Spain - Mercadona - "Listo Para Comer"
The Mercadona "ready to eat" range was first introduced last Autumn and as the supermarkets are being renovated more and more of them are offering a "listo para comer" section.
Have to say, I'm hugely impressed.
Am based in Alicante (city) this August and have seen a rather sharp hike in prices within the past year/past 2 to 3 years. (Three days in Almeria in Andalucía really brought home the scale of the increases as decent food was still very affordable there).
"Listo para comer" helps soften the blow.
The star offering is "berenjenas rellenas". We ate with friends at their chalet in Murcia on the way back from Almeria and amongst the amazing home cooked dishes were these stuffed aubergines. They said they weren't worth the effort of making. Absolutely delicious.
Pizzas, burgers (and chicken or pork sandwiches) are available as well as a choose your own pasta combination bar. There's a salad stand too.
For the other dishes (see photo) prices are reasonable and portion sizes ample.
Some of the foods that require frying can be heated on request at the counter. For others, you can use the microwave at the checkout.
On Saturday night I was with my parents and kid in Altea at the L'Olla firework display (described as the biggest in Europe) and we had cold drinks and a selection of the Listo para comer range as we sat on the pebbled beach. It was a fraction of the cost of any of the local bars (and better quality than most) - the Mercadona was a 5 minute walk away.