Snackmas Day 4- M&S Festive Lunch ft. NEW Recipe Sandwiches

One of the highlights of the season for me is the array of Festive Food On The Go in every supermarket, petrol station and cafe alike - From sandwiches and wraps to the hot options of toasties and panini's, there really is a vast choice with both meat and vegetarian options to keep the entire Christmas choir happy. 

Naturally, I gravitate towards the traditional turkey, stuffing, cranberry numbers and usually when in bread but this year I've decided to be a bit wild and go for an entire lunch with some different stars of the show.. 

It's trusty old Marks & Spencer, supporter of the charity, Shelter, that we turn to today for a Wrap, Scotch Egg and Drink Trio. Much to my dismay, they didn't listen to my groans of last year that their measly 5% of sale donations was abysmal but alas.. At least I have done my bit in buying a sleigh load of their products to bump up the takings, right?  

Christmas Turkey Wrap

Roast British turkey breast, Brussel sprout slaw, parsnip mayonnaise, pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, spinach, smoked British bacon and fried onions on a barmarked tortilla wheatflour wrap. RRP £3.

As someone who usually finds wraps fairly uninteresting and akin to chewing cardboard, I can't say the prospect of the two halves thrilled me greatly.. They did look attractive though! Taking a bite, the overwhelming amount of spinach was the first thing to hit which I promptly disposed of and carried on. Soft and squidgy, the wrap itself wasn't as offensive as first anticipated, even if a bit to much for the quantity of filling. Two large chunks of soft turkey, one in each half, were present packing a good amount of flavour with smoky bacon in the background. The slaw provided lots of veggie tones (Maybe from the Parsnip mayo too?) albeit not obviously that of sprouts, and lots of creaminess. This was only complimented by the herby taste of stuffing and mild onion which was never going to disappoint! As for the cranberry chutney.. I can't say I noticed any with zero sweetness or tart edge but I liked it nevertheless! - A 4 out of 5 from me. 

Turkey, Pork & Cranberry Runny Scotch Egg

Runny poached egg wrapped in turkey, smoked maple cured bacon and cranberry sausagemeat, in a parsley crumb. RRP £2. 

Designed to be eaten hot or cold, I forced this lofty, 120g Scotch Egg on MSW who didn't take to much convincing to get stuck in.. As long as it was warm that is, so I whacked it in a 180ºC Fan oven for the advised 12 minutes. 

Well, it was certainly runny.. Just look at that yellow yolk puddle! Crispy on the outside with a contrasting soft, squidgy sausage meat layer, the flavour of pork was definitely at the forefront with a sweet undertone of cranberry from the plump, ruby red chunks. The centre of poached egg was plenty soft and not rubbery in the slightest, delivering just the right amount of richness. It's a 3.5 out of 5. 

Pressed Apple, Pear & Winter Berries

Pasteurised apple and pear juices, not from concentrate, with plum, sloe berry, blackberry and elderberry purees. RRP £1.50. 

A drink to wash down all the savouries was a must and what could be better than all the winter fruits? Very sweet and refreshing thanks to the fruity flavours and being ice cold, the juice was pure delight. Apple was the main flavour with a hint of pear and a real tang from the berries - Not that I could put my finger on which exactly having never knowingly had sloe berry previously and all the different fruit flavours being blended so well. Delicious and the sort of thing I wouldn't be opposed to drinking hot - A 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

Is anyone hungry for more? Suck it up people, it's not Christmas without a NEW Recipe Turkey Feast and Pigs in Blanket Sammie! 

Turkey Feast

Roast British turkey breast with pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, smoked British bacon and mayonnaise on malted brown bread. RRP £3.25. 

For something with allegedly a new recipe.. The sandwich didn't look all that different to last years offering - It may have been slightly paler in colour but then again, that could just be my lightening! Perfectly soft and squidgy although with some harder nibs in the bread, the packed filling didn't disappoint in flavour. Together the chunks of tender turkey and herby stuffing were as expected, a match made in heaven with an almost absurd amount of slightly salty bacon to compliment. Both the mayo and the cranberry prevented things from becoming dry with the latter adding that traditional hit of sweetness. One thing that I didn't notice was the long list of spices included in the ingredients.. Which I can't say, I was all to upset over! Scrumptious as always, a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Turkey & Pigs in Blankets

British pork sausages and smoked British bacon, roast British turkey breast, cranberry chutney, spiced mayonnaise and spinach on sage and onion bread. RRP £3.

Once again, the description didn't suggest anything was particularly new about the sandwich.. But it certainly looked greener with a more than generous helping of spinach.. Which I swiftly flung across the table in disgust! Similarly to above, the bacon aspect took a starring role with a good handful of rashers included, delivering smoky tones. This was heightened further by the soft sausages for a real porky flavour, not all that unlike actual Pigs in Blankets. Sadly, the turkey fell into the background slightly given that there was so many other elements going on and probably wasn't helped by the borderline overwhelming taste of spice which I can only assume came from the mayo - As a despiser of cloves, I was close to calling it quits but the chutney saved the day and put things back on an even kiln. Superb bread also! A 4 out of 5 from me. 

Overall, it isn't a bad selection of snacks from M&S this year - Definitely not as extensive as last but I don't expect any of us really need umpteen different sandwiches when the classics are covered a long with something for the Gluten Free-ers (Gluten Free Turkey Feast) and Veggies (Scorched Squash Wrap). There's even one for those with more money than sense in the form of the Christmas Club, priced at an extortionate £4.50! 

For anyone wondering.. And still reading, today's little lot came to a grand total of £12.75 so that's just shy of 64p going to the folk at Shelter. Seriously, M&S, if you're intent on backing a charity, don't be half-arsed and stingy about it. I can't even.

Review- KFC UK NEW The Original Recipe Stacker

As I ended up not having the McDonald's South African Stack I was so looking forward to on Wednesday, I had to come up with plan B.. Going all the way next door to KFC and getting their NEW Original Recipe Stacker. There was no way I was going without my junk fix.. Heck, if there had been a Burger King too, I wouldn't have hesitated in doing a proper fast food crawl!

Crikey, the box to this thing was a beast! ..As was the price tag which I think was £4.99 on its own or £5.99 as part of a meal. Either way, I was charged £6.69 for it - Is there a surcharge for having a bottle of water as the drink in a regular meal? Someone find out for me. 

Two fillets of our classic original recipe chicken, sandwiched between cheese, barbecue and all-new baconnaise sauces. 

So I didn't bother to rectify the state of today's sandwich.. Why are the employees in these places so incapable of stacking competently? It's even in the bloody name this time, folks! Also, the box turned out to be an overkill with the burger I felt, being dwarfed in comparison.  

What an absolute mess. I do apologise for the fairly grotesque shot but given that everything was all slipey-slidey sloppy and prepped abysmally, there was not a lot I could do about it! Starting with the bun, it was the usual sort that KFC have to offer with not much in terms of doughy texture and hardly a substantial enough carrier for the packed "stack" within.. AKA 2 very solid, watery, chewy chicken fillets - Not what you expect but they did taste alright with their semi crisp coating and the glue like cheese slices coming through. Moving onto the sauces and the generous blob of barbecue certainly delivered in terms of smokiness and wasn't artificial in the slightest. As for the Baconnaise.. My taste buds decided it was somewhat reminiscent of Big Mac sauce with an almost gherkin-esque flavour mixed in with creamy bacon tones, making for something pretty darn delicious! The different flavours   compliment each other remarkably well with the addition of lettuce providing a fresh hit along with a bit of crunch - Tasty but messy!

So.. I am very much torn by this NEW Original Recipe Stacker. I shall not punish it for the poor chicken as my KFC can be quite hit or miss when it comes to the quality pieces the push out but they fact the bun isn't anywhere near robust enough for the sheer volume of fillings, along with feeling that 2 fillets aren't really necessary, just puts me off. Keep the delightful sauces, swap one of the chicken for a hash brown, fire and rehire your kitchen staff and do away with the OTT box and you'll be onto an all round better burger, KFC - It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

Snackmas Day 2- M&S Festive Sandwiches

Christmas Is All Around.. As are Festive Sandwiches! Literally, every foodie place will have 1 if not numerous meat offerings as well as Veggie alternatives. I am more than ok with this as a self confessed super fan of such things.. Hark, my favourite place to eat out at is Dobbies, the Garden Centre, purely because you can make your own panini's and they have Turkey, Cranberry and Brie - I like a festive fix all year round! 

It will come as no surprise to hear that when November is upon us and the Festive Sammies are in full swing, not just in Garden Centres, I consume a hell of a lot of the things. Today, we've got a trio of M&S, in aid of the charity, Shelter.

Turkey Feast

Butter basted roast British turkey breast with pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, smoked British bacon and mayonnaise on malted brown bread. 

I was concerned at first at the prospect of a NEW recipe as last years was perfect as is but luckily nothing had been compromised.. Just check out that generous, glistening of purply, red cranberry chutney! The remarkably robust capsule of brown bread was perfectly soft with a very much wholesome taste yet only slight malt edge. Inside was a thick filling of tender turkey complimented by the herby stuffing with slightly salted bacon in abundance which was balanced out by the sweet cranberry. The mayo element certainly didn't go a miss even though I couldn't really identify it but it did add another "wet" element to keep things moist. Sweet Little *Jazzy* Jesus Boy, its Christmas in a sandwich - 4.5 out of 5! 

Turkey & Pigs in Blankets 

British pork sausages and smoked British bacon, butter basted roast British turkey breast, cranberry chutney, spiced mayonnaise and spinach on sage and onion bread. 

Next up is the Turkey & Pigs In Blankets because after all.. Whats Christmas without a pig in blanket or 12? Thankfully, a good amount of herby sausage was included which was the main flavour with undertones of the turkey and bacon in the background. The cranberry chutney had the same sweet tang as above even although there wasn't anywhere near as much making it a much dryer sandwich - Not something I'd usually opt for! A taste of cloves was very apparent but not to much to spoil it.. I think. I really don't like cloves (There was a Ham incident last year - Everyone involved was traumatised) but this was barable. Rounding things off nicely was the sage and onion bread which tasted uncanny to stuffing - I would buy it in loaves if they sold it! Its a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Brie & Grape 

Brie cheese and red grapes with a grape and port jelly, mayonnaise and lettuce on oatmeal bread. 

Last but by no means least is the Brie & Grape which was also loaded with a sauce.. Slightly boozy tasting and tangy port jelly! Distributed throughout this was lots and lots of grapes which added a subtle fruitiness and overall made things taste very light and fresh even with the creamy yet strong flavour from the cheese above. I was surprised how generously it was filled - At least 4 slices of cheese were in each half of the sandwich! The lettuce and mayo was the final layer before meeting the oaty bread.. No spices this time thankfully! Its essentially a soft and squidgy version of your Cheese, Grapes and Crackers - 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Overall and as expected, I loved all 3 of these Festive Sandwiches! They are definitely for those who don't mind the 'chuck everything in and hope for the best' way of life as there is a lot going on in each of them and for that, I can't fault them. I can however fault M&S themselves.. Only 5% of the sale of these sandwiches* go to Shelter. Given they are priced at £3.30, £3 and £2.80 respectively, that's a total of £9.10 in which only 45p goes to charity. That is absolutely abysmal. Talk about being a Scrooge! Talk about a Blue Christmas! Sort it out M&S.

*For anyone who is interested there is a Veggie option, Gluten free Turkey Feast as well as a 'healthy' jobbie and Beef - Otherwise known as, EVERYTHING!