Latest news with #PretAManger
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Supersize me: recreating Pret's miso salmon super plate at home
This week Pret a Manger sparked uproar when it launched a range of new supersized salads. It came as a response to what Pret said was a 'shift in what customers want from lunch', though possibly not from their wallet, with the premium salads priced between £10-£13. But how good are they? And is it right that they cost that much? I set off to recreate the miso salmon super plate at home. It's fun copying the ingredients off the back of a packet to come up with a recipe. With the miso salmon plate, I'm impressed by the original: the plate looks very pretty, and the lightly smoked salmon fillet has an excellent texture. The tenderstem broccoli is just-blanched, and pleasingly crunchy. It's only when I compare the miso-orange dressing with my own version that I realise quite how much sugar must have gone in – ditto the chilli aubergine, which is a bit gloopy (thanks, cornflour). But it's a generous dish, with a triple hit of protein from the salmon, soya beans and quinoa, I have none of my usual sugar/chocolate cravings in the afternoon. Based on the texture of the Pret aubergine, I treated it like the Korean side-dish gaji-namul – steaming the aubergine before stirring through the dressing (minus the cornflour). The homemade dish is very close in taste, but overall my dish tastes punchier, because I used freshly grated ginger and garlic throughout, rather than pastes. The significant difference is the cost: Pret's salad comes in at £12.95, while my homemade one comes in at about £8.14 per person, after factoring in the proportion of each packet/jar used (I got most of it from Sainsbury's and the more unusual/less widely available ingredients from Sous Chef). But if you haven't already got shichimi togarashi, gochugaru (red pepper flakes) or aonori seaweed in your cupboard, then you're setting yourself back £11.65 just on so-called 'store cupboard ingredients' that you might never use again. So £8-ish, plus an initial outlay of £12 to recreate this at home, which is more than a bit steep. The clincher? I'm not the kind of home cook or food writer who ever, ever wants you to have use two pans, a steamer, two sieves, three bowls and a baking tray to make a single dish. You might not mind several processes and more than an hour hands-on time for a recipe, but I really do. Ultimately, I'd say the Pret salad is worth £12.95, because there's no outlay on expensive store-cupboard ingredients and, given its quality (it's fresher than comparable on-the-go post-workout meals). And it'd certainly save me £3-£4 on cake/cookies/ice-cream in the afternoon. Prep InterminableCook 20 minCost £8.14 per portionServes 2 2 lightly smoked salmon fillets 2 teaspoons mixed seeds 2 teaspoons shichimi togarashi ½ teaspoon aonori seaweed ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes ½ tablespoon rapeseed oil 50g mixed black & white quinoa ½ aubergine, sliced lengthways and cut into 1cm quarter moons 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated 2 tsp gochugaru (red pepper powder) ¼ tsp chilli powder 20ml rapeseed oil 5ml brown rice vinegar ½ tsp sugar ½ tsp sea salt flakes 6 stems Tenderstem broccoli 4 heaped tbsp edamame beans 2 handfuls mixed salad leaves 1 ripe avocado, finely sliced and dressed with a little lemon juice15ml rapeseed oil 15g miso paste (I used red) 10ml brown rice vinegar ½ tsp finely grated ginger ½ tsp finely grated garlic ½ tsp sugar Pinch chilli powder Pinch sea salt flakes ½ lime, cut into quarters to serve Sign up to Feast Recipes from all our star cooks, seasonal eating ideas and restaurant reviews. Get our best food writing every week after newsletter promotion Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/gas 6. Put the salmon on a lined baking tray, and scatter with the mixed seeds, shichimi togarashi, aonori seaweed and sea salt flakes. Drizzle with the oil, then bake for 12-14 minutes, until just cooked through. Boil the quinoa in a pan of boiling water for 20 minutes, then drain well and leave to steam-dry for 10 minutes. Put the aubergine in a steamer set over boiling water, and steam for eight minutes, until just cooked through. While the aubergine is steaming, mix the garlic, gochugaru, chilli powder, rapeseed oil, brown rice vinegar, sugar and sea salt flakes . As soon as the aubergine is done, stir it through the chilli dressing and set aside for 10 minutes. Put the broccoli in a pan or large bowl of boiling water, leave to blanch for a minute, then drain well. Whisk all the dressing ingredients. Put the salad leaves in a bowl, then arrange the salmon, tenderstem, avocado, aubergine, quinoa, edamame and lime quarter on top, and serve the dressing alongside.
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The most expensive salads on the high street: Pret causes a stir with new £13 lunch - but commuter are already shelling out as much as £25 on leaves
Pret A Manger caused a stir this week by unveiling a £13 supersized salmon salad targeted at hybrid workers who 'want to treat themselves the days they are in the office'. Social media fury quickly erupted over the price, which will be higher depending on location, with airport and train station branches charging more and 20 per cent VAT slapped on if customers want to eat it in-store. But a salad that costs more than your hourly wage is not a new concept, with other high street lunch spots selling hearty bowls of leaves and protein and meal deals for as much as £25. Retailers inist that these are not rabbit food, but proper meals. For instance, the co-founder of the Salad Project, James Dare, says that their meals will keep people 'full'. But the same cannot be said for one's bank account, as a meal deal from the business cost one woman £25.30, more than twice the National Living Wage for those aged 21. Hybrid workers who might wish to indulge in a fancy lunch during their days in the office might pop to Whole Foods, where salad is measured by weight. But at around £2.40 per 100g, their nourishing green goddess bowls can easily cost upwards of £12 if it has heavy ingredients in it, such as boiled eggs and chicken. It's just one of the many luxurious salad options available for hungry employees to grab on their lunch breaks... but you might need a hefty salary to be able to afford them. The Salad Project, £25.30 The Salad Project currently have seven stores and has expanded across London since opening its doors for the first time in 2021. Founders Florian and James believe eating salads should be a 'lifestyle' because it 'brings you joy in its simplest and most enjoyable forms'. 'It's your new bad habit, except it's really good,' they state on the website. The brand attracts half-an-hour long queues on a regular basis and their success is reflected in the 4,000 salads they sell each day in London alone. 'These are indulgent salads,' James Dare, The Salad Project's co-founder, claimed in conversation with The Times. He added: 'Yes, they are more expensive than a salad you might buy from Pret. But they'll keep you full. You won't need to have a sandwich immediately after.' However, if you become accustomed to picking up The Salad Project daily, you may be left with little left in your bank account afterwards, with some variations costing more than £20. Restaurant deal app NeoTaste tried one of the most expensive salads in London from the self-service The Salad Project branch in Bank. One of the NeoTaste employees ordered a custom bowl made with prawns, salmon, and 'all the greens', however, she got a fright when the bill came to £25.30. This included a super ginger drink and a mini Tony's Chocoloney bar, and she described the salad as 'so big, the lid didn't even close'. The Salad Project also have The GOAT salad, which will set you back £12.95, along with The Big Deal and the Miso Salmon options. This means that if a Londoner bought the most expensive meals from The Salad Project all week, they would be spending almost £65 on lunch alone. The GOAT contains rocket, roasted sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, honey mustard chicken, goat's cheese, maple walnuts and green goddess dressing. Bibi's, £14.75 Bibi's - located in Soho, Mayfair, Bankside and Fenchurch - is billed as a health food restaurant inspired by Turkish cuisine. They offer some of the most expensive salad boxes in London, with their Signature Roasted Salmon costing an eye-watering £14.75. The fish is infused with honey and garlic flavours and customers can choose two sides to have with the protein. This includes rice, cabbage salad, roasted vegetables, hummus, mixed leaves, a carrot salad or a beetroot salad, along with choosing their own sauces. The signature salad box - which contains no meat or fish for vegans and vegetarians - costs £10.20 and offers the same sides. Bibi's was founded by Turkish-born chef and food creative Billur Yapici, known as Bibi, and her partner Tansel, who wanted to bring flavours from around the world to London commuters. Olive + Squash, £14.30 Located in Holborn near the famous landmark St. Paul's Cathedral, Olive + Squash says it offers 'fresh, sustainable and seasonal food' which is made 'from scratch every day'. However, the convenience of having a nutritious lunch whenever you want it comes at a hefty price tag, with some of their salad bowls going for almost £15 online via Deliveroo. The Saucy Salmon Avocado bowl will set you back £14.30, without the cost of delivery and service fees if you're ordering directly to your office. The 'healthy treat' contains smoked salmon, half an avocado, giant cous cous, little gem lettuce, local radish, spring onions, coriander, sesame seeds and crispy chilli dressing. And for the vegetarians, Olive + Squash offers a premium Burrata al Pesto salad. Despite it containing no form of protein other than cheese, it is priced just 15p less than the salmon dish. It contains burrata from Puglia, homemade pesto, rocket, fusilli pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, house croutons, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Atis, £14 Another pricey chain, Atis, has taken over London, offering corporate workers expensive salads in several locations across the city. They have both 'power plates' and 'salad bowls' on offer, with customers having the choice of picking between a chef-curated meal or layering up their own dish. One of the most costly items on the menu is the Miso Salmon Slaw power bowl, priced at £14. It contains miso orange salmon, miso slaw, cucumber, wholegrain rice, baby spinach, crispy shallots and a lime wedge. Atis says it was 'developed to meet the demands of an evolving relationship with food', adding that it wanted to provide a space that was 'reflective of the modern approach to eating'. Other pricey items on the menu include The Big Greek, Chicken Peso Parm and The Steak Out power plates. The Salad Kitchen, £13.75 The business has proclaimed itself as 'London's favourite salad shop' and was set up in 2014 by Sam Cole and Ross Cannon. The Salad Kitchen now has six restaurants and offers different salads based on goals, whether that is to lose weight, eat more protein or cut out gluten - but it all comes at a price. The large Gluten Go Home box will set you back £13.75 and contains a gluten free Crunchbox with pulled chicken, grilled halloumi, avocado, smoked chilli mayo, lemon pesto and toasted seeds. A crunchbox is described as a 'medley' of salads with a choice of pulled chicken, avocado, vegan kimchi, goat's cheese and/or grilled halloumi. The Salad Project's regular Protein Paradise salad also costs £12.20 and contains a crunchbox with extra an pulse, two and a half portions of pulled chicken, smoked chilli mayo, honey mustard and toasted seeds, which all contain a whopping 64g of protein. Those watching the pounds may opt for the pricey regular £11.25 So Cali low-calorie bowl, which contains a crunchbox with kimchi, roast tempeh, sriracha mayo and sourdough croutons. Tossed, £13.99 At Tossed, it appears that vegetarian salads can actually cost more than those that contain expensive ingredients, such as meat and fish. The Harissa Cauliflower salad contains harissa roasted cauliflower with houmous, pickled vegetables, roasted peppers, cucumber, mint and pomegranate relish, baby plum tomatoes, fresh coriander and tahini dressing. It costs £9.99, a heftier price tag than the £8.49 Tuna Niçoise salad, which is made with tuna, egg, olives, baby plum tomatoes, pickled red onion and French dressing. But one of the most expensive salads on their Deliveroo website is the Avocado Caesar Salad, which will set you back £13.99, without the cost of delivery and fees. Customers can choose between chicken or salmon with avocado, parmesan crisps, baby plum tomatoes, egg, croutons, Caesar dressing and lemon juice. Palm Greens, £13.50 Palm Greens' base is pinpointed in the heart of trendy east London, Shoreditch, an area with a thriving arts and culture scene and home to many other independent shops and restaurants. It therefore may come as no surprise that its mantra is 'lunch, just not as you know it', again, promising bold flavours with 'seasonal goodness'. Palm Greens currently has three salads on the menu: Mexican Tostada, Kale Caesar and Miso Mushroom, all of which cost a hefty £13.50 each. This means a post-gym wellness drink and salad would easily rack up to more than £20 per person, as the smoothies themselves are £8.50 alone. Urban Greens, £13.50 With five locations across London, in Kensington to London Wall, Urban Greens are beginning to establish themselves as one of the industry giants within the city's health food industry. The store aims to 'deliver nutritious, powerful, delicious food' for busy commuters in a rush who perhaps don't have time to prepare food at home. Customers can build their own salads, but those in a hurry may choose their pre-made dishes off the menu, however, they don't come cheap. The Salmon Avocado Signature Salad bowls cost £13.50 - 55p more than Pret's salad - and it contains hot smoked salmon, quinoa, shredded kale, pickled cabbage, avocado, fresh parsley, sesame seeds and a basil pesto dressing. The business has also recently teamed up with Paradise, a restaurant owned by British-Sri Lankan chef Dom Fernando in Soho, to create the Paradise salad. It costs a whopping £12 and contains tamarind and jaggery glazed chicken, red rice, broccoli, pickled red cabbage, pickled chillies, coconut and cherry tomato pol sambol, coriander, cashews, crispy onions and a curry leaf pesto dressing. Pick Your Own, £12.45 Pick Your Own champions 'field to fork' has opened its first location on Fenchurch Street, a busy hub full of hundreds of offices, financial, insurance, and legal sectors. The regular Salmon Crunch Salad costs £12.45 and upgrading to a large costs £13.95, almost putting the company on par with Bibi's. It contains ezme fava beans, seasonal shredded vegetables, nut crumble, shredded carrots, green harissa tahini dressing and chilli-encrusted sockeye salmon. Pick Your Own also has a Calabrian Chilli Chicken bowl costing £11.95 for a regular and £13.45 for a large. For that cost, customers receive lemon and herb chicken, baby spinach, shredded vegetables, Calabrian chilli crunch, red pepper and lemon and orange asparagus and courgette. Pick Your Own says its aim is to 'champion a holistic approach to sustainability in the quick-service restaurant industry'.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Popular sandwich shop chain raises eyebrows with £13 salad range
Pret A Manger has launched a new "Super Plates" salad range, priced between £9.95 and £12.95, in response to increased demand for larger, nutrient-dense salads. The new range, which includes Miso Salmon and Chipotle Chicken options, is 60 per cent larger than existing salads and features premium ingredients. Pret stated that sales of its salads have grown significantly, three times faster than sandwiches, prompting the introduction of these new protein-packed options. However, the high price of the "Super Plates" has sparked widespread debate and outrage among social media users, who criticised the cost for a salad. The new salad range will be available in 250 Pret stores across the UK, including major cities like London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Birmingham, from Thursday, 9 July.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pret unveils new £13 salads as office lunch battle heats up
Pret A Manger has launched a new range of "premium" salads costing up to £13, which the company says have been "priced competitively". The four new "Super Plates" - including options like chipotle chicken and miso salmon - are said to be "nearly 60%" larger than the chain's existing salads and are filled with "premium ingredients" including "hand massaged" kale. Defending the higher price point, a Pret spokesperson told the BBC the new range was launched to meet growing demand for "larger, nutrient-rich lunch options". Pret's new offering comes after the chain faced backlash last year for making changes to its popular subscription model. Pret was criticised by customers when it changed its subscription offer of up to five coffees a day for a monthly fee of £30 to up to five half-price coffees a day for £10 a month. It also ended its 20% discount on food, saying it had "never really got comfortable" with the dual pricing system across its food products as it announced it was scrapping the offer. The most expensive of Pret's new range of salads is the miso salmon with a price tag of £12.95. The company said the range had been launched in order to "reflect a shift in customer habits". Like many companies that cater to office workers and commuters, Pret took a hit during the Covid pandemic when the majority of Britons were ordered to work from home if they could. Many employees who have spent the last few years working from home are now being encouraged, or mandated by their employers, to return to the office - a move which has seen the lunchtime market become fiercely competitive again. Pret said the use of more premium ingredients "reflects the growing trend of workers treating themselves to a more filling lunch the days they are in the office". Among Pret's biggest competitors is the bakery chain Greggs. The bakery was ranked as the most popular dining brand in the UK in 2025 and the second strongest brand of 2024, according to data platform Statista. Other competitors include the likes of Atis, Farmer J and Salad Project which already focus their menus on "premium" salads and lunches aimed at inner-city workers. The new Pret salads are available in over 250 shops in large cities such as London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester. Backlash after Pret changes coffee subscription deal Starbucks to hire more baristas in bid to win back customers Could paying £5 for a coffee soon become the norm?
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Pret A Manger unveils £13 supersized salad targeted at hybrid workers who 'want to treat themselves the days they are in the office' - would YOU buy it?
Pret a Manger has unveiled a new range of 'premium' lunch offerings targeted at hybrid workers looking to treat themselves on office days - including a salmon salad that starts from £12.95. The coffee shop chain, which has almost 500 stores across the UK, says its new range of salmon, chicken and butternut squash dishes have been concocted with its in-house nutritionist to meet growing demand for bigger, healthy lunches. Some of the dishes contain nearly 50 grams of protein and are, according to Pret, nearly 60 per cent bigger than its existing range of salads. But the range of leafy greens and beans 'starts from' £9.95 - rising to £12.95 for the top-of-the-range miso salmon salad. And prices will be even higher depending on location, with airport and train station branches charging more and 20 per cent VAT slapped on if customers want to eat it in-store. Reaction to the new dishes has been mixed - with much opinion directed at the near-£13 price point and the ingredients, which include chargrilled chickpeas, quinoa and 'hand-massaged kale'. Existing salads retail for around £8. But Pret - which has weathered the outcry after it scrapped its £30-a-month coffee subscription plan and is now being primed for a potential stock market listing - says it has done its homework and sees the salads as its next big hit. Briony Raven, its chief customer and product officer, told MailOnline that it was 'perfect' for anyone 'quickly grabbing lunch on the go'. 'This new category is a significant step-change in our lunchtime line-up, which we believe will continue the growth we've seen in our existing salads range,' she added. A spokesperson added that the price point matched the time it took for workers to put them together, claiming they take longer to prepare than other salads and baguettes. 'We have ensured our new Super Plates are priced competitively within the market for this type of lunchtime offer,' the spokesperson added. The premium dishes will be available at 250 of Pret's stores across the UK, including major train stations and airports. But the chain may have its work cut out convincing some that the 'super salads' are for them, judging by reaction on social media. 'I've not even spent £13 on a salad before in Waitrose. Think I'll be giving Pret a miss,' said one user on X. '£13? Sod that, buy salad from a supermarket and make a week's worth for that,' wrote another. Another pointed out that £13 is almost £1 more than the minimum wage for adults: the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over is £12.21 an hour. The chain has been here before: it was roundly criticised for selling a 'posh' cheddar cheese and pickle baguette for £7.15 at train stations in 2023. And irate coffee lovers blasted the firm after it ditched its £30-a-month coffee subscription, which gave subscribers up to five free coffees a day. It had been introduced after the pandemic to entice people back into stores but was suspected to be hugely unprofitable after failing to convince customers to also buy food in store, even with a 20 per cent discount. The firm ultimately scrapped the all-in subscription in September last year and removed the discount, stating that it 'never got comfortable' with dual pricing. A smaller number of people took to social media to defend the pricing of the 'premium' product Pret has weathered similar storms over its pricing before - such as when it priced a cheese and pickle baguette at £7.15 when eaten in one of it stravel stores It now offers Club Pret as a £5-a-month subscription that gives members up to five half-price barista-prepared drinks such as teas, coffees and smoothies each day. It is confident that the new salads can capture a corner of the 'premium' lunchtime market amid a long overdue post-pandemic boom in on-the-go food sales brought about by a return to the office. Sales of ready-to-eat food rose by 13.3 per cent year-on-year to £38.4billion, according to research from analytics firm Kantar published in September 2024. Salad sales grew the most, by 19.2 per cent - but sandwiches are falling out of favour as workers opt for more adventurous options like sushi. Experts say the boom is likely down to people returning to the office - with hybrid workers thought to 'treat' themselves on the days they leave the house. The Grocer reported last year that there is an 'increasing willingness to spend among hybrid workers', with data suggesting they spend more per visit than frequent office workers. Some early reaction appeared to align with the chain's thinking, with one user noting: 'It's not a cheap lunch but the quality's there. Sometimes you want a proper, filling salad and Pret's nailed the flavours compared to the comp(etition).' Another added: 'I'd rather go to Pret and eat that for lunch while working on my laptop than pay over the odds... for a meal deal.' Pret is not the only chain to look into the trend of people seeking bigger lunches. A poll of 2,000 adults conducted for McDonalds by OnePoll last month found that one in four Brits skip breakfast on a regular basis. Of those, 13 per cent wait to break their fast do so because they want a bigger lunch, The Sun reported. Chipotle Chicken (£10.95) Made with chargrilled chicken and a black bean mole sauce, served with brown rice, quinoa, red pepper and avocado. Miso Salmon (£12.95) Pret describes this as being served with 'golden roasted salmon' and togarashi chilli seeds, served alongside avocado, black rice, quinoa, Tenderstem broccoli and edamame beans. Butternut Mezze (£9.95) A vegan salad made with 'hand-massaged' kale, roasted butternut squash, aubergine and 'smoky' chickpeas alongside pickled cabbage and carrot, and hummus. Shawarma Chicken (£10.95) This Middle Eastern-inspired dish mixes chargrilled chicken with a spiced sauce, chickpeas, 'hand-massaged' kale, red pepper, cucumber sticks and hummus.
