New treats at Marks and Spencer - Spirit of Summer Cakes and Biscuits

Sadly Easter and all its chocolatiness goodness is over but the good news is that Marks and Spencer is now making way for lots of summery filled delights. I only popped into it today to get some nice dips and hummus but ended up salivating at all these new treats. I'm sure there will be lots of new Spirit of Summer products coming out over the coming months but there's already lots of new M&S biscuits and cakes to tantalise you.

New Marks and Spencer dark chocolate lemon and lime jaffa cakes. Lemon and lime jaffa cakes by McVities are pretty nice but dark chocolate is even better and I love the less dry sponge and more dainty feel of M&S jaffa cakes,

 New Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer All Butter Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers - M&S tends to use all butter in their biscuits which always makes them extra crumbly and delicious and cinnamon is underused in biscuits,

 Also available as plain Marks and Spencer All Butter Palmiers

 I'm not normally a shortbread fan but I do love coconut so these Marks and Spencer coconut and raspberry homebake style shortbread fingers sound delicious.

 Everyone knows M&S do the best cookies so these M&S white chocolate and sicilian lemon cookies sound nice for the summer. I'm not a white chocolate fan but the lemon might help offset its sweetness.

 There are some delicious new cakes in too - this Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer Apricot, honey and pine kernel cake sounds really nice,

 And the Marks and Spencer black cherry and almond cake sounds even nicer! I love cherries and almonds and the fact you can try this hot too makes this sound like a delicious pudding,

 This is M&S banana and blueberry loaf cake with spelt and quinoa flour is definitely something I want to try as I love healthier flours.

 And there's Marks and Spencer Chocolate and Date Brownie made with chesnut flour - again this can be served warm as a pudding.

 There's also a vanilla and blackcurrant cake which sounds nice as I love blackcurrant,

 And if you want normal naughty cake instead of these alternative flour ones, there's the new Marks and Spencer Spirit of summer passion fruit cake. Passion fruit might offer a lighter sweetness perfect for summer.

 I love tiramisu but for some reason I think I'd be disappointed by the Marks and Spencer Spirit of summer tiramisu cake - anything tiramisu flavoured always tends to let me down.,

There's also new Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer tiramisu cupcakes and some M&S valencia orange and almond cupcakes for those who like their cakes under a heavy pile of icing!

So lots of interesting new cakes and biscuits for the summer in M&S - so much for healthier summer eating!

Marks and Spencer All Butter Easter Cookies

Another M&S Easter related review as we sadly get to the end of the Easter bank holiday weekend. Still a good M&S biscuit makes the thought of work tomorrow a little more bearable and it is only a four day week.

M&S cookies are always pretty good although seasonally themed biscuits can be a little disappointing. These are easter cookies in the sense they are spice flavoured with currants and dried cranberries and lemon peel and then dusted with sugar for that artisan feel. Opening the packet p they smell fruity and you get that little hint of spice. They're good size cookies with a firm, chunky texture and are the shortbread kind of hard cookie rather than the flapjack sort.

M&S don't skimp on quality of ingredients and the all butter feature really pays off. The cookie's texture is delightfully short with a lovely shortbread taste - really crumbly and the perfect bake. It's a fairly understated biscuit and I think M&S did well to just generically call them easter cookies with spice rather than label them as hot cross buns flavoured for example.

Although fairly simple and plain, there's a delicate hint of spice throughout and I got some lovely afternotes of almond. Coupled with plenty of currants and cranberries means yo get a good fruity burst in each mouthful which complements rather than dominates the gorgeous buttery base.

They're maybe not the most exciting or indulgent cookies M&S have ever made but they are tasty, very high quality and sometimes simple works well. With all that chocolate over Easter, sometimes a bit of simplicity is all you need.

Price: £2.00
Bought at: Marks and Spencer
Score: 7.5/10

Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer Brazil Nut, Chilli,Cocont and Chocolate Florentines

I'm still working my way through a few last Spirit of Summer goodies from M&S even though it's October and we're fast approaching Halloween! I'd wanted to try these since I first saw them but even I can't justify £4 for a box of 8 florentines. But as they were half price, I couldn't resist. Everything about this sounded right up my street - Brazilian dark chocolate, coconut and brazil nuts with a twist of chilli sounded a simply delightful and really interesting combination.

The first thing you can't fail to notice as soon as you get the florentines out is they are super generous with the chocolate - it's so thick it's basically a solid coin of chocolate with a florentine under coating and seems to be more chocolate than anything else! It smelt wonderfully rich and dark and I could already get the hint of chilli.

And to be fair all the ingredients are pretty generous - the biggest amount is the dark chocolate at 32% but actually Brazil nuts make up 22% and the under side is lovely mish mash of coconut, chewy caramel and the nuts. However, it's the bottom side that lets the florentine down.

The flavour is fantastic, rich, dark chocolate that is of the highest quality with a nice little kick of chilli and hints of exotic coconut. The problem is the texture  it's just a little too soft, sticky and chewy. It just needs a bit of firmness and crunch to make it feel more biscuity as I found it so chewy and sticky, I just wanted to gulp it down to stop it sticking to my teeth.

The top half is great and I would happily eat a biscuit covered in this fantastic flavour but the bottom just needs to be made with less caramel and syrup and needs a bit more firmness. I'm glad I didn't pay £4 for these as although I did enjoy them they certainly weren't worth that.

Price: £4
Bought at: Marks and Spencer
Nutrition per florentine: 111 calories, 8g fat, 3.9g sat fat, 6.1g sugars, 0.05g salt

New Marks and Spencers Goodies

Oh M&S, how you always throw me off balance every time I go in there. With all the best will in the world I'll pop in just for some veg or one specific item and everywhere you turn there are tempting and naughty goodies trying to attack my waistline and my wallet. It looks like Spirit of Summer is being phased out and instead we're getting lots of naughty new sweet treats.

M&S instor bakery is definitely yhe most tempting in my opinion and as always they don't fail with new products such as this chocolate chip brioche - it looks buttery, soft, bursting with chocolate chips and probably lots of fats but you know it would be worth every bite.

And if that wasn't enough there were pastries that looked equally naughty. The cappuccino twist takes the classic flaky, buttery chocolate twist you see everywhere and adds one of my favorite things - coffee. Considering how well pastries and coffee go to together this looks like a match made in heaven.

As does the cinnamon danish.... this on a wet autumn afternoon with a coffee.. you know it makes sense. Just look at the three swirls joined together with a load of cinnamon filling and the crunchy sugary top

There were just as many goodies in the ambient bakery section as well. Gingerbread teacakes sound interesting although considering traditional teacakes are fruity I'm not sure how well this would pair with gingerbread. But I love gingerbread and I love teacakes so who knows. Gingerbread is pretty Christmassy for me so I might have to hang back on this.

Whereas as passion fruit is summery so now might be the time to give the new passion fruit yum yums ago. M&S yum yums are sugary, sticky masterpieces so this might be pretty good. They also had a new raspberry one

And biscuits are an M&S staple - they're actually one of the reasons I will specifically go to an M&S as I think they make better biscuits than anyone else - even branded biscuits. Their extremely chocolatey range are probably my favourite ever biscuits and when they say more chocolate than biscuits they mean it. They've added a new mocha version and again considering how much I love coffee, my favourite dark chocolate and ginger extremely chocolate biscuits might have a new contender

Someyimes you want a lighter, more sophisticated biscuit and that's where Viennese come in - buttery and melt in the mouth, an orange chocolate dipped version certainly sounds appealing

As do these double chocolate sandwich creams Viennese

Whilst I am sad to see Spirit of Summer go if this is the type of new product M&S have for us over the colder months, then we're in for a treat. It's a good job we need more calories in colder months because there's a lot of very naughty stuff here! But if you need something healthy, at least there's a new egg and avocado protein pot - how very on trend.

Jacobs Ciabatta Sundried Tomato and Basil Crackers

As we continue to (needlessly in my opinion) shun in bread, there's been a boom in crackers and crispbreads as we look for lighter options. I buy a lot of oatcakes, crackers and savoury biscuits - perfect any time of the day for a quick less sugary nibble and equally as good as lunch option or just for dipping into houmous and dips.My favourite nowadays are the thins you get, which are perfect for dipping and I tend to favour Jacobs for these. However, thee new ciabatta crackers looked interesting and a bit different.

They had original and caramelised onion version as well but I went for tomato and basil for a more Italian flavour to go with the ciabatta style. Each box comes with five individually wrapped packs of three biscuits - a must have for me nowadays as it helps with portion control, freshness and makes them easy for taking out and about.

The little 'best thing since sliced bread' message on the packs made me smile and the biscuits looked appetising although there is a clear difference in appearance between top and bottom. The top has a more rough, rustic texture, darker in colour with an uneven surface. The bottom looks more like a standard cracker albeit with lots of visible flecks of herb and tomato.

Funnily enough upon eating them you really do get a ciabatta feel, - it has that crunchy, stonebaked, roasted flavour and there's lots of air pockets between the top and bottom for a fairly good representation of the bread. Don't get me wrong, real ciabatta is much more satisfying but these do taste very different to normal crackers. The tomato and herb was a little too subtle and the ciabatta taste was the element that came through more strongly for me.

They were perfectly delicious on their own and dipped in houmous but I'm sure there's all kinds of creative things you could do with them maybe topping them with tomato puree and cheese for a pizza style experience. At 41 calories each, I expect they'll appeal to those looking to lighter options for bread.

Price: £1.39
Bought at: Waitrose
Nutrition per cracker: 41 calories, 1g fat, 0.4g sat fat, 0.3g sugars, 0.2g salt

Score: 7/10

Nairns Astrobites

After really liking the Nairns Muesli Breaks - which were a sweet biscuit version of an oatcake that was both a treat and healthy - these new mini bites from Nairns looked equally appealing. This is a box of 5 individually wrapped bags of little bite sized oat based biscuits. This product also claims to have 40% less sugar than the average kids biscuit. They are certainly a lot lower in sugar than most sweet foods at only 17g per 100g and just 4g per individual packet!

Despite being healthier, they're not bland at all. Sweetness comes from currants and cranberries and these also provide an extra depth to the texture as well, giving each bite little bursts of juiciness.

The oat bakes come in a variety of novel space shapes like rockets, astronaughts and planets. Each box also contains a space themed sticker, furthering the appeal for kids.

Though these are aimed at children, I liked them too. The individual bags make them great for carrying out and about and also helps with portion control. As they're based on oats, it makes them a more sustaining snack and it's always great to see lower sugar and more natural options out there. Each bag is only 104 calories.

As such, they're never going to be a proper sweet treat but that's not to say they're not delicious. The bites all contain soya crunchies. These add a lovely popping and crunchy sensation to the bites. It's a pretty simple snack when you want something sweet but that isn't overly filling.

Price: £1.69
Score: 8/10

Tesco Crispy Nutty Seedy Bites Review

Just a very quick review on these nutty, seedy bites a friend gave to me as I often look for snacks that are a little bit healthier. These bites are basically a mix of nutritionally healthy sounding sunflower seeds, currants, peanuts, oats and sesame seeds bound with sugar, syrup and honey.



They reminded be very strongly of sesame snaps but with a thicker, more crunchy and satisfying texture due to the added nuts and currants, of which there were plenty. Tesco were certainly very generous with the inclusions and no two bites were the same. I also loved their mini, bitesize nature, making them ideal for both sharing and grazing on at work.

Yes, they contain sugar and syrup - but less so than cakes, sweets or chocolate and the fruit and nuts means you are getting some goodness the same time, as well as making them more filling.

And for a healthier snack, they taste fantastic. The honey add sweetness to the nuttiness and they were incredibly moreish. So much so, I demolished the bag in a single sitting!

Price: £1.49
Available: Tesco

Pros: Healthier, generous with ingredients, great taste, different to anything else I've seen.
Cons: Bag isn't resealable and too easy to eat them all. Portion control packs would be good.

Score: 8/10

Subway Oat and Raisin Cookie Review

I love to eat - all kinds of food and there is very little I dislike. Seriously little. Every day I try to taste at least one new thing or product or brand because, cliche as it is, variety is the spice of life.

I love finding new products in the supermarket, at cafes and restaurants or even specialist suppliers. I'm not a food snob but neither am I against paying a premium for something special.

I am happy to try own brand, big name brands or something from a specialist or independent or up and coming company. As long as it's tasty, exciting and a new experience, I'll appreciate it!

So I'm starting a blog to record all those tasty little treats that bring a little bit of joy and excitement to a standard day. From cereal to chocolate, spice mixes to sweets, it's all good to me.






So for my first blog, I'm going to talk about a sweet little snack from Subway - the Oat and Raisin Cookie.

Now I have clearly been living under a Subway-Cookie-less rock most of my life as I tend to always only get a sandwich from Subway - well it is what they're known for!

But today, the unit of cookies lined up in tidy rows just seemed to call to me and actually it's a fairly nice looking display with a good selection of standard chocolate variants to the more interesting raspberry cheesecake cookie.

However, I plumped for the oat and raisin Cookie in a vaguely vain attempt to keep my choice healthier. And plumped is an appropriate choice of word, considering the generous amount of juicy, oozy raisins winking at me from beneath the sandy oat biscuit.

Compared to standard supermarket in store bakery cookie offerings, Subway‘s are considerably smaller. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. At only 191 calories and with half the sugar of a Sainsburys in store bakery oat and raisin cookie, it's a not too sinful treat.

And being smaller made for a firmer, more biscuit like texture as some cookies can be more like flapjacks. Not that this was crunchy and hard either. There was a bit of bite and munch to the edges with a buttery crumb but the middle was soft, yielding and melting. The base was also a nice dark, baked colour, providing a bit of substance and an almost crumble like texture.

With a fairly strong cinnamon and spice flavour infused within the gooey oats, the cookie also provided gentle warmth and comfort for an eat that is as cosy as an Autumn's night in. The spices also perfectly counteracted the sugar and raisins to make a treat that wasn't overly sweet.

Frankly, I'm stunned I've waited this long to try a Subway cookie and look forward to trying more of the range.




Price: 50p
Available: Subway branches

Pros: Not too unhealthy but still fairly substantial and at a good price. Nice buttery biscuit that isn't greasy. Lots of flavour and spice for a more subtle sweetness.

Cons: Not the most decadent of treats.

Score: 7/10