M&S Handcrafted Lemon meringue tarlets

Another product from the “Taste of the British Isles” range, these Lemon meringue tartlets are similar to the Banoffee tartlets that I reviewed previously. After sampling the Banoffee ones, I really wasn't expecting much from these. The pastry is nice and buttery with a zingy Lemon curd filling, a creamy Lemon buttercream (which tasted quite strongly of margarine!) and a little meringue piece on the top. These tartlets were ok but were nothing special, I probably wouldn't buy these again.

Price: £2.50 for six

Rating: 3/5

M&S Potato gratin dauphinoise

I've been dying to try dauphinoise potatoes as I've never had them before. This potato dauphinoise gratin from M&S looked irresistible and I couldn't wait to try it. These potatoes need to be cooked in the oven for around 30 minutes, which turned out to be about right. 

The large slices of potatoes on the top were perfectly crisp, but the sauce and cheese flavour were lacking. I found it a little dry and felt it could've done with a little more sauce. I could barely taste the cheese, and the garlic was a little overpowering. Overall, quite a disappointment.

Price: £2.80

Rating: 2/5

M&S Handcrafted hog roast sausage rolls

I was a little shocked to see the price of these. £2.75 for four little sausage rolls?! After taking a bite, I changed my mind and decided that they were worth every penny. I didn't know that sausage rolls could be so delicious until I tried these. Even my mum raved about them! 

These sausage rolls have a delicious flaky, rich buttery puff pastry with a sprinkling of pork crackling on the top. The pulled pork and sausagemeat filling is delightful, with chunks of Bramley apple throughout. I ate these cold and will probably try them warm next time. I highly recommend these delicious sausage rolls, you won't be disappointed!

Price: £2.75 for four

Rating: 5/5

M&S Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma is one of my all time favourite curries, so I was excited to try this one from M&S. I first noticed the toasted almonds scattered throughout the curry – which added a nice crunch but I felt they were unnecessary. The char-grilled chunks of chicken were rather tender and there was just the right amount. The sauce was rich and creamy, I could definitely taste the cardamom and the subtle hint of coconut. There was a slight spice in the sauce which surprised me, as all Korma's I've ever had have had no spice. That being said, this Korma wasn't anything special and I've definitely tried nicer ones. Overall, a rather mediocre Korma from M&S.

Price: £4

Rating: 3/5

M&S Salted caramel whip

These salted caramel whips were on clearance at my local M&S store. Apparently they are being discontinued which is a shame as I really enjoyed this particular flavour.

I'm always wary of anything labelled "salted caramel" as they never seem to have any hint of salt which led me to believe the whole "salted caramel" thing was just a fad. 

However, I was pleasantly surprised with the delicious gooey salted caramel filling, which had just the right balance of caramel and salt. The light, fluffy mallow was heavenly and I loved the thick milk chocolate surrounding the lovely salted caramel and mallow centre. I'm looking forward to trying the other flavours!

Rating: 5/5

M&S Spirit of Summer Key lime pie

This pie looked delicious and I'd been wanting to try it for a while. I was really pleased to see this pie reduced to just £1.20 at my local store. 

I've noticed that M&S have started using the “spirit of Summer” packaging on their ordinary products that are available year round. I wish they wouldn't do this as it makes me think it's a new, seasonal product when it isn't. I'm pretty sure that this Key lime pie is exactly the same as their ordinary Key lime pie, they've just re-branded it.

The pie was packaged in a white cardboard tray which made it a little difficult to cut properly. It was difficult to get a nice clean slice for the photo. The pie itself has a crunchy digestive biscuit base, with a zesty lime mousse and finished with thick strips of lemon zest. I must say I'm not a fan of tart desserts, but I was hoping this pie wouldn't be as tart as the previous ones I've tried.

I was slightly disappointed as although it was refreshing, the tartness of the lime, combined with the lemon zest made this dessert a little too sharp for my liking. Having said that, the lime mousse was very creamy with a lovely fluffy texture. If you love zingy desserts, this pie is for you!

Rating: 2/5

M&S Quiche Lorraine

I always eat my quiche cold as I find it loses it's flavour when heated. This lovely M&S quiche Lorraine is so delicious I think next time I'd try it warm. This lovely creamy quiche was filled with generous chunks of smoked ham. It had just the right amount of cheese without being overpowering. The pastry was nice and light and the texture was perfect. By far the best quiche I've ever had

Price: £2.60

Rating: 5/5

M&S Wensleydale & carrot chutney sandwiches

I'd heard rave reviews about these sandwiches and decided to give them a go. One of my local M&S stores was sold out of these by lunch time, so I went to a different store where they had plenty.

My first complaint is the flimsy cardboard packaging they use for the sandwiches which makes the sandwiches a bit of a pain to get out. I thought that the sandwiches themselves would make up for this minor annoyance but I'm sad to say they didn't.

The malted bread was nice and soft, but I was disappointed with these sandwiches as I didn't like the sweetness of the carrot chutney against the cheese. I just didn't think it belonged in a sandwich as it was far too sweet for my liking. I wouldn't buy these again

Price: £2.30

Rating: 1/5

M&S Handcrafted banoffee tartlets

These cute little banoffee tartlets are part of the “Taste of the British Isles” range. The thick, fudgy banoffee filling was encased in a rich, buttery pastry, creamy banana buttercream, complete with a banana chip. The banana flavours were very strong, I think that there was too much going on with both the banoffee filling and the banana buttercream. I couldn't taste any of the toffee, although the toffee texture was definitely there.

Price: £2.50 for six

Rating: 3/5

M&S Spirit of Summer Alfajores

I was quite surprised to open these and see just six biscuits in the whole packet! These lovely little biscuits are part of the new Spirit of Summer range. The sweet, buttery biscuits were very soft and more cake-like than biscuity. The dulce de leche filling was rich and creamy and made this biscuit a definite winner. A little pricey at £2.50 but worth it!

Price: £2.50 for six

Rating: 5/5