You guys have problems…
Britain’s favourite meal deal has been revealed – and it’s well and truly a thing of horror.
The Great British meal deal. Not much else comes as close to being as symbiotically British as the humble three piece, sandwich-snack-drink-combo, lunch-time treat.
It’s up there with Wallace and Gromit, Greggs sausage rolls and moaning at the rain.
Each year, after millions and million have been injected back into the economy for the pleasure of a £3.50 lunch, retailers reveal the nation’s most popular choice and my word has it changed.
In 2018, a data study by Wonga, suggested that the average Brit will spend £10,044 on meal deals in their lifetime, so you’d hope people would be buying nice things with all that money – WRONG, VERY WRONG.
Just to set the scene, in 2022 and 2023, the most popular meal deal at the supermarket was the Sausage Bacon & Egg Triple, McCoy’s Flame Grilled Steak Grab Bag Crisps, and a small bottle of Coca-Cola.
Nothing to shout home about, but certainly a solid choice that won’t see you ridiculed on the internet.
However, fast forward to 2024, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the apocalypse is around the corner with this choice.
Meal deal stalwart Tesco reported: “2024 saw tastes change, with a new favourite Meal Deal taking the crown.
“Two of the three components changed with the new top spots taken by the Tesco Chicken Club Sandwich for main, Tesco Egg Protein Pot as the most popular snack, along with the returning top drink of Coca-Cola 500ml.”
Right. There’s nothing wrong with a chicken club sandwich or a bottle of coke. Sure, spice up your life a bit, but that’s fine, at least no one’s going to mug you in the street for it.
However, BOILED EGGS!?
The beauty of the humble meal deal is choice, and when it comes to snacks there are plenty – crisps, chocolate, fridge raiders, peperamis.
Of course, it’s great people are eating healthier, it’s important for sure, so why not go for some fruit instead, delicious, colourful, and packed with vitamins.
It’s easy to claim that people are eating healthier, but a regular coke is still the most popular drink with 54g of sugar inside.
So why, oh why are people buying boiled eggs? – surely people’s daily intake of protein is not that low that they have to buy pre-boiled, pre-peeled eggs that have been sat on a supermarket shelf all day to make up for it.
And, don’t forget your poor colleagues, who sit next to you as you unseal the food equivalent of a fart in a jar.
People on social media had plenty to say.
One person said: “The most popular Tesco UK meal deal snack item of 2024 was a plain hard boiled egg. We are truly a joyless nation.”
While another commenter wrote: “This simply cannot be true.”
Although one person hit back and put: “sometimes you just need to scran a plain hard boiled egg.”
No, sometimes you don’t – seriously though enjoy whatever you pick for your lunch.
Here’s hoping 2025 we might rediscover some joy as a nation.
