Marks & Spencer has added a new twist to its dessert aisle with the launch of 'sweet sandwiches', a novelty treat inspired by similar snacks found in Japanese convenience stores. The range currently features two options: the original strawberries and creme sandwich, and a new Chocolate, Strawberry and Pistachio Creme version, which the retailer describes as 'the UK's first dessert sandwich'.
Food reviewer Eloise Head set out to test both creations. Of the original, she said the bread was 'very soft' and the overall taste was 'very summery', but she was surprised it wasn't sweeter. 'The cream cheese bit has a tang to it,' she noted, adding that she wished the cream were sweeter and that she wanted it to taste 'a little bit more like cake'.
Moving on to the chocolate and pistachio version, Eloise observed that the sandwich felt 'heavy' and that there was 'something weird about it' on first bite. She confessed the chocolate spread tasted 'quite dark', which wasn't to her preference, but praised the pistachio creme as 'really good'. She awarded the sandwich an 8/10 score, favouring it over the original.
The M&S website highlights that the strawberry sandwich uses 'the UK's sweetest Collection Red Diamond strawberries, grown exclusively by M&S Select Farmers', and describes it as a limited-edition summer must-try. The new chocolate-pistachio option layers ripe British strawberries with pistachio creme and Fairtrade Belgian chocolate spread in cocoa-enriched sweetened bread.
While Eloise enjoyed both sandwiches, she felt M&S could have increased the sweetness to make them feel more like a true dessert. 'I'd prefer to taste more pistachio,' she added, though she noted that the flavours grew on her the more she ate. For those without a sweet tooth, the lower sugar content might be a welcome change.
