Quick! The Sun Is Out! 10 Exotic Alternatives to Just Sausages & Burgers For Your Blazing BBQ This Weekend, from M&S

£4 or mix and match with other BBQ packs 3 for £10

I've been waiting all spring and summer for good weather to do an M&S BBQ themed blog post, but as every week passed, the drizzle and rain continued. Last night I was organising today's visit to my local Bangor, Bloomfields Marks and Spencer with my PR contact, the lovely Stephanie, and I suggested in lieu of the needed weather, how about I went ahead and shared the amazing BBQ range with you guys anyway? I could highlight that the meats & accompaniments are glazed and infused with great flavour already, so that grilling or oven cooking indoors will give you meals with that delicious BBQ flavour, without having to stand outside over the grill with a brolly up, for that smokehouse taste we love this season.

So that was the plan, but I woke this morning to blue skies! Now the food hasn't been BBQed yet, so maybe I'm jinxing it, but I'm going ahead with a post to show you whats in store on offer straight out of the bag, in case you want to rush to your local M&S right now to catch this rare sun with a BBQ of your own tonight. I will add cooked food photos in due time. (Now added!)

The good news is that all the meats, fish & veggie options are part of the 3 for £10 mix and match offer. Most packs on their own to buy are £4.00-£6.00, so you are saving a couple of pounds, especially if you like the exotic seafood options, like I do. 

Now my title says I've picked the interesting, non-burger and non-sausage BBQ foods, but I have taken pics of the burgers and sausages M&S have available too, as you need those for the less adventurous palettes. Of course as its Marks and Spencer's the burgers are the just plain burgers, but more later. 

First, some seafood. There was also a pair of sea bass that came wrapped in corn husking to cook on the grill that I liked the look of.

3 for £10 or : Shrimp Sliders £5 : Salmon Skewers £5 : Prawn Skewers £5

Vegetable Kebabs £3.50 : Mexican Coleslaw £1.80

Peri Peri Sauce £1.75 : Mexican Wedges with Nacho Cheese dip £4 : Beef Skewers £4

BBQ Tear & Share bread £2.60 : Mango Coconut Chicken Flatties £4.50 (or mix and match 3 for £10)

Now the hot dogs! M&S are known for their summer 'Posh Dogs', delicious, plump bangers with accompanying brioche style posh dog buns. 

I found these mini posh dog skewers with pineapple & jalapeño and garlic & herb sausages to try, in the 3 for £10 mix, or £4.00. The posh dog mustard is £1.50

Cornish Cove (cheese) and bacon Posh Dogs next, £4.50 and Fried Onion rolls to stack them in for £1.80. The sunny yellow sauce is part of a range of refrigerated sauces I think you add to meat while you are cooking for an extra kick. They are £1 each.

So finally, burgers. M&S have a good range of different types, Aberdeen Angus, Steak & Cheese, Venison, Peppered Beef, and my choice, Chorizo burgers, all in the 3 for £10 offer. Watch out for the cheese toppers in several flavours for £2, and the Ultimate Burger Buns in the bakery and bread department.

So fingers crossed the weather holds the next few days, and we all get in a long awaited back garden BBQ! 

* Its just been dinner time, so here's how some of the goodies look once they are bbqed! *

Prawn skewer : Salmon skewer : Mexican coleslaw side

Garlic & herb sausage with Posh Dog mustard : Jalepeno & Pineapple sausage with Piri Piri mayo

Vegetable kebab : Beef Skewer (I have to be honest, none of us liked the taste of this, sorry M&S!) 

Smix getting his BBQ on, with his one, big, 'can-opener' tooth left after losing another this week! 

What's New in The M&S Food Hall This August?

As blog posts go, some of my favourites are when I get to visit the huge M&S at Sprucefield in Lisburn, and pick lots of delicious treats to fit the particular theme that time around. I've had posts with their healthy eating Count On Us and Fuller Longer ranges, BBQ inspiring blogs, and picnic ideas, but this visit I wasn't sure what the topic of my foodie haul was going to be. 

As Michael & I perused the shelves of the colourful and fresh food ideas, I decided just to go with 'what's new this August', as there are so many new products to try in every section of the store. 

I featured their wide range of BBQ meats & fish a month ago, but these new ones caught my eye. I love their ranges like this where you get a great cut of meat in the perfect sauce. It's fool-proof to cook and always tastes amazing.  

They are all on 2 for £7, or 3 for £10. 

M&S are well known for their exquisite smoked salmon already, but this limited edition black treacle salmon is to die for. The little seafood selection packets are great for a quick stirfry to change things up if you usually just use chicken. Go a little exotic next time with the coconut & lime dressing, or lime, mint & chilli. 

Again these are 2 for £7, or 3 for £10. 

Some times for me the difference between a healthy snack & a packet of crisps is pure laziness at having to chop the veg for the healthier option, so the preprepared crudité selection is perfect for lazy folks like me! It's £3, but also falls under the deli range offer of 3 items for £6. 

If you're snacking in work there's actually a crunchy veg & houmous pot available in the lunch aisle for just £1.75. I also picked up the new sweetcorn, chilli and coriander dip (£1.40) and a pack of croutons to add to salads & soups (£1). 

M&S have a fab selection of these little vegetable & salad pots all year round, which make for great sides to main meals, or a healthy snack on their own. They usually fall under the 2 for £3 offer too. 

If you are fed up of sandwiches this summer, there are plenty of alternatives like sushi, or a protein pot. The salmon and edamame pot is £2. There are also packs of seasoned & prepared meat that simply need added to bread or a bap for a tasty lunch. The caramalised Apple ham hock was £2.60. In my previous M&S post about picnic items I had tried a roast beef sandwich which included their blacksticks blue cheese, which was delicious, so I snapped up the spreadable version for £2.50.

We haven't had great weather this week, but it's still the summer and these two drinks will at last give you the taste of the season where our climate is falling short. The watermelon & coconut iced tea is £1.80 and the melon, pineapple & passion fruit juice is £1.50. 

The rhubarb iced buns are £1.30 for two and also come in a lemon variety. They are sort of lik a doughnut/bun mashup, filled with jam. 

Lastly a couple of dessert options that are new this month. A healthy treat of strawberries, cream & crumble for £3, a pair of gooseberry custard crumbles in reusable glass jars for £3.80, and a trip of tiny summer traybakes for £1.20.

Fancy Pants BBQ Time With M&S

M&S are back this summer with 'posh dogs', sausages served in glorious brioche buns, aromatic fish cakes and Angus beef burgers with jalepeno pepper cheese toppers. If you want a posh BBQ, Marks and Spencer is your place to go. Even if you are only cooking for two, most of the meat products are on 2 for £7 and 3 for £10, mix and match. 

We also tried melting massive marshmallows from the farm shop. 

We didn't get round to using the London cured candied bacon that evening, so I used it the next morning for breakfast alongside waffles. It's thick cut, rich bacon that you sprinkle with included cinnamon sugar. Heavenly! 

Marks & Spencer's Super Summer of Flavour

Have you been in Marks & Spencer lately? As usual they are pushing the boundaries of unusual culinary delights to be found on a supermarket shelf, with their Summer of Flavour. 

They've put coconut, pineapple, watermelon, chipotle or wasabi on EVERYTHING, and this is the BEST THING EVER. It's like a range invented by me, with all meats pulled, everything fruity & tangy and beautiful.  

You know where I do my big shop, but I'm no stranger to M&S either. Their food can be a little more pricey, but it's actually WORTH IT, so you don't mind. We aren't talking stupid prices either, and their Meal for Two for £10 is still one of the best value meals from any supermarket. 

We visited the Sprucefield Marks & Spencer, Lisburn, just outside Belfast. It's gigantic. It must have everything from the website and more. Stationary, clothing, food hall, then another massive shop of M&S Home.

Here's what I think must have gone down in the M&S kitchen when they invented this product.

"Okay, chocolate covered... we've had coconut before... pineapple? ....watermelon? too messy I suppose... what other flavours have we included in our Summer of Flavour, Jim?" 

"WASABI. WASABI PEAS." 

"Oh, Jim. I don't think so" 

"MAKE IT SO." 

(I'll let you know on Instagram later in the week what I think of them).

They may sound weird, but products like this is exactly why I love M&S. 

So what did we pick up to try through out this week?

I'm giving coconut water a second chance. I've tried it plain and thought it tasted too much like sweat. But this carton has a whole juiced watermelon in there too, so it's bound to taste nice. Plus I picked it up on the 3 for £5 offer, so it's a bargain. 

If you look closely at the yellow carton you can see the pineapple juice has hints of lemongrass and jalepeno chilli in it! Another curious creation.

The fruit snacks are very summery, the Tropical Paradise tray includes little, yellow, coconut & pineapple flavour jelly shells. Tropical Triumph has mango sauce and a shaker of coconut flakes included. 

There's my Wasabi Peas again, and a bound-to-be beautiful, £3 coconut and pineapple cake. If you've never tried M&S's £3 round cakes, you are missing out. They are the moistest, most delicious cakes you can buy from a supermarket. Try the toffee one and it'll change your cake buying habits for life.

If you're a macaron fan there is a special summer version of their mini desserts for £5.50. 

The Summer of Flavour range has tonnes of picnic food to choose from, and buy four items and you get a free bottle of wine, or if you're teetotal like me, a non-alcoholic alternative. Rather than use these for a picnic, I chose them for some night when I want to make a 'lazy tea'. A little platter of tasty bits and pieces to share, and with 3 packs for £6 it's a good deal.

The Summer of Flavour has reached the takeaway sandwich aisle too. Marks & Spencer have caught onto the trend of all meat being 'pulled'. It's strange, meat didn't seem to be pulled before 2013, now it's like you can't buy pork without it being yanked first. It's like paninis. Before 2005 they didn't exist in the UK, now they are everywhere. See also pizza pre-1985.

Back to the point though, these soft baps are made from a sweet, brioche type recipe and I love them. The sweet, soft baps are available from the bread & bakery section, called Posh Dog Baps they'll impress the neighbours at your next BBQ.

More from the picnic range, these Firebreads are only £3 each, which seems like a great price to me. These do need cooked before you eat them, so bear that in mind if you are dropping into M&S for something to take to a park to eat 'now'. We are going to try these tonight, so again if you want to know what I think & how they look cooked, see my Instagram later.

We Smyths love a wee multi-pack of dips, and I'm looking forward to testing out this smokey selection. 

Another item I've tried before, but simply had to include because it's out of this world, their Wasabi Potato Salad. It's part of their 2 for £3 salad pots which includes a great Crunchy Mango Salad pot and a lovely version of Waldorf Salad.

Another wasabi fuelled Summer of Flavour item I've noticed in the past few weeks included wasabi popcorn. Annoyingly it slipped my mind to look for it when I was there today. 

The Grill collection is the BBQ type section of the a Summer Flavour menu, and there's lots to choose from. I went for three items from the 3 for £10 range. These sweet potato wedges would make a gorgeous BBQ accompaniment. Also good for making your own at home, pretend Nandos.

The coconut, lemongrass  & lime chicken should be amazing, and again the night we do cook and eat these I'll give my opinion on Instagram.

Finally, way-hey it's the pulled pork! My mouth is watering just looking at the picture on the front of the box. Apple BBQ sauce sounds like the thing dreams are made of.

This shop came in at around £45 and you can really make some good savings by reading up on the offers in store.

Oh, and I tried these cashews earlier in the week, coconut & chilli ones. Don't laugh, but the taste reminded me of sugared Shredded Wheat​ (descriptions like that is probably why I'm not a full time foodie blogger). They are totally yummy.

Check out the M&S website for recipes using their current ranges.​

This post was sponsored by M&S supplying the food for review. Thanks, guys! 

Everything You Need to Score a World Class Football Themed Party

My Junior column in The County Down Spectator this month is a whole page! I've filled it with great product ideas to put together the classiest team football party. I've special items from Talking Tables, Tesco, Novelties Direct, Party Packs, Party Explosion, TDH Party Supplies, Party Rama, Monster Parties and a few cool ideas from fellow bloggers. Enjoy!