You know Christmas is coming when you walk into your local supermarkets and the shelves are adorned with festive sandwiches and snowman-related snacks.
But with M&S launching their hotly-anticipated food-to-go Christmas range, I just knew that I had to pick the range up for myself – and a proportion of sales is donated to Shelter charity. Every single year, M&S’ Christmas sandwich comes out on top (in my humble opinion), and is constantly spoken about all over social media. This year, they seem to have really upped their Christmas offering – which was music to my ears.
Sadly, some of the items were already so popular that they were sold out, including the Christmas Shawarma Wrap and the Christmas Sando, so I’ll just have to imagine what they’re like. However, I sampled the rest of the range to let you know what’s worth putting in your basket and what’s best ditched at the checkout because, let’s be honest, M&S stuff isn’t cheap.
Black Truffle and Olive Oil Crisps
I’m not normally super fussed about crisps that aren’t ready salted or my absolute go-to Quavers, so to find a flavour that really takes my fancy is rare. These crisps were the right amount of crunchy, with the perfect amount of truffle flavour, and I really hope M&S decides to make these a year-round thing. Be warned though, they’re very more-ish, so sharing them could cause arguments.
10/10
Very Merry Veggie Roast Wrap
I really thought I wasn’t going to like this from looking at the ingredients. Butternut squash, spiced veggie balls and cabbage slaw just did not sound like a winning combo for me. But let me assure you – even the most die-hard meat-eaters amongst us are going to love this. It tastes like Christmas. It definitely had the most quintessentially Christmassy flavours out of all the sandwiches, and I’d 100% pick this up if I wasn’t in the mood for a turkey and trimmings butty.
9/10
Gingerbread Milkshake
Milkshakes aren’t normally my thing – I much prefer an iced coffee – but I have to make an exception for an M&S milkshake because I don’t know how they do it, but they’re so smooth and creamy and delightful, and this gingerbread offering was no different. Boasting the right amount of gingerbread (which can often be overpowering) and general Christmassy flavours, if you fancy a sweet drink rather than something to eat, definitely give this a whirl.
9/10
Turkey, Bacon, and Cranberry Sausage Roll
Firstly, I want to caveat this by saying I’m not really a fan of cold sausage rolls. I thought this one was okay; it definitely had the Christmassy flavours you’d expect from a festive range, and the sausage meat was nice and tasty with not too much pastry. However, I personally wouldn’t be picking it up again when in store, as I think there are better snacks in the range.
6/10
Brie and Cranberry Sandwich
I love brie, and I love a sandwich, but this didn’t really hit the spot for me. I felt that the flavour of the brie was lacking – I was expecting it to be quite a bit stronger than it was. It wasn’t a bad sandwich by any means, but I think in terms of vegetarian options, the wrap was a lot more flavourful. I also thought the cranberry could perhaps be switched out for something a little more interesting.
5/10
Christmas Club
This chicken-based sandwich is great for those who aren’t super fond of turkey for whatever reason. I love a club-style sandwich, too (it just feels so cheeky having an extra layer of bread…in and amongst more bread) so it was a hit for me. It wasn’t the strongest flavours, so I feel it could’ve benefitted from something extra, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was lacking. Overall, a yummy sandwich, but the turkey versions just pipped it to the post.
7/10
Pigs In Blankets
Sausage and bacon sandwich but with a festive twist, what’s not to love? This one comes with a really yummy relish that just brings all the flavours together perfectly. It was a little on the salty side, but I’m guessing if you’re choosing to eat this sandwich, you know what you’re getting. This sandwich is a real treat, and I bet you’ll really enjoy it if you’re a Christmas sandwich fan.
8/10
Turkey Feast
This sandwich is unreal and left me speechless. It definitely knocked spots off the other ones I tried. The combination of flavours was absolutely elite, and I would 100% choose this one over the others I tried because it was just so good. I think what makes this one a head and shoulders above the rest is because of the stuffing. It’s moist, so tasty, and makes the whole sandwich just taste so much nicer. This was my favourite by far.
10/10
Gluten-Free Turkey Feast
Just the same as the Turkey Feast I absolutely adored, but on gluten-free bread, and I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that the retailer has really upped their gluten-free bread game. I think people often assume that gluten-free bread is dry and breaks off easily, but this one was actually really good. In the past, I’ve been furious at myself for accidentally picking up a GF bread sandwich because the filling sounded good, and I didn’t realise it, but those days are over. And it’s great that there’s a tasty option for people following diets with no gluten.
8/10
Turkey Feast Pasta
Not to be shady, but I am rather judgemental of those people who actively choose to pick up cold pasta as part of their lunchtime meal choice. But, oh, my mind has been changed by this delightful Turkey Feast Pasta. From the actual pasta itself to the ‘gravy pot’ that comes with it, everything just somehow worked together to make this a genuine delight to the tastebuds. Not quite the Turkey Feast sandwich, but certainly not a food-to-go item to be sniffed at!
9/10
King Prawns
Is there anything more Christmassy than king prawns with a Marie Rose sauce? I think not. All you need to make this a proper prawn cocktail is some lettuce leaves and a lemon to squirt all over it. I am a big prawn fan, and these tasted perfectly fishy (because sometimes, supermarket prawns can really lack taste) and the Marie Rose sauce was perfect, as always, from M&S. I’m not sure I’d be opting for this one if I was going into the office, but squirrelled away in the comfort of my own home, certainly.
9/10
Diet Cloudy Lemonade
Cloudy lemonade isn’t my favourite type, but as far as it goes, this one was rather pleasant. It was nice and refreshing and would go perfectly with any of the super salty sandwiches I’ve spoken about to quench your thirst. It’s also made with ‘real lemon juice’ and I think you could tell. It wasn’t super sparkling, but I quite enjoy just a light bubble, so it was enjoyable overall.
7/10
The Original Very Chocolatey Munch Mix
If you’re a fan of salty and sweet all in one go, then you’re going to love this munch mix. It contains honey roast peanuts, milk chocolate raisins, green and red chocolate beans, white chocolate buttons and dark chocolate drops, and they all come together to make a taste sensation like no other. This was so good, and I’m not a fan of raisins at all, but everything just works when you’re crunching it all up together. A word of warning, though – be careful if you’re pouring it all into your mouth.
8/10
Spiced Peanut Butter and Jam with Gingerbread Biscuits
I’ve never had Peanut Butter and Jam (also known as PB & J in America), and I can confirm that it is a delightful combination that I was definitely shocked to see worked perfectly well. I was concerned that it’d be sickly sweet and not enjoyable, but the gingerbread biscuits dipped into the gloopy mixture just tasted perfect, and I adored it. It’s something a little different if you’re sick of chocolatey treats, but it still packs a satisfying sweet punch.
9/10
Mini Colin the Caterpillar
There are few supermarket cakes that taste as delightful as Colin the Caterpillar but I’ve never tried him in mini form before. I have to say, I was a little disappointed because he was nowhere near as moist and tasty as the big version, and the amount of Christmassy confetti on top felt a little over-the-top, considering it was only small in size, so there seemed to be an excessive amount of confetti crunch in it. It was still a Colin though at the end of the day, and therefore was very tasty!
8/10
Overall thoughts
In the M&S food-to-go range, I feel like there’s something for everyone, and they’ve done a really good job of bringing some unusual flavours together and bringing back some tried and tested ones that they know are going to really work. And, it’s always heartening to see a big supermarket say they’ll share a percentage of money with charity, especially on a range that’s going to be so popular, because Christmas isn’t just a time for eating yummy food and giving presents to our favourite people – it’s a time to help those less fortunate if we’re in a position to, and M&S are right to do that.
To shop the M&S Christmas food-to-go range, visit your nearest store.
