Best value supermarket meal deals revealed - as cost of lunch deals continues to creep up

26 May 2025, 17:03 | Updated: 26 May 2025, 17:05

As prices of the popular lunchtime meal continue to rise, the meal deal where customers can make the largest saving has been revealed below.

The meal deal, a combination of a sandwich, snack and drink, has been a staple for UK workers for decades.

But prices of supermarket meal deals have been consistently rising over the last few years as the cost-of-living crisis drags on.

Meal deals give customers the option of a main, which usually includes a sandwich, a pasta bowl or a wrap; a snack, which can be a bag of crisps or other side, such as a box of fruit; and a drink.

These have always been considered a bargain lunchtime meal, and have been a favourite of workers and students across the country for decades.

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But prices have continued to creep up as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.

For a decade, Tesco had priced its meal deal at £3 – but in recent years, this has crept up to £4, or £3.60 with the Tesco Clubcard.

Other retailers have followed suit to deal with soaring costs. This begs the question: which supermarket now has the best-value meal deal, and where can customers pay the least for a lunchtime bargain?

Data analysts at NetVoucherCodes have tried to answer this very question, and reveal where customers can go to save up to £5.30 from the total value of their meal.

Coming out last is Waitrose, which offers the most expensive meal deal at £5.00.

But at the same time, Waitrose also offers customers the biggest saving from the total price of their items, at a whopping £5.30, if they buy the most expensive items.

These are a GLO Pulled Beef & Onion Salad (£4.80), Taiko Mini Nigiri (£2.50) and Jimmy’s Iced Coffee (£3).

This means that, while paying the most for a meal deal compared to the other supermarkets, customers are effectively getting this meal for half-price.

The next largest savings can be made at Tesco, the supermarket that is perhaps most closely associated with the famous meal deal.

Customers can save £5.15 when buying their meal deal here, which is usually priced at £4. But if using a Clubcard, the price goes down to £3.60.

At the other end of the list, Poundland offers the cheapest meal deal at £3.00 – but it also offers the lowest savings, of only £2.00, even if customers get the most expensive items.