We spent £17.95 in McDonald’s and look how much food we got

The uni charging self-isolating students £17.95 per day for three meals is utterly preposterous! We wanted to find out just how much food we could buy for that exact same price from somewhere students would want to eat. McDonald’s didn’t disappoint and we ordered banquets fit for queens. 

We are not sure about the nutritional benefit of this lifestyle, and for the health conscious amongst us it might not be a wise choice. But if the other option is paying almost £18 for practically microwavable meals with a piece of fruit and a bottle of water, you might as well. You could always order a side of carrot sticks, one of your five a day – sorted. 

Quarter pounder meal with a chocolate milkshake

As a fussy eater, the ability to customise my burger to fulfil my needs is *chefs kiss* divine. With the university meal boxes you get what you are given, there is no room for any sort of modification. However, with the self-service touch screens in McDonald’s, you can personalise your order until your heart’s content – and I did just that. On my burger I like no gherkins, no mustard and no onions. Call me plain Jane, but I like what I like.

Obviously I made it a large meal, who goes to McDonald’s and gets a medium? Normally I can’t finish all the fries but I polished them all off. 

My milkshake was creamy, smooth, rich: what more could you want from a beverage? There is no milkshake option in the university meal boxes and I think that is unacceptable. 

Chicken select meal with diet Coke

What a brilliant source of protein. Succulent chicken breasts with a crispy breaded coating, beautiful. Moving onto fries, I’m pretty sure potatoes count as a vegetable, and when they taste so mouth-wateringly salty, the diet Coke really comes into its element. 

Furthermore, I decided to order the nacho cheese bits (we haven’t tried her before). Even though I was trying to find my friend the mozzarella dippers, the nacho cheese bites just had to suffice as I couldn’t find the dippers on the menu, and they did. 

When it comes to dips, this can be a controversial topic. To escape the boredom of dry chicken, I’m a two dip kind of gal. Ketchup is a trusty classic and the savoury choice, then sweet n’ sour is an underdog in the sauce world, but the blend of the two sauces makes for a beautiful combination of flavours.

Chicken Legend Meal with Sprite

I selected this meal as I like to get the best of both worlds. You get the combination of crispy, succulent chicken alongside the joy of holding that precious bun in your hands, as the name suggests this is the ultimate meal. The addition of mayo adds a creamy element which perfectly compliments how doughy the bread is, while the lettuce freshens up the palette ready for the next bite. 

Fries are the ultimate side for any meal, but to take it to the next level I couldn’t resist adding a few inside the bun creating the perfect bite. Don’t judge until you have tried it.

The fresh, bubbly Sprite is the ideal way to wash all this goodness down. A Sprite may be a basic choice but you can’t fault a classic.

So it was tested and you can indeed buy three meals from McDonalds for the same price as what the university is charging self-isolating students on campus for meal boxes. Just like Lancaster University, McDonalds serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and they too will deliver the food straight to your door (only this time it’s piping hot). So if you find yourself with COVID-19 in the near future, make sure you shop around before finding your emergency meal provider.

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