M&S Christmas Yuletide Log

I picked up this scrumptious looking Yule log a few days before Christmas; I wanted to compare it to the previous Yule log as this one is refrigerated and the other one isn't. It consists of milk chocolate ganache instead of chocolate buttercream, along with a chocolate mousse and sauce throughout the centre.

I'm not usually a fan of rich, chocolate desserts, but I had to make an exception for this Yule log.

The chocolate sponge was incredibly moist and chocolatey; the milk chocolate ganache and mousse was rich, chocolatey and indulgent. There was also plenty of the ganache; it was thick and fudgy. I didn't notice the chocolate sauce at all, but it was so delicious I didn't care.

This is probably even better than the previous non- refrigerated Yule log I reviewed. I am extremely possessive over this Yuletide log and have had great difficulty in sharing it.

Price: £10

Rating: 5/5

M&S Turkey & Stuffing Pie

I'm going to cut to the chase; this pie was AMAZING! This is the best pie that I have ever tasted.

"All butter pastry with pieces of turkey breast and thigh, pork, sage and onion stuffing and smoked bacon in a cranberry gravy".

There were plenty of tender chunks of turkey and smoked bacon, tasty and full of flavour. The stuffing was nice and I loved the cranberry gravy which was subtle but sweet without dominating the other flavours.

The pastry was outstanding. I have never tasted such a rich, buttery shortcrust pie pastry before. It was flaky and light and held the filling perfectly.

This was a brilliant idea which brought some of the traditional Christmas trimmings all together into pie form, and it worked!

Well done, M&S! 

Price: £3.50

Rating: 5/5

M&S Snowy Road Mini Bites

"Clusters of sweetened dried cranberries, candied ginger, biscuit pieces, crisped rice and white mallows, in a yogurt flavoured coating".

I loved the concept of these Snowy Mini Bites; a festive version of the traditional rocky road with a twist.

The candied ginger was the most noticeable flavour; it was too overpowering against the other flavours which I couldn't really taste. The contrasting texture of the soft marshmallows and the crisped rice was nice, though.

Some of the mini bites didn't seem to contain any ginger pieces, so I was able to taste the other flavours a little better. I liked the buttery biscuit pieces, the slight sharpness of the cranberries and the yogurt coating was pleasant.

Whilst I really liked the idea of these, I felt that it was all very sickly and overwhelming as there were so many sweet flavours. The ginger was so strong it ruined it a bit, too. I really don't think the ginger is necessary as it doesn't complement the other flavours.

Price: £2.60

Rating: 2/5

M&S The Collection Mince Pies

I've been looking for the perfect mince pie since last Christmas; I think my search is finally over.

These mince pies are from The Collection range at M&S. They are beautifully presented with a pretty snowflake design. I love their compact, neat shape, too.

Slight criticism: The edges of the snowflakes were a little overdone, although this didn't affect the quality or flavour in any way. This may need to be revised slightly, although it does give the mince pie a more home-made look.

The pastry was just perfect - it held together well without being a crumbly mess, it had a nice buttery flavour, too. It reminded me of that nice, buttery shortbread taste, which was just what I was looking for!

The mincemeat filling was delicious and packed full of juicy fruits. The beautiful citrus clementine flavour was the first thing I noticed, along with a lovely hint of brandy. 

I just loved everything about these mince pies; the design, the shape, the pastry, the citrus notes of the mincemeat filling. Absolutely scrumptious!

Well done M&S, please don't change the recipe!

Price: £2.50 for six

Rating: 5/5

M&S Top Iced Bar Christmas Cake

I'm not a huge fan of fruit cake, but I do like marzipan and icing, so I'm willing to compromise as it's Christmas.

Firstly, I loved the Holly leaf pattern on the icing- a nice little touch!

The cake was very rich, as it should be! There were plenty of sultanas, currants, raisins and cherries which were juicy and plump, very tasty. 

Sadly, my favourite part (the icing and marzipan) was a huge let down. The layers of marzipan and icing were both very thin. The marzipan was very dry and crumbly and pretty tasteless. 

The icing wasn't very soft; a little on the dry side. 

As fruit cake is so rich, the marzipan helps break it up a little with the contrasting almond flavour - but this marzipan was rather bland.

Overall, a lovely fruitcake with lots of plump, juicy fruit. However, the icing and marzipan let this fruitcake down. The layers of marzipan and possibly the icing, need to be much thicker. The marzipan also needs to be improved as the texture was far too dry and it lacked that nice, distinct almond flavour.

Rating: 2/5

M&S Yule Log

I'm so pleased to hear that M&S have brought out this yule log again this year. I had written a review for this yule log last year, but never got around to uploading it to the blog.

A rich, chocolately light swiss roll, filled with a superb chocolate buttercream, and finally covered in a rich chocolate fudge coating.

This chocolate yule log by M&S was perfect in every way. It was incredibly indulgent with a lovely, rich chocolatey flavour. The chocolate buttercream filling and chocolate fudge coating was to die for - very good.

This is a really impressive yule log by M&S and is highly recommended!

Price: £5.00

Rating: 5/5

M&S All Butter Sultana Cookies

These All butter sultana cookies remind me of childhood, my grandmother always had these in her biscuit tin every week when my brother and I would visit.

They used to be a lot bigger back then, but the luxurious buttery taste has not changed at all. A deliciously melt in the mouth buttery cookie, with sweet, juicy sultanas. The texture of the cookie is spot on; slightly crunchy with just the right amount of softness towards the centre. Absolutely delicious!

Price: £2.00 for 15 cookies

Rating: 5/5

M&S Millionaire's Mini Bites

Following on from the Chocolate Chunk Flapjack Mini Bites Review I posted yesterday, I present you with the review of these M&S Millionaire's Mini Bites.

These Millionaire's mini bites consist of crisped rice, shortbread and digestive biscuit pieces, with a layer of caramel and covered in milk chocolate.

These were nice and crunchy; I couldn't taste the flavour of the shortbread or digestive pieces, though. That was quite disappointing as I love shortbread.

The caramel was lovely and smooth with plenty of flavour. The milk chocolate covering was creamy and indulgent.

I must say I was expecting a bit more from these. They were nice but the description of the shortbread and caramel made me think of something more indulgent, like a caramel shortbread. 

I think this product could be improved by using just a thick layer of caramel and sticking to one biscuit to really appreciate the depth of the flavours. I just felt the biscuit pieces along with the crisped rice was too much, and the caramel flavour and the texture of the puffed rice dominated the other flavours.

Price: £2.60

Rating: 3/5

M&S Chocolate Chunk Flapjack Mini Bites

These various tubs of mini bites are great! Good value for money, they taste great and there are a generous amount in each tub. Check out previous reviews of M&S Chocolate Brownie Mini Bites and M&S All Butter Flapjack Mini Bites.

I loved the buttery smell of these chocolate chunk flapjacks, which hit me as soon as I opened the tub. Each mini flapjack is just right in size with a lovely rich, homemade buttery taste.

They taste exactly how a flapjack should - soft, chewy and buttery. The chocolate chunks were a lovely addition, too. I really enjoyed these and would buy them again!

Price: £2.60

Rating: 5/5

M&S Strawberry Meringues

These little strawberry meringues are so pretty, with an attractive two tone white and pink meringue. The meringue is extremely light, perfectly crisp on the outside, while the inside just melts in the mouth. 

The strawberry flavoured whipped cream was absolutely perfect, not too sweet with a fresh and subtle strawberry taste. The sweet white chocolate on the inside was a superb accompaniment against the fresh strawberry.

A delicious, light dessert that everyone will enjoy. Highly recommended!

Price: £1.50 for two

Rating: 5/5

M&S All Butter Mince Pies

It's that time of year again, where I will be reviewing many of the delicious M&S Christmas food products in the run up to the festive season. Please comment below if there is a Christmas product from their range that you would like me to review on this blog.

M&S have a lovely varied range of mince pies, some of which will be featured on this blog. Last year I reviewed the M&S Frangipane Mince pies  which were a nice twist to the traditional mince pie. Today I will be reviewing these cute star all butter mince pies.

I always like a mince pie to have a nice, soft and rich buttery flavour. The shortcrust pastry on these all butter mince pies was exactly what I was hoping for. Lovely, rich and buttery which reminded me of shortbread. However, a tad on the dry and crumbly side; the pastry could've been a little softer.

The mincemeat filling was bursting with juicy sultanas and currants, but there wasn't quite enough of it and it was also a little on the dry side.

Overall, this is a nice mince pie with a beautiful buttery pastry and a tasty mincemeat filling. The slight dryness of both the pastry and the filling is somewhat overlooked  due to the lovely pastry and mincemeat flavours. Definitely worth a try!

Price: £2.50 for six

Rating: 4/5

M&S Apple & Mango High Juice

This apple and mango high juice by M&S is delicious and very refreshing. The sweet mango worked beautifully with the subtle apple flavour. Very good!

Rating: 5/5

M&S Custard Choux Buns

A deliciously light, melt in the mouth choux pastry, filled with creamy vanilla custard and topped with a chocolate fondant.

A lovely alternative to the cream choux buns, these custard choux buns were absolutely divine. I loved the vanilla beans throughout the custard. The Chocolate fondant topping was beautiful - very rich with a silky soft ganache texture. 

I highly recommend these; just make sure you leave some for me!

Rating: 5/5

M&S White Chocolate Milkshake

A very sweet and creamy white chocolate milkshake by M&S. It had a strong vanilla taste, but there wasn't much of a white chocolate flavour. I think the addition of some white chocolate pieces would improve the white chocolate flavour. 

Price: £1.30

Rating: 3/5

M&S Iced Raspberry Soft Buns

A few of my local M&S stores aren't that great with displaying fresh items in the bakery section. I noticed that with a few of their products, they tend to taste stale and dry. Unfortunately, these Raspberry iced buns were very dry. 

The raspberry icing was quite pleasant with a subtle raspberry flavour.  The raspberry jam was nice and fruity, it also inadvertently helped with the dryness of the bun. They just didn't have that nice freshly baked smell that you'd expect. 

I would only buy these again if they seemed fresh, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Price: £1.30 for five

Rating: 2/5

M&S Bangers & Mash With Onion Gravy

A ready meal for one, consisting of two sausages in a rich onion gravy and mashed potato.

I thought the sausages were nice enough - not amazing but OK. The onion gravy was tasty and full of flavour; not enough of it though.

The mash was awful; really tasteless and bland. It reminded me of instant mash, not the creamy buttery mash I was expecting. Quite disappointing.

Rating: 2/5

M&S Gastropub Ham & Chicken Crumble

Smoked ham and chicken topped with a potato and leek crush, with a cheddar mustard crumb.

The smoked ham and chicken pieces were nice and tender; they went really well with the creamy, rich potato and leek sauce. The cheddar and mustard crumb was a nice addition; I liked the crunchy texture.

However, the smokiness of the ham coupled with the mustard crumb was far too overpowering. Both flavours were too strong to have together. Unsmoked ham, or just chicken would work better for this dish. 

Price: £4.00

Rating: 3/5

M&S Sweet Potato Chips

These sweet potato fries were really tasty. A nice, crunchy texture with a very sweet flavour. I found them a lot more filling than ordinary chips because of the sweetness. There weren't that many in the bag, though.

Rating: 4/5

M&S British Strawberry Milkshake

A lovely thick, creamy milkshake with a nice, fresh strawberry flavour. Not the best I've had but it was still rather nice.

Price: £1.30

Rating: 3/5

M&S Ham & Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Toastie

A nice comforting toastie with lots of gooey cheese, tangy mustard and thickly sliced ham. It wasn't quite as crisp as I thought it would be; the bread was quite soggy - possibly due to the mustard. It was still nice and comforting though, and I would buy it again.

Rating: 4/5

M&S Honey Barbecue Wholegrain Snacks

I really enjoyed these little snacks. They had a lovely, sweet barbecue flavour and I could really taste the honey. The wholegrain works really well against the sweet/tangy flavour of the barbecue/honey combination. A new favourite of mine that I will buy again and again!

Price: £1.00

Rating: 5/5

M&S Coconut & Raspberry Homebake Style Shortbread Fingers

A generous box of coconut and raspberry shortbread fingers. I like the homebaked touch; they really do look homemade and fresh from the kitchen.

Upon opening the box, I was met with a pleasant raspberry and coconut smell. The fingers of shortbread were thick and generous in size, with a crumbly, crunchy texture. I believe this is because of the longer, more slowly baked method, as it says on the box.

As I tucked into the shortbread, I noticed the sharpness of the raspberry, and the subtle coconut taste. I was expecting these to be rich and buttery, but they lacked any buttery flavour as you'd normally expect from shortbread, so this was rather disappointing.

I felt they were quite bland and lacking in both the rich buttery flavour and sweetness to offset the sharpness of the raspberry. The coconut just didn't sweeten it enough.

Price: £2.00

Rating: 2/5

M&S Blackcurrant Sundaes

A lot of people have commented on my previous post on the older version of blackcurrant sundaes that I reviewed last year. Many of you expressed your disappointed with the newer version, so I decided to review them again to see what I thought.

Although I preferred the appearance of the older version, I have to say I didn't notice ANY difference.

The swirled buttercream is the same as last time, but there is possibly more of it. I didn't really like this buttercream anyway as it was too sickly and artificial tasting. However, the lovely tangy blackcurrant filling and rich, buttery pastry is just how I remember it to be.

Having said that, I think they looked much better before!

Price: £2.00 for four

Rating: 3/5

M&S Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Sandwiches

I quite like smoked salmon and these were reduced to half price so I thought I'd try them as they looked really nice.

The salmon was lovely and tender, with a subtle smoked flavour. There was far too much of both the cream cheese and salmon though; the salmon was very thickly cut and there was  too much cream cheese - it was far too rich and overwhelming. 

The salmon needs to be cut much more thinly with a thin layer of cream cheese for this to work. 

Price: £3.30

Rating: 2/5

M&S Lemon & White Chocolate Shortbread Crunch Thins

These looked delicious, so I decided to give them a try to see if they were any good. 

The shortbread was very crunchy, with a noticeable lemon flavour. If my eyes weren't deceiving me, there was real lemon zest in the shortbread, so it had a strong lemon flavour. I couldn't taste any of the rich butter flavour, though as the lemon flavour was a little too overpowering. The white chocolate was delicious and creamy, but I thought the shortbread was too crunchy and dry. Perhaps a thicker shortbread would work better, and a little less lemon to get the rich taste of the butter. 

Overall, not bad, but could do with some improvements. Worth a try if you're a lemon/white chocolate fan.

Price: £2.20 for nine

Rating: 3/5