Overview
- Reports on February 24 from the Mirror, Manchester Evening News and Gloucestershire Live relay one shopper’s shift to buying bakery items at Marks & Spencer.
- Price examples include a Lidl pain au chocolat at 69p or three for £1.80 compared with £1.35 for a single at M&S.
- The shopper says Lidl pastries often need eating the same day, while an M&S pastry bought Friday was still flaky on Monday.
- The articles note a claim, attributed to the Express, that an M&S loaf stayed fresh for five days, without independent testing presented.
- For lower per‑item costs at M&S, the shopper suggests choosing packaged bakery items such as a £3 pack of pain au chocolat that works out at 75p each, while acknowledging Lidl remains the cheaper upfront option.