I tried the new M&S party food range and there was one clear family favourite

This year’s range from M&S is vast and there’s definitely something to suit all tastes.

Tis the season for hosting and gathering together and with all the prep that goes into the big Christmas day dinner, it’s nice to have a few days off cooking where prep is minimal, which I why I love party food at this time of year.

Every major supermarket has its own range of party food or ‘picky bits’ as many like to call them, but I opted to test drive the M&S range to see how it went down with my family ahead of the festive season.

I have two young children, aged seven and four, and it can definitely be a struggle to get them to try things they’re not used to, so I think party food provides the best opportunity for that.

OPINION

Justin Millar

OPINION

Sheena McStravick

There are over 50 varieties in this year’s M&S Party food range, and they all cook at the same temperature in the oven or Airfryer, meaning you can cook multiple dishes at once, convenience at its finest.

We tried a selection of the new dishes including the Snowman Bao Buns, Mini Beef Burgers, Crispy Duck Spring Rolls, Crispy Tempura Vegetable Fritters, Mini Pies, Tangy Brie & Cranberry Tartlets, Pigs in Blankets, Pecorino and Chorizo tortillas (which are gluten free!) and Tempura Prawns.

The Snowman Bao Buns were hugely attractive to my young children who thought they were adorable, but the design worked a charm as they both tried them, something I never would have achieved if they had just been plain bao buns. My eldest wasn’t a fan but the youngest and more adventurous eater declared they were yummy!

I personally loved the Tempura Vegetable Fritters, which were so crispy, and again went down well with the kids who barely knew they were eating vegetables, another big win!

But there was one big winner in our house, and that was the mini hamburgers. They were snapped up in seconds and were really tasty and flavoursome.

This year’s range from M&S is vast and there’s definitely something to suit all tastes. I personally love how they’ve mixed traditional classics in mini form like Fish and Chip Bites, Hamburgers and mini mince beef and chicken pies, alongside rest of the world flavours such as Duck Spring Rolls, Bao buns, Indian platter, Katsu chicken bites to name just a few.

This year’s expanded range also has a range of brunch favourites which are perfect for over the Christmas period, including Mini Ham and Cheese Croissants, Hot Smoked Salmon Rostis, Smoked Salmon Appetisers, and Cheddar and Ham Scones.

Our favourite from the brunch favourite range was the Mini Maple and Bacon Pancake stacks which again disappeared in seconds with our kids. They provided the perfect mix of smoky bacon and sweetness with the maple, absolutely delicious.

So if you’re having family over this Christmas and can’t be bothered cooking, or if you just want a few days away from the cooker yourself at home, then be sure to try the M&S party food range, you won’t be disappointed!

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