Here are 5 places you can get a cheap lunch in Edi

This is in light of the tragic news that the price of the beloved Tesco meal deal has gone up


If like me, you are a fan of Tesco’s meal deal.

You will then be deeply saddened to hear that with the rise in the cost of living, the supermarket chain has announced they are raising the price of their beloved Meal Deal from £3 to £3.40. For non-Clubcard devotees, the situation worsens – they can expect to pay £3.90 (as opposed to the previous £3.50) for a sandwich, drink and snack.

Looks like Sainsbury’s isn’t a much better option with their Meal Deal costing ‘£3.50 or less’

Gone are the days of quick and affordable lunches, which inevitably end up taking an hour longer than expected as you can’t quite bring yourself to get back to that half-written essay sitting at your laptop back at the library. As the days get colder and Edinburgh assumes its haunting gothic chill, the thought of eating cold pasta salad in George Square or the Meadows becomes slightly less appealing. This was previously remedied by the pure joy that you had managed to stick to your weekly budget (those venoms in Subway don’t count), a simple pleasure of which we have been robbed. The worst of our days are upon us!

Trying to kid ourselves that we're abroad and that it's actually warm enough to eat al fresco

Trying to kid ourselves that we’re abroad and that it’s actually warm enough to eat al fresco!

Personally, I would try and get the bougiest lunch whilst sticking within the £3 limit – an innocent juice or smoothie seemed like the obvious choice. £2.50 for a tiny bottle seemed extortionate, but if included in the deal, I felt like I was scamming the whole franchise! For the main, I’d go with the hoisin duck wrap – not quite up to Pret’s standards, but also a fraction of the price, the money I’d saved enhanced the flavours of the arguably rather dry wrap. The snack… another crucial element and one that could either tie the meal together or leave you with three discordant items and a feeling of deep dissatisfaction in the pit of your stomach.

The saddening realisation that you're no longer able to pay for a sausage roll with a £1 coin

The saddening realisation that you’re no longer able to pay for a sausage roll with a £1 coin

So, as the meal deal loses its cheap and cheerful charm and may continue to rise in price in the future, I question who the next Lunchtime King will be. Will we see the rise of the mighty Greggs sausage roll? (Although once £1, has eeked up to £1.15 in the Forrest Road branch), or will it be back to Teviot nachos for pure convenience?

Despite all my pessimism, Edinburgh is still full of great lunch places and perhaps the decline of the Meal Deal will lead us towards an altogether more exciting midday gastronomic experience.

A personal favourite of mine is The Africano Wrap Place, with spicy wraps to die for (at a reasonable £3.50-£4.50 for a very substantial wrap).

If you’ve got a bit more time to spare, Ting Thai Caravan never dissapoints, with food from £4) and Mosque Kitchen is just around the corner from the uni, with quick and simple (but delicious) Indian food and a three-course buffet for only £10 every Friday.

Another honourable mention is Elephant and Bagel, who have their very own meal deal, which consists of a bagel (I’ve heard the brie and walnut is the best), crisps, a cookie and a drink, which for £10 is easier to justify than splashing the £8 on a sandwich and coffee you might in a cafe.

And just when you think you’ve exhausted all your options, Lidl bakery never fails to disappoint!

Mosque Kitchen offers a hearty meal that won’t break the bank!

We live in turbulent times. Our PM has been outlived by a head of lettuce and our Principal’s house maintenance bill costs the same as two years of a uni degree. The inflation of the meal deal is a real tragedy of our generation. £3 lunches, you will be missed.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Omg, Edinburgh is officially the best city in Scotland to go pumpkin picking

• Edinburgh Christmas markets and Hogmanay back on for 2022

• You’ve only lived in an Edinburgh tenement flat if you’ve done 8/10 of these things