I was shocked after trying M&S' game-changing microwave poached eggs – they are 10/10 perfect and ideal for lazy cooks
However, one shopper pointed out that M&S is now selling pre-packaged poached eggs, and all you need to do is stick them in the microwave for less than one minute.
3
3
Liv, who posts under @lifeoflivsx, uploaded a video trying out the product to see if it was all it is cracked up to be.
She shared: 'So Marks and Spencers have made a big statement that they sell the perfect pre-made poached egg.
'So not gonna lie, as an egg obsessed girly, I had to give it a go.'
She said she picked them up from near to the breakfast pots and fruit in her local shop - and was ready to give them a go.
According to the M&S website, they contain 7g of protein and are "ideal for breakfast in a rush."
Holding up the packet, which had two white eggs that appeared already poached, she said: 'I can't say I'm enticed by how they look, but all you need to do is apparently put them in the microwave for 40 seconds and then they are perfect.'
Liv said she picked the two eggs up for £2.60 and said she is aware that she could make them for herself normally but wanted to try them out.
After sticking them in the microwave for less than a minute, she was left with yolky, runny eggs, which looked incredible.
She added: 'I'm pretty impressed. Oh my god look. Now I probably wouldn't buy these again because it would be a very lazy, expensive habit to do, but 10 out of 10 Marks and Spencers, well done.'
Many people were left scratching their heads at the new product - and the cost.
I tried the new picnic range from M&S - the £3.50 dip everyone needs to try
One said: 'Who can't make a poached egg.'
A second wrote: '2.60 for two eggs!'
However, some foodies seemed very keen to try the poached eggs for themselves.
3
One said: 'Would I buy them.....Absolutely.'
Another pointed out: 'This is so handy for people who struggle to lift pans etc.'
A third commented: 'For everyday? no. for like i want to feel fancy this sunday? yes!'
HERE'S how to poach an egg in the microwave, according to the experts at Kitchn.
All you need is an egg, a mug, half a teaspoon of vinegar and a third to a half a cup of water.
Put the water and vinegar in the mug.
Crack the egg into the water – making sure the egg is submerged.
Cover the mug with a small plate or saucer.
Place in the microwave and cook on medium high power for 60 seconds.
Carefully remove the plate and check the egg. If it is not done blast it again for 20 seconds.
Using a slotted spoon, drain the water out of the mug and then place the egg on your plate, and enjoy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
American woman living in the UK reveals British household features that would send US natives 'into a coma'
An American woman living in the UK has ruffled feathers after revealing four features of British households that send her 'into a coma'. Known as @yorkshireyank on TikTok, she often comments on the cultural differences between her adopted home and the US. In a video that has been viewed more than 200,000 times, the woman identifies four facets of UK homes that baffle her - and would similarly send her fellow Americans into a spin. The woman, who has almost 15,000 followers on the platform, starts with plug sockets, which she calls 'outlets'. She explains that she has been caught out by the on/off switches that control the power used by appliances. 'I can't tell you the number of times I've actually tried to make toast and that darn thing was not on,' she says. The second common characteristic of UK homes that she believes would alienate those living in small apartments in major US cities is the space available. 'Space is a premium - now I have lots of it,' she says. Third on her list is timekeeping, specifically, the 24-hour clock which is widely used in Britain, especially on digital alarm clocks and appliances like ovens. 'Yorkshire Yank' refers to this as 'military time', adding that 'most people' in her home country wouldn't be able to interpret a screen displaying 17:16. She says: 'Most people would see this and go, "I don't know what time that is," when it's really 5:18.' By using the 24-hour clock, Brits 'overcomplicate it,' she adds. But, the feature of UK homes that she appears to find most frustrating is the lack of 'closets'. It would seem that she expected to find fitted wardrobes in her Yorkshire house. She says to viewers: 'Why does my house not have any closets?' The US national explains that there was 'an empty cupboard with nothing in it' which she transformed by adding shelves. She elaborates: 'There's no other closets in the whole house - just an under stair [closet] and I turned that into a pantry.' To remedy this, she turned her spare bedroom into a walk-in wardrobe, adding that it would have cost her £10,000 to have one built in a new-build home. 'When we were looking at new builds, one of the new builds actually quoted me £10,000 to build a closet,' she says. 'And it was just glass doors on rails, and that was it. I don't get it.' The video attracted a lot of attention online, amassing almost 450 comments - but the majority of these were not sympathetic to the US woman. One person wrote: 'You're telling me America really doesn't know what the 24 [hour] clock is?' Another appeared to agree when they said: 'Calling [the] 24-hour clock "overcomplicated" has absolutely sent me'. The US woman's video amassed almost 450 comments - but very few of these were sympathetic to her A third person was similarly critical when they commented: 'Outlet? It's a plug socket! And it's for safety - our electricity runs at 240V, American [electricity] is only 120V.' A fourth TikToker was left confused by the US woman's video - but not in the way she had expected. They said: 'I'm sure toasters won't even click down if they're not plugged in.' While a firth person explained: 'Yup, we buy standalone wardrobes. Not sure why we don't have built-in cupboards - maybe space?' A sixth user was so incensed by the woman's critique of UK homes that she wrote: 'If it's so bad, you can choose to leave'. Yet, not everyone was disappointed by Yorkshire Yank's appraisal of British households. One person admitted: 'I'm British and these things annoy me also'.
The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Short hair is dying out': 30% rise in cost of UK haircuts, not fashion, is driving the change
Skin fades and sculpted bobs are out. Messy tops and longer locks are in. For fashion hawks, the move towards lengthier hair is hardly news, but it may not be fashion alone that is driving the shift. Rising costs and tightened belts are among the reasons some believe are behind the trend for longer hair. The average cost of a haircut for men and women in the UK has soared by more than 30% since 2020, according to government data. As a result, many of us have adapted our hairstyles. 'We're still in a cost of living crisis,' said Phil Smith. 'Most people are struggling. Anything that's going to give your hair a bit of a longer life is going to stay in fashion.' For Smith, the owner of the salon Smith England in Salisbury, which caters to men and women, the move towards longer-lasting styles has hit business. 'It's been disastrous,' he said. 'People are not coming in as often.' The most common shift he has seen among men is a move away from skin fades, where hair on the sides is cut tightly and blended to created a faded look – a style that needs regular maintenance. Instead, people have opted for taper fades, which provide a similar blended look but retain more length on the upper sides and top. 'Short hair is dying out and longer hairstyles are back in fashion,' he said. 'When the taper fade is done properly, it lasts that little bit longer. The skin fade lasts two weeks and you've got to do it again. When the taper grows out, it looks a bit cooler and messier.' Mullets are also back in fashion, but Smith has a note of caution for those wanting the in-demand do. 'If it's been cut badly, it's just a throwback to Chris Waddle.' The collision of the cost of living crisis with the salon is most keenly felt by women, who have traditionally paid more for their hair styling than men. Smith said here too, there have been cost-influenced fashion trends. The treatment that has undergone the largest change is hair colouring. Dyed roots, which need to be redone every 10 to 12 weeks, are out. Balayage, where colour is applied directly to the hair, is all the rage. This treatment only requires a bi-yearly visit to the salon. 'It looks like sun-kissed ends, lovely hair that's being lifted by the sunshine,' he said. In his own shop, Smith said he has had to raise his prices by about 15% to 20% as rising costs, including the recent national insurance rise and inflation on salon products, hit hard. 'I've been doing this for 41 years and this is by far the hardest I've ever seen it. The recession and 2008 banking crisis was a walk in the park compared with how things are now,' he said. Bobby Gordon, the owner of the men's barber Fella, which has branches in London and Kent, has found the climate similarly challenging. 'There's a limit to what people will pay for certain things,' he said. 'It's the same with a haircut. I think the work has been cheapened for a very long time and we're playing catch-up.' 'For a long time, people just assumed a men's haircut was a tenner. But the quality of work that barbers are doing now is, on the whole, a lot better.' He said the skin fade and shorter styles in general were on their way out. 'Hair couldn't get any shorter unless we started to take people's scalps off,' he said. He has been forced to raise his prices owing to rising costs, but time is also a factor. 'Clients are more demanding, they know what they're after. They're not bringing in a picture of a footballer like they did a long time ago. They've seen stuff on Instagram and the cuts people want now take a long time to do. It's not a five-minute job, they take 40 to 45 minutes to do, maybe even an hour,' he said. With longer styles booming in popularity, Fella has introduced a 'back and sides' option to entice those who don't want to pay full whack for a touch-up. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'It's been quite popular,' he said. 'We felt that with the way styles are changing, people don't necessarily want a full haircut and they find the back and sides to be the problem areas.' Richard Scorer, the creative director of the women's salon chain Haringtons, said people were 'having higher-value services left less often'. He has seen a similar surge in demand for balayage treatments. 'Time is a big issue for people. People used to come in every week and have a blow dry. Now, they're coming in less regularly, so they want services that last,' he said. Scorer said his salons, located around the Thames Valley, are at the 'higher end of the market' for the area. Despite this, he has seen new customers expecting to level up their treatments, especially as prices in less-luxury hairdressers have also risen. 'People want experiences now, having a haircut here is a lovely experience,' he said. 'Beware of false economies. If you come to a salon like ours, the initial price might be more, but we do things like fringe trims for free for three months.' Taper fade For those who still want a bit of tightness in their cut, the taper fade offers a good balance between some shortness on the sides while retaining some volumising length on top. Because it's left longer towards the blended top of the head, when it grows out it still retains a good shape, which means less frequent visits to the barber. Mod cut This longer, textured trim will give your mop some flexibility. You can leave it soft and unkempt and still look fresh or apply some product for a more defined look. The fringe also gives you some hair to play with, which can be slightly parted or left to sit on your forehead. This cut can be done every four to six weeks. Forward graduation This layered, textured cut will give your long, luscious locks some bounce and make your facial features pop. It involves cutting shorter layers in the front and longer layers in the back, which will make it grow out more evenly. It is a particularly good style if you want to add some shape, volume and bounce to long, flowing hair. Square layered haircut This boxy cut, which involves cutting layers at a 90-degree angle to the head shape, will give your hair a neat but bouncy look. Like the forward graduation, the layered cuts mean it will grow out more evenly and is fairly maintenance-free.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Truth about how 'frugal' 24-year-old junior sales executive who wants to retire at 40 REALLY saved £95,000
She is seen as a twenty-something graduate who by living frugally has saved £95,000 towards being able to retire by the age of 40. Mia McGrath says she has saved her sizable nest egg by cutting back on life's luxuries like takeaways and boasts of eating pasta meals for as little as £1 a time while living at home with her parents. But despite urging followers to cut back on luxury spending, Mia is also cultivating a parallel brand as a model and lifestyle influencer. Mia, who is signed to both Memesis Models and W Model Management, runs a second Instagram account under her full name, showcasing a far glossier life - with shots from holidays in Paris, Barcelona and Corfu, nights out in Chelsea, and shopping sprees at Prada. The junior sales executive is also facing claims she is in fact paid thousands of pounds by big brands like the BBC, American Express, British Airways and Marshmallow car insurance to promote them. Quite how much she receives is unclear as Mia Rose McGrath - her username across multiple platforms - doesn't declare this publicly. So adept is Mia at offering her services as a way for corporations to 'reach' young people that she even provides a breakdown of her influencer profile in the style of a media sales executive. She details her audience reach by age (85% of those following her posts are aged 18-34, for example), by country and by audience numbers reached: an astonishing 3.1million at last count. She even pitches direct to potential sponsors: 'I'm a 24-year-old London-based creator who has grown a TikTok account to over 125k followers, specialising in personal finance and investing content. 'While my niche focuses on finance, I've also worked on creating UGC [user generated content - ie her posts] for skincare and lifestyle brands, blending creativity with authenticity to connect with audiences.' All this seems distinctly at odds with the tone of her main output to TikTok viewers, describing herself as a 'fashion girly' and 'your financially literate bestie'. And her USP on social media comes from that professed financial literacy: she routinely lectures young people on how to achieve wealth young and offers tips on how to emulate her savings success. And she provides links that go straight to online trading platforms to assist. Of course influencers being paid to produce or promote content for commercial organisations is nothing new - and there's no suggestion that Mia is flouting any of the rules around this practice. But when your whole personal brand is about being relatable on a financial level as you're just the same as other struggling 24 year olds, then perhaps there are issues with this. Social media marketing expert Hannah O'Donoghue Hobbs told MailOnline: 'Mia should be more transparent about how much money she is getting from these affiliated brands. 'I know she does admit to having some privileges, due to her being an influencer, which means she's been able to find things more affordable. But I believe she needs to be more loud and proud about it. 'If you're going to make a living out of posting on Instagram, shout about - literally explains every perk you're getting so you are being super real with your followers and be as open as you can be as a creator.' Mia has repeatedly spoken in videos about her plan to 'soft retire' in just 16-years time - when she turns 40 in 2041. By this, she apparently means that she will still do part time work or things she's 'passionate' about, but won't need to work full time to 'stay alive'. She added: 'I'm not underestimating the work that goes into content creating, it can be an absolute graft and to build the TikTok following she has is no joke but her income stream from paid promos etc should be made clear. 'A lot of these brands look at the numbers, rather than the actual content, and jump on board. 'It's called 'vanity metrics', it will appease board members but they sometimes don't necessarily give too much thought into what these influencers are actually posting.' WIth this underpinning goal, she tells how she has already accrued £80,000 in savings - and regularly shares insights on her frugal lifestyle which involves shunning treats like takeaways, daily coffees and croissants as well as boozy trips to the pub. She has also says that a significant part of her accrued savings had come from saving money on rent by living at home with her parents. On one of her TikTok videos she told how living at home for a year and a half after graduating from university helped her save ''50 to 70' percent of her income at the time- or £22,500. Of course, to be able to do this, it helps if the family home is a £900,000 house in a pleasant corner of Lewisham, South East London. For someone who lives her life so apparently openly online, Mia has been relatively guarded about her family but those parents are Danny McGrath, an actor and drama teacher, and mum Louise Balmain, who adopted her after she was born in China. She also has a sister, Emily. Apart from saving money from avoiding rent she also rails against wasting income on fripperies like food treats and throwaway fashion. 'These are the things I just don't spend money as a financially responsible 24-year-old who wants to retire early,' she said in one TikTok video, which has racked up more than 500,000 views. She then cites ordering food via her phone as a waste of money and says she doesn't even have the Deliveroo app on her phone: 'I won't get a takeaway if I can't be bothered to cook. If you can cook really good food, you just don't need to get a takeaway.' In a similar vein, she also says she won't treat herself to a daily coffee or a pastry: ''I don't see the point of buying one every single day. They're four or five pounds sometimes. That really adds up,' she says. She also appears to be unwilling to splash the cash on trinkets, referencing the viral 'labubu' trend - 'monster toys' that have grown popular on social media - and said she would never be caught buying one. She also doesn't buy 'extra' make-up and skincare beyond the 'capsule' collection she sticks to. She said: 'I couldn't tell you the last time I tried out a new product. I really just stick to the same routine of the same essential products and I just top up when they run out.' And when it comes to nights out, again abstemiousness is the rule, she says: 'I'm just not a big drinker. If I'm out with friends, I'll probably just have one or two.' Despite all this frugality, she is apparently now making enough money from her day job - her LinkedIn says she is a Junior Sales Account Manager for a fashion company - combined with what she calls her 'side hustles' that she can now contemplate spending £15,000 a year on rent. Because Mia has recently moved in with boyfriend Archie Steves a few months ago to a two-bedroom flat in Clapham, South London. She and Archie now pay £1250 each a month for the attractive property in London's Zone two. She says despite this big new monthly outgoing, she can still invest £1,300 in shares every month and has a dividend stock portfolio- with links so that fans can emulate her in this. She has also said she's hoping to increase her savings to £100,000 by the end of this year. Her commercial interests will certainly help.
