Today marks the Year of The Ox, which symbolises fortune and personality. Even though we can’t go out to celebrate, various supermarkets are making sure we can still have a great time at home - with a meal kit or discounted ingredients to make an oriental feast.
Whether you’re marking the special event with your family, friends or just yourself - it’s the perfect opportunity to give the recipe books a rest and let the supermarkets do the hard work for you.
We’ve scoured the high street and found plenty of delicious ‘fakeaway’ choices that will make it an evening to remember. Marks and Spencer, Aldi and Tesco to name a few, have either reduced the price of key ingredients, or created a meal box that serves two.
Now if you don’t fancy cooking at all, we have a way you can get £5 off your next takeaway from Just Eat thanks to TopCashback.
When you place your order through TopCashback and Just Eat, TopCashback will refund 100% of the purchase order value up to £5 cashback on your purchase.
Purchases over £5 will still receive £5 cashback and it applies to any restaurant available on Just Eat. How good is that?
You can now treat yourself to whatever you fancy, for less. And it doesn’t get better than that now, does it?
Sadly, the cashback offer is only available for new members or those with no previous purchases or cashback through TopCashback.
The Just Eat and TopCashback offer ends 31st March 2021, so make the most of this offer whilst you can.
Tesco
Tesco shoppers can take advantage of the Tesco Stir Fry Meal Deal for just £2.50 (£1.25 per portion), and save themselves up to £1.45. Choose from a variety of Egg Noodles, Vegetable Stir Fry options and sauces such as Plum and Hoisin or Sweet Chilli.
You have the choice of:
- Choose 1 Vegetable Pack
- 1 Noodle Pack
- 1 Sauce
Customers can also tuck into a meal for two with the Chicken & Black Bean Sauce, and Sweet & Sour Chicken Meal Box. It was priced at £7.50, and now only £5 – that’s £2.50 per person.
There’s also a third off Tesco Crispy Aromatic Half Duck, now £5, reduced from £7. Or try Tesco Aromatic Shredded Duck & Pancakes, now just £2.
Tesco also have reduced prices on a selection of sides and sauces, such as:
- 50p off Tesco 16 Piece Chinese Style Selection - was £2.50, now £2.
- 25p off Tesco 4 Vegetable Spring Rolls, Tesco 4 Duck Spring Rolls and Tesco 4 Prawn Toast - now just £1.50 each
- 20p off Tesco Prawn Crackers - was £1, now 80p
- 70p off Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce - was £1.50, now 80p
If you want to create your own dish, cooking from scratch has never been so affordable.
Tesco has slashed the price of these core ingredients - which are now just £1 each:
- Blue Dragon Coconut Milk and Blue Dragon Coconut Milk Light
- Uncle Ben’s Sauces in Sweet & Sour Original, Sweet & Sour Extra Pineapple Sauce, and Lemon Chicken
- Amoy Dark Soy Sauce and Amoy Light Soy Sauce
These offers from Tesco end on the 31st March, so make the most of them whilst you can.
To find your nearest Tesco store, we've popped the locator here for ease. You'll also find opening and closing time information listed there as well.
Aldi
Aldi is helping shoppers save their pennies with their affordable oriental range, available in stores from 4th February.
First up on the menu is Aldi’s Singapore Noodles (300g, 99p). Rice noodles coated in a luscious dressing made with curry paste and red chilli, these noodles are a Chinese take out classic when topped with pork or prawns. For those who want to take it down a spice notch, Aldi’s Rice Noodles (300g, 99p) are perfect for whipping up a speedy stir-fry, salad or soup.
Add some extra flavour to your stir-fry beef curry this Chinese New Year with the incredible Coconut and Lemongrass Stir-Fry Sauce (175ml, 79p). With a fragrant and citrusy taste, this stir-fry sauce is certain to delight the tastebuds of those around the dinner table.
For a slightly different twist to your celebrations, consider grabbing a pouch of Aldi’s Katsu Sauce (175ml, 79p). A stir-fry curry sauce with creamed coconut, soy sauce and ginger, the katsu sauce is a winner when poured over crunchy strips of crispy chicken and rice - the taste of Wagamama at home.
Want to make an unbeatable Oriental-inspired mushroom and pak choi stir-fry? Make sure to get your hands on Aldi’s Specially Selected Shiitake and Pak Choi (200g, £1.89) where you can create an authentic Chinese dish in minutes,
Add some luxury to your festivities with Aldi’s Specially Selected Tenderstem Stir-Fry (240g, £1.99). Containing a delicious mix of tenderstem broccoli, red onion, pak choi and chilli, this dish will deliver a stem-sensational experience for all.
To find your nearest Aldi, we've put the store locator here. You'll also find opening and closing information listed there as well.
Marks and Spencer Food
Kick off the weekend and celebrate Chinese New Year in style with a feast of great value, delicious dishes.
For an easy, delicious feast, see in the Year of the Ox with Marks and Spencer’s brand-new limited-edition box Ox Box meal for 2 (£10). Packed with beef in black bean sauce, crispy chilli beef, Shanghai beef noodles, egg fried rice and vegetarian spring rolls.
Or try M&S’s first Chinese takeaway meal boxes for 1 (£5). We love the sound of the M&S Sweet & Sour Chicken with egg fried rice, vegetable chow mein and two vegetable spring rolls.
To find your nearest Marks and Spencer Food, we've added the store locator here for ease. You'll also find opening and closing information listed there as well.
Morrisons
With Chinese New Year celebrations taking place at home this year, Morrisons has everything you need for a delicious feast featuring all the favourites.
Ring in the new year with some classic egg fried noodles – pair them with your favourite sauce, meat and/or vegetables to make a delicious stir fry. Morrisons Takeaway Egg Fried Noodles are priced at just £1.
No meal from the orient is complete without some spring rolls and Morrisons have six for £2, filled with shredded duck and crunchy veg in hoisin sauce, wrapped in crispy golden pastry. Best served piping hot as appetisers.
Egg Fried Rice is a staple for your Chinese inspired menu. Made with long grain rice with egg, peas and sesame seed oil. Priced at just £1, pick up to the Morrisons Takeaway Egg Fried Rice now.
Morrisons Takeaway Special Chow Mein, £2, is their take on the classic. It features chicken, prawns and char sui pork with egg noodles and a special chow mein sauce. Yum.
Or what about some scrumptious Morrisons Chinese Takeaway Prawn Toasts? The white toasts are topped with prawns, water chestnut, sesame seeds and spring onion. Priced at £2, these will go down a treat with the whole family.
Our mouth is salivating over the thought of Morrisons Takeaway Sweet & Sour Chicken. Priced at £2, get ready to tuck into marinated chicken breast pieces in a tangy sauce, with pineapple and red pepper.
For the perfect Friday night feast, Morrisons Chinese Chicken Curry has tickled our fancy. For £2, you get cooked marinated chicken breast pieces in a mild curry sauce with coconut and peas.
And what side would be perfect for this saucy dish? Morrisons Vegetable Spring Rolls of course. Think shredded vegetables with ginger and garlic, wrapped in a crispy, golden pastry. Best served piping hot as appetisers - and they’ll only cost you £1.
If a curry’s not for you, why not try the Morrisons Takeaway Crispy Chilli Chicken for £2? You get 400g of chicken breast strips in golden batter with a sweet chilli sauce. Morrisons have given this dish a chilli rating of medium.
To find your nearest Morrisons, the store locator is here. You'll also be able to find opening and closing information there as well.
Co-op
If you fancy something quick and easy for lunch or dinner, then why not treat yourself to a £2.50 stir fry from Co-op. Customers can pick up a selected range of noodles, vegetable stir fry packs and sauce for just £2.50.
This offer is available in stores now until the 16th February.
Co-op are also offering two for £4.50 on the Oriental Menu Sweet & Sour Chicken.
We've put the store locator for Co-op, here for you. Opening and closing time information will also be listed there.
Sainsbury’s
Also known as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year is the perfect time to celebrate, feast and welcome good luck. And if you’re planning a feast for the whole family, Sainsbury’s has just the thing.
For those opting for a plant-based Lunar New Year, look no further than the Plant Pioneers No Prawn Toast and Plant Pioneers No Pork Belly Bao Buns, the ultimate sharing dishes to kick start the festivities. With the build-your-own bao buns being the first of its kind to enter the UK market, you’re guaranteed to impress your loved ones with this revamped classic.
Serve up a feast that gets your taste buds tingling by tossing generous servings of Lee Kum Kee Light Soy Sauce and Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil into your Ken Hom Non-Stick Wok.
Towards the end of the evening, don’t forget to crack open golden Silk Road Fortune Cookies to see what your fortune has in store for you. Complete the Chinese New Year look with Boutique moisturising lipstick and Boutique nail polish in prosperous red to feel your best for the evening’s entertainment, whether that’s at the dinner table with family or on a Zoom call with friends.
Although celebrations will likely look different this year, make sure you treat yourself to the below goodies from Sainsbury’s to ring in the Year of The Ox.
To find your nearest Sainsbury's, we've popped the store locator here for ease. You'll also find closing and opening information listed there as well.
Will you be cooking up a taste of the orient this weekend? Let us know in the comments below.
