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