'I ate nothing but £1 Iceland meals for a week and saw one surprising benefit'

A YouTuber who set himself the challenge of surviving solely on Iceland's £1 Value Ready-Meals was left shocked by what it did to his body.

Sam Wilder, who has previously put other well-known food chains like Greggs and Toby Carvery to the test, laid out the guidelines he'd established before starting his week-long experiment.

He said: "The rules are; Number one, I only have a maximum of £1 to spend per meal, which means my full budget is £21. And number two, I have to eat at least three different products a day."

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As Sam was limiting himself to Iceland's bargain £1 selection, he couldn't incorporate some of the more sought-after items such as branded pizzas or Greggs' sausage rolls into his meals.

Sam reckoned that, in certain respects, the opening meal would prove the most challenging.

He said: "I think breakfast is going to be the hard thing. I don't think they do any one-pound breakfasts.

"Before I went shopping, I did have a little look online and whilst there are plenty of one pound options, there's really not very many breakfast options."

Beginning the day with a lasagne, he remarked dryly, didn't seem like the wisest decision.

In the end, Sam opted for Iceland's bacon and cheese turnover – which at £1 for two instantly meant he was comfortably under budget.

Sam highlighted that, despite Britain being caught in the throes of a cost-of-living squeeze since 2021, with costs soaring everywhere, Iceland had maintained their ready meal prices at £1. "I think it's pretty much a miracle," he said.

Whilst voicing some worries that a complete week of frozen dinners might not be the most nutritious option, he was thrilled with his morning selection. "I tucked into my 50p turnover and oh my God, wow, it was genuinely fantastic," he declared.

"The pastry was flaky and tasty. The cheese was gooey and flavourful. And the amount of bacon bits in there was actually pretty, I was really happy."

He was off to a brilliant beginning and his midday meal continued in similar fashion. He had opted for Chinese chicken with rice, and whilst Sam reckoned that rice didn't really freeze particularly well, there was a notable silver lining.

"There were plenty of peas and carrots," he said, "which is great as I was genuinely worried I wouldn't get any veg throughout the next week. So, it was good to see these on my first full meal."

Alongside evaluating the dishes for flavour and worth, Sam was also monitoring his wellbeing, and had stepped on the scales before starting his experiment. He explained: "A week on frozen ready-meals probably isn't very good for you, so to counter any potential bad side effects, I'll be spinning, cross-fitting, or walking the dog every single day. Sometimes all three!".

Making Sam's trial even tougher was the reality that his spouse wasn't participating. He went on: "While I had my frozen spaghetti bolognese, my wife decided to rub it in by making her own one, which looks so much better than mine."

While he confessed that his £1 ready-meal couldn't hold a candle to the homemade version, it somehow became more palatable as he continued eating.

By the end of the first day, he revealed: "I had eaten £2.50 worth of food and was in a calorie deficit by 39% of my recommended intake."

Sam noted that, considering he'd gained a bit of weight on his recent honeymoon, shedding a few pounds might not be such a bad thing.

As his challenge unfolded, another worry of Sam's – the potential monotony – was swiftly dismissed. "There's a surprising amount of variety in this range," he observed. "Snacks, pastries, pizzas, full-on dinners.."

However, some items from the £1 range proved elusive. Sam admitted it took him quite some time to get his hands on Iceland's sought-after fish pie – and when he finally did, it was somewhat underwhelming.

The fish pie contained a relatively small amount of fish – only about 15% – but the other ingredients fared better. "The mash is very creamy," he commented, likening it to the mash that topped an Iceland cottage pie he'd consumed earlier in the week.

"Yes, it's reconstituted potato," he conceded, "but it's creamy and it's tasty. The sauce is nice as well."

Despite being one of the most coveted items in the range, the fish pie was "nothing to write home about," according to Sam, but for just £1 he was still "pleasantly surprised."

Sam was pleasantly surprised to find that by sticking to Iceland's £1 range for a week, he not only saved money but also shed some weight.

"It was cheaper than my normal food shop," he revealed, "so that's a win." He'd succeeded in staying well beneath his budget, spending merely £17 on groceries throughout the week.

But the more surprising benefit for Sam was discovering that by limiting himself to Iceland's £1 range for an entire week, he'd shed some of his "honeymoon weight." Sam discovered that he'd dropped approximately a kilogram during the seven days.

In conclusion, Sam revealed there was genuinely only one significant drawback. "Some frozen meals are good, some frozen meals are bad," he said "but I mostly just miss fresh food."