Our Penny Bazaars sold some basic food items, such as flour, spices and confectionery.

In the 1920s our Confectionery Departments sold a wide variety of items from pear drops to brandy snaps.

Ice cream counters were introduced in 1927, two years later we began selling freshly made sandwiches from the same counters.

M&S food departments opened in all stores, selling canned goods, fruit, vegetables and cakes.

Provisions including cooked meats, sausages, pies, cheese and bacon were introduced to selected stores.

Café Bars opened in a selection of stores.  Customers could order hot meals including chops, steaks or fish and chips.

We established our own fruit distribution centre in London’s Covent Garden – a move to work directly with producers and suppliers that continues today.

Food rationing was introduced. Café Bar and restaurant meals were not rationed, though some foods were in short supply. Our Café Bars were very popular with customers as meals could be purchased without having to use up ration coupons.

After the war we appointed Nathan Goldenberg as our first Technical Executive and Chief Chemist. His Food Technology department went on to improve quality control, hygiene and safety standards across M&S food departments.

1948 Self-service food shopping was introduced. It completely revolutionised food retail spaces, with customers selecting their own food from open shelving.

Wood Green store made history as it was used for the first trials of self-service at M&S.

Our Cake department worked closely with suppliers to produce high quality, fast-selling cakes which could be produced in volume. Swiss Rolls and Gateaux were amongst the first cakes produced for M&S in this way.

Following the de-rationing of sugar in 1953, our range of cakes and biscuits expanded rapidly.

The first use of St Michael on foods was likely to have been on a packet of Almond Crisp biscuits.

We sold a wide range of biscuits in the late 1950s, including Telebars – a chocolate-covered biscuit bar with a coconut cream layer.

Nursing Times published a survey on hygiene in M&S stores, with recommendations on how techniques could be transferred to hospitals.

It included praise of the smoking ban, introduced in 1959.

Fresh, chilled chicken is sold in stores for the first time in newly installed chilled cabinets – it’s an immediate success with customers.

Armoride House opened next to our flagship Marble Arch store as our first separate food hall.

Frozen foods are trialed at Edgware Road store, then extended to 100 stores by 1973.

Products ranged from basics like peas and fish, to meals such as lasagne.

The Food Technology department introduced ‘sell-by’ dates to wrappers, an innovation adopted by other retailers and which would later become a legal requirement.

Foil-wrapped, boil-in-the bag, convenience foods were trialed in 1973, with more boil-in-the-bag products on offer by 1974.

Package holidays were becoming more popular, so M&S food ranges begin to reflect the public’s interest in new cuisine, such as a new range of frozen Indian dishes that included chicken korma and pork vindaloo.

Our ready-prepared chicken Kiev was launched. It was so successful we set up a new factory dedicated to producing the product.

Pre-packed sandwiches were re-launched – the most popular filling was prawn and mayonnaise, which debuted in 1981.

A new range of vegetarian main meals, including lasagne and moussaka were introduced.

We launched the Calorie Counted Menu range with all seven meals containing less than 300 calories each.

We opened our first food-only store at Pinner in London. Customers were offered late night shopping every night, and a 200-space car park next to the store.

Percy Pigs arrived!

By 2014 over one billion Percy Pigs had been sold.

The Count On Us range was launched, with meals containing less than 3% fat and reduced calories.

The growth of the organic market in the UK led to a relaunch of the M&S organic range. It had been withdrawn in 1993 due to lack of demand.

By 2000 we sold 150 organic products in 150 stores.

By 2002 all eggs used in our food range came from free range hens.

Our first ‘This is not just food, this is M&S food’ television advert was aired.

One of the most iconic adverts from this campaign featured the Chocolate Melt in the Middle pudding. When aired, sales of the product increased 3000%.

The popular Dine In For Two for £10 promotion was launched.

The Fuller Longer range was developed with expert advice from scientists at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen, renowned for its ground-breaking research on effective weight-loss.

We introduced a special yeast containing Vitamin D which improves bone health to all our bread.

Two slices of M&S bread now includes 15% of the recommended daily amount for Vitamin D.

We also applied this to all our Food on the Move sandwiches.

As a first in the UK we trialed laser labels for avocados which marked the very outer layer of skin without damaging the fruit inside, saving the use of paper and glue.

We became the first UK retailer to have an own-brand range of gluten-free pastries.

The Made Without selection includes croissants, chocolate twists and apricot pastries, all made with creamy French butter.

We launched food ranges suitable for customers with specific food preferences.

New lines included Plant Kitchen designed for vegans, Halal ready meals and Kosher ranges.

We opened the first Food Renewal store at Hempstead Valley in July.

New displays for fresh produce, larger bakery, frozen and ambient sections, all encourage families to do a complete shop with us.

Our joint venture with Ocado launched.

This included a new Food to Order offer, allowing the full availability of our food ranges to be delivered straight to your door.

We made Food Boxes available to order using capacity within our Clothing & Home distribution network to support our customers through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Box options included Mixed Vegetable and Seasonal Fruit.

We brought all our digital payment solutions under one brand banner – Scan & Shop with Sparks.

This includes hand-held scanners and Mobile Pay Go.

We became the first national retailer to sell 100% slower-reared, higher-welfare fresh chicken.

Following the launch of our Remarksable Value range in 2019, we invested in the price of over 200 products as part of our trusted value promise for 2024.