I agree. It’s so uninspiring these days. Their bakery has long been woeful. The baguettes are overpriced and underbaked. The shop selection very poor compared to M&S. the only bread worth buying in Waitrose is Gail’s not own brand
New to Tattle Life? Click "Order Thread by Most Liked Posts" button below to get an idea of what the site is about:
I shop infrequently as I end up spending £££s and end up with a lot of treats but not many staple groceries. Too far from a physical store, but planning a delivery for next week as my hubby is away with work so having all the naughty goodies! I love their feta and onion fresh pizza, and I always stock up on a few other bits that I can't buy elsewhere.
Agree, apart from the sushi bar I find them dire. My local Sainsbury’s is much better now. I used to really love a Waitrose weekend treat shop but now there’s nothing I want.
The only reason I go to Waitrose these days is for Jackson’s bread as nowhere else near me sells it. I brought their essential cheese and onion crisps yesterday and they taste exactly the same as walkers. They were only £1.10 for 6 packs. Perfect for my husbands lunches as he goes through 2 a day
I buy their Maris Piper potatoes, their berry granola and their fruit and nut essential muesli and that is it although I did see a new fancy quiche, maybe someone is reading this thread
Actually their eggs are really good.
I get the impression they are not really developing their own products anymore so it's the same brands as other shops but I don't go there to buy branded stuff, I go to buy fancy pants stuff that I won't get anywhere else.
Bakery has gone from best around my area and that's including standalone bakery shops to trailing behind Lidl!!
Actually their eggs are really good.
I get the impression they are not really developing their own products anymore so it's the same brands as other shops but I don't go there to buy branded stuff, I go to buy fancy pants stuff that I won't get anywhere else.
Bakery has gone from best around my area and that's including standalone bakery shops to trailing behind Lidl!!
I do enjoy their dark chocolate range. Better than anywhere else I've shopped for dark chocolate. I buy the 90% dark chocolate. Also, not sure I mentioned before but the Spanish crisps they sell, San Nicasio brand. They aren't cheap, but they are olive oil, salt and potatoes and that's it. Lovely crisps.
Since they shut down the cafe in my local Waitrose and never replaced it I go to Marks now all the time...
Yep I worked for Waitrose as a delivery driver for a couple of years during covid, so I was extremely familiar with everything they were selling and coming out with back then; two years on I go in now and almost everything is exactly the same, nothing new at all. All the ready meals are the exact same, the premium stuff like Levantine Kitchen hasn't been changed or replaced with new ideas, even stuff like the grab and go sandwiches theres no special editions. Very disappointing.
They have loads of plants for sale outside in the spring but their staff / store managers don't seem to have the simple sense that they need to water them every day or two. So they just dry up and die within days and then they either end up selling the dead remains off for 10p or they actually have to pay their waste contractor to dispose of them all.
My store still has the fresh meat/fish/deli counters but my Mum has never stopped lamenting that they took that out of her very nearby store and also that they closed the bigger Newcastle store altogether. How they hell they could not make that very centrally located mid-size store work is absolutely beyond me.
Very badly run company now and as a former employee it pains me to see it.
They have loads of plants for sale outside in the spring but their staff / store managers don't seem to have the simple sense that they need to water them every day or two. So they just dry up and die within days and then they either end up selling the dead remains off for 10p or they actually have to pay their waste contractor to dispose of them all.
My store still has the fresh meat/fish/deli counters but my Mum has never stopped lamenting that they took that out of her very nearby store and also that they closed the bigger Newcastle store altogether. How they hell they could not make that very centrally located mid-size store work is absolutely beyond me.
Very badly run company now and as a former employee it pains me to see it.
Their recipe cards are good. They do have some lovely pastes so what I would do is develop 3 recipes using a jar of fancy paste. I tend not to buy the jars as I only cook for 2 and end up throwing the remnants away but if they had suggestions for 3 different ways to use a paste, I'd be more inclined to shop there.
The Waitrose Weekend newspaper has recipes in it as well
You can read it free online here without needing to go to the shop to get it.
https://weekend-online.com/
There is also the monthly magazine which has an app you can (or could) read it on, but they wrecked it with an update and have never bothered to fix it, so it is painful to use now. Another demonstration of how out of touch they are.
When I was delivering for them, we used to make up bags with those recipe cards and everything needed to make them and give them away free either to new delivery customers or those that it was a milestone delivery such as their 25th or 50th delivery etc. No idea if they still do it.
Definitely Waitrose branding
The Waitrose Christmas offerings are pretty "meh" this year I think....apart from the cinnamon knot biscuits which are absolutely divine. The temptation is strong to do an online order just to get some, I don't live near enough to visit one in person.
I used to love Waitrose but it’s gone to tit since covid. No stock, what they do have is uninspiring and poor quality compared to what it used to be, my local store is dirty and shabby. They closed the cafe and now have just randomly put a freezer in the space. It looks tit. Service isn’t as good as it used to be either. Now go to M&S even though their reward system is rubbish.
Just came to say that I am in Waitrose occasionally for a browse as I have one local to me and they have some interesting single malt whisky on offer in the £25 range, I got one for my partner's Christmas.
Just found this thread. I'm very surprised to see it's not very active, the M&S food threads are non-stop!
Anyway I just came on to comment about the No 1 Waitrose Easy Serve Espresso (ESE) coffee pods. I'm sure they're using a different coffee blend recently and I am pleased to say it is fantastic. I used to only buy the Waitrose ones when I ran out of Illy (which Waitrose used to stock, but not for a year or so now) but I am now buying the Waitrose ones in preference, they are a bit cheaper and my offers often have them with £1 off. It's so hard to buy ESE pods anywhere in the UK apart from online.
Anyway I just came on to comment about the No 1 Waitrose Easy Serve Espresso (ESE) coffee pods. I'm sure they're using a different coffee blend recently and I am pleased to say it is fantastic. I used to only buy the Waitrose ones when I ran out of Illy (which Waitrose used to stock, but not for a year or so now) but I am now buying the Waitrose ones in preference, they are a bit cheaper and my offers often have them with £1 off. It's so hard to buy ESE pods anywhere in the UK apart from online.
Last edited:
Slightly off topic from Waitrose food and drink..
It is not just Waitrose, the whole of John Lewis has gone to tit.
A family member bought a Samsung S24 Ultra phone through JK. Issues with delivery saw their money returned to their bank account and the order cancelled. The phone was then subsequently delivered.
When JL realised their error, they frantically sent emails enquiring where the phone was.
The family member has been trying to pay them the returned money since it was delivered.
No one at JL wants to take ownership, most recent call stated they would not be able to deal with issue until March, as they are 'too busy'.
No wonder the company is losing money hand over fist and the 'shopfloor' partners aren't getting their bonuses.
It is not just Waitrose, the whole of John Lewis has gone to tit.
A family member bought a Samsung S24 Ultra phone through JK. Issues with delivery saw their money returned to their bank account and the order cancelled. The phone was then subsequently delivered.
When JL realised their error, they frantically sent emails enquiring where the phone was.
The family member has been trying to pay them the returned money since it was delivered.
No one at JL wants to take ownership, most recent call stated they would not be able to deal with issue until March, as they are 'too busy'.
No wonder the company is losing money hand over fist and the 'shopfloor' partners aren't getting their bonuses.
Last edited: