The wait is finally over: M&S’s much-loved Easter roast meal deal is back this week, and it’s every bit as crowd-pleasing as you’d hope. Promising a generous spread for four at just £5 per person, it’s a fuss-free way to serve up a celebratory feast without spending the entire bank holiday weekend in the kitchen.
If Easter has crept up on you this year, you’re not alone. Between tracking down the best Easter eggs (M&S has some knock-out ones this year) and stocking up on the best hot cross buns, there’s already plenty to tick off your list before you’ve even thought about the main event. Consider this your shortcut to an easy, well-fed Sunday.
What’s included in the M&S Easter meal deal?
Priced at £20, the deal lets you pick a main and three sides to feed four – a saving of £12 compared to buying everything separately, according to M&S.
You could be serving up a whole seasoned chicken that’s been rubbed with chicken-fat butter to produce the crispiest golden skin; British slow-cooked boneless lamb shoulder cooked in a zesty lemon, garlic and rosemary marinade; or a British outdoor bred pork crackling joint.
If you’re after fish, there's a roast-in-the-bag Scottish salmon fillet, topped with a fragrant herb mix and a pat of zesty lemon-and-pepper butter. Vegetarians, your choice is a mushroom stroganoff vegetarian pie full of creamy mushrooms, leeks and potatoes in a puff-pastry case.
Then what’s a roast without sides? Choose three from the list of roast potatoes, herby hasselback potatoes; honey roasted carrots; roots; spring greens; cavolo nero and peas; cheesy green vegetable bake; and not forgetting Yorkshire puddings, where there’s enough for two per person in a pack.
When is the M&S Easter meal deal available?
The deal will be available to shop from Wednesday 1 April to Sunday 5 April, making it ideal for last-minute plans. You can check if the deal is available near you on M&S’s online store locater here.
If this offer has you drooling, I got my hands on a selection of dishes in M&S’s Easter meal deal before it lands in the supermarket. I spent my Sunday cooking up a feast to bring you my verdict on the menu, so keep reading for my full review.
Read more: All supermarket opening times for the Easter bank holiday weekend
How I tested
My M&S Easter meal deal included the British slow-cooked boneless lamb shoulder with two sides – herby hasselback potatoes and honey roasted carrots – though you can get three included as part of the offer. As well as rating the final dishes on their quality, I noted how easy the dishes were to prepare and whether they could realistically feed four people. Head to the end of this review to read my full testing criteria.
Read more: I taste-tested 11 Easter eggs from M&S – these are the best to buy
M&S Easter meal deal
Why we love it
- Very easy to cook
- Lamb is incredibly tender
- Ready in an around an hour
Take note
- Enough meat for three people, but might not stretch to four
This year’s Easter roast deal at M&S includes a main and three sides for £20. With it being Easter, I had to go for the boneless, slow cooked lamb shoulder, finished with a port and red wine sauce. This was accompanied by the herby hasselback potatoes, infused with garlic and herbs, and honey roasted carrots, seasoned with parsley and thyme, with red onions and butter.
The dishes couldn’t have been easier to cook, thanks to clear instructions on the packaging. While they weren’t completely hands-off, the most I had to do was add a glaze to the carrots halfway through cooking, baste the lamb in its cooking juices every so often and heat up the port and red wine sauce to serve. If you don’t want to spend your bank holiday weekend in the kitchen, these dishes will definitely save you time.
In just over an hour the meal was ready. The star of the show had to be the boneless lamb shoulder. The meat was incredibly tender and even though it had only spent an hour in the oven, it tasted like it had been slow cooked for hours. The port and red wine sauce added a beautiful richness, but wasn’t too heavy.
The hasselback potatoes were crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and had a subtle garlic flavour. If you like your potatoes extra crispy, I’d give them an extra five to 10 minutes in the oven than suggested. The honey roasted carrots were delicious too, with a glaze that had just the right amount of sweetness.
While £20 is excellent value for a roast deal that includes a lamb shoulder, I’d say the portion size of the meat might be a bit of a stretch for four people if you like generous servings, so don’t expect leftovers (and be ready for some debate over who got more). That said, it comfortably feeds three, especially when paired with sides.
Buy now £20, Marksandspencer.com
Is the M&S Easter meal deal worth it?
Eating out over the bank holiday weekend can set you back a small fortune, especially if dining as a family, which is why I think M&S’s Easter meal deal offers excellent value for money and, in my opinion, beats a pub roast. For £20 you get delicious, high-quality meat, and three sides that taste as though they’ve been prepared from scratch. Plus, the dishes couldn’t be easier to prepare, even for the most inexperienced of cooks. Don’t expect leftovers, particularly if you’re serving four people, but if you’re looking for an easy Easter weekend lunch, you can’t go wrong with M&S’s dine-in deal.
How I tested M&S’s Easter meal deal
I got early access to some of the dishes on M&S’s Easter meal deal, replacing my weekend Sunday lunch out with an at-home roast. While cooking I noted the following:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Sabrina Sahota is IndyBest’s deputy editor and has more than five years experience testing kitchen appliances and food. Whether she’s trying out the latest hot chocolate makers or supermarket champagne, she’s an expert on how to save in the kitchen, whether you’re getting ready for seasonal celebrations or looking for a new gadget to add to your line-up. The wider IndyBest team has also tasted a huge array of Easter treats from the best Easter eggs to the best hot cross buns.
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