What I learned testing supermarkets

Eating Well in Your First Month at LSE

Your first weeks at LSE are full. Welcome week, new friends, learning a new city, the small thrill of finally being here. Food slips down the priority list, until the fridge is empty and you have a 9am the next day. 

Welcome to grocery shopping in London where some supermarkets are tiny and prices swing within a single postcode!

🛒 Know your supermarket (the foundation)

You will use supermarkets the most, so pick the right two and stop overthinking it.

Sainsbury's Reliable own brand range, the Taste the Difference line is genuinely good, and Nectar prices knock 20 to 30 percent off if you scan the app at the till. Best for the weekly shop.

Tesco is everywhere, often closer to your hall, and the Clubcard is non negotiable. Download the app on day one. Best for the weekly shop, especially if you live nearby a big Tesco.

M&S Food for one thing only: when you're feeling fancy. Their salads and prepared meals are excellent.

Lidl if you live in SE1 or anywhere within reach of Borough High Street. Savings are real, around £20 to £30 cheaper per weekly shop versus Sainsbury's. Produce quality is hit or miss, so buy fruit and veg elsewhere.

Honest take: you do not need five supermarkets. Pick one for the weekly shop, and one for top ups (your nearest Tesco Express or Sainsbury's Local). 

📦 Amazon Fresh: useful for one thing

Delivered same day or next day. With Prime Student you get free delivery over a minimum order.

What it does well: the bulk pantry shop. Olive oil, pasta, tinned tomatoes, rice, cleaning products, toilet paper. Order once a month, get it delivered to your door, never carry a thing again!

🛵 Deliveroo HOP: the convenience trap

HOP is Deliveroo's grocery service. Co-op, Morrisons and a few specialty stores deliver to you in 10 to 20 minutes.

The honest truth: prices are 20 to 40 percent higher than in store, on top of the delivery fee and the service fee.

When it actually makes sense: the one time a month you are sick or have a deadline at 11pm and need eggs. That is it.

🥕 HelloFresh

HelloFresh sends you a box of ingredients and recipes for three to five meals a week, starting cheap with new customer discounts and rising sharply once normal pricing kicks in.

What I liked: I learned to cook things I would never have attempted (proper risotto, a real ragu, sea bass with capers). Portions are honest. Recipes are well written.

Verdict: worth trying once if cooking genuinely intimidates you, with the intent to cancel after a month. Treat it like a paid cooking class, not a long term solution.

🎓 My first month plan, if I could do it over

1. Week one: big supermarket shop for basics (rice, pasta, oil, eggs, frozen veg, cheese, fruit, one protein). Budget around £40 to £50.
2. Week two: one Amazon Fresh bulk order for pantry staples and cleaning products. Around £40, lasts a month.
3. Week three: find your nearest Tesco Express or Sainsbury's Local within 5 minutes of your hall. This becomes your top up shop.
4. Skip: HelloFresh unless cooking is genuinely scary to you. Skip HOP unless you are ill.
5. Eat lunch on campus at the Garrick or the Marshall Building café, both cheaper than anything around Aldwych.

Expect to spend around £35 to £50 per week on food once you find your rhythm. Less if you cook in bulk, more if you eat out twice a week.

🥄 The real lesson

The biggest first month food mistake is not picking the wrong supermarket. It is treating every meal as a separate decision. You decide what to eat at 7pm, panic, open Deliveroo, spend £18 on a curry, and repeat this three nights a week. By the time you check your account, you are £200 down in a single week.

Cook a big pot of something on Sunday. Eat it twice. Freeze the rest. Do one proper shop and one top up. Use delivery for emergencies, not defaults.

Welcome to London!!