Brits select favorite grocery store for choosy bits – and it isn’t Iceland or Tesco
With football season, garden gatherings and warm-weather entertaining in full swing, demand for grazing-style food has never been higher.
It’s National Picky Bits Day on Saturday 27 June(Image: M&S)
Marks and Spencer has officially been declared the UK’s favourite supermarket for picky bits, with fresh research revealing shoppers are selecting it over competitors including Tesco and Iceland when it comes to summer grazing platters, nibble plates and picky teas. A YouGov poll found that 44% of Brits identified M&S Food as their preferred choice for picky bits, placing it well ahead of the pack.
The results emerge as the chain prepares to mark National Picky Bits Day on June 27, with singer Diana Vickers and podcast co-host Chiara “Ki” Hunter assisting in reviving the beloved Picky Bits jingle for a fresh campaign. The timing proves perfect, with picky teas maintaining their surge in popularity throughout the UK.
In fact, 43% of M&S shoppers say they enjoy a picky tea at least once a week, swapping traditional dinners for a mix of dips, deli treats, pastries and sharing snacks. With football season, garden gatherings and warm-weather entertaining in full swing, M&S says demand for grazing-style food has never been higher.
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Among this summer’s standout products is the new Topped Chicken Tikka Dip (£3.75), which transforms the retailer’s popular chicken tikka flavours into a creamy yoghurt-based dip topped with marinated chicken, coriander and pickled red onions. It’s joined by the Topped Mezze Dip (£3.75), packed with roasted aubergine, tomatoes, labneh and Kalamata olives for a Mediterranean-inspired centrepiece.
Dips are proving particularly popular this year as shoppers embrace the trend for ‘snackification’, turning sharing platters into full meals. M&S has expanded its range, with products including the Creamy Greek Style Dip (£2.50), loaded with feta, olives, tomatoes and herbs, alongside colourful Flip & Dip pots (£3) in Creamy Basil and Creamy Red Pepper flavours that are designed to be turned out onto a plate for an easy entertaining option, reports the Express.
M&S picky bits
Explore the full range of summer-ready picky bits
For those building a full grazing board, there are plenty of other standout additions. The Mini Fuet sausages (£4) have already sold more than 132,000 packs since the launch, while the Turkish Grilled Pepperoncini (£4) add a smoky, spicy kick.
The Dinky Cheese & Onion Pains au Fromage (£4) offer buttery pastry packed with cheese and onion filling, while the Chorizo & Cheese Tortilla (£4) brings authentic Spanish flavours to any spread. No picky bits selection would be complete without something to scoop up all those dips, and M&S’s Ultimate Dipper Tortillas (£1.25) have been specially designed for exactly that, with their extra-large shape making them ideal for loaded dips and sharing platters.
For those who are loyal to Tesco, there are also picky bits to choose from on the site. It has a variety of options up for grabs including Tesco Walnuts (200g) for £2.75, Propercorn Sweet & Salty Popcorn (6 x 14g) for £2.10, and Go Ahead Forest Fruit Crispy Fruit Slices Snack Bars Multipack (4 x 43.6g) for £1.25.
Iceland also has a variety available, if this is preferred. They have a multipack of Walkers Prawn Cocktail Crisps for £2.15 or an Iceland Classic Dip Selection (400g) for £2.60.
The M&S range of dips have been rated highly by shoppers. For the Topped Chicken Tikka Dip, one buyer said: “Really enjoyed this dip with plenty of flavour to it. Also good in a wrap with added chicken and lettuce.”
Some disagreed slightly, as this person said: “This dip is nice, good texture, my only criticism is it could do with a bit more chicken on it.”
Another wrote: “The best dip I have tasted from M&S, I just couldn’t stop eating it.” A third person commented: “Wow, this tastes amazing, lovely tikka flavour and huge pieces of chicken throughout. So good with crackers.”
