M&S reveals Christmas cafe food range including double wrapped pigs in blankets with gravy and s’mores milkshake
M&S HAS revealed its new Christmas menu in cafes up and down the country – featuring double wrapped pigs in blankets with gravy and a s’mores milkshake.
The festive items, set to hit M&S from November 6, also include a range of sandwiches, snacks and sweat treats.
The pigs in blankets, which come with a side of gravy for dipping, will set customers back a modest £2.50.
The s’mores milkshake, which is flavoured with “toasted marshmallow syrup” for a taste of the fireside, comes at a steeper £4.
The indulgent drink comes with whipped cream, biscuit crumbs, chocolate sauce and marshmallows – much like the £4.10 s’mores hot chocolate.
Meanwhile, a favourite from last year’s menu is set to return, the £7.50 Turkey and Ham Hock Toastie, which also comes in a gluten free version.
The festive sarnie, which was a hit on social media, is getting an indulgent upgrade – with extra turkey and a cheesy bechamel sauce.
And a brand-new Cheeseboard Toastie has been added to the mix for £6.50 – with Barbers cheddar, Emmental and Red Leicester with a Christmas port and onion chutney and three cheese bechamel.
If sarnies aren’t your thing, you can also try the new Chicken Schnitzel with Roasties – served with cranberry sauce and mayonnaise for £9.95.
For a sweet treat, customers could opt for a piece of Christmas Spiced Tiffin, with flavours of cranberry, ginger and orange, or a Cinnamon Sticky Bun.
Or, they could play it safe with returning classics such as the mince pie or salted caramel yule log.
Meanwhile, the tried-and-tested Cinnamon Bun Latte and Cinnamon Bun Iced Latte are set to return to the drinks menu.
It comes as the upmarket fashion and food giant also added new items to its in-store range, including a Christmas dip with bacon bits, turkey, cranberry and stuffing.
The unusual dish follows a range of dips released in the summer including Chicken Caesar, New York Deli Pastrami and a Fully Loaded Indian Style Dip – which were a viral hit on social media.
In unhappier news for the chain, a beloved M&S cafe in Kent closed in September, with customers mourning its departure.
One wrote on Nextdoor: “It’s the only place where you can sit and have a coffee or go to the loos.”
However, there are still well over 100 cafes to choose from nationwide – with the new Christmas menu available in all of them.
HISTORY OF M&S
M&S was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds.
The first official Marks and Spencer store opened in Manchester in 1901.
Throughout the 1920s, M&SA gre rapidly, opening more and more stores across the country.
The retailer made its reputation in the early 20th century by selling only British-made products.
It began textile sales in 1926 and started selling food from 1931.
The St Michael trademark was introduced in 1928 as a guarantee of quality and value.
This was initially used only for a small range of textiles but was extended over the years to cover all goods sold by M&S.
M&S introduced its first in-store cafe in 1935 in the Leeds store.
It provided cheap, hygienic, and nutritious mass catering.
By 1942, M&S opened 82 cafes across its estate.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, M&S had 234 stores.
By 1945, over 100 of these had been damaged by bombs, and 16 had been completely destroyed.
BY 1960, M&S pioneered in the sale of fresh poultry following the invention of the cold-chain process.
In the 1970s and 1980s, M&S pushed into international markets including the US, Canada and France.
In 1979, M&S introduced the Chicken Kiev to its food halls across the UK.
In 1992, Percy Pigs were launched.
The Autograph range of clothing was introduced in 2000, and the St Michael brand was slowly phased out.
In 2019, the group announced 110 store closures as part of its plans, affecting several longstanding high-street shops.
In September 2020, M&S partnered with Ocado to allow for home delivery of the chain’s full food range.
M&S has recently announced new stores and is freshening up a swathe of others in a boost for shoppers.