Marks & Spencer is launching a new range of Middle Eastern-inspired healthy ready meals and lunch options next week, called Delicious & Nutritious.

Going into stores after Easter, the range will consist of 11 ready meals and nine ‘food on the move’ options.

It is the first range M&S has developed under the Eat Well healthy eating banner since Fuller Longer launched in 2010. The other range under the Eat Well brand is Count on Us.

M&S said the idea behind the range, which took 12 months to bring to market, was to offer healthy options that were also in tune with the latest flavour trends.

Containing ingredients such as kamut, yellow split peas, mung and edamame beans, the dishes are heavily influenced by Middle Eastern flavours.

The new meals include Persian chicken and lamb kofta with jewelled rice and pistachio nuts, and chargrilled squid with zesty couscous and piquillo peppers. The food on the move options include Moroccan spiced butternut squash and couscous salad, and roasted harissa spiced vegetable, feta and caramelised onion houmous flatbread.

“Delicious & Nutritious is designed to offer customers tasty options, which are nutritionally dense, but most importantly packed full of flavour,” said an M&S spokeswoman.

All the meals in the Delicious & Nutritious range will contain at least two of the recommended five fruit and veg portions a day. The lunchtime options will contain at least one.

In advance of the launch, M&S trademarked “M&S make today delicious” along with three other variations.