A shopper who regularly bought baked goods from Lidl has switched to Marks and Spencer after discovering that M&S cookies stay fresh for longer, making the higher price better value for money.
Katherine McPhillips, writing for What's On, explained that she used to rely on Lidl's bakery section for treats under £1. However, after buying cookies for a picnic in Scotland, she found them slightly stale on arrival and had to throw them away.
Short shelf life at Lidl
McPhillips spent £2.75 on cookies at 55p each, but they were unpleasantly chewy by the time she reached the event. She also noticed that bread loaves from Lidl lasted only a day or two, with more than half of each loaf being discarded.
After complaining to a friend about Lidl's bakery shelf life, she was directed to a social media post about M&S cookies, which had attracted attention online. Although M&S is considered one of Britain's pricier supermarkets, she decided to try its bakery.
Bigger cookies, longer freshness
She bought the milk chocolate cookies for £3.10 — 35p more than the Lidl equivalent. The cookies were roughly the size of her hand and tasted richer and more buttery than any she had tried before.
The key difference came when she left one cookie out in her kitchen. After forgetting about it for five days, it was still perfectly good to eat. This meant the M&S cookies were not only larger and more delicious but also lasted considerably longer, making the extra 35p feel like outstanding value.
Lidl remains a firm favourite, but McPhillips now buys all her baked goods, along with fruit and vegetables, from M&S, safe in the knowledge that nothing will spoil before its time.
