Say Goodbye To Boring Protein Bars & Hello To M&S’s Rainbow of a Range of High Protein Meals & Snacks - Including Salami Crisps!

£1.50 Each

Okay, so there’s no fooling you guys into thinking I’m a protein-shake-swilling gym goddess, but I have drank that stuff in the past, and that stuff tastes like drinking moths. Worse still is my continued self-delusion that if I buy a protein chocolate bar, it’s not really eating ‘badly’, then tasting the thing and wishing I had just bought a big 100g Dairy Milk and got on with it.

Foods labelled with protein as their selling point are showing up more & more in our supermarkets, with new products, and revamped ‘extra protein’ versions of traditional snacks becoming the norm. But why should we care about ‘getting our protein in’ with our diet, especially if we aren’t gym bunnies- is there any advantage?

£5

Research has shown that protein, rather than fat or carbs, has the ability to keep you feeling fuller longer, and reduce cravings, which can help you regulate your weight. It literally acts as the building block for new muscle, so it can help you increase your strength. Animal protein especially has been proven to help bone density, which can be really beneficial for women during menopause. It’s also been shown to reduce blood pressure, which can help with heart disease, strokes and kidney disease. There are several other medical and scientific reasons upping protein in your diet is a plus, but let’s get into the food, shall we?

My top item to seek out on this Marksies’ trip was their new charcuterie-style, air-dried snacking crisps (top image). You’ll find these curious canapés in the fridges, as they are made from salami, chorizo and Serrano ham. They aren’t fried, are surprisingly low calorie per pack (under 150 cals) and are, of course, high protein. Super for those on low carb diets like Keto, these unusual snacks are very crunchy and packed with flavour.

Plant kitchen nourish bowl £3.50 : Beets protein pot £2

Next I took a nosy in the takeaway, sandwich aisle, and found some new products that really wowed me. The new Falafel & Chargrilled Vegetable salad (above) looks like something you would be presented with in a fancy little artisan vegan cafe. The veggie and ‘healthy’ options Marks and Spencer has to choose from are miles away from what, to me at least, used to feel like picking a salad was a ‘boring’ lunch. In fact to me the protein pots look more tempting than the sandwiches! If a sarnie is your thing though, they do have a special new range of protein rich sandwiches too.

Chicken £2 : Prawn £2.20

M&S was one of the first places I ever saw mini ‘protein pots’ on sale, a few years ago, with their boiled egg and spinach pot. Their range has expanded now with high protein pots like the Beautiful Beets & Feta Cheese variety, Chargrilled Chicken and Edamame, and Chilli & Coriander King Prawn.

For vegans, the Plant Kitchen range also has nourish bowls to takeaway, like the Edamame & Black Rice Salad (above) which is another rainbow coloured dream.

£5

Another new high protein choice is the Free Range Egg & Avocado Salad. The colourful cabbage makes this one another tempting choice.

Lastly, some handy pots to stock the cupboard with for snacking (below). These quick and easy dinners can be whirled in the microwave, and again there’s a high protein option in the Balanced For You Smokey Pulled Pork option. There’s also a Chilli & Rice bowl, or Bolognese Pasta.

£3 each

Vegans have several choices too, the Cauliflower, Coconut & Lentil Dahl pot, as well as Moroccan Lentil Stew a Mixed Bean Chipotle Chilli.

There is also traditional favourites like Shepherd’s Pie with Root Vegetable Mash. All these pots are £3 each and will be great lunch options as we head into autumn. I’m looking forward to all the new foods for that season too!

You can also check out some high protein recipes on the M&S website, if you fancy cooking something yourself from scratch.

Marks & Spencer Little Shop - Miniature Collectable Versions of Their Classic Food Hall Products: And They Are Free! (One With Every £20 Spent)

M&S Little Shop quite possibly has to be my favourite thing they’ve launched all 2019 so far, and it’s not even edible. My secondary school aged son and I are both older than the intended age bracket for this fantastic educational, fun venture, but both of us got a little carried away when we came across all the Little Shop products in our local M&S a week or so ago.

In fact he bought himself a tiny M&S replica trolley, and I bought myself a miniature shopping basket, as they were £3 each and we both thought they were too cool to pass up. Our local store had the full Little Shop display that day, with the accessories which go along with the blind bags which are given out, one free with every £20 you spend in the Food Hall.

Little Shop is a fun and educational event for kids (& big kids alike) where you can collect 25 different miniatures of classic Food Hall products. There’s Percy Pig, Cauliflower Popcorn, and the famous favourite Prawn Cocktail Sandwich. Each little miniature comes with a collector’s card with information about the product. For example if it’s fresh produce it could tell you where in the U.K. or Ireland Marks and Spencer sources it.

There is also a dedicated Little Shop corner of the M&S website, with more for kids to learn about sustainability or print out and play games related to the Little Shop theme.

The 25 products are blind bag items, so you will maybe have doubles, but there have been Swap Shops set up for this very occasion! M&S are having in store Little Shop Swap Meets where you can finally gets your hands on that tin of tuna, or bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice, and they are listed in every region of the country- including Northern Ireland! Full listing here.

The Little Shop world plans to be around until about mid-September, but I did spy on the FAQs section that they say if you have an idea for a product that would make a good miniature version, to let them know… so some how I don’t think this will be the final set of tiny takeaways for my trolley.

In the meantime, I still need the Little Shop loaf, the curry, the pizza……

M&S’s Pan Fry Range Will Transform You Into a Super Summer Stir-Fry Chef, Plus New Street Food Wraps and Salads

Beef burrito £3.30 : Southern Fried ChiCKen £3

A little bit of a mixed bag of what’s new from Marks and Spencer this month, as I like to show you what catches my eye in store from the new launches, as well as products I think are nifty. I’ve two ranges I want to tell you about, the first being found in the sandwich aisle.

Marks & Spencer’s ‘sandwich aisle’ is a bit of a misnomer, certainly an understatement, as my local Bloomfield Bangor store’s sarnie fridge is home to wraps, artisan sausage rolls, protein pots, quinoa salads, regular salads, vegan options of all of the previous, and more varieties of sushi than you can shake a chopstick at.

The latest addition to their luncheon menu is a Street Food range. Inspired by food stalls in markets around the globe, the new items include some absolute flavour favourites like a Beef Burrito Wrap for £3.30, or Southern Fried Chicken for £3. There are also vegetarian options like the Veggie Falafel & Spinach Wrap with Feta Dressing £3, and a Veggie Samosa you could enjoy either hot or cold for lunch for £1.50.

Other Street Food sandwiches include Katsu Chicken £3, Chicken Vindaloo £3, and Hog Roast, which has a pork, sage & onion stuffing filling, for £2.80. Why I mention the stuffing is that with a little tweak at home (or your office desk!) by whipping out a jar of cranberry sauce, you could DIY a ‘Christmas in July Sandwich’.

There are also some fresh recipes from this range if you like an M&S salad on your lunch break. Bang Bang Prawn Noodle Salad is a Vietnamese inspired dish with a spicy peanut & coconut dressing. There’s also an Indian Style Spiced Chicken Salad, Both are £4 each. Street Food also has a vegan option, the Roast Butternut & Tabbouleh Salad, for £3.50.

I also picked up a couple of their Super Waters, which are priced between £1.50 and £2 a bottle. I chose the Watermelon & Lime flavour infused with Protein & Collagen, and the Apple & Elderflower which has Vitamins C,B3,B5,B6 and B12.

Teriyaki Beef £4 : Fajita chicken £3

Moving on from lunch, to dinner. I enjoy cooking, but I don’t often follow recipes, I’m very much a chef of two disciplines- 1. throw it all in the oven, or 2. throw it all in the pan. So when I was browsing the aisles of the Food Hall and spied this range, I’m not sure if it’s brand new, but I hadn’t noticed it before, and it’s right up my street.

The Pan Fry range has beef, chicken and lamb options for stir frying, which come complete with pre-cut veg and sauce and seasonings. All you need to do with the pack is follow the three or four step instructions on the labelling.

Tandoori lamb £6 : coconut & lime chicken £3.50

You can make a quick meal for two in minutes, and add the side of your choice. No washing and chopping veg, marinading meat, it’s all there ready to go. Ideal for busy folks, or those who just would like a hand in the kitchen.

Even better, they are really well priced. The Fajita Chicken pack is only £3, which you would struggle to find chicken, veg and seasoning for two for less than that yourself. The Teriyaki Beef costs £4, with the Coconut & Lime Chicken at £3.50, and the Tandoori Lamb Chops for £6.

A stir fry makes a great summer dinner, and with these M&S tricks up your sleeve, you’ll have more time to enjoy the sun and not be stuck in the kitchen.

Non-Vegans Are QUAKING! Dirty Fries, Cashew Mac, No Chic’n Nuggets - M&S New Plant Kitchen Range

£3.50

I reviewed some of M&S’s vegan range two years ago, burgers and sausages, which are two of the staple foods that vegetarians and vegans get ‘recreated’ in non-meat form first. Even two years ago Marksies were ahead of the game and didn’t just have the usual reformed burger, mystery non-meat veggie burger.

They had beet burgers and crazy green sausages, and like the rest of my taste in life, I also love novelty in food, so I was more than happy to try those out. Their range back then was great and we had them around BBQ season and loved it so much I bought their vegan, golden orange, sweet potato sausages for many BBQs to come.

£3

The vegan range expanded slowly but surely since 2017 as more and more families adopted vegetarian and vegan tastes, whether it be by moral stance, or by dietary needs (approx 20%). Someone in my close family has a dairy allergy, so I often look for vegan desserts as they are the superior option to find something that hasn’t scrimped on taste quality because they automatically start from a point of not using any dairy, rather than trying to just exclude it.

So here we are at the beginning of 2019, and some people may want to give veganism a go for health reasons, or for the environment.

Fries £3 : Mac £3 : Nuggets £2.50

M&S launched their Plant Kitchen range on 2nd January, with over 60 different products, which you’ll find easily within your local store thanks to the distinctive teal packaging. There are what they call ‘dirty vegan’ comfort food, like the Cauliflower Popcorn with Buffalo Dip & Cashew Mac, and two amazing looking, artisan, sourdough pizzas.

There are healthy versions of ‘ready meals’, using fresh vegetables, not frozen, like the Thai Green Curry, or the Katsu Curry. There are even non-chicken Chic’n Nuggets- we are living in the future, people! 

£3.50

Everything in the Plant Kitchen range is meat-free and dairy-free, entirely vegan, and made from plant proteins. There are also basic ingredients like Tofu, and Grain Packs like Non-meat Meatballs, Non-meat Mince etc, for you to make your own recipes. 

Those tasty burgers and sausages from the original vegan ranges are still around too, and I imagine when BBQ season swings by the range will be expanded even further. In store now, but ideal for picnic times ahead are the vegan Coleslaw and Potato Salad, both priced at £1.50 which I believe is the same price as the regular Deli Coleslaw.

£3.50 : £1.50

The newest foodie word on the street being ‘flexitarian’, someone who occasionally eats meat. I heard it last week for the first time, but it’s been around for quite some time, being voted the year’s most useful word by the American Dialect Society in 2003. I always thought giving up meat completely would be impossible, but with ranges like Plant Kitchen, and thinking how it could expand in the future, I could see a time when I could be a No Chic’N Nuggets girl. What do you think?

Take a closer look at the Plant Kitchen range on the Marks & Spencer website. 

There’s a VEGAN Chocolate Liqueur at M&S and You Can Get TWO Bottles for £16 Right Now: Plus All The Other Special Tipples To Make Your Christmas-Tree-Decorating Weekend Merry & Bright

£12 or two for £16

Can you believe your eyes? Marks & Sparks have made an all vegan chocolate liqueur, so if the temptation of a Baileys on ice makes you go back to plain vegetarian at holiday time, now you can stick to your guns and sip their Coconut Chocolate Vegan liqueur of an evening (see below).

Lots of the speciality drinks are on offer right now, which I will share with you in this post,  but with the liqueurs especially you can buy two bottles for £16, or even buy a crate online at £8 each here.

In the deal you can mix and match flavours, so you can try the exotic Yule Log Flavour Liqueur, or Salted Caramel, Egg Nog Cream, or Chocolate Peanut.

£12 or two for £16

£2

There are also offers on their mulled wines, both red and rosé (see further below), and their traditional Non Alcoholic Mulled Punch is a reasonable £2 a bottle. 

Mulled Rosé seems super posh, doesn’t it? 

The wines & spirits aisle in Marks & Spencer is a veritable treasure trove right now, with a tonne of different delicious concoctions to serve at parties and gatherings to wow your friends and family. 

As I said many of the speciality drinks have the bonus of being on offer too, so it’s well worth having a nosy in store if you have a few more gifts to buy, as they are great value, look substantial and festive too.

There’s up to 30% off Christmas drinks here, and you can save £3 off bottles of spirits and cocktails from this selection.

Another mix and match offer in store that I love, are these boxes of hot toddies in several different flavours (below). You can get 3 for 2. There’s Gingerbread Brandy Hot Chocolates and Salted Caramel Rum Hot Chocolates, £6 for a box of two, and they include the glasses.

You Just whizz them in the microwave for 45 seconds. It’s pretty cool that the cream in the drinks comes from a Northern Irish farm, just outside Coleraine too. 

So there’s plenty of choice of tipples for the adults for this weekend and the holidays beyond, but for the teetotal amongst us, and under 18s, there are lots of tasty, seasonal drinks in M&S to try too. 

There’s the Non-Alcoholic Punch I mentioned before, as well as two different Mulled Juices in the fridges that can be enjoyed hot or cold.

My absolute favourite however is the Spanish Clementine Juice. I buy it throughout the year too, but I challenge you to try it and not get the massive wave of nostaligia I always get when I drink it. It doesn’t taste like ordinary, fresh orange juice, it tastes EXACTLY like the orange you got in your Santa Stocking every year. It’s so sweet and delicious. The usual two for £3 applies to the mix and match fresh juices.

In the lunch and snack fridge section you can try a mini Clementine drink (below), as they have that and an Orange, Pomegranate & Cranberry variety bottle. They are £1.50 each with a portion of sale going to Shelter, the homeless charity M&S heartily support every Christmas period.

So make sure you check out all the fab offers in store this weekend, and the drinks gifts online . It’s a great weekend to pop into your local Marks & Spencer’s though, as they have the £10 Dine In Offer on all weekend.

Also I noticed all their beauty gifts are 50% off, which is huge, so if you still have some gifts to buy, M&S is your place. 

Sweet Potato Steaks & Edamame Burgers: Go Veggie This Weekend with 20% Off M&S New Range

I love a good veggie burger, and often pick them over regular burgers when eating out cause they are just so delicious. I make them at home too, but they are always the regular same tasting recipe wherever I buy them. 

Marks & Spencer has just launched a new Veggie Range, with products us meat eaters will be coveting, including three different fresh veggie burger varieties.  Lentil & Beetroot, Edamame Bean, and Sweetcorn & Chickpea.

I had the Lentil & Beetroot for lunch and they are incredible. I would challenge you to make them for someone who is anti-Veggie, and see if they even notice it’s not meat. The texture is spot on for a high quality beef burger. The only clue might be the Beetroot pink tinge!  

They've also launched some tempting falafel products, the beetroot variety looks so cool it’s almost worth buying for the Instagram-Factor.

It’s a great time to try the new products as the whole range has 20% off. Because the items are vegetable based and not meat, it means the packs of burgers are really great value, at £2.20 and up.

Another must-Instagram newbie is the Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Sausage.

Along with the meal ingredients range, they also have relaunched their veggie meal products like lasange, stroganoff, pasta bakes etc. Those can be found in the Ready meal aisle alongside the Asian takeaway dishes, whilst the other Veggie products are alongside the fresh and veg at the entrance of your local store. 

My other super hipster, impress your mates cool Veggie product to buy is the Sweet Potato Steak. I can’t wait to try everything out over the weekend.  

Lastly, don’t forget there are Veggie Percy Pigs, and a whole range of Veggie Colin the Caterpillar sweets.