I tried out all the best Iceland dupes for McDonald's, Magnum ice creams and Bird's Eye – one tastes EXACTLY the same
ICELAND are hoping to lure in shoppers with a new range of frozen meals which are 'dupes' of McDonald's favourites.
As well as a cheeseburger in a box, the budget chain are also offering a BBQ Chicken and Bacon Wrap and a Sweet Chilli Chicken wrap - both with seasoned fries.
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A spokesman said: "Our newly stocked Snacksters range is the perfect fakeaway alternative.
The new additions, including our 'Smile in a Box' product are a great way for shoppers to save money without compromising on quality or taste.
"They taste just as good as you'd get at any fast-food chain!'
Lynsey Hope tested to see how they compare to the real deal - and selects her favourite Iceland 'dupes'.
Snacksters Cheese Burger Smile in a Box (240g)
£3
Lynsey says: "A meal kit that is great value for money, offering a sesame topped bun, a cooked seasoned beef burger and a processed cheese slice.
"Plus, pre-fried thin cut potato chips in a lightly seasoned batter and cookie dough with milk chocolate chunks.
"The McDonald's cheeseburger alone would set you back £1.39 so with the extra bits, I thought this was good value.
"Taste wise it was a really good copy, too. Almost the same as you get at Maccy D's. The kids loved the packaging and have asked me to buy again."
RATING: 5/5
Belgian Milk Chocolate Majestics (334g)
£2 for 4 (50p each)
Lynsey says: "These look almost identical to a Magnum, taste lovely and offer a great saving on the branded ice creams.
"If you buy a pack of four for £2, they work out at just 50p each where Magnums cost £3.50 and come in a box of just three, working out around £1.16 each.
"If I was being really picky, I'd say the vanilla ice cream was slightly less creamy and the chocolate a little thinner. But no one else even noticed the difference."
Iceland Takeaway Stuffed Crust Double Pepperoni Pizza (445g)
£2.60
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Lynsey says: " Chicago Town pizza's are a favourite in my house but even a medium will cost you between £3.50 and £4, depending on where you shop.
"Taste wise this was good. It had more pepperoni in comparison and a stuffed crust, and only cost £2.60. A great addition to the freezer."
RATING: 4/5
Treat Stop Fruit Rainbowz (180g)
£1 (56p per 100g)
Lynsey says: "Tear open this bag and you get the sugary aroma of branded skittles and they look virtually identical.
"They work out better value too. The bag is £1 where as Skittles are currently 98p for a 136g, but you get plenty more off them.
"The colours are slightly off. There are some black sweets rather than purple and taste wise, they are less chewy and a bit harder going on the teeth."
Meatball Marinara Sub Roll (201g)
£2.50
Lynsey says: "Who doesn't love a Meatway sub, but the famous chain are charging £7.45 for their footlong option.
"Taste wise, this is a great copy. Whilst nowhere near as big or filling, it tastes just as delicious and is a fraction of the price.
"It only takes a total of 12 minutes in the air fryer too and was easy to prepare in the comfort of your own home."
RATING: 4/5
Treat Stop Peanut Choco Nutz (170g)
£1 (59p per 100g)
Lynsey says: "M&M's are my son's favourite so we spend a lot on them and a small 125g bag costs £1.75 in most shops - and there are never enough in the bag. These are a pretty good copy and only cost a £1 and you get lots extra. They offer a great saving costing just 59p per 100g compared to the branded sweets, which sot £1.40 per 100g."
RATING: 3/5
Snacksters 20 Chicken Nuggets (390g)
£3.50
£3.50
Lynsey says: "Not quite as good as McNuggets in my opinion but they are half the price.
"Buy them at the fast food chain and a box of 20 would cost you £6.99 so these are excellent value. The coating was the same and they had the same salty flavour.
"The texture of the chicken was a bit thicker. Not bad though and an excellent price."
RATING: 3/5
Authentic Swedish Meatballs (750g)
£5 (£6.67 per 1kg)
Lynsey says: "A kg of meatballs at Ikea will cost you £7.96 so these are good value and taste wise, you can't tell the difference.
"They taste exactly like the frozen ones you'd buy at the furniture store.
"Super easy to prepare too, taking just eight minutes in an air fryer. The kids lapped them up. For a quick and easy meal, I'd buy these again."
RATING: 4/5
Snacksters BBQ Chicken and Bacon Wrap and Fries (286g)
£3
Lynsey says: "Taste wise this is spot on. It tastes a lot like the McDonald's wrap and for only £3, you get chips with it.
"The wrap alone costs £3.49 at McDonald's. It takes nine minutes in an air fryer and then you have to put it together yourself but it took minimal effort.
"There wasn't any salad in the box even though there is in the picture, so unless you buy that yourself and add in, it won't look exactly as the picture.
"There's not as much chicken as the McDonald's option either, but it was reasonable and I felt it was good value."
RATING: 4/5
Snacksters Sweet Chilli Chicken Wrap and Fries (278g)
£3
Lynsey says: "Again, you need to buy the salad separately but this too was easy to prepare taking just ten minutes in an air fryer.
"There isn't as much chicken as in the McDonald's wrap but it's only £3 compared to the chain's price of £3.49.
"The fries were a bit lacking. The seasoning was nice but they were needed a bit longer cooking than per instructions."
RATING: 4/5
Iceland Minced Beef and Onion Crispy Pancakes
£1 for 4
Lynsey says: "The Bird's Eye version of these will set you back £2.50 and I promise you, you'll never know the difference.
"They taste EXACTLY the same. The coating perhaps cooked a little darker but if you like these, they are a real bargain at just £1.
"They come in a range of flavours too including cheese and ham and cheese. You can't go wrong."
RATING: 5/5
Nutini Chocolino Twins
£1 for 3 x 45g
Lynsey says: "An alternative to Kinder but they were more wafer than chocolate and actually, although they are bigger they are not cheaper.
"You can get four Kinder's for 85p and they are bigger. On this one, I'd rather buy the brand."
RATING: 2/5
Marshmallow Cookie O's (300g)
£2.50
Lynsey says: "Not as delicious as the Oreo cereal and worth noting that 100g of this contains a whopping 36g sugar - even more than the sweet brand, which has 27g.
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds.
"Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
"If you're struggling on price though and the kids want a treat, it's very sweet and they won't complain about having to eat this.
"Price wise, it's £1.50 cheaper, though you get 50g less in the box."
RATING: 2/5
Iceland Natural Greek Style Yogurt (450g)
Iceland Natural Greek Style Yogurt (450g)
£1
Lynsey says: "A lovely thick, Greek yoghurt. No bitter taste and lovely and creamy.
"It's a bargain when you consider the same size tub of Yeo Valley will cost you £2.15 - more than double.
"An excellent saving and a must for households who go through a lot of yogurt."
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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