M&S Soft eating peach and nectarine

Finally, something other than dried apricots on the market.
It makes me wonder if there was a peach/nectarine surplus hence turned into soft eating snacks.
The nectarine and peach were both very different.
When you open the pouch, the smell isn't that pleasant but they taste good.
I was expecting the nectarine to taste nicer but it was chewy and a little tart, however the peach was similar to apricot but much sweeter and didn't have that crunch.

The peach pieces are the lighter colour ones and bigger ones while the nectarine pieces are the darker ones.

M&S Cafe Cherry & Almond cake

I love cherry almond so had to try the new cherry almond cake which is probably over priced as it was found at the Cafe when you might be able to buy it later at M&S Food.
Anyway, it was not cloyingly sweet with a firm and sticky texture and a lovely cherry bakewell taste.

M&S White pearl strawberries / pineberries (Strawberry/pineberry)

Finally got my hands on these white strawberries from M&S Food! Although I have tried them before, I still wanted to get them again.
They are so much nicer than the Japanese ones I had years ago which were really expensive.
The price of these strawberries range from 2.50 per box to 3.70. I paid 3.70 for my box. I definitely enjoyed them as they were really sweet and fresh with the vanilla tones as claimed but not as acidic as the regular red one.
The seeds are red when ripe which makes them super pretty although they are still sweet even if the seeds are green.

As well as M&S, you can also get them at Borough Market.

M&S Hot Cross Bun cake

I'm not a hot cross bun fan but love cakes and this was delicious.
It tasted like a carrot cake with the spices, diced candied peel and sultanas.
Texture was good being soft, firm with a slight stickiness.

M&S Strawberry & White Chocolate crunch granola

I am not really a granola fan because of the sweetness but it is always good to see big dehydrated strawberry slices and chunks of white chocolate.

M&S Hot Cross Bun BLT

Savoury hot cross buns have been around for years like cheese and chilli, tomato and cheese etc and recently the Marmite hot cross bun.

However, the hot cross bun BLT is probably the first in the grab and go section at M&S Food.

Filling a savoury hot cross bun with a savoury filling is obviously a no brainer and obviously cannot go wrong.

So think of it as a bun with a hot cross bun texture and a cross on top.

To summarize, the Hot Cross bun BLT was really tasty and satisfying because of the sun dried tomatoes which have a good umami kick to it along with the smoky bacon, mayo and lettuce.

Robert burns night offerings at M&S Food and review

After missing out on Robert Burns night offerings last year at M&S Food I made a note and remembered this year!

The range includes a haggis cheese bake, neeps and tatties centrepiece, haggis scotch egg and haggis.

My picks were definitely the haggis cheese bake and the neeps and tatties but unfortunately the neeps and tatties portion was rather big.

It would be great if they made a ready meal version.

First things first, I bought the haggis cheese bake which went wonderfully well with oatcakes.

The instructions are to bake it in the oven but I found it quicker in the microwave for 40 seconds.

After indulging the haggis cheese bake, I got the neeps and tatties centre piece which I had over a few days and it was seriously worth it.

I cheated by heating it in the microwave, it just means you don't get a crispy top.

The whiskey gravy was a little heavy and sweet with the mustard seeds but overall it was delicious but even better with the M&S lamb gravy.

Although, I have already reviewed Haggis Scotch egg, the 2023 version was different because it was a soft set egg instead of a hard boiled one which took it to the next level.

Robert Burn food offerings.

M&S Plant Kitchen Victoria sponge cake

Eggless and vegan cakes these days have no excuse to not taste or look the part because there are so many quality ones about.
I was excited to try the M&S Victoria Sponge cake to see how it fares with other bakeries.
Visually it looked the part and the frosting is definitely hard and stiff since it didn't get deformed during transport and the journey home but it was well protected with card around it.
I felt that the cake texture was a little crumbly and dry compared to the regular version.
Overall it wasn't bad if you ate it normally but when you taste the elements separately it wasn't nice at all.
The thing I hated most was the chalky frosting which had a gritty sugary texture.
The sponge was ok but a little dry and all you could taste was this super sweetness.
Thankfully the jam was there to the rescue.
What annoyed me was the price which would put non plant diet people off because it was 25p dearer than the regular one.
I understand it requires more r&d and different ingredients to produce this cake but I felt that it should be the same price as the regular so that people would give it a try or pump the price more to 4 quid.

M&S Food Ho Ho Hoisin Duck Dragon Roll

I know M&S Food Hoisin Duck Dragon Roll isn't an authentic sushi roll but I felt I had to give it a try because I liked the combo of ingredients.

I felt that if I didn't try this, I would be regretting for the whole year as some items might not return next Christmas.

Although, crispy onions are not used in traditional sushi, it is quite common in UK and I love it!

The Hoisin Duck Dragon roll is made with a cherry hoisin sauce, crispy onions, umami mayo, and pomegranate.

The taste of this was amazing as you can really taste the cherry as well as the hoisin and then you have the lovely crispy onions as well as other mind blowing spices so it was quite unsual in taste yet delicious.