Just when you thought the Tesco Meal Deal couldn’t get any more chaotic, Pot Noodle has entered the chat.
In a move that feels both completely unhinged and somehow inevitable, Tesco is now letting shoppers swap crisps, fruit or a chocolate bar for a Chicken & Mushroom Pot Noodle in more than 600 stores.
Yes, your meal deal can now include a hot pot of noodles.
For years, people have been creating what the internet christened the “Pot Noodle sandwich”: a sandwich, plus a Pot Noodle, consumed together in what can only be described as peak British lunch culture. Unilever reckons social media posts about the combo reached millions of people, so naturally someone decided to make it official.
The Chicken & Mushroom flavour, arguably the beige king of the Pot Noodle universe, has been chosen as the first meal deal option. You’ll now find it sitting alongside the usual snack suspects in Tesco’s food-to-go section.
And honestly? If you’re paying nearly four quid for a meal deal anyway, adding an entire hot Pot Noodle instead of a tiny bag of ready salted crisps feels like a bit of a power move.
Unilever says shoppers are hunting for better value lunches and more choice, which is corporate-speak for: people have realised crisps don’t fill them up.
The launch also confirms something we’ve all known for years. The meal deal wars are becoming increasingly ridiculous.
We’ve gone from choosing between a KitKat or a packet of McCoy’s to deciding whether a pot of instant noodles counts as a snack.
At this point we’re one Tesco board meeting away from someone suggesting a whole lasagne as a side.
The Pot Noodle option is available as part of both Tesco’s standard and premium meal deals, meaning your lunchtime choices have officially become a lot more chaotic.
And we’re completely here for it. 🍜🥪
