The price lock, which has been extended before, had been expected to end shortly after Easter.

The extension of the price lock will be welcomed by shoppers, who are facing soaring prices and inflation still over 10%. 

The price lock includes items such as British white mushrooms, 300g for £1, easy peelers satsumas, 750g for £2, Granny Smith apples, four for £2, medium egg noodles, 250g for £1.15, and essential washing up liquid for £1.

It runs alongside the M&S ‘Remarksable Value’ range which was launched in 2019. Items within this range are price benchmarked against key competing supermarkets.

The decision to extend the price lock comes as all of the major supermarkets are competing for custom, in a climate of rising food prices where shoppers are trying to save money.

Sainsbury’s, for example, has just launched a new loyalty scheme, cutting the cost of hundreds of products for Nectar card users, while many supermarkets are running price match schemes.

The supermarket also said its data showed that 61% of families are cutting back on eating out since the start of the year and 58% have reduced the number of takeaways they buy.

M&S was also recently voted as one of the best supermarkets in the UK for the experience of shopping in a store, according to Which?.

‘Value remains firmly top of the list’

Alex Freudmann, managing director at M&S Food, said: “Listening to customers right now, value remains firmly top of the list. That’s why our priority is delivering our trusted value promise – offering the best possible quality at the best possible price. By extending our price lock until summer, we’re giving customers certainty on the products they love to shop.

“At the heart of our trusted value promise remains our Remarksable value range. Customers shopping our Remarksable products can be confident each is price benchmarked against key competitors but still sourced to the highest standards. We’ll never compromise on that.”