Snackmas Day 23- M&S Sherry Trifle Roulade

Trifle. It's a Christmas classic ..And one in which admittedly, I am not all that keen on. Having never been one for cream in general, it isn't a dessert that I ever gravitate towards but throw meringue into the mix and I am as game as the next person! Our penultimate review and a twist on tradition - Sherry Trifle Roulade. 

Stumbling across the 520g, serves 6 vegetarian friendly pud in M&S's frozen section, I was disappointed to see how little care had been taken with the boxes - There was at least a dozen in the freezer but the majority were bashed in to the point of being more of an Eton Mess than a rolled Roulade! Opting for the mostly unscathed dessert on top of the pile, I skipped my merry way to the till and handed over a very reasonable £4. 

Meringue with roasted almonds, filled with a cream and sherry custard (45%), raspberries (4.5%), raspberry jam (2.5%) and flaked almonds. 

As suggested, I let the Roulade defrost at room temperature for 3 hours.. But didn't end up eating it immediately as recommended, hence the slice's rather sorry appearance - What a rebel. 

Taking a forkful, it was immediately apparent that this was going to be one very soft and sloppy pud - Just look at it! Light and crisp was the main feel of the meringue which provided a crunch and a chew along with good amount of sweetness. Bucket loads of rich, creamy tones from the whipped cream was the next thing to hit as well as a slightly weird, perhaps boozy but mainly unknown flavour that I can only put down to the Sherry.. Although not like any Sherry I've had previously! Pockets of raspberry were few and far between but did bring a nice fruitiness to the mix in the odd mouthful. As for the almonds on top.. I hated them and felt they were too hard whereas MSW enjoyed the further contrast in textures - Neither of us appreciated the strange aftertaste however! 

Overall, this Sherry Trifle Roulade isn't much of a winner, I'm afraid. I am still confused now over the Sherry aspect, I can't taste custard whatsoever, a lot more raspberry needs to be included for it to have any real flavour and generally, it ain't nothing like any Trifle, I've ever had - Good or bad! Nice work on the meringue though M&S, I give credit where credits due - It's a 2.5 out of 5 from me.