Marks & Spencer Simpy Food

The food court is big from bakery to deli counter. I like the tea bags, ground pepper and baguette.

I am a big fan of Marks and Spencer, but two things I don’t like is the pricing, and everything other than the food hall, and this Market Street branches is one of my preferred stores to visit due to location, however the food hall is not as nice.
This store is over many floors, so it can be a hassle going in a lift, especially if you just want something as simple as a sandwich.
This store doesn’t have the nicest feel to it, it can often feel quite cramped, a frustrating place to be in, and like they are trying to do so much in a smaller space, when it comes to a few things, with some areas being allocated way to much space, and others too little.
The gluten free range here is normally quite good, as with other branches but can often be very intermittent and often sold out, you never really know what you will be getting when coming here, which is a frustration, as they stock tonnes of «normal» stuff and still cant keep coeliacs happy with good stock, which is a problem with the chain as a whole.
This store doesn’t have the great feel like it should, or that some branches have. This store makes me feel «Ugh… Marks and Spencer again? Will I be fed», this isn’t the nicest of food halls in my opinion and if the location wasn’t so good, it would probably do poorly and to be honest — before they get any rating higher than a two, I need to see improvements in the store layout and gluten free situation.

We usually shop in the M&S food hall once a week to treat ourselves to a fancy meal, they have a great amount of superb quality food on par with restaurant food. They also have a deli with the most delicious looking cooked chickens to ready to bake lasagnas, pies and other great items. They also have a little café downstairs if you want to get a quick bite to eat. M&S can be a bit pricey than other supermarkets but they do have some great offers which include the always favourite Dine in for £10 which includes a £6−7 bottle of red or white a starter, a side, a main and a desert! So if youre looking at treating yourself to a sublime meal then try out the M&S food hall out sometime.

The M&S Food Hall remains a favourite for ‘special’ lunches, though they are becoming much more regular — when considering the cost of a standard lunch at the likes of Pret & EAT, an M&S lunch becomes much more viable.
Their fuller for longer range has some great choices, and are generally mayo free (basically the one thing I always look for) though they could do with considering their flavours; as it tends to be office workers buying these lunches, think about whether they really want to chow down on a chicken tikka wrap around their coworkers. Thought not.
They have a good and steadily growing selection of snacks, such as carrots and hummus. The mooli ribbon rolls remain a personal favourite, coming with a dipping sauce and some veggies (cucumber or carrot sticks), which are more filling than they seem at first glance.
Aside from workday lunches, M&S has started to become our go-​to when we want to have a light but delicious dinner. The warm food/​deli selection is ace, with different varieties of sausage rolls, pork pies and pizza, and helps them to stand out against Tesco etc. Keep your eyes out for their special offers especially, including on alcohol, as they’re often slashing prices without the need for a huge red ‘sale’ sign.
Some of their checkout staff are particularly friendly, and it’s always nice to be served with a smile.
Plus, they sell Percy Pigs, so that’s worth four stars alone.

I spend way too much time (and money) in this place but you’re guaranteed decent ingredients, scrumptious bites to eat, high quality wines and ridiculously good desserts from here so that makes it alright, right?
I’m going to *try* and minimise my trips to the Food Hall over the next few months as I have a wedding to pay for, but I will still nip in there now and again. Everyone needs a treat once in a while and it beats the likes of other city centre-​based supermarkets (Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s etc) hands-​down so I’LL BE BACK…

I always seem to find myself shopping for food in M&S, love the layout of this food hall and its always well stocked.

This review is simply based on my most recent visit about a week ago… during a re-​fit. Why open and have everything a mess and create a very difficult shopping experience for the customer? And surely being open during a refit only adds time and more difficulty onto themselves?
Anyway, on this particular Saturday afternoon It was extremely difficult for me the shopper. I was unsure of what I wanted for my tea that evening and I usually like wandering round this M&S Food hall where there is lots of inspiration and quite a good veggie selection, and the fruit & veg is usually great.
So, I am coming down the escalator to what looks like a cattle market. Very busy and a lot of people trying to move unsuccessfully. I should have just played travelator and tried running back up the escalator from which I had just descended! I braved it anyway. There was part of the store which had been closed off and everything that used to be in that section had been rammed into the smaller section still open.
In the end I came away with some yoghurt and dim sum. And a headache.
I hope M&S have now finished their refit so I can go back to my luxury food shop in peace.

Foodies in Manchester have such a hard life. From Michelin-​starred restaurants to gourmet delicatessens and oriental supermarkets, you can buy almost every kind of food imaginable within the city centre boundaries. Of course, if you a) cannot afford to eat out every night, or b) cannot be asked to make this food yourself, then you can find most cuisines in the food hall of Marks and Spencers.
Famed for its somewhat exaggerative adverts, M&S Food is one of the recent culinary phenomenons, as the majority of the food on offer is really very good! The food hall of the Market Street branch of M&S is no exception, and is one of the easiest supermarkets to shop in in Manchester. It is bright, airy and open plan, with the food very easily laid out and eminently findable.
Once you have got over the somewhat class-​dominated clientele of the supermarket (you can often find yourself fighting over a beef wellington with fellow shoppers in two-​piece suits and fringed scarves), the M&S food hall is very accessible, and not too overpriced.
The special offers are the best thing about M&S. In a rare trip, my flatmates and I managed to buy an entire evening worth of party food taking advantage of a buy –one-​get-​one-​free offer. Smoked salmon and cream cheese on mini bagels. 24 for £3. Bargain. Try it and see!

Marks and Spencer’s food range is a bit like ready meals for rich people. They don’t sell all the basics you’d need to cook your own, but when it’s this good, who’d want to?
The Simply Food branch, unsurprisingly, stocks just the food side of things, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that from my point of view. I wouldn’t really want anything else from Marks and Spencers anyway, as the intended market is almost definitely not apathetic layabouts with more time than sense.
The prices can be somewhat expensive, but at the same time the quality is very good, so it’s somewhat of a trade-​off. I guess it all comes down to how much you want to spoil yourself.

Even back in my skint student days, I’d always find the money to treat myself with a bit of M&S nosh every now and then. And even then, I never considered it overly expensive, because it is worth every penny.
Being as I am not in fact 40 years old, I have no love for the clothes side of M&S, and apart from their awesome pots and pans, I only really buy food here. And what food! From the simple (but lush) bakery goods such as bagels and cookies, to the luxurious dinner stuff such as their three-​peppercorn sirloin steaks, to the simply gorgeous cavas and proseccos that always add a touch of fizz to a party, M&S food is awesome.
This branch is really great, one of my favourites. It is set out neatly and seems to stock every single item of M&S food and the staff are super helpful. Word of advice to those who love a bargain, try showing up about 45 minutes before closing time. You’re almost guaranteed to pick up a bargain.

Manchego cheese? Tick
Kalamata olives? Tick
Mediterranean humous? Tick
Pitta bread? Tick
Watercress? Tick
Jar of artichokes? Tick
Parma ham? Tick
Baked cheesecake? Tick
Bottles of pink cava? Tick
I know it’s expensive but it’s only New Year’s Eve once a year and M&S Food Hall is stocked with the kind of goodies it’s hard to resist! Besides, I’ll be sharing them with friends…