I tried Aldi’s Valentine’s Day meal and the £3 dessert was a show-stopper

You might not say it too loudly - but let’s face it, the purse strings for this year’s Valentine’s Day may not be as loose as in previous and more affluent years. With food prices rocketing and wages stagnating, any opportunity, even on February 14, to save a few pennies is one best taken.

So turning away from the more traditional supermarket like M&S and Waitrose, I went along to my local Aldi in Longwell Green. And there, by the fruit and vegetables it was. Five pink shelves of food items avaliable to be purchased together for a set meal featuring a starter, main and dessert.

There are plenty of options to tailor your meal. The specially-created items enable you to make suggested meals like the ‘meat the maker’ with oddly-named ‘Love Nuggets’ (£2.99), 21 days matured British beef steak (£2.89) and wagyu thick cut chips (£2.29).

Or you can mix it up, which like a boy at a pick-n-mix counter, I did. It meant I might not have chosen the cheapest meal, but I was able to pick out the food I knew my partner and I would enjoy.

I started with wild mushroom arancini (£2.99) which was also vegan. Keeping the Italian theme, I chose to follow it up with breaded chicken breast parmigiana (£5.99). Finally, for dessert, I got the Chocolate Melt in the Middle Heart, because who can’t resist a heart-shaped chocolate sponge?

Unlike other supermarket deals, no alcohol was included. There wasn’t even a bottle of bubbly in sight of the shelves. A dry Valentine’s Day, Aldi? Go on then, I like water anyway.

The total cost was £11.97 - which for two people, wasn’t bad. The question was, would my partner’s taste buds be as satisfied as my wallet?

The chicken breast was relatively easy to cook. In the oven for 25 minutes, with a quick stop after 18 minutes to pour tomato sauce over the cooking pieces along with a sprinkling of cheese. Meanwhile, the arancini took just 10 minutes on a baking tray.

Devoid of any salad, I combined the starter and main together - and I have to say, it didn’t disappoint. The arancini was crispy and soft inside with the flavour of mushroom coming through nicely. Lovely, and with eight there was seconds.

On to the chicken breast, again I was surprised how tasty it was. The meat was succulent and the sticky tomato sauce and cheese. I have to say, it didn’t look like much on the plate, but it was delicious - two empty plates said it all.

The dessert took just a minute in the microwave - and it was everything you could want for a Valentine’s Day dish. For a start, the chocolate sponge with oozing caramel sauce was in a heart-shaped sharing bowl. It was a great end to the meal.

Verdict: Ok, so the packaging looks a bit make-shift and the food presentation isn’t up there with M&S. However, you can’t knock the taste, and for under £12 (£6 each) you won’t find a better Valentine’s Day supermarket meal - just BYO alcohol!