Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer Sweetcorn Empanadas

Wow is all I can say about M&S at the moment. This weekend they've been running an event for their Spirit of Summer range with some sampling in store (the coconut and lime cake and the sweetcorn wraps in particular are gorgeous) and a 10% off extra for Sparks card holders. Needless to say I went mental in there and have bought a ridiculous amount. I just can't help it with M+S - everything always look so inviting and intriguing - so apologies as there will probably be a bit of glut of M+S reviews for a while!

One offer that was really good this weekend was the 4 deli picnic items and a bottle of wine or coolbag (let's be honest who would choose a coolbag over wine) for £10. The hard part for me was just picking four - there were just so many nice things and I love M+S' deli items. Theyre handy to make any old salad that bit more interesting or for nice savoury grazing straight from the fridge.

One of things I went for were these sweetcorn and blackbean empanadas - empanadas being very on trend with the Brazilian World cup. First thing I'll say is these are ridiculously over priced - £2.80 for four very small pieces but they did sound good with their coriander and chilli flavours and looked so dainty and nice.

Usually I just eat these types of product cold because I'm impatient and frankly they always taste delicious whether hot or cold but today I pushed the boat out and cooked them in the oven for 8 mintes as instructed to crisp up the pastry.

They smelt good when I got them out of the oven and the pastry was golden and crisp with no greasiness whatsoever. Biting in they had a decent amount of filling and the beany texture of sweetcorn and blackbeans worked well against the crunchy pastry, Chilli, coriander and turmeric added flavour albeit with no heat and little bits of pepper and spring onion add freshness.

Like all M+S products, the ingredients list is straighforward and recognisable and when you look in you can see real wholesome ingredients. They made very nice little snacks but are very overpriced as they are very nice without being mindblowing. I did very much enjoy them though and would buy them again,

Price: £2.80
Bought at: Marks and Spencer

Score: 7/10

Marks and Spencer Handcrafted Aromatic Chicken Pastries with coconut and lime leaf in a paprika pastry

Coconut seems be everywhere at the moment, which is great for a huge coconut fan like myself. At the moment I love it in savoury foods. It works brilliantly with spices and makes anything taste exotic.

These pastries from M&S promised a new flavour combo I've never tried before. They look really attractive - very dainty and petite but at the same bulging with ingredients with the pastry plumped up from the treasures within.

You can cook these in the oven, which I imagine would make the pastry crispy but I scoffed these straight from the packet along with a salad. They were positively bursting with flavour and tasted very fresh.

The chicken mince is brilliant quality, very succulent and tender, and melts beautifully in the mouth. There's so much spicing goin on in the meat - I could detect the warmth of ginger, the freshness and spark of lemongrass, earthy cumin tones and a mild bit of chili heat. Plus, there's lots of lovely fragrant coconut too.

I couldn't really detect paprika in the pastry but that's likely to be due to the sheer number of flavours working together in the filling. These are utterly moreish and would be lovely for picnics.

Available: Marks and Spencer's

Pros: Succulent, juicy meat. Full of exotic, fragrant flavours. Generous filling with great quality ingredients.
Cons: Only four in a pack. Paprika pastry could have more impact.

Score: 8/10

Marks & Spencer Summer of Flavour Mini Chicken Kebabs with pomegranate, garlic and cumin

Yet another bright, flavoursome and exotic uplift of some plain old chicken in M&S' Summer of Flavour range. These petite little kebabs are tender little balls of minced chicken spritzed up with some spicy, earthy cumin and sharp refreshing pomegranate for a modern take on middle Eastern flavours.

The packaging is certainly bright, colourful and eye catching suggesting flavour, health and modernity. Like a lot of M&S products, this contained simple, natural ingredients that you understand and recognise. Opening the pack revealed four cute little kebabs of perfectly round balls on wooden skewers. There's not a lot in the pack but it does mean no waste and they would be great to take out on picnics.

Having previously enjoyed other Summer of Flavour products warmed up, I again decided to heat these in the microwave and used them for a proper meal with some brown rice and veg.

These were not as heavily aromatic and scented as some of the other bits in the range I've tried but they still smelt savoury and fragrant and were very inviting when warm.

The meat quality was great. It came off the skewers easily and cleanly and was tender, soft and succulent. They utterly melted in the mouth due to their smooth texture with no gritty bits and the cumin provided a real flavour impact.

They're not spicy but have a strong earthy taste that's interesting due to the use of lots of spices. The pomegranate didn't come through very strongly but I guess you wouldn't want these to be sweet. Nevertheless, a little bit more sharp fruitiness would be welcome.

Once again, I really enjoyed the exotic and modern take on standard deli items and this made a really nice, simple (if not cost effective) dinner.

Price: £2.50 but bought on a 3 for £6 deal
Available: Marks and Spencer

Pros: Beautifully succulent meat, simple and versatile uses, attractive, lovely earthy cumin flavour
Cons: Only 4 in a pack, pomegranate is too subtle

Store: 7/10

Marks & Spencer Just Add Sliced Soy, Lemongrass & Chill Chicken

I picked up another deli item from M&S's new summer of flavour range having been very impressed with the Carolina BBQ Glazed Pull Pork I tried last week. This time I carried on the global taste adventure moving from the American South to the Far East with this chicken with soy, lemongrass and chilli.  The colourful, bright packaging shouted summer and freshness and was part of the 3 for £6 deli mix and match offer.

One thing I always appreciate about M&S deli meats and chicken is that firstly it is British chicken but also you get very large, attractive looking pieces. The slices are delicately sliced but still generous and whole rather than crushed pieces, which is what you often get in other supermarket deli chicken. I knew these would smell delicious before I even the opened the packet because the scent is so strong and zesty you can smell it from outside the packaging!

Emptying it into a bowl, a lovely aromatic smell tingled my nosebuds. The smell reminded me of Thai street vendor food - lots of spices and pungent, savoury flavours that are still light and uplifting. Usually, I eat my deli meat cold but after having such a success with heating the BBQ pork before eating, I once again blasted this in the microwave for a mere minute.

Once again, this only intensified the aromas and I couldn't wait to eat the succelent chicken. I once again mixed foods and eating styles from different countries and put it in a lovely, warm, crispy ciabatta. I then topped with a few spinach leaves and that's all it took to make something that look like it came from a lovely little delicatessen.

Biting into the warm sandwich, the chicken really held its own. The strong umami taste of soy were uplifted by a really dominant but lovely zesty kick from the lemongrass. The chilli also contributed a further layer of flavour but only added mild heat. I usually find Thai spicing isn't that hot with more of subtle mash of flavour rather than overpowering spiciness for the sake of it.

The spinach added a little crunch and the bread some crispy texture but this chicken is so flavourful it made the sandwich in itself. The seasoning on it is done to perfection and the lemongrass and soy is so zingy and fresh, it tingles your tongue and uplifts your senses. This will definitely be a regular purchase.

Price: £2.50 for part of a 3 for £6 mix and match promotion
Available: Marks and Spencers

Pros: Perfect blend of flavours - powerful and tantaslising. Versatile. Good quality chicken
Cons: You only get 2 servings per pack

Score: 8/10

Marks & Spencer Honey Roast Salmon and Roasted Red Peppers

Yes, another M&S review! But I will try and make this the last one for a while now as I realise it's probably been a bit of an overkill. It is easy to do however as there's so many exciting new things I've found there recently that have come out for summer.

Summer is, of course, synonymous with salad and M&S are currently doing a £6 meal deal where you get a bag of salad leaves, some protein (fish, meat or cheese), a dressing and a 'topper' (olives, peppers etc). Whilst I think that individually these products are pretty pricey and still a fairly expensive way of making a salad even in the meal deal, I was lured by the promise of the honey smoked salmon.

Salad can be incredibly boring but just a few choice ingredients can really liven it up and make a real appetising eat. Just by selecting the salmon along with a little pot of sweet roasted peppers, I knew this would be something a bit special for lunch.

Sprinkling my toppings over my salad, I just couldn't help but be amazing at how colourful, vibrant and enticing the toppings made it. I would happily pay for something like this in a restaurant and the treasure trove of textures, flavours and colours whisked me away to a continental meal on a beach somewhere.

The peppers were almost juicy -that's how soft they were. They had a really bright, healthy colour and a squidgy but not oily texture that had a real depth of flavour. It never ceases to amaze me how much flavour peppers receive when they're roasted. These had a lovely caramelised sweetness that really brought out their intensity.

The salmon, meanwhile, was flaky, meaty and substantial. The honey was very subtle so it wasn't sweet and it wasn't high in sugar. Yet  the honey still gave it an interesting edge, that complemented the strong salmon flavour perfectly. Not only did were absolutely deliciously to eat with an explosion of flavours, they're also healthy as well, allowing you to enjoy a lunch that still feels like a treat. Because of the small packs, I would also imagine they would be great for people wanting to pack a picnic or for taking out and about with you.

Whilst I do feel the price doesn't really justify buying these, I am happy to have tried both products and it certainly imparted some sunshine into my lunch.

Price: Part of a £6 meal deal
Available: Marks and Spencers

Pros: Serves 2 without any waste. Healthy and fresh. Good to take for picnics. Interesting way to liven up a salad.
Cons: Pretty expensive

Score: 7/10.

Marks & Spencer Carolina BBQ Glazed Pulled Pork

As I mentioned in a review of the Marks and Spencer oatcakes with sunflower, pumpkin and linseed I tried recently, M&S has launched loads of new exciting products for the summer under a healthy eating and a 'summer of flavour' banner.

This BBQ pulled pork sits under the 'summer of flavour' section in the deli with all manner of other delicious sounding meats like a BBQ shredded beef and an apple smoked beef. They were on a 3 for £6 deal and considering each pack has two portions in it, I felt this was pretty reasonable. These are a quick, easy and convenient way to make a tasty lunch as you can eat them hot or cold. I can imagine lots of uses for them, whether simply sprinkled over a salad, added to fajitas or mixed in with rice to pep up your meal.

Pulled pork sandwiches seem to be all the rage at the moment so I decided to make a sandwich with mine - although I admit I really did make some fusion food as I stuffed mine into an Italian ciabatta, which is probably not the most authentic companion for something from the US south.

I also decided to heat mine in the microwave to really bring out the flavour and smell. It took a mere minute and an aromatic, sticky meaty smell made me all the more ravenous.

The meat is in tender, flaky strips that isn't greasy or fatty at all, yet remains utterly tender and soft. The sticky, sweet marinade ran into the soft, warm, crispy ciabatta I had grilled, staining it slightly with its spicy glaze.

The combination of crunchy, floury outer and warm, melting inner worked perfectly. I don't care if the combination was traditional or not- these two foods were made for each other.

The pulled pork had a lovely, intense meaty flavour, which was perfectly balanced by the barbecue glaze. It had a very faint heat, which added warmth and a sweetness that wasn't sickly or rich. The spicing and sweetness were perfectly in balance for a really tangy flavour sensation that was utter bliss with every mouthful.

These packs could be used in all manner of ways and I definitely look forward to trying more in the range.

Price: Bought as part of a 3 for £6 deal
Available: Marks and Spencer

Pros: Different to your usual salad/ sandwich meats. Full of flavour. Great quality meat. Delicious sticky sweetness. Versatile.
Cons: Probably not a very cost effective way of buying meat

Score: 8/10