Fortunately my prayers have now been answered, thanks to the arrival of the new store that forms the centrepiece of the town centre's Henry Plaza. Admittedly my reaction to the new area as a whole was somewhat ambivalent when I first visited last week, but this particular trip would be different - because this time, I was hungry.
 
The first thing I noticed after entering for the first time was not so much the fact that it's set up to look like a series of market stalls, but rather that there are huge neon signs that hang above each area: "FRUIT AND VEG", screamed one; "WINE", another one announced, alongside a huge red outline of a wine bottle in case I wasn't sure what they meant.

By the time I reached "BAKERY" I was half-expecting to see one labelled "BLACKJACK" or "$5 SLOTS" - but my attention was soon diverted by the sheer array of baked goods on display. Muffins, cupcakes, turnovers - it was vaguely like how I imagine heaven to be.

If anything, the sheer volume of dessert options was borderline ridiculous. So much space was dedicated to confectionery that Colin the Caterpillar could have had his own dedicated aisle if he wanted. In fact, Percy Pig almost did: a display stand with no fewer than 40 boxes stuffed with packets full of his delicious little head.
A display of Percy Pigs at M&S Food Hall in Woking
A display of Percy Pigs at M&S Foodhall in Woking 

Someone in Woking must be eating enough of the gummy treats to justify this much shelf space - and I found myself wanting to know who. Maybe it was the guy who decided to dress as his porcine hero at the grand opening.

Whether you're after a tikka masala, sweet and sour chicken or an artisan pizza, there's an instant meal for every mood. Best of all, it always seems as though a lot of those dishes have somehow managed to keep the sugars and saturated fats down to a low enough level that I can look myself in the eye afterwards and say that this evening's dinner probably didn't shorten my life.

Granted, there is probably this much choice at any M&S Foodhall of a comparable size, so most of what I loved about my lunchtime outing isn't unique to this particular store. But we've been starved of this in Woking for a long time, and there are only so many Tesco Expresses that any one town can bear.

 
The Fruit and Veg section at the M&S Food Hall in Woking
The Fruit and Veg section at the M&S Foodhall in Woking 

I did notice a few teething problems, particularly with the automated tills. One poor cyclist had been scuppered in his efforts to pay for a sandwich by his chosen machine's insistence that he was using his own bags, and had to wait around awkwardly while four different employees crowded around to try and fix the problem.

An important-looking man in a suit seemed to be their leader and was wildly pressing buttons on the screen, which seemed to be making things worse. I could have stuck around for another couple of hours to see how the story ended, but like I said, I was hungry.

Instead, I headed home in possession of both my dinner and a new-found sense of gratitude that I had navigated my own check-out without being told there were any unexpected items in the baggage area. I also felt a quiet joy, like I had been reunited with an old pal. Welcome back, M&S - Woking has missed you.