Review- McDonald's UK NEW Bacon Clubhouse Double

Oh hi Bacon Clubhouse! It's nice to see you again.. Oh, you've found your long lost beef patty twin? That's beautiful, I am so pleased for you! ..Christ, I'm talking to a burger. A picture of a burger, at that. This is what happens when you don't have a McDonald's for a good while.. It's a slippery slope, my friends!

Perhaps the extent of my "in the beyond-ness" can be attributed to the fact I had to drive all around my bloomin' county to acquire the bloomin' thing! - Unbeknownst to me, my local Fast Food store is under renovation. Until the 21st March. I am yet to figure out how I will cope. So, a major detour was taken and finally, at long last we were reunited. 

Two 100% British and Irish beef patties, Big Mac sauce, two rashers of Beechwood Smoked Bacon, a slice of Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Onions, a slice of Tomato and Lettuce, all in a brioche style bun.

Despite the miles it travelled, the burger looked most inviting indeed.. Smaller than I remembered but pretty much picture perfect with some sneaky lettuce and onion on show - Not the usual slipey-slidey, sloppy-moppy mess, that I am all too often presented with!

Cutting the Burger in half, things seemed fairly soft and squidgy with a good amount of "added extras" on show. Starting with the bun, it appeared plenty fresh, tasted pleasantly bread-y and was surprisingly robust enough to withstand all that it held despite, the light, airy texture. The Big Mac sauce packed that signature gherkin-esque flavour which paired up nicely with the grilled to perfection onions, a long with a burst of freshness from the salad. As expected, the melted cheese and slightly smoked bacon were a match made in heaven, providing both mellow and smokey tones.. Unfortunately however, this was where the positives came to a grinding halt. Cooked seemingly well and being plenty juicy themselves, the beef patties did deliver on being meaty.. But without a shadow of a doubt, were far too "bitty" and difficult to get down, regardless of the quantity of sauce above, making the burger overall about as dry as a dog! Disappointing. 

Ah McDonald's.. I fear it is a case of "so close and yet so far"! - This NEW Bacon Clubhouse Double isn't anywhere near as good as it could be (Or it's predecessor!).. But so easily rectified! An extra slice of cheese and a squirt of the Big Mac sauce between the two patties, to break up the texture and I reckon, the entire dry aspect would be avoided. To be honest, I can't fathom why McDonald's didn't consider this to begin with.. Surely during taste testing, they realised that the lower half of the bun and bottom beef was essentially redundant without having something to hold it together? I mean, I ended up chucking that part away as it had no place or purpose! Such a pity - It's a Fast Food forlorn, 2 out of 5 from me. 

Snackmas Day 12- Pieminister Pies: Christingle, Mistle Moo, Deer Santa and Three Kings

I love pastry.. Be it sweet or savoury, I go bauble bonkers over it all. Luckily for me, Christmas and Pastry seem to go hand in hand with everywhere stocking the stuff at this time of year, in all of its glorious, buttery crisp forms. 

Pieminister are no exception with not 1, not 2, not even 3 but 4 festively inspired pies which I picked up in Waitrose whilst on a 2 for £6 offer. Each weighing in at 270g, there's the Vegetarian Society Approved, Christingle, Mistle Moo for the meat munchers, Deer Santa for those who don't have a conscience (Poor Donner) and a traditonal turkey feast in the form of the Three Kings. All bar the latter which needs 35, are designed to be heated at 160ºC Fan for 25 minutes.. So I broke all the rules and whacked the lot in at 200ºC for about 20 until they were golden on the outside with a hot middle. 

Christingle

A roast parsnip, west country cheddar, leek & chestnut pie. 

Starting with the Veggie option, I was very much looking forward to getting stuck in after being engulfed by the mouthwatering scent of cheese upon cutting into the sizeable pie. Absolutely packed to the brim, soft chunks of parsnip were in abundance, delivering sweet notes, distinctly that of the vegetable and feeling very much wintery and wholesome. The leek came through adding onion-y tones with the smooth cheddar sauce being of just the right cheesiness to compliment - Nothing too strong, overpowering or sickly. I can't say I noticed the chestnuts but felt nothing was missing as was, especially with the perfect casing of crisp, buttery pastry, breaking up the texture and adding that final flare of cheese. It's top marks from me - 5 out of 5! 

Mistle Moo

100% British beef steak, Long Clawson stilton, 100% British bacon & chestnut pie. 

Moving onto the Mistle Moo.. Which somewhat disappointingly, didn't smell all that much of beef and cheese. Once again, the pastry itself was second to none in being of just the right thickness, plenty flaky and something I never wanted to end! Extremely meaty, thanks to a generous amount of tender beef chunks with a thick gravy as a fantastic accompaniment, the filling had a deep, almost fruity flavour - Certainly reflecting both the red wine and redcurrant jelly in the ingredients! Mushrooms popped up in a few mouthfuls adding some chew and a second almost "meaty" hit with subtle bacon tones in the background. As for the Stilton.. Well, what stilton? I would seriously question whether any was in there to begin with! It's a 4 out of 5.

Deer Santa

100% British venison, dry cured 100% British bacon & red wine pie. 

Caribou shield your eyes and ears - MSW has eaten one of your brethren! (Not one for me sadly, due to the use of green lentils). As seen above, the casing to the pie was faultless with a loaded filling to match. Very game-y in taste with another, even deeper red wine edge, the overall flavour was extremely rich and perhaps, a tad overbearing for the bacon, lentils and other vegetables, which unfortunately didn't really get a look in. The chunks however, did add a different textural element, keeping things nice and soft. Definitely one for the real Venison fanatics - A 4 out of 5 from MSW.

Three Kings

100% British Turkey, smoked 100% British bacon, parsnip & cranberry pie. 

Lastly and the pie, I was most looking forward to.. Three Kings! Alternately to the previous 3 and those comprising of Pieminister's Classic Pie Range, this little beauty came with 30% less pastry - Visible to see from the "bare" topping and making for a much softer pie. Thankfully, this didn't take anything away in the taste with loads of chunks of succulent, full of flavour, turkey, quite a strong undertone of porky bacon and an uncanny whiff of some sort of herby stuffing. The cranberry added a good hit of sweetness with a general vegetable flavour along with a hint of buttery cheese, to really produce an all round festive feel. Amazing - A second 5 out of 5 from me! 

Well.. I am almost lost for words. Almost, I said - All 4 of these Christmas Pieminister Pies are absolutely sensational! I plan on buying both the Christingle  (AKA, A parsnip lovers dream) and Three Kings (All the good of a Christmas Sammie but in pastry) again and maybe even hide a few away in the freezer (They can all be frozen, FYI!) to enjoy throughout next year. As for the other 2.. Yes, it is a shame that the Mistle Moo lacked any sort of cheese flavour but I suppose this isn't all that surprising considering the packaging states only a measly 1% of Stilton went in to begin with.. Surely that's a bit of false advertising in it's description, no? And finally, the Deer Santa.. I obviously can't give my opinion on but it wooed MSW and if the quality of the rest are anything to go buy, I can't see it being anything but delicious, if legumes don't bother you.. Or the prospect of eating one of Santa's Original Eight, that is! Pieminister, I salute you! 

Snackmas Day 2- McDonald's UK Festive Selection

They say the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Usually I would concur.. But other sorts of spreads work too. Festive Fast Food ones from McDonald's for example - It's time, as promised, for The FFF! 

And what a selection the chain has put out for Christmas 2016 - There's the NEW Festive Cheese Feast Burger and Cheese Melt Dippers on the savoury side and a Terry's Chocolate Orange McFlurry and Chocolatey Banoffee Pie for those who want something a bit sweeter. Naturally, I wanted it all so got it all. 

Festive Cheese Feast

A 100% British and Irish beef burger with cheese, Beechwood smoked bacon, a cheese sauce, seasoned grilled onions, tomato ketchup and lettuce, all in a toasted bun. 

The McDonald's elves must have been in good spirits the day I purchased my burger for £4.49 as it looked like it had been put together with love.. And by someone who really likes lettuce - I've never seen so much of the green stuff on one thing, ever. 

I am not sure this picture really reflects the reality of the size of the Burger but believe you, me, it was massive! Starting with the bun itself, it was wonderful - Soft, fresh and plenty robust enough for the plethora of fillings. Munching my way through, the first flavour to come across was beef from the ridiculously moist and juicy patty. As expected, this went well with the double hit of creamy cheese which was relatively mellow and not likely to offend anyone. The onions were cooked to perfection and of just the right quantity with an injection of smokiness as well as a bit of a salty edge from the porky bacon rashers. Finishing things off nicely was a squirt of ketchup which I didn't think added much taste wise but did enhance the squidgy factor even further, and of course, an entire lettuce making for a fresh crunch. A 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Cheese Melt Dippers

Four breaded cheese dippers, made with camembert and served with a Festive Tomato dip. 

Moving onto the modestly priced, £1.59 Dippers which felt mighty toasty in the bag! Cooked to a golden perfect, the decently sized circles were crisp and crunchy on the outside with a contrasting, satisfyingly soft interior of just set Camembert - Nothing runny or sloppy here! Similarly to above, the potency of cheese wasn't too strong but instead creamy and went well with the Tomato dip.. Even if it was a tad on the sweet and borderline, artificial side. It's a 4 out of 5! 

Terry's Chocolate Orange McFlurry

Soft dairy ice cream swirled with Terry's Chocolate Orange pieces and chocolate orange sauce. 

So I can't say this one looked anything like the promo picture.. Granted, I did have to get it home but even when it was passed through the drive-thru window, it didn't look much more attractive. It's a good job that it's all in the taste as this one was a beaut! An abundance of chocolate orange pieces were distributed throughout the signature soft and sweet McDonald's ice cream which combined with the splodge of runny sauce, made for a chocolate orange lovers dream! My only real qualm was that the difference in quality between the aforementioned and Terry's nibs was only to apparent.. But overall, didn't ruin things - Another 4 out of 5 from me and £1.39 well spent! 

Chocolatey Banoffee Pie

A hot crispy pie filled with a thick Banoffee and Chocolatey sauce.  

Last up and the one I expect many Folk are excited for.. The Chocolatey Banoffee Pie, priced at £1.19. I like to think I saved this little fella from a sad Christmas fate - It was due to be disposed of at 12.33pm and I gave it a home in my belly at 12.15pm! For something so close to the mark, I have to say it was pretty darn good! The pie was hot, plenty crisp with the usual almost, greasy fritter feel. A generous strip of both Banoffee filling and ooey-gooey chocolate ran up the inside, packing a bit of a flavour sensation - Nothing but sweet banana paired with not exactly the highest quality but plausible cocoa tones. Almost Banoffee as I tasted no actual toffee but still yummy - A final 4 out of 5. 

Well, well, well, McDonald's you merry old bunch of mistletoe - This little lot is a complete winner and there is absolutely nothing here to let down anyone looking for a festive fix. I highly recommend you get yourself down to your local chain, order everything and embrace your rotund, Christmas pudding, post Fast Food state.. I won't be far behind! 

Spicy Chicken Winter Melt

Aaaaaand then MSW and the Spicy Chicken Winter Melt happened - A return from last year but a new one for us.

Succulent chicken breast fillet in a crispy coating with an Emmental cheese slice, fire roasted pepper sauce, slivered onions, a cool mayo and lettuce. 

Good god. Seriously, who is manning the lettuce station at my McDonald's and why the heck are they so heavy handed? I realise the likes of these Burgers aren't exactly healthy but I hardly think forcing that amount of leaf upon us is going to counteract the "bad".. Someone have a word. 

MSW did well in not losing the whole lot when taking a big bite - As you can see, it was really quite loaded! The bun was up to par with that of the Festive Cheese Feast in being just as bouncy, fresh and containing a generously sized piece of chicken. As succulent as suggested with a satisfying crisp coating, the fillet was second to none and tasted delicious with the warmth from the pepper sauce and abundance of raw onion. The cheese once again added some creamy and mellow tones with the squirt of mayo cooling things even further. Seasonally spicy - A 4 out of 5! 

Review- McDonald's UK NEW Great Tastes of the World: The Swiss Stack ft. Spicy Nacho Cheese Wedges

So long South African Stack, MSW may have enjoyed you and your heat but it is my time.. My time to fall into a cheesy bliss.. My time to enjoy this fortnights Great Tastes of the World Burger at McDonald's - The Swiss!

Thankfully, I had no nasty surprises when it came to the description of this double patty offering - No sneaky spice but double the dairy and crispy onions instead.. Yes please! I picked myself up a meal for the usual £5.99 along with some very daring Spicy Nacho Cheese Wedges* as I was feeling carefree and bold.

Two 100% British and Irish beef patties, Emmental cheese sauce, Beechwood smoked bacon, cheese, crispy onions and lettuce, in a toasted lattice bun. 

Finally! A burger that doesn't look like it's been used as a football or slung across the room - Towered surprisingly high and everything in its place, well done McDonald's workers, I salute you!

Given that the Stack really was a stack, I figured cutting the beast in half would be the best solution for getting a decent interior shot - Just look at those layers! Taking a bite, the bun was plenty soft and made for remarkable stability considering all that it held. The beef patties were cooked to perfection in being juicy and full of meaty flavour. As expected this paired up well with both the cheese slice and sauce which came with plenty of rich creamy flavour along with a pleasant acidic sort of tang. A kick of smoky pork came from the abundant bacon rashers with the standard salty edge, delivering the Beechwood promise and again, went well with the aforementioned. Freshness from the mound of crunchy lettuce and pure hit of onion finished things off beautifully.. Even if the latter wasn't all that crispy thanks to being drenched in sauce! Scrumptious! 

Overall, The Swiss Stack was very much worth the wait.. So much so, I can find very little fault in it! There may be a lot going on but each element is executed well to produce one mighty fine, not to mention massive Burger that I think would struggle to offend anyone. Get yourself down to McDonald's ASAP - It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

*Spicy Nacho Cheese Wedges

Behold! The Spicy Nacho Cheese Wedges costing a very reasonable £1.59 and coming with a generous size pot of Sour Cream & Chive dip to dunk in, to your heart's content. 

Four cheese wedges filled with spicy jalapeño slices, served with sour cream & chive dip. 

Deep fried to perfection, the wedges were munchy on the outside with a soft and gooey, studded Jalapeño orange cheese centre. The crisp Nachos in the coating delivered the authentic flavour along with a blast of heat from the pepper - It really wasn't all to dissimilar in taste to the actual Tex-Mex dish especially when combined with the creamy and cooling Sour Cream dip. A bit hot for me but for normal folk, a treat - It's a 4 out of 5. 

Last up and weeks 5 & 6 of this years Great Tastes of the World campaign is The Mexican Stack which is set to rock the fast food joint from the 9th November. As this is once again a spicy number the post lays in MSW's hands so if no review actually happens, blame her not me.. Okay? Okay! 

Review- McDonald's UK NEW Great Tastes of the World: The South African Stack

Today is the day I have been waiting weeks, like a loser for.. Great Tastes of the World is back at McDonald's! - Yay, delicious fast food! As seen with the American trio back in the Spring, the burgers are once again of the double patty format with each being around for 2 weeks. 

  

This fortnights offering is The South African Stack and what I thought was going to be a smoky BBQ lovers, dream.. Until my bubble was promptly burst last night that is, when receiving a peppy newsletter stating exactly what the burger was to entail - Pepper Cheese? Ugh. Hot & Spicy Mayo? Eurgh. Paprika Bun? Ugh Eurgh. Safe to say, I was out but MSW was still very much in as an eager beaver and I picked her up a medium meal for £5.99. 

Two 100% British and Irish beef patties, Smoky BBQ sauce, Beechwood smoked bacon, Pepper Jack cheese, Hot & Spicy mayo, lettuce and a slice of tomato, in a glazed paprika topped bun. 

So I am pretty sure a McDonald's monkey had literally thrown the thing into the box and just hoped for the best - The bottom bun was practically hanging over the edge with the patties themselves being on bare cardboard and a real splodge of oozing sauce all over the show. Thankfully with a bit of a budge and twist, the Burger looked somewhat presentable.. Even if a little sloppy and dented from a rogue thumb. 

MSW took a big old bite for us to reveal the smorgasbord of fillings with the mayo still intent on going everywhere. Starting with the soft bun which was a tad burnt in places, the paprika aspect was relatively mild but definitely an original concept. Both beef patties which naturally went well with the melted cheese, were full of juicy meaty flavour with not an ounce of dryness or much grease at the opposite end of the spectrum. As for the BBQ sauce.. It was pretty elusive with MSW left wondering if there was any in there to begin with - You certainly wouldn't associate it as being a BBQ Burger.. Perhaps down to the fact that the mayo delivered a real kick of heat and was undeniably the most prominent flavour and star of the show! Despite this, all the elements paired nicely together with the bacon adding both texture and porky tones and freshness from the salad - Delish. 

Overall, it sounds as though The South African Stack is a winning start to Mcdonald's Great Tastes of the World series.. Even if the BBQ sauce has gone amiss here! If you like a bit of warmth to your Burgers, this could be the one for you - It's a 4 out of 5 from MSW and two thumbs up! The Swiss Stack.. Be ready for me on the 26th, I'm coming for ya! 

Review- McDonald's UK NEW Great Tastes of America: The New York Stack

Move aside Tennessee Stack, there's a NEW Burger in town.. Well technically, the City as for Mcdonald's Great Tastes of America Weeks 3 & 4, we've headed to New York with a second double patty delight! 

Behold! Another mysterious box which could entail literally anything.. Would it be really pernickety to have wished that each Burger had its own box rather than the same for all 3? I get the marketing perspective but one could quite easily find themselves at Weeks 5-6 and be revelling in the fact that they had missed out on prior Burgers and it now being rubbed in their face thanks to the not so snazzy, same-y box, illustrating all 3. Packaging rant over and moving on! 

Two 100% British and Irish beef burger with bacon, cheese, chunky coleslaw, tomato ketchup, mustard, lettuce and pickles in a sesame & poppy topped bagel. 

Yes, that is a bagel you see before your peepers - A first for McDonald's here in the UK! I'll admit that said bready ring hasn't ever been up my street but with something that looks so gleamingly good and packed with cheese, bacon, slaw and lettuce.. Well, who would ever refuse!? 

I decided on cutting this fortnights, packed Burger in half after the landslide shot of the Tennessee Stack.. Although todays seemed surprisingly robust considering the soft, crunchy topped bagel. Could the lack of ketchup and mustard be the reason why? I am going to assume so as the aforementioned ingredients were totally MIA, much to my disappointment! Thankfully this little oversight didn't ruin things entirely with the juicy beef patties at the forefront, delivering a decent meaty flavour along with hits of slightly salted bacon. The cheese and coleslaw went a long way in preventing things from becoming dry with the latter being particularly enjoyable and almost tasting like a creamy homemade version - Although generally pleasant and crunchy, I did stumble across a few hard bits of cabbage which weren't so nice! As for the pickles, they were removed pretty swiftly but from what I could tell, the flavour given overall was reminiscent of a Cheeseburger.. And I'd imagine would have been even more potent if the sauces had been included!

Overall and once again, The New York Stack is a cracking inclusion to Great Tastes of America.. And that is coming from someone who isn't mad for bagels or gherkin/pickles! I did miss the sauce, but the use of coleslaw did compensate and fortunately didn't end up being make or break.. I would of course like to try it with the ketchup and mustard though before the Tex Mex Stack is upon us! It's a 4 out of 5 from me.

Review- McDonald's UK NEW Great Tastes of America: The Tennessee Stack

Bye bye, never ending McDonald's Monopoly - Great Tastes of America is back in the UK and boy, have things been stepped up a gear! Gone are the days of 5 different Burgers over 5 weeks.. This year we've got 3 Stacks, each available for 2 weeks with the Tennessee number up first and kicking things off today!

Of course, it was Burger Lad who was the first to bring this exciting Fast Food news to the forefront.. Although he did cut things slightly fine on this occasion and I took great pleasure in pestering him, there is nothing about Burgers the man doesn't know (He's even been to McDonald's HQ! 4 times!) so go say "Howdy do" and give him a follow - He's a good egg. 

Two 100% British and Irish beef burgers with bacon, smokey cheese, a Tennessee style BBQ sauce, grilled onions and lettuce in a flour topped bun. 

So what is The Tennessee Snack, I hear you ask. Well, it is just that of its description and potentially full of greatness - A double patty, double cheese, double smokey, BBQ, bacon, grilled onion, Burger.. With some lettuce thrown in for good measure. Mine certainly looked the part even if a little wonky and slightly smaller in size than I envisaged.

Obtaining a decent picture of the very slippy, slidey Burger was almost impossible to achieve so please excuse the above shot.. At least there are some sneaky onion showing, right? Starting with the bun itself, there was no question about its freshness - The inside was soft and fluffy yet robust enough to withstand the weight of the beef patty duo which also delivered in terms of meaty flavour as well as being perfectly cooked without a hint of grease or being overly dry. As expected, this went well with the melted cheese which I suspect was just the American variety as I couldn't identify any smoke even when tasted alone! Thankfully, the BBQ sauce pepped things up although once again, wasn't as potent as I expected nor in abundance.. The bacon however were in large rashers and very pleasant! Sweet, mellow tones came from the soft cooked onion rounding things off nicely, with a hint of crunch from the lettuce - I do like it when both feature in a Burger! Yum!

What a way to start Great Tastes of American 2016! - The Tennessee Stack is delicious and certainly far more gourmet than any McDonald's Burger (Minus the Bacon Clubhouse), I've ever had.. It's all in the double patty and grilled onions! Yes, I am a little disappointed at the lack of smokiness but I expect on any other day, the blob of BBQ sauce would be more significant.. Hopefully at least! I will definitely be getting another either way before the Stack switch over to the New York number which just so happens to come on a Bagel! Exciting times are ahead but for now, it's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Snackmas Day 6- Asda Party Food

MSW is what I like to call, The Queen of Party Food. Every year without a doubt she goes mad buying the stuff - Usually for good reason as we always have it on Christmas Eve but in turn often find ourselves eating it for Dinner all throughout January which I can't say I mind actually! This year MSW has found herself in a bit of a pickle.. It seems that the Supermarkets are way late with their Party Food and it has only been about in abundance for the last couple of weeks or so. Seriously.. Do They Know Its Christmas?

To make matters worse, neither of us have been impressed with the selection.. Everything is the same with a serious lack of Chicken! However, these Asda BBQ Pulled Beef Parcels and Mac 'N' Cheese Bites did catch out eye which we snapped up on a 2 for £4 offer. 

BBQ Pulled Beef Parcels

Tender beef in a rich, smoky sauce wrapped in puff pastry and topped with a paprika crumb

The Parcels were cooked at 200ºC fan for the allotted time of between 15-18 minutes and miraculously didn't burn like everything tends to in my oven! 

"Where's the beef?" I though upon cutting the parcel in half - Is it all sauce? Well.. yes,  It was all sauce.. A gravy even! There was little texture to the filling which I would liken to a smooth jar of Baby Food. Taste wise it was equally as bizarre. It had the flavour of a spiceless, very sweet, Chilli Con Carne - Certainly not beefy, BBQ or paprika! The puff pastry outside was quite tasty though in being crisp and flaky without being overly greasy. Nice but not its namesake whatsoever - 3 out of 5 from me! 

Mac 'N' Cheese Bites

Moreish mouthfuls of macaroni and Chedder, wrapped in a crunchy cornflake crumb

Annoyingly these Bites are cooked at a different temperature to above - 180ºC Fan for 12-14 minutes. I chucked both items in together so these were actually cooked at 200ºC for about 12 minutes and luckily they turned out perfectly.

These golden delights were as expected, very soft and scolding hot when they came out of the oven so I did leave them for a minute to set up slightly before attempting to handle them. The gooey cheese was full of flavour and generously coated all the soft macaroni making for a squidgy and stringy mouthful. A contrast in texture came from the crunchy coating which although didn't taste much of cornflakes was very yummy and went perfectly with the inside of cheesy goodness. The touch of saltiness from the Bites made them satisfyingly moreish - It was hard to stop eating them one after another! A 4 out of 5 from me! 

Overall, these Party Food bits get 2 thumbs up from me and MSW. I don't expect we would buy the BBQ Pulled Beef Parcels again simply because the filling is a bit to mushy for our liking but the Mac 'N' Cheese Bites will definitely be making an appearance come the 24th. Take a Sleigh Ride down to Asda and give them a go!