Easter MoneySaving Eggstravaganza

'It cost me £4.60 for four vs £16 from Domino's. Here's how I did it, and you can too'

Domino's doesn't just do pizza, and in the run up to Easter it's added Cadbury Creme Egg cookies to its menu for a limited time – something it's been marketing a lot on TV and online. It's a whole Creme Egg inside a cookie.

MSE Olivia says: Some will think this is a clear case of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should', while some will be salivating at the idea of what's essentially a sweet scotch egg. But I think what we can all agree on is the price for these is far from eggs-ceptional – £7.99 for two Creme Egg cookies.

Domino's codes and deals are often available, but we've never seen these included in those. They seem to neither count as a cookie, nor a dessert in the eyes of Domino's – Schrödinger's cookie, I fear (though unlike the cat, these definitely exist and are definitely expensive).

Now, I'm no Mary Berry – but I am a MoneySaver, and I was convinced I could make a 'fakeaway' version of these Creme Egg cookies cheaper myself. Here's how it went:

The ingredients are simple – cookie dough and Cadbury Creme Eggs. I wanted it to be quick too, so I opted for pre-made cookie dough. A few supermarkets sell own-brand chilled pre-made cookie dough, and based on proximity to me, I opted for M&S Belgian chocolate cookie dough, which was £3 for 300g. I don't have Asda or Tesco* near me, but these are cheaper options if you do (I can't comment on taste though).

One thing to remember, is you'll get half the number of cookies as is listed on the packaging, as you'll need two cookies worth of cookie dough to make one Creme Egg cookie. This means I was able to make four from M&S' 300g dough.

I bought my Cadbury Creme Eggs from Waitrose when it offered an eight-pack for £3.25, so about 40p per egg. This deal has since finished, but you can currently get a five-pack of Creme Eggs for £1.99 (also 40p per egg) at Farmfoods, or for £2.25 (45p per egg) at Waitrose.

So to handmake four Creme Egg cookies, it cost me £4.63, as opposed to £15.98 for four at Domino's, not factoring in any delivery charges – so a minimum £11.35 saved.

If you want to read how I made the cookies, check out 'More info' below, but I'm sure the burning question you've got is, how did they taste? Well of course, to truly know how they compare to Domino's, I had to order its version too. After suffering the humiliation of accepting two Domino's cookie boxes and a large dip (needed to reach the minimum order threshold) from the delivery driver, I roped in my two friends to embark on this taste test journey.

I was immediately struck by how the Domino's cookies (left on the image below) looked like Findus Crispy Pancakes, but they were incredibly uniform and still warm from the oven. You can see my DIY cookies on the right.

I went into my first bite of the Domino's Creme Egg cookie with an open mind, but I was left disappointed. All I could taste was the Creme Egg, the surrounding cookie was tasteless. I've had the regular Domino's chocolate chip cookies many times and I find them to be full of flavour and really rich.

Now for mine: I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but these were brilliant. They reminded me of those gourmet cookies you buy for £5 a pop at posh dessert shops. I think they had so much more flavour than the Domino's ones too. My friends completely agreed with my sentiment.

So there we have it, if you make them yourself you can save over £11, which is a staggering 71%! It's usually possible to get Creme Eggs for about 40p to 45p each on a deal (cheapest we've seen so far this year is 35p each), and if you used the Tesco 300g cookie dough* for £2.45 instead of the M&S one, you could make the cookies even cheaper than I did.

It took about five minutes of prep time, 10 minutes of cooking, and another five minutes for them to rest – 20 minutes all in. That's less time than it takes for your typical Domino's to arrive.

Tempted to give it a go? Let us know on Facebook.

1kg carrots, 500g parsnips, a swede and more

Planning a big roast for Easter? You'll want to hop to it this week to get mega-cheap vegetables. Much like we see at Christmas, some of the major supermarkets are reducing the price of selected packets of veg leading up to Easter.

So far, Aldi, Lidl and Morrisons have dropped the price of carrots, parsnips and a swede down to 4p. Aldi and Lidl are also selling other selected veg at 8p each. Sainsbury's and Tesco have knocked prices down to 15p a packet, while Asda is doing it slightly differently, running a 'five vegetables for £1' offer.

Supermarkets are constantly price matching, so we could see the cost of veg chopped even further, and we'll update here if there are any changes.

Here's the full list of where you can bag a veggie bargain:

Aldi, in stores
Available now until Sunday 5 April

• 4p parsnips (500g) – were 74p, saving 95%

• 4p carrots (1kg) – were 69p, saving 94%

• 4p swede (each) – was 62p, saving 94%

• 8p white potatoes (2kg) – were £1.32, saving 94%

• 8p brown onions (1kg) – were 99p, saving 92%

• 8p 'XL' loose garlic (each) – was 39p, saving 79%
  

Lidl, in stores
Available now until Saturday 4 April

• 4p parsnips (500g) – were 74p, saving 95%

• 4p swede – was 62p, saving 94%

• 4p carrots (1kg) – were 69p, saving 94%

• 8p white potatoes (2kg) – not usually sold

• 8p 'Deluxe' echalion shallots (300g) – were 99p, saving 92%

• 8p spring onions (bunch) – were 69p, saving 88%
  

Morrisons*, in stores & online, with More Card membership (free to join*)
Available now until Sunday 5 April

• 4p parsnips (500g)* – were 74p, saving 95%

• 4p carrots (1kg)* – were 69p, saving 94%

• 4p swede (each)* – was 62p, saving 94%
  

Tesco*, in stores & online, with Clubcard membership (free to join*)
Available now until Monday 6 April

• 15p potatoes (2kg)* – were £1.32, saving 89%

• 15p brown onions (1kg)* – were 99p, saving 85%

• 15p white cabbage* – was 89p, saving 83%

• 15p broccoli* – was 82p, saving 82%

• 15p parsnips (500g)* – were 74p, saving 80%

• 15p carrots (1kg)* – were 69p, saving 78%

• 15p swede* – was 62p, saving 76%

Sainsbury's, in stores & online, with Nectar membership (free to join)
Available now until Sunday 5 April

• 15p white potatoes (2kg) – were £1.32, saving 89%

• 15p savoy cabbage (each) – was 75p, saving 80%

• 15p parsnips (500g) – were 74p, saving 80%

• 15p carrots (1kg) – were 69p, saving 78%

• 15p swede (each) – was 62p, saving 76%

Asda, in stores & online
Available now until Monday 6 April

Any of these five vegetables for £1 (20p each)

• Mild & sweet spring greens – 84p separately

• Broccoli – 79p separately

• Parsnips (500g) – 74p separately

• Carrots (1kg) – 69p separately

• Swede – 62p separately

• White potatoes (2kg) – 30p separately

If you bought the five most expensive vegetables for £1, you'd be saving 73%.

These are great deals, but only buy what you can use to avoid food waste. Make sure you have a plan for how you’ll store or use your vegetables. Rosemary Brotchie, Senior Specialist at the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) told us:

“While supermarkets selling cheaper vegetables over Easter makes it more affordable to feed bigger groups, it can be tempting to buy more than we need. Make vegetables last longer by storing them in the fridge – in fact, all fresh fruit and vegetables (including potatoes) should be kept refrigerated, apart from onions, bananas and whole pineapples. For vegetables that you may not use before they go off, the freezer is your friend – most fresh veg can be blanched then frozen, keeping it fresh for months to come.”

For full tips, see our 15 ways to stop wasting food and drink blog.

Looking for some culinary inspiration? Or know how you're going to make the most of your cheap veg? Let us know on the MSE Forum.

Includes a whole roast chicken, carrots, spuds and Yorkshires

If you shop online at Co-op*, you can get a whole roast chicken, a 750g bag of baby potatoes, a 500g bag of carrots, and 10 Yorkshire Puddings for £5 when entering the code ROASTDEAL at checkout until Tuesday 14 April.

The £5 price tag is just for Co-op members (it costs £1 to join*), otherwise the deal costs £5.98. If you’re only becoming a member because of this deal, then you’re 2p better off by not paying for a membership. However, we’ve seen some decent members-only prices from Co-op in recent months, so, for 2p, it might be worth investing.

You can collect your online shop for free, otherwise delivery starts from £1.99 for orders over £15.

How good is this deal?

MSE Hope says: “You can make a decent saving as if you bought the items individually it would cost up to £9.65 for non-members or £8.62 for members.

“Co-op says its deal can feed four people, so at £1.25-£1.50 per portion per person, it’s an affordable roast option this Easter.”

Have a mooch through our Supermarket coupons round-up for more ways to save on groceries.

Save compared to buying the popular branded version

Branded Play-Doh usually costs about £4 for a pack of four 85g tubs, but you can easily save money by making your own playdough.

You only need four common household ingredients – vegetable oil, plain flour, table salt and food colouring, plus warm water, which should cost about £3 total. You'll be able to make more than four small tubs, so you'll save money in the long run. You can use an online recipe, such as Good Food's playdough recipe.

Use less food colouring to make a lighter shade – for example, make pink playdough with a small drop of red food colouring. It's probably best to make lighter colours anyway, as the salt dough can stain clothes and other soft furnishings.

Including free downloadable clues

A big part of Easter is the fun of a scavenger hunt! If you fancy doing one yourself, you could hide small chocolate eggs in foil around the home, or if you've not got any eggs, why not use small toys or other treats instead? If you already have reusable plastic eggs that pop apart (think the inside of Kinder Surprise eggs), then you're set – but otherwise small Tupperware or plastic food containers filled with snacks, choc, small toys, or even jokes would work.

Hobbycraft has free clue sheets you can print to help you set up the hunt, or they're eggs-tremely easy to make yourself if you've got paper and pens.

Various dates throughout the year

During selected school holidays, if you're visiting a Morrisons Café (find your nearest*), you can get a completely FREE bowl of Kellogg's cereal and a piece of fruit. To claim the deal, you just need to ask for a "Kellogg's breakfast" at the till point.

It's available in all Morrisons Cafés, while stocks last. This is a total freebie with no minimum spend required. What's more, it's open to both children and adults – limited to one bowl of cereal and fruit per person, per day – so the whole family can get this freebie.

The offer is available now until Sunday 19 April, and then again during the following dates:

• Monday 25 May to Sunday 31 May

• Monday 29 June to Sunday 6 September

• Monday 12 October to Sunday 1 November

• Monday 21 December to Sunday 3 January

You can choose from Cornflakes or Rice Krispies with a choice of dairy and non-dairy milk. You can also claim one free portion of fruit and a glass of water.

Morrisons Café doesn't currently sell cereal as an item on its café menu, nor any fruit, so we can't say how much this would usually cost. 

Kellogg's has teamed up with Morrisons for this deal, and it says it's hoping the offer will provide a meal to those who may need it during the holidays when school breakfast clubs are unavailable. Even if this offer is not for you, please do pass the info on to someone who'd find it useful.

See our Restaurant deals and Free (or cheap) food guide for more ways to save.

No minimum spend required

Kids aged 16 or under can eat for £1 when dining in at any Asda Café (find your nearest). There's no minimum spend or additional purchase (such as an adult meal) required, and this deal is valid all day, seven days a week.

Asda told us there's a maximum of one meal per child, per day. The kids' menu includes dishes such as fish fingers, all-day breakfast and chicken nuggets which would normally cost £3.20. Kids can choose from either a hot or cold meal, and now all meals come with a piece of fruit.

For babies under 18 months, you can get one 70g free pouch of Ella’s Kitchen baby food as part of this deal.

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

For Ikea Family members only

£1 for breakfast every Saturday? Sounds like egg-cellent value.

If you head to selected Ikea stores, you can get a cooked breakfast from £1 (normally up to £3.95) when you scan your Ikea Family card at the checkout – it's free to sign up.

This breakfast deal is available from 9.30am to 11am every Saturday until 27 June, and in Scotland the offer includes Sundays too until 28 June.

The following meals are included:

• Small vegetarian cooked breakfast for £1 (normally £2.75)

• Small cooked breakfast for £1 (normally £2.95)

• Regular vegetarian cooked breakfast for £1.50 (normally £3.75)

• Regular cooked breakfast for £1.50 (normally £3.95)

You can redeem up to six £1 breakfasts under one Ikea Family card in one transaction. It's available at all stores excluding Brighton, Hammersmith, Oxford Street, Harlow, Norwich, Chester, and Aberdeen.

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

When an adult buys a main meal

If you dine in at selected Franco Manca pizzerias, kids can eat for free during the Easter holidays when an adult buys a main meal. This deal is only available on weekdays until 6pm, and the dates it's available will differ depending on location – see 'More info' for the full list.

You'll be able to get one free kids’ pizza with every adult main purchased. A kids' meal would usually cost £8.25 for pizza, ice cream and a drink.

There’s no code or voucher needed as the discount is applied automatically.

See our Restaurant deals for more ways to save.

When adults buy a burger meal. Claim via Burger King app

If you order an adult burger meal via the Burger King app (available for free at the App Store or Google Play), a child can get a King Jr Meal for free (normally £3.99) until closing time on Monday 20 April.

To claim your free kids' meal, sign in to the Burger King app, go to the offers tab until you find the 'free kids King Jr Meal' offer. Select either 'add to order' and choose your nearest participating branch, or select 'use at restaurant' to redeem it at the kiosk, till, or through click & collect.

The King Jr Meal includes a main such as a cheeseburger, hamburger, chicken nuggets or vegan nuggets, a side of fries or apple slices, and a drink. The adult meal must be an adult burger meal (King Saver burgers and all Melts burgers are excluded from the offer). 

This deal is limited to one free kids' meal per transaction. Offer is not valid on delivery.

This offer is available at all restaurants, excluding train stations, airports, service stations, and holiday parks.

See more places kids eat for 'free'.

When an adult buys a main meal

If you dine in at Bella Italia (find your nearest), little ones can eat for free Sunday to Thursday year-round when an adult main meal is purchased.

The deal runs throughout the year and entitles one child to eat for free when an adult purchases a main meal. For example, if two adults order a main, then two children can eat for free.

Bella Italia told us there is no code needed to claim this deal, this is automatically applied to your bill. Kids will be able to get a starter, main, pudding and Cawston pressed juice. Kids meals usually cost between £6.49 and £8.49.

This offer is not available at restaurants within Center Parcs, Edinburgh Northbridge, Milton Keynes Stadium on event days, London Cranbourn St, Irving St, Queensway 110, Queensway 55, St Martins Lane, Strand, South Kensington, Shaftesbury Avenue and Wellington Street. 

This cannot be used alongside any other offer, set menu, voucher or Tesco Clubcard deal, and is a dine-in only offer. There is currently no end date to this deal. 

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When an adult buys a main meal

If you dine in at a Flaming Grill (find your nearest), a child can eat for free when an adult buys a main meal. The deal is running over the Easter holidays on weekdays only until Friday 17 April.

With this deal, a child (aged 12 and under) can choose one free 'little appetites' meal (normally £3.99) and a free dessert (normally £1.99), when an adult purchases a main meal (normally £8.79 to £16.69). Prices can vary depending on location.

Little appetites meals include chicken nuggets, sausages, veggie alternatives, a beef burger, a roast chicken fillet and tomato pasta. If your child is a tad hungrier, you can upgrade and order from the bigger appetites menu for £1.

There’s no code or voucher needed as the discount is applied automatically. See the Flaming Grill website for full T&Cs.

See our Restaurant deals for more ways to save.

When an adult spends £15 and shows app code

If you dine in at any Turtle Bay restaurant (find your nearest), you can get one free kids' meal for each adult spending £15 or more when you show a code within its app (available for free on Apple and Android).

This is an ongoing offer available every day of the week with no end date. The £15 spend can be on either food and drinks. You'll need to show your app code to staff when asking for the bill.

A kids' meal would usually cost £8 and little ones will be able to claim one free main and a small soft drink per paying adult with this offer.

Children must be under 10 and this can't be used with any other offer or promotion. This is only for dine-in only, and you can't use it on event days.

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

When an adult main is purchased

If you dine in at Farmhouse Inn (find your nearest) or a Farmhouse Kitchen (find your nearest), you can get up to two kids’ meals when one adult purchases a main meal. The offer is valid for up to four adults and eight children (aged 12 and under) dining together.

It’s available from Monday to Friday until Friday 17 April, and excludes weekends and bank holidays. Kids' meals include a free standard or vegetarian kids’ breakfast, a junior carvery, or small pick n mix mains, and a scoop of ice cream. Adults must order either a buffet breakfast, main or carvery.

Children’s dishes cost between £5 and £7, while adult main meals cost between £8 and £13, but this can differ depending on your location. Overall, it’s a decent saving.

You don’t need to register for this offer, just simply dine in (it's not available for takeaway or delivery).

See our Restaurant deals & vouchers page for other dining out deals.

When an adult buys a cooked breakfast. Valid every day

Up to two children aged under 16 can eat a 'free' breakfast at any Beefeater restaurant (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast, which costs £10.99.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. Beefeater told us this is an ongoing deal with no specific end date. 

Kids can choose from either a full cooked breakfast including bacon, sausages (meat or vegan options), eggs, hash browns, beans, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding. Or they can opt for a continental selection including toast, yoghurt, porridge and pastries.

This deal is also available at all Premier Inn hotels and its integrated or adjoining Whitbread restaurants including Bar + Block, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, and Whitbread Inns.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When adult buys a cooked breakfast. Valid every day

Up to two children aged under 16 can eat a 'free' breakfast at any Brewers Fayre restaurant (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast. An adult cooked breakfast costs £10.99.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. Brewers Fayre told us this is an ongoing deal with no specific end date. 

Kids can choose from either a full cooked breakfast including bacon, sausages (meat or vegan options), eggs, hash browns, beans, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding. Or they can opt for a continental selection including toast, yoghurt, porridge and pastries.

This deal is also available at all Premier Inn hotels and its integrated or adjoining Whitbread restaurants including Bar + Block, Beefeater, Table Table, and Whitbread Inns.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When an adult buys a cooked breakfast. Valid every day

Up to two children aged under 16 can eat a 'free' breakfast at any Table Table restaurant (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast. An adult cooked breakfast costs £10.99.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. Table Table told us this is an ongoing deal with no specific end date. 

Kids can choose from either a full cooked breakfast including bacon, sausages (meat or vegan options), eggs, hash browns, beans, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding. Or they can opt for a continental selection including toast, yoghurt, porridge and pastries.

This deal is also available at all Premier Inn hotels and its integrated or adjoining Whitbread restaurants including Bar + Block, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, and Whitbread Inns.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When an adult buys a main meal. Valid every day

If you're visiting a Morrisons Café (find your nearest*), you can get a free kids' meal (normally costing £4) when purchasing an adult main meal for £5 or more. The offer is valid every day, all times of the day until cafés close. Morrisons has confirmed this is an ongoing offer, but we'll update you here if that changes. This offer isn't valid on café specials. 

The free kids' meal comes with a kids' drink. Kids can choose between a hot meal on the café kids menu or a pick 'n' mix style meal, including a sandwich, snack and drink. The hot meal includes one main, one side and a veg option. The following items are some of the main meals available on the café kids' menu:

• Chicken dippers  

• Fish fingers (veggie alternative available)

• Mini cheese pizza

See our Restaurant deals for more ways to save.

When an adult spends £15

If you dine in at any The Real Greek restaurant (find your nearest) on a Sunday, you can get one free kids' meal for each adult spending £15 or more. The £15 spend is valid across all menu items, including drinks.

This deal applies all times of the day, on Sundays only.

No code is required, the promotion is automatically applied to the bill. The free kids' meal includes a main (choose from a souvlaki wrap or a meze selection), a drink and an ice cream or sorbet dessert. A kids' meal would usually cost £7.

Children must be under 12 and this can't be used with any other offer or promotion. One free kids' meal per adult spending £15. 

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

When an adult spends £4 in café

If you're visiting a Dunelm* (find your nearest*) and fancy a bite to eat, head to its in-store café, Pausa, and kids can eat for 'free' when an adult spends £4. 

No code is required, the promotion is automatically applied to the bill. This offer is available in all Pausa Cafés across the UK every day of the week, from opening until cafés close. Dunelm told us this is an on-going deal with no end date.

The 'free' kids' meal includes a main (example dishes include a jacket potato with cheese, chicken & pesto wrap, or a cheese pizza), as well as two snacks and a drink. This would usually cost up to £5.25. 

The £4 spend must be made in the Pausa Café (not Dunelm) and the deal applies to the entire kids' menu. One child can eat for free with every £4 spent, so if you spend £8 then two children can claim a free meal. 

See our Restaurant deals for more ways to save.

When an adult buys a main meal

If you go into your local Hungry Horse pub (find your nearest) on a weekday until Friday 17 April, up to two kids can eat from £1 when an adult purchases a main meal.

There's no code or voucher needed as the discount is applied automatically. With this deal, a child gets a main, drink and pudding. For kids with bigger appetites, you can upgrade to a larger meal for an extra 50p.

An adult main meal normally costs between £7.99 and £13.99, while kids' meals usually costs between £3.99 and £4.99, although prices may vary.

The offer is for dine-in only. See the Hungry Horse website for full T&Cs.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers.

When an adult buys a main meal

If you head to your local Dobbies Garden Centre restaurant (find your nearest store), kids can eat for £1 when an adult main meal is purchased (£8.95-£11.75). There's no code needed, this is automatically applied to your bill. 

This deal is available daily from 9am until restaurant closing time, but this may vary depending on location. There is currently no end date for this offer but we’ll update you here if that changes.

Kids can choose from the children's breakfast and lunch menu, which includes hot food, as well as the pick & mix box – both are served with a drink. Kids' meals usually cost £5.20. There's no limit to how many free meals can be claimed either, so for every adult main meal purchased, one free kids' lunch main or box is redeemable.

This offer is not available in any of the 'Little Dobbies' stores, and the following Dobbies’ stores: Andover, Lelant, Marple, Reading, York and Anchorwood.

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

When an adult buys an unlimited breakfast

Up to two children aged under 15 can get a breakfast for a £1 each Travelodge hotels (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week (though this will vary depending on location) and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. This is an ongoing deal with no specific end date.

An unlimited adult breakfast normally costs from £9.99. It doesn't matter if you're a guest or not at Travelodge hotels, this offer applies to walk-ins too. This offer doesn't apply to 'Breakfast To Go'.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers.

When an adult buys a main meal

If you head to your local Sizzling Pub on a Monday after 12pm (find your nearest) and purchase a main meal (usually between £6-12), you can get a kids' meal for £1 when ordered at the same time. There’s no code or voucher needed, the discount will be applied automatically.

The kids' menu includes dishes such as fish fingers and pasta which would usually cost from £3.29.

This is valid at all Sizzling Pubs restaurants. All food must be purchased in the same transaction for this deal to apply. This offer won't work on the breakfast or any other set menu.

Sizzling Pubs confirmed there is no age limit to kids claiming the £1 meal, however some users have told us they tried to redeem it and were told it is only for children aged five and under, so it may be worth checking with your local branch before claiming this offer.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers.