With the rising cost of living, many Brits are looking for ways to make their pennies stretch further.
For those that don’t have the time to make a packed lunch, a meal deal can offer a cost-effective way to eat during your lunch break.
It means you know how much you’ll spend each day, with many deals offering a set price for a hefty meal.
Despite the cost of items rising across the board, many supermarkets still offer cheap meal deals as well as ways to save even more money on your choices.
So which supermarket offers the best deal?
Tesco
The Tesco meal deal includes selected sandwiches, wraps, rolls, pastries, or salads for you to enjoy.
You can have any of these plus a drink and a snack as part of the meal deal for £3.50.
It has vegan and vegetarian options as well as gluten-free and halal picks.
If you have a Clubcard, you can save even more money on your meal deal with is costing just £3.
Sainsbury’s
A meal deal from Sainsbury’s will also set you back £3.50 after the price rose in 2021 from £3.
You can select a main – whether it be a sandwich, pasta, wrap, or pastry – and a snack and drink as part of the deal.
The meal deal covers hot food, Costa Coffee, and breakfast options in some selected stores.
You can also use any Nectar points you accumulate to purchase your meal deal even cheaper.
Asda
At Asda there is not a set meal deal price, instead, the supermarket offers three items for the price of two for you to create your own lunch.
According to Which, the price range for the Asda meal deal ranges from around £3 to £5.
Of the mains, snacks, and drinks you can choose from, there are a number of vegetarian and vegan choices.
For the best value for money, you could buy three sandwiches for the price of two to save for lunches throughout the week.
Morrisons
The price of a Morrisons meal deal also increased earlier this year from £3 to £3.50.
It offers a main meal, a drink, and a snack.
Of these options, there are numerous vegetarian choices, two vegan mains and snacks, and two gluten-free choices.
If you download the MyMorrisons app you can use deals on there to save money on your shopping, though there is no guarantee which deals will be available or whether they will be applicable to the meal deal.
Co-Op
You can select a main, drink, and snack for £3.75 from Co-Op, making it one of the more expensive meal deal options.
There are five vegan meal deal options as well as one gluten-free main.
If you’re signed up to Co-op unlock, which applies 2p in every £1 spent on own-branded products, you can save money on your lunch.
Additionally, students can get 10% off.
Aldi
Aldi does not have its own dedicated meal deal offer, though it is possible to piece together a cost-effective lunch from its existing selection.
The supermarket has its own ‘grab and go’ sections including a variety of sandwiches, wraps, pasta, drinks, and snacks.
You can spend as little or as much as you want, with some of the cheaper options being an 85p egg and cress sandwich, and a 35p bottle of water.
Lidl
Lidl also does not have its own meal deal offer.
However, the supermarket does offer a range of prepackaged sandwiches, wraps, snacks, and drinks as well as bakery options perfect for lunch.
Some sandwiches cost less than a pound, and with cost-effective drink and snack options, you can spend less than £3 for a meal deal.
Boots
The price of a Boots meal deal differs depending on where you shop.
In most stores, the cost is £3.59, though this rises to £4.19 in London and in airports.
You can choose a main, side, and drink as part of the deal which includes vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
What’s more, you can use Boots points collected via purchases to save additional money.
So...which is the cheapest meal deal
Aldi, Lidl, and Asda – as they have no set meal deal offer, prices can be as expensive or cheap as you see fit depending on what you pick
Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco – £3.50
Boots – £3.50 to £4.19
Co-Op – £3.75
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