The real deal

A common scenario: you’re in University and it’s lunchtime but you haven’t brought any food. Your earlier decision to sleep for an extra two minutes, rather than hastily making a sandwich, now seems unwise. So, where’s the best place to grab food on-the-go; where can one find the best meal deal?

I’ve chosen five options, all near or on campus, which I deem to be the forerunners in satisfying the incessant hunger of students. The three categories are price, quality and range of different items included in the deal.

Boots

Price 2/5 – You’ll probably have to break into a fiver to get this meal deal at £3.29, and no-one likes doing that.

Quality 4/5 – Boots know what they’re doing when it comes to food; it almost feels like Christmas.

Range 5/5 – This is meal deal heaven. Triple sandwiches, Innocent Smoothies – the range seems limitless.

Overall: 11/15

Morrisons

P 1/5 – Instead of a fixed price, Morrisons offer a “buy 3 items, get the cheapest free” deal. This means you’re likely to pay upwards of £3 and you’ve always got one eye on the price of your items. Bad move.

Q 4/5 – I do like Morrisons’ food, and they haven’t let their standards slip for their meal deal.

R 4/5 – There’s an exciting range of food to choose from, so you won’t be disappointed.

Overall: 9/15

Sainsbury’s

P 3/5 – I reckon £3 is the most you can justifiably spend on lunch when you’re on the go.

Q 5/5 – Sainsbury’s shine when it comes to quality; you can get their “Taste the Difference” sandwiches – which cost £3 themselves – as part of this meal deal. Winner.

R 4/5 – No sandwich is too exclusive for this deal, and the drinks extend to Tropicana and Copella. There’s also a pleasing range of snacks; even Walkers Sensations make an appearance.

Overall: 12/15

Subway

P 2/5 – It’s £3 for a sub (which is essentially a glorified sandwich) and a drink – no snack though.

Q 4/5 – It’s Subway. Enough said.

R 3/5 – Unsurprisingly, you can only purchase 8 Subs in this lunchtime deal, but there’s enough choice. Drinks are refillable which is always nice.

Overall: 9/15

Tesco

P 4/5 – Coming in at £2.50, this is the cheapest and very reasonable.

Q 3/5 – I find Tesco to be a safe bet; reliable but nothing special.

R 2/5 – There’s a good range of sandwiches but the limited drinks and snacks let it down badly. Furthermore, you won’t save that much because the three items tend not to amount to much more than £2.50 normally.

Overall: 9/15

So, if you do forget to bring a packed lunch, Sainsbury’s meal deal gets my choice for lunch on-the-go. With its prime location on Oxford Road, it’s no surprise it’s heaving every lunchtime.

Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered about Spar’s meal deal – don’t. Trust me.