‘I tried everything in Marks and Spencer’s new Christmas food range – and these 10 items are the best’

As we approach the festive season a Marks and Spencer’s shoppers has decided to try the supermarket’s Christmas food range.

The full range was shared by the supermarket on Friday and sent shoppers into something of a frenzy. It has announced Christmas food to order will all be online by September 26.

Dianne Bourne, a Journalist at the MEN tried the festive treats from Colin the Caterpillars to snowman-shaped party buns and chocolate mince pies and has put together a list of her favourites.

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1) The magical Christmas village £15

At the top of the list was a chocolate box that is new to the Christmas food range. The box doesn’t just contain sweet treats but it plays a festive tune and lights up when you lift the lid.

Speaking about the festive treat, that is £15, Dianne said: “The chocolates inside are utterly gorgeous – thick crunchy cases and soft nutty ganaches inside in the trees.”

2) Quickfire Christmas lunch £45 (serves 4)

For £45 you get a special slow-cooked turkey joint (which comes with a stuffing crust), crisp roast potatoes, baby carrots, braised red cabbage, pigs in blankets, and a pot of M&S’s “Ultimate” turkey gravy. And for those who feel time is money, the best thing here is that the whole thing can be cooked and on the table within 60 minutes.

For those who want a fuss-free Christmas dinner this is definitely one to look out for.

3) Baked Alaska trifle

Plenty of quirky desserts in store for M&S fans this year – combining the classic Christmas trifle with a baked alaska dessert. This one can be found in the frozen aisles, and offers a bit of an unusual treat.

4) Cheese

Cheese, all of it. I’m yet to eat a bad bit of M&S cheese to be honest.

And every morsel I tried at the Christmas launch was superb. Just really, exquisite, tasty lumps of dairy goodness.

My pick of the lot was this 3-year-old vintage Cornish Cruncher for £5.50, a truly exceptional cheddar, when here was I thinking that “all Cheddars taste the same don’t they”. Well no, turns out they don’t, this was one of the best slices of cheese I’ve ever eaten.

You can also get this cheese in a dish to bake (flavoured with cider!) to dip your bread into too, although that comes in at a pricey £14. The truffle cheddar is also a belter, at £5.50. Shoppers will be pleased to hear the “Tear and share camembert” is also making a return for £9.

5) Christmas Colin £12

Everyone’s favourite Caterpillar cake gets a festive makeover this year with an on-trend Christmas jumper on his back. There’s also a chocolate Christmas hat and added choccy snowflakes attached to his lumpen form too for £12, available in stores from December 7.

New this year too is a “Build-your-own Colin biscuit” kit. Now, I didn’t get to try the finished Colin I’m afraid, but he looked quite impressive in biscuit form from what I saw. He costs £8 if you fancy having a go at that.

Also new is “Colin the Caterpillar’s Greatest Bits” – a picky box of treats of all the chocolatey-bits of Colin as well as candy-coated nibs for £5. And shout out to Percy Pig too, you can get a pick and mix box of his cute face in both chocolate and jelly form too (which is in store from September 26).

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6) Build-your-own Gingerbread tree £12

New this year, and following in the ginger-y footsteps of the make-your-own gingerbread house (which returns this year as well), comes this rather spectacular biscuit tree for £12. Kids will love constructing this one, and it would make a great party centrepiece afterwards.

It’s also a pretty tasty treat thanks to the crunchy gingerbread and added chocolatey-baubles and sprinkles.

7) Marks and Sparkle rose – pink fizzy fizz (£10)

There were plenty of wines, champagnes and cocktails on offer at the Christmas showcase. But by far the most impressive to me was this gold-flecked pink fizz.

An eminently drinkable rose sparkling wine, it looks wow and tastes great. The rose version is new this year and it’s a belter for £10.

8) Breakfast pastries £2.50

New this year is a divine raspberry and madasgascan vanilla teardrop as well as a double chocolate croissant. The M&S experts also suggested buying regular croissants and stuffing them with cream cheese and their special smoked salmon with peppercorn and maple for the ultimate decadent December 25 early morning treat.

Not sure if it will leave much room for the turkey, but definitely a tasty idea. All of the festive bakery treats are in store from November 1 – and look out for the festive French stick too – it’s a real winner with a hint of cranberry.

9) Sweet tins – Very Jelly Munch £9

If you’re wanting something a bit different to Quality Street, Celebrations or Roses this year, then M&S have delivered with these quirky sweet tins. Last year they brought out the Very Merry Munch tin with chocolate pretzels, popcorn and jelly beans which went down a storm.

This year they’ve gone one better, in my opinion, with the Very Jelly Munch tin (£9). It’s added into the mix some gorgeous jelly sweets flavoured of strawberry, orange and lemon, that have already gone down a treat with my kids (having brought a sample mini bag home with me). They’re in store now if you want to get stocked up early.

10) M&S Café (from November 1)

We’ve got to wait a little bit longer to enjoy the M&S Café festive menu – as it doesn’t launch in stores until November 1.

The popular turkey toastie makes a most welcome return with its rich, decadent buttery layers of festive goodness. And making it even more moist this year is the option of buying a pot of M&S turkey gravy to dip it into for £1.

Might sound a bit extravagant, and yes it is. But it’s worth it.

Also watch out for the cheesy Welsh Rarebit crumpet that comes with a blob of festive chutney on top for £4.50, it’s sensational.

Controversial perhaps, given the social media frenzy these little guys have been getting. But the snowmen-faced bao buns left me pretty cold. Yes, they will look great on any party platter but they are way too doughy for my liking with not enough of the filling (a Vegan-friendly vegetable hoi sin). And at a fairly pricy £7.50 for an eight pack, the cheeky snowmen faces are not enough to entice me to try them again.

There’s a full range of party food back for Christmas though, and M&S has confirmed they will be resuming their “4 for 3” offer to bring down the price a bit for shoppers. My pick of the picky bits was the new pulled beef and rosti towers (£7.50) and their “Best Ever” prawn toasts (£7.50) – the latter of which was so good it was the first thing that RAN OUT at the big Christmas launch due to journalists and influencers snaffling so many of them!

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