What’s your ultimate meal deal?
Our celebrity supporters share their top picks as they back Mary’s Meals Deals
With the launch of our Mary’s Meals Deals campaign, suddenly everyone’s talking about what’s for lunch! The perfect meal deal combo is always up for debate, so we caught up with some of our celebrity supporters – The Great British Bake Off winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno, MasterChef champion Gary Maclean, and TV personalities Scarlette and Stuart Douglas – to find out their top choices and why they’re backing Mary’s Meals Deals this year.
A £4 supermarket meal deal gives you a sandwich, snack and drink. But for the same price, Mary’s Meals Deals offers school, food and hope for children in some of the world’s poorest communities. It costs just 10p a day to feed a child with Mary’s Meals, so a donation of £4 – the cost of a meal deal – will feed 40 hungry children!
Giuseppe Dell’Anno: Bake Off winner with a big heart
Winner of The Great British Bake Off (2021), Giuseppe is no stranger when it comes to cooking up a storm in the kitchen – but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t partial to a supermarket meal deal.
The Bake Off star told us: “I get to taste a lot of cakes because of my work so when it comes to picking my meal deal, I like to go for something light and healthy!
“My go-to choice is sushi, a protein pot – AKA boiled eggs – and my unmissable sparkling water… What is it with Italians and sparkling water?”
He adds: “Sometimes it takes very little effort to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. By donating as little as £4, you can create a brighter future for hungry children.”
Scarlette and Stuart Douglas: sibling picks you’ll want to try
Brother and sister-presenting duo, Scarlette and Stuart Douglas sat down with us to share their favourite meal deal picks. Spoiler alert: Stuart’s a fan of paprika crisps. Do you agree or disagree?
Scarlette says: “We would happily spend £4 on lunch without even blinking, but that same £4 could feed 40 hungry children with a nutritious meal at school. Stuart adds: “That one meal brings children into the classroom and gives them a real shot at a better future. So, while your meal deal gets you a sandwich, snack and a drink, Mary’s Meals Deals gives children school, food and more importantly, hope.”
Gary Maclean: cooking for a cause
Last year, Scotland’s National Chef Gary Maclean took on the Mary’s Meals Deals challenge – crafting a gourmet lunch for £4, the same price as a typical supermarket meal deal.
Backing Mary’s Meals Deals once again, Gary says: “I usually go for a ham hock wrap, bottle of water and a bag of crisps. It’s quick, tasty and does the job!
“But here’s something that really made me stop and think. That same £4 [cost of my lunch] can feed 40 hungry children a hot, nutritious meal at school. So next time you're grabbing your usual meal deal, just take a moment and think about the kind of impact that same spend could make.”
Feeling inspired to trade in your supermarket meal deal for a donation to Mary’s Meals? Try Gary’s gourmet lunch recipe.
From meal deal to real impact
Swapping your £4 supermarket lunch could help children like Kelcy, an 11-year-old in Zimbabwe, to stay in school and thrive.
Before Mary’s Meals, Kelcy walked an hour to school on an empty stomach and concentrating in the classroom was nearly impossible due to hunger.
Now, thanks to Mary’s Meals, Kelcy eats a good meal every school day. Her mother, Brendah, says the change in her daughter is clear: “Whenever she comes in from school, you see a bright face. Unlike before when she would be hungry, her mouth would be foaming, and she was not so happy. Now, the situation is different. She is more energised than before.”
Brendah feels the positive impact of our school feeding programme herself too. Now, two of her children eat Mary’s Meals at school, meaning she only needs to find food for Kelcy’s other two siblings at home – lightening the burden for the entire family.
Make your donation matter with Mary’s Meals Deals
While your meal deal fills you up, Mary’s Meals Deals fills classrooms and fuels futures. For the cost of a £4 meal deal, you can provide a nutritious school meal to 40 hungry children, encouraging them into the classroom, where education can be their ladder out of poverty. That’s 40 chances to learn, grow and build a brighter future.
Change lives over lunch: donate £4 today and help us reach more hungry children.
Or could you swap a meal deal a month to set up a regular donation to Mary’s Meals of just £4?
Regular gifts help us keep our long-term commitment to children, like Kelcy, who eat Mary's Meals – and they help us plan for the future too. And this year, thanks to a generous donor, every new regular gift to Mary’s Meals will be matched for the first two payments, up to a value of £250,000 – meaning you can make your kindness go twice as far! Set up a regular donation today.
