deal
(M&S)
Boasting a humongous 18,500 different menu combinations, the Marks & Sparks Valentine’s Day dine-in meal has not scrimped on variety. Seven seems to be the magic number, with seven starters, mains, sides, desserts (and a drink) for £20, with veggie and vegan options available for each course.
Starters include prawn cocktails (£6, Ocado.com); duck parfait with orange glaze (£6, Ocado.com); prawn tempura with sriracha mayo (£8.50, Ocado.com); leek and cheese soufflé tarts (£5, Ocado.com), and crispy tempura vegetable fritters (£2.80, Ocado.com), which are vegan-friendly. Mains include mushroom stroganoff pies (£8.25, Ocadon.com), butternut squash risotto (£7.25, Ocado.com), rump steak (£10, Ocado.com) and a herb-crusted lamb rack (£10, Ocado.com). While asparagus spears (£3, Ocado.com), cheesy vegetable bake (£4.75, Ocado.com), triple-cooked chips (£2.75, Ocado.com) and other veg-based dishes feature as sides.
There’s a whole host of indulgent-sounding desserts too, from chocolate melt in the middle puddings (£4, Ocado.com) to a raspberry profiterole stack (£4, Ocado.com) – so make sure you leave room for them. To sip alongside, drinks include red (£10.50, Ocado.com), white (£9.50, Ocado.com) and rosé (£9, Ocado.com) as well as prosecco (£12, Ocado.com).
Read more about M&S’s Valentine’s meal deal
Pre-order now or buy in-store from 9 February
Waitrose Valentine’s dine-in meal deal
(Waitrose)
With eight starters to choose from within the Waitrose Valentine’s dine-in meal deal – from cheddar and emmental soufflés to a bloody-mary prawn cocktail, Spanish tapas platter, vegan layered mushroom parfait (available from 8 February), and bacon, leek and roquefort tartlets – the selection sounds as varied as it does scrumptious this year.
The main event sounds just as mouth-watering, with choices including beef ribeye steaks with béarnaise (available from 8 February), sea bass with tomatoes and olives, lasagne, and no-beef bourguignon. To pair with your main dish, there are eight sides to choose from, including a salad of watercress, spinach and rocket, and plant-based dauphinoise potatoes, all of which can be washed down with a choice of fine wines.
Chocoholics are well catered for when it comes to desserts, with a melt-in-the-middle chocolate pud and espresso-martini choc tortes from Heston Blumenthal’s range listed on the menu this year. But if you’re predicting a Valentine’s Day chocolate overload, you might be swayed by the rhubarb and custard love hearts, Sicilian-lemon tarts or, for the fromage connoisseurs, “the perfect British cheese board” instead.
Read more about Waitrose’s Valentine’s dine-in meal deal
Available online and in store from 8 February
Asda Valentine’s Day meal deal
(Asda)
If you would happily choose a box of chocolates over wine any day, Asda’s Valentine’s Day meal sounds like the perfect choice. It includes the option of a box of chocolates or bottle of wine (including a malbec merlot and savvy B) to be consumed alongside (or scoffed before, in the case of the chocolates) a starter, main dish, two sides and a dessert. There’s a whopping 17 new items on the menu this year, which include vegan mushroom arancini hearts with truffle dip, which sounds amazing to start, and dark Belgian chocolate hearts for something sweet.
Of the five starters available, cheese-lovers will want to know about the all-new truffle mac ’n’ cheese with slow-cooked British beef, while chicken liver parfait with raspberry jelly is another option to start. Moving on to the main event, there are eight dishes to choose from, including cod fillet with samphire; Aberdeen angus beef burger, and a plant-based Wellington.
Asda has thought about indecisive diners as well, as you can choose two different sides from the likes of chantenay carrots with citrus yuzu, dauphinoise potatoes and triple-cooked chips to accompany your main. To top it all off, if the chocolate hearts don’t tickle your fancy, there’s espresso tiramisu cups too.
Read more about Asda’s Valentine’s meal deal
Available online and in store from 9 February
Sainsbury’s Valentine’s Day dine-in-for-two meal deal
(Sainsbury’s)
Sainsbury’s has delivered the goods yet again with its Valentine’s Day dinner for two. With 20 starters, mains, side dishes and desserts to choose from, each course also includes a vegan option – the vegan antipasti platter caught our eye – while the drinks menu consists of eight alcoholic and alcohol-free tipples, including prosecco, pomegranate and rose G&T, and an alcohol-free shiraz.
Start with a choice of four starters, including scallop gratin, followed by a choice of six main dishes, including sirloin steak with butter; Scottish salmon en croute, and wild garlic kyiv to name a few. To accompany the main event, you can pick between vegan triple-cooked chips, dauphinoise potatoes, mash, cauliflower cheese and other delectable-sounding sides.
When you’re ready to finish off the feast with dessert, the five options include white chocolate profiteroles with strawberry crème pat filling; vegan raspberry and chocolate torte, and lemon tarts.
Read more about Sainsbury’s Valentine’s meal deal
Available online and in store from 8 February
Tesco Valentine’s Day meal deal
(Tesco)
Returning for 2023 with new additions on its menu – including an award-winning bottle of prosecco – is Tesco’s Valentine’s Day dinner for two. This meal deal is a real steal, with a slap-up dinner for two costing just £12 (although it is worth noting this offer is only available for Tesco Clubcard holders).
Diving straight in with the main meal (as there are no starters on the menu this year), there’s vegetable moussaka (£8, Tesco.com) salmon gratin (£6, Tesco.com), steak (£6, Tesco.com), beef bourguignon pies (£6, Tesco.com), among six other main meals to choose from. Desserts sound every bit as decadent, with millionaire’s tarts (£3, Tesco.com), lemon meringue cheesecake slices (£3.25, Tesco.com), and salted caramel melt-in-the-middle puddings (£3.25, Tesco.com) on the menu.
To drink, there’s a range of alcoholic tipples, including Peroni nastro azzurro (£5.50, Tesco.com) and red (£7.50, Tesco.com), white (£7.50, Tesco.com) or rosé wine (£7.50, Tesco.com) – but if you’re not a big drinker, the alcohol-free options include soft drinks such as a bottle of elderflower sparkling pressé and raspberry sparkling pressé (£4.95, Tesco.com).
Read more about Tesco’s Valentine’s meal deal
Available online now and in store from 9 February
Co-op Valentine’s Day deal
(Co-op)
With 14 dishes hailing from its “irresistible” range on the menu, the Co-op’s Valentine’s Day meal will soon be up for grabs for just £12 if you’re a Co-op member card holder – otherwise it will cost £15. Starring the all new Mediterranean antipasti selection (which is suitable for vegans), Scotch eggs and garlic and parsley tear Camembert, the starter menu consist of four dishes, while you can expect a choice of steak, wild garlic chicken kyiv, salmon and prawn en croute and a vegan option of mushroom wellington parcels for, the main event.
As for side dishes the choices span triple cooked chips, buttered mashed potato and a garden vegetable medley, followed by desserts such as raspberry velvet tortes, tart au citron, dark chocolate and raspberry velvet tortes. A soft drink is also included – think San Pellegrino lemon and diet Coke – while plumping for the £20 version of the meal deal (which costs £16 for Co-op member card holders) offers a choice of prosecco Sauvignon Blanc and Rioja Crianza instead.
Read more about the Co-op’s Valentine’s Day meal deal
Available online and in store from 10 February
Morrisons Valentine’s meal deal
(Morrisons)
Morrisons is hoping to woo shoppers with a saving of up to £18.45 (or up to £20.45 with a My Morrisons card) with a starter, main, two sides, a dessert and a drink. The menu spans 26 pre-prepared plates including camembert heart wreath with cherry bell peppers to start, while plant-based options include chipotle cauliflower wings, miso mushroom stuffed butternut squash, and a dessert of Gu zillionaires cheesecake.
That’s not all, of course. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy there are also salmon filets with a Hollandaise butter, pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto and balsamic glaze, spaghetti carbonara and more. And to accompany these dishes are some scrumptious-sounding sides such as garlic bread sticks and maple-roasted carrots and parsnips.
Last but not least is the puds – think mango and passionfruit cheesecake, raspberry panna cotta and vegan Gu zillionaires’ cheesecakes alongside seriously indulgent sounding hot chocolate molten middles. Toast the evening with the likes of sauvignon blanc and a pinot grigio blush or ginger beer, and apple and elderflower for a booze-free bev. The Valentine’s dine in offer is available to order online now, for delivery from 9 February.
Read more about the Morrisons Valentine’s Day meal deal
Available online and in store from 9 February
Aldi Valentine’s Day meal deals
(Aldi)
Aldi has also unveiled its Valentine’s Day meal deal range for this year, and, as you might have guessed, it’s very purse-friendly. The least expensive combination of dishes comes in at £3.63 per person, which includes a mini heart-shaped garlic bread, heart-shaped lobster-filled pasta, vegan chocolate melt-in-the-middle heart and, if you’re going for wine too (which will be an additional £2.99), a bottle of pinot grigio.
The meat-based options include chicken nuggets to start, two British beef steaks as the main event, wagyu-basted thick-cut chips, and, for dessert, a heart-shaped cookie – all of which can be washed down with a bottle of merlot (this will cost £18 for two). Seafood fans will likely make a beeline for the scallop and champagne gratins followed by tuna steak, while the vegetarian options include mushroom arancini to start and a vegan pie for the main. There’s even a bottle of prosecco to cheers the occasion.
Available in store from 9 February
Restaurant meal kits for Valentine’s Day 2023
Dishoom home feast with sparkling wine
(Dishoom)
From a bloody mary and bacon naan roll kit (£33, Dishoom.com) to vegan sausage naan rolls with marmalade mimosas (£33, Dishoom.com), Dishoom is worth having on your radar ahead of 14 February. With minimal prep required before serving, this home feast meal kit includes some of the restaurant’s most popular plates, including Dishoom’s signature house black daal, mattar paneer, lamb sheekh kababs, tawa rotis, and murgh malai with skewers. You can wash everything down with a mango lassi (a yoghurt-drink with fresh mango pulp) and Integrale natural sparkling wine. Round off the meal with gulkand mess – a dessert of strawberries in rose syrup with fresh cream and meringue.
Buy now
Hoppers Sri Lankan vegan kari feast
(Dispatch/Hoppers)
Got you heart set on a plant-based feast? Consider plumping for this meal kit from Hoppers, a London-based restaurant serving queue-worthy dishes inspired by Sri Lankan and South Asian cuisine. With the Sri Lankan vegan kari feast, you can expect salted plantain chips and vegetable rolls with Sri Lankan ketchup before moving on to the main event – Hoppers’ breadfruit curry with aubergine and green-chilli salad, vermicelli-style noodles and coconut, shallot, chilli and lime relish. To fill any dessert-shaped holes, you will find a mango tapioca pudding, to finish off the meal.
As this is a restaurant meal kit, food will arrive cold but already prepared, and it comes complete with straightforward cooking instructions, so you shouldn’t need to set aside more than 20 minutes to prepare the three-course meal.
Buy now
El Pastor taco party slow-cooked lamb shoulder
(Dispatch/El Pastor)
With this meal-kit from Mexican restaurant El Pastor, you can share a feast of lamb tacos, guacamole and sides for two. You can expect corn tortillas ready to be filled with slow-cooked lamb shoulder before being topped with mozzarella, braised tomatillos and smoky chipotle chilli salsa, all accompanied by side servings of guacamole and tuna tostadas. Again, this meal kit is delivered cold and pre-prepared with an expected cooking time of 25 minutes, but do make sure you have the right cooking equipment, as mentioned in the cooking instructions.
Buy now
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