I swapped my expensive feather-and-down duvet for a £39.50 M&S alternative – I'm really impressed by its value for money

I put the M&S Duck Feather & Down Duvet to the test to see how this affordable feather and down duvet performs.

In a nutshell

In Ideal Home's round-up of the best duvets money can buy, we rate scooms’ Hungarian Goose Down Duvet as one of the best feather and down duvets you can invest in, as well as the best all-seasons duvet.

I'm lucky enough to sleep with this scooms duvet on my bed every night, and I love it dearly. However, a single 4.5 tog option costs an eye-watering £175 thanks to its premium Hungarian goose down fill. In comparison, a single 4.5 tog in the M&S *duck* feather and down duvet costs just £39.50. So you better believe I was eager to see how they compared.

The good news for our bank balances is that this budget-friendly M&S option really impressed me. I tested the 3-in-1 M&S Duck Feather & Down Duvet 13.5 Tog All-Seasons Duvet, which includes 4.5 tog and 9 tog duvets, fastened together with very useful ties to create a snug 13.5 tog duvet. This means in this one product you’re set for a cosy night’s sleep, whatever the weather.

Admittedly, the duck feather and down fill doesn't feel as premium as the Hungarian goose down in my scooms duvet. The M&S option features a high ratio of feather to down (85% duck feather and 15% duck down to be exact), whereas the scooms option is almost pure fluffy down (90% Hungarian goose down & 10% Hungarian goose feather), and I could feel the difference. The M&S option felt a little clumpier and not as squishy and cloud-like as my beloved scooms bedding.

However, I was still pleased with the warmth and temperature-regulation this duvet delivered, and I stayed “just so” all night long during testing. It also felt far more luxurious than your average synthetic duvet. Overall, if you want a luxury hotel feel on a relatively small budget, I think this is a fantastic option.

M&S Duck Feather and Down Duvet review

Specifications

• RRP: £34.50-£115
• Sizes: single / double / king / super king
• Tog rating: 2.5 / 4.5 / 7.5 / 10.5 / 13.5 / 15 / all-seasons (4.5 + 9 = 13.5 tog)
• Materials: outer: cotton; filling: 85% duck feather, 15% duck down
• Care: machine wash at 40ºC, tumble dry on medium
• Manufacturer sleep trial: none

Feel

The M&S duck and feather down duvet comes in a smart, reusable storage bag with carry handles, but when I first unpacked it, I was slightly surprised by how little loft it has.

It seems I've gotten used to my super-cloud-like scooms Hungarian Goose Down Duvet, and this M&S version felt a little flat in comparison. In part, this is probably because the M&S version is filled with duck feathers and down rather than goose. Goose down has larger clusters and higher fill power than duck down.

However, despite its lower profile, I still found this M&S duvet did just what I love most about a feather and down duvet. And that's to offer a decent drape to tuck in around my body and cocoon me. It's also pretty lightweight. In comparison, my Scooms duvet is much heavier for the same tog rating.

I’ve also tested and own the Woolroom Deluxe Wool Duvet (yes, as a sleep product reviewer, I am spoilt in the bedding department). If I compare the M&S Duck Feather & Down Duvet to the Woolroom Deluxe, the M&S option has a much fluffier profile and more cosiness. On a made bed, it certainly looks inviting to jump into.

I also let out a little cheer when I unpackaged it, because there is a thoughtful and functional design touch here that so many duvets lack. As this is an all-seasons duvet, it comes in two parts: a 4.5 tog duvet and a 9 tog duvet – which you can fix together to create a 13.5 tog duvet.

The design feature I was rather pathetically thrilled about is the ties on the corners and edges of both duvets. This allows you to connect both duvets securely together, and they don’t become uncoupled. In comparison, my pricey Scooms duvets have detachable plastic poppers, which get lost, come off when changing the duvet and add a weird feeling to the whole perimeter of the duvet. No exaggeration to say that they’re the bane of my life.

The one downside I did notice initially is a slight scent of 'game' about the duvet. Although this should fade over time, and is perhaps to be expected given the filling.

Temperature regulation

I am prone to overheating, as is my husband, so we’re a fussy pair when it comes to duvets. We’ve both found our happy place under our scooms duvet, so I was intrigued to see if duck feathers would tick our boxes in the same way.

After testing, both my husband and I found the temperature regulation under the M&S feather and down was very decent, and on a par with the scooms duvet. I used my Oura 4 ring, which monitors my sleep quality during testing, and it told me I got “optimal” sleep under the duvet. In fact, my overall sleep score was above average.

That said, I do think temperature regulation is one area where my Woolroom Deluxe Wool Washable Duvet really comes into its own. It’s hard to beat wool’s temperature regulation when you compare wool vs feather duvets. The Woolroom Deluxe duvet seems to give my husband and me our own microclimates under one duvet.

However, I didn’t find myself kicking the M&S duvet off or wishing it were thicker. Even on chilly nights where I couldn’t wait to dive under my duvet, I felt quickly warm and yet didn’t wake at 3 am in a sweat.

And I am a huge fan of an all-seasons duvet. I like options, and these styles of duvets have three. You can find more info here on what duvet tog to buy, but basically, the 4.5 tog duvet is going to be fab on balmy summer nights, where you still want a cover for security but don’t need much warmth at all. And I love having a 9.5 tog as we move into mild, but not frigid, nights, whilst the 13.5 tog is a cosy winter warmth.

Ease of care

You can wash this duvet at 40ºC in your washing machine at home (or a laundrette if you need a larger-sized drum). This won’t be a high enough temperature to blitz allergy-causing dust mites (that requires a 60ºC blitz that this duvet can’t handle), but it’s a good option to give your duvet a refresh. You can also tumble dry it on medium, which again is hugely convenient.

The duvet is baffle boxed – meaning it's stitched in boxes to stop the filling from slipping. However, I still found I needed to fluff this duvet almost daily. This is pretty easy to do with a quick shake, but anyone with limited mobility or upper body strength might find it slightly challenging compared to a synthetic duvet.

I also found the zippable storage case was really handy for storing whichever duvet I wasn't using. Storing a duvet properly is an art, and this bag will allow proper airflow around the duvets and stop any mould building up (a real issue in feather and down duvets).

Sleep trial

There's no sleep trial available on M&S bedding unfortunately, which does mean that once you remove the duvet from its bag it's non-returnable. In comparison, my scooms duvet has a 60-night sleep trial, and my Woolroom duvet 30 nights.

I do think a sleep trial is a great feature, as although you may be able to squish the M&S duvet in-store if you have shop nearby, it's still hard to guess how you'll find sleeping under any duvet until you actually do.

Things like temperature regulation can be especially tricky to guage until you're actually getting hot and sweaty under a duvet, so this may or may not be a dealbreaker for you.

Value for money

Feather and down duvets are never going to be your most affordable duvet option. The manufacturing processes involved in harvesting the fillings mean they’re more expensive. And these fillings are traditionally considered better than other fillings – especially synthetic fillings – because of the level of warmth and luxurious comfort they provide.

Having said that, the M&S Duck Feather & Down Duvet in the 13.5 tog All-Seasons king-size version I tested is £99. (You can also buy it in separate 2.5, 4.5, 7.5, 10.5 and 13.5 togs if you prefer). In comparison, the equivalent 13.5 tog All-Seasons scooms Hungarian Goose Down Duvet would cost you a whopping £520 – so it's incredible value in comparison.

The fill in the M&S feather and down duvet is 85 per cent feather and 15 per cent down. In scooms, it’s 90 per cent down and 10 per cent goose feather. Down is the fluffier and more expensive filling, so this explains things somewhat. Plus, Hungarian goose down is considered the crème de la crème of feather and down. Duck is its slightly inferior cousin.

Alternatively, The White Company’s 13.5 tog Hungarian Goose Down Duve costs £440 and isn't an All-Seasons design (again, it’s goose rather than duck down).

I’ve tested a lot of duvets over the years, and on balance, I think this M&S option is a really reasonable price for a feather and down duvet. It may not feel as premium as my scooms option, but it does still feel like a good quality duvet. And you are getting three duvets to see you through all the seasons of the year, which I think is great value.

It also scores brilliantly on the M&S website, with nearly 800 reviews and an average customer rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Owners rave about its temperature regulation qualities and how cosy it is, and I will certainly be recommending it to all of my friends as well.

How I tested

Zoë Phillimore

I’m Zoë, a mum of three and a sleep product tester who helps the Ideal Home team put all manner of bedding through its paces to find the top recommendations for our readers.

I tested the M&S Duck Feather & Down Duvet at home, on my bed. I share my bed with my aforementioned heat-sensitive husband, and if I’m very unlucky, one or more of my three children. While I asked my husband for his thoughts, I discounted most of my children’s feedback (sorry, kids).

During the testing period, it was a chilly February into March, with some warmer days – perfect for seeing how the duvet fared in different temperatures. I paid close attention to how quickly I warmed up under the duvet on cold days, and warmer nights too. I also monitored my sleep quality on all nights using my Oura Ring 4.

Other things I factored into my testing were the feel and quality of the duvet, how easy it is to care for, and, of course, value for money is always part of the duvet testing process at Ideal Home. I compared this duvet to similar options on the market, and considered how its performance compares to its price point.