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FOOD OF LOVE

The best Valentine’s Day 2020 meal deals from supermarkets for a loved-up dinner

LOVE doesn’t need to cost too much this Valentine’s Day as we reveal the best value supermarket meal deals for a cosy night in - but which shop is best?

We rated each meal deal based on price, options and how much money you save - and it was Morrisons that got our hearts beating fastest.

 How did your favourite supermarket perform in the love stakes?
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How did your favourite supermarket perform in the love stakes?

This year, you'll find Valentine's Day 2020 meal deals starting from £6 at Co-Op, going up to £20 at premium brands like M&S and Waitrose.

Asda and Morrisons also have a dine-in-for-two offer for £15, while Aldi's doesn't have a set price - instead, you pay for what items you pick.

The cheapest combination comes to £9.66 for two, or £4.83 per person.

Whatever supermarket you end up going to, you'll certainly end up paying less than what you would in a fancy restaurant on February 14.

Lidl is the only supermarket that has yet to reveal details of their Valentine's Day meal deals.

Here's what we thought of the rest of this year's selection:

Morrisons (£15) - 9/10

 We found you got plenty of food in the Morrisons meal deal
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We found you got plenty of food in the Morrisons meal deal
 Everything in the meal deal all cooked up and ready for a romantic night in
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Everything in the meal deal all cooked up and ready for a romantic night in

Morrisons just pipped the crown for best Valentine's Day meal deal thanks to its impressive savings and decent range of options.

Shoppers keep an extra £19.20 in their pockets compared to buying everything individually - the biggest saving from the selection we reviewed.

It's especially impressive when you compare it to Asda, which is offering pretty much the same meal deal for the same price, but you only save £8.

We also rate the fact that non-alcohol drinkers at Morrisons can switch out a bottle of bubbles for chocolates or alcohol-free beverages.

Sirloin steak, salmon mousse and a beef wellington are just some of the choices on the menu.

Our taster said: I was very impressed by the size of the lamb shanks - it was a huge portion that was more than enough to feed two people.

The sides were great too. I'd actually go out and buy the cauliflower cheese on its own, it was that tasty.

The panna cotta mousse was light and creamy and was really complimented by the zingy raspberry compote.

What do you get? One starter, one main, two sides, one dessert, plus a drink - read the full selection here.

When is it available? February 10 until February 16.

Tesco (£20) - 8/10

 Sadly we didn't get a chance to sample Tesco's meal deal
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Sadly we didn't get a chance to sample Tesco's meal deal

Despite costing the same as M&S and Waitrose, Tesco scored higher than the luxury brands because it's the only supermarket to offer TWO main dishes.

This is great for couples who can never decide on what to eat and will surely eliminate any arguments over what each person wants.

Plus, there's fancy options including a salmon starter and lobster mac and cheese for main, all washed down with half a bottle of Prosecco.

The saving is also pretty decent, coming in at £13.80 compared to buying each item individually.

Sadly Tesco's meal deal isn't available to try yet so we weren't able to put it to the test.

What do you get? One starter, two mains, one side and one dessert, plus a drink -  read the full selection here.

When is it available? February 12 until February 16.

M&S (£20) - 8/10

 One egg was perfectly soft boiled
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One egg was perfectly soft boiled
 For the main, we sampled chicken kiev and chips
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For the main, we sampled chicken kiev and chips
 Our taste tester is still eating profiteroles days after sampling the meal
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Our taste tester is still eating profiteroles days after sampling the meal

If you like M&S as a treat, this meal deal is sure to pull on your heartstrings this Valentine's.

It earned marks for having nine mains to choose from, plus it's the only supermarket to offer a box of chocolates AND a bottle of fizz, as opposed to having to pick between.

Options include British rump steaks, beef Bourgignon and duck breasts in a plum sauce.

The saving is also a generous £16.30.

Our taster said: Very big portion sizes but as the chicken was so large it meant it was a bit dry and should therefore have had much more garlic butter inside.

The chips were a million times better than normal oven chips, and you could really taste the beef dripping coating.

The only negative was one egg was hard boiled and the other was soft boiled despite being cooking for the same amount of time.

What do you get? One starter, one main, one side, one dessert, plus box of chocolates and a bottle of drink - read the full selection here.

When is it available? February 10 until February 14.

Waitrose (£20) - 7/10

 Here's what Waitrose sent us to try from their Valentine's range
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Here's what Waitrose sent us to try from their Valentine's range
 Our taste tester served up potatoes and lamb shanks
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Our taste tester served up potatoes and lamb shanks
 The raspberry panna cottas were a nice finish to the meal
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The raspberry panna cottas were a nice finish to the meal

Waitrose has the most choice for customers, with 12 different mains and 11 desserts to pick from including a vegan "beet" wellington.

But sadly the savings you get compared to buying everything individually fails in comparison to rival M&S.

If you buy the most expensive options from their meal deal individually, it comes to £32.97 - a saving of £12.97.

Unlike M&S, you also don't get a chocolate box as standard - you have to pick between them or a bottle of wine.

Our taster said: I'm not sure it was worth the money because you only get one side, but it was quick to make and even a cooking novice like me couldn't really get it wrong.

The red wine and balsamic glaze was really tasty and gave the meal a posher taste as it's not something I'd ever be able to make on my own.

The potatoes were pretty bland though, despite the rosemary and garlic butter and needed some serious extra seasoning.

The meal also distinctly lacked greenery.

What do you get? One starter, one main, two sides, one dessert and either wine or chocolates.

When is it available? February 11 until February 16.

Aldi (£9.66 - roughly) - 6/10

 Aldi sent us steak and a seafood gratin to try out
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Aldi sent us steak and a seafood gratin to try out
 The steaks came with a cute pink peppercorn butter
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The steaks came with a cute pink peppercorn butter
 The chocolate and raspberry melt in the middle puds were the favourite part of this meal
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The chocolate and raspberry melt in the middle puds were the favourite part of this meal

Aldi scored high - although not top - for price, with its meal deal coming in at under £10 if you go for the cheapest options.

But unlike the others, what you pay is based on what items you pick, rather than a set-price.

The cheapest combination is a £2.99 sharing bread with Camembert, followed by a main of salmon fillets with heart-shaped butter for £3.19, eaten with a side of chips or mashed potatoes for £1.99.

For dessert, you might like Aldi's mini heart-shaped pancakes at £1.49.

Our taster said: Now that was one tasty steak - I definitely wouldn't be disappointed if I was served this on Valentine's Day.

The seafood starter was a decent size too, and it had a lovely crispiness to the gratin and a generous serving of fish.

The dessert was right up my street. It had a lovely rich chocolate complimented by tangy and fresh raspberry centre that cuts through the goo.

What do you get? One starter, one main and one dessert. Options to add on a bottle of drink - read the full selection here.

When is it available? February 11 while stocks last.

Asda (£15) - 6/10

 Asda sent us both meat and vegan options to try - but you only get one main to pick from usually
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Asda sent us both meat and vegan options to try - but you only get one main to pick from usually
 We tried out the supermarket's lovey-dovey steak
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We tried out the supermarket's lovey-dovey steak
 The steak and vegan risotto all cooked up - and there's the cheesecake for dessert
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The steak and vegan risotto all cooked up - and there's the cheesecake for dessert

Asda was one of the best in terms of number of options to choose from - with nine mains up for grabs including a lamb shank.

Plus as a bonus, it does include two sides.

However, the saving is pale in comparison to other equally-priced meal deals.

Shoppers save £8 on average at Asda, compared to the £19 extra you pocket for the same-price Morrisons meal.

Our taster said: The steak was a little dry and chewy but still worth the price.

The triple cooked chips had a fantastic taste though - crunchy and fluffy in the middle. Serve these in a pub and people wouldn't be able to tell the difference!

We tried the sun-dried tomato bites as a starter which were very nice, with a beautiful onion chutney that gave a tangy kick to the peppery bites.

What do you get? One starter, one main, two sides, one pudding, plus a bottle of wine - read the full selection here.

When is it available? February 6 until February 16.

Co-Op (£6) - 4/10

 Here's what Co-Op has to offer for Valentine's Day
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Here's what Co-Op has to offer for Valentine's Day
 The lasagne went down a treat when we tried it out
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The lasagne went down a treat when we tried it out
 The chocolate puddings were gooey and luxurious
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The chocolate puddings were gooey and luxurious

Co-Op scored well for having the cheapest Valentine's Day meal deal - coming in at £6 for one starter, one main and a dessert.

However, it lost points for not having a wide choice of food and not including a starter or drink in the offer.

Co-Op only has three choices of main, although this does include a steak, three side options and one dessert.

The steak alone costs £6, and the total saving is £4.45 which is reasonable given the overall price.

Our taster said: The lasagne was absolutely spot on, with a beautiful, rich and creamy sauce and tasty mince meat.

The melt in the middle puddings were nice but slightly claggy. I think it needed cream or ice cream to go with it.

What do you get? One main, one side and a dessert.

When is it available? February 12 until February 18.

Iceland (£10) - 4/10

 Iceland's meal deal is all from the Gino D'Acampo range
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Iceland's meal deal is all from the Gino D'Acampo range
 We tried out a frozen pizza and lasagne
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We tried out a frozen pizza and lasagne
 The tiramisu was rated better than what you find in restaurants
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The tiramisu was rated better than what you find in restaurants

If you like Italian food and you shop at Iceland, then you're in for a treat - if you don't enjoy pizza and pasta, then we'd suggest shopping elsewhere.

The supermarket's entire Valentine's selection is taken from Gino D'Acampo's frozen range that he launched last year, with options also including lasagne and a tiramisu for dessert.

Still, the deal is fairly priced at £10 and you do get a bottle of wine included.

The total saving compared to buying everything individually is a £5, which is a third of the original price.

Our taster said: The pizza was delicious - made from sour dough and tasted really fresh. One of the best frozen pizzas I've had from a supermarket.

I've had better lasagne though, if I'm honest.

The tiramisu was the standout part of this meal. It was so creamy and was actually better than what I've had in restaurants like Carluccio's.

What do you get? One main, one side one, dessert, plus a bottle of wine.

When is it available? February 10 until February 16.

Sainsbury's (£9.25) - 3/10

 Sainsbury's has a set meal deal for February 14
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Sainsbury's has a set meal deal for February 14
 Our tester rated the steak but said the prawns were a bit random
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Our tester rated the steak but said the prawns were a bit random

Sainsbury's meal deal is completely different to other supermarkets, as you can't technically choose what you get.

It's a set choice of food, including steaks, so you'll be set for the evening if you like what's on offer - if not, you'll be wanting to shop around elsewhere.

It also doesn't include a drink or dessert, so you'll have to fork out extra for these - hence why we marked them down on price.

Saying that, the supermarket is lowering the price of its Castello Prosecco from £7.99 to £5 for the duration of the deal.

The savings were also the least impressive, with shoppers only getting £2.10 off the original price.

Our taster said: The steak was delicious and the chips were really tasty - but the prawns were a bit random.

There was no sauce or anything to cook with it so I made my own garlic butter to give it a bit of flavour.

It was a bit disappointing that there wasn't a pudding as it didn't really feel like a special Valentine's meal.

But overall it was really quick and easy to make so if you're after a simple dinner that takes virtually no effort then this is great.

What do you get? Sainsbury’s Vegetables Selection, McCain Shake Shake Fries, Sainsbury’s Beef Steaks with Garlic Butter and Sainsbury’s Raw King Prawns.

When is it available? February 12 until February 16.

Thinking of getting the special person in your life some flowers? Here's where to buy cheapest roses and bouquets for 2020.

We've also scoured the stores for the best alcohol presents for your loved one.

And here's five cheap and cheerful last-minute ideas to make your partner feel loved this Valentine’s Day.

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