'I tried M&S brand new 'picky bits' range' and one item is a real game changer
M&S have undoubtedly become the kingpin of the 'picky bits' tea - and now they've really gone to town with their range. Their small pots of snacky foods can elevate any picnic, making it the boujiest spread in the park, and with their newest range, you're in for a treat.
The new picnic essentials include two new flavours of the popular loaded dips including Chicken Shawarma and Ploughman's as well as seriously Instagrammable Grilled Turkish Olives. The supermarket has also gone to town on the superfood of the summer - beans, with their new pots of Salsa Verde Chickpeas, Chickpeas with Chorizo, Tuna & Cannelini Beans, and Edamame with Soy Sauce, all packing a delightful protein punch.
There's simply nothing better than a picky bits tea in the sunshine, and the new M&S range comes just in time for National Picky Bits Day today (June 27). With this in mind, I knew there was only one way to celebrate - and it was to have the ultimate feast to celebrate the nation's love of a summery picky tea.
Shoppers love the 3 for £8 deal on the items, and M&S see shoppers snapping up two pots of picky bits or dips every second, totalling 70million packs sold every year. So, off I went to load up for the perfect picnic dinner.
I picked up the M&S Topped Chicken Shawarma Dip, M&S Topped Ploughman's Dip, M&S Whipped Spicy Nacho Cheddar Dip, M&S Whipped Spicy Nacho Cheddar Dip, M&S Dressed Giant Butterbeans, M&S Grilled Turkish Green Olives, M&S Calabrian Chilli Marinated Italian Mozzarella, M&S Spanish Mini Fuet & Cheese and a couple of bags of M&S crisps to dip in with.
The dips are new additions to the already viral Caesar, Hot Salmon and New York Pastrami, and they are a real treat. The Ploughman's is packed with creamy cheese topped with pulled ham hock and mini silverskin pickled onions. The combination of the ham cheese and onion made all of teh flavours hit at once which made it had to differentiate which was which, but was still very tasty.
There is also the Chicken Shawarma Dip, described as "spiced, creamy and topped with succulent, marinated pulled chicken and tangy pickled red onions" which really stood out to me. It was definitely creamy, and had a Turkish influence to the flavours. This was definitely my favourite.
Lastly, I picked up the Spicy Nacho cheese made with whipped mature and vintage farmhouse cheese with roasted chilli. I was excited about this one, but sadly it was my least favourite. I wish it had a little more of a kick to it with true nacho flavours, but instead tasted more like a whipped feta dip.
It seems as if beans are the newest superfood hype, and I can see why. The small but mighty beans can be the perfect way to add some protein into your diet, and when they taste like this, it is easy to do. In a caesar dressing, it feels like you are still being healthy, while tasting good. The large slices of Parmesan really enhance the flavours.
My only gripe is that they are a little mushy - which can't be helped. They are also a little oily and messy which could be tricky to eat if sat on the ground.
Granted, I am a huge fan of olives already, but these are by far my favourite addition to the range. I have never had grilled olives before, and now I'm afraid I can't ever go back. The smoky charred taste of these olives were amazing, and they really look the part as well with the grill marks on them. They taste like they have come straight off a hot BBQ in Turkey and I am a massive fan.
These were definitely spicy, but it made them a little more exciting than the pesto and mozzarella pots already on offer. The sweetness of the chilli's were tasty, but maybe a little too hot for me.
A tasty little pot of Spanish sausage and Iberico Cheese will complete any picnic and would be perfect with a chilled glass of wine or prosecco. The firm cured mini salami sticks were tasty and were also perfect to dunk into the loaded dips.
Kathryn Turner, Product Development Director at M&S Foodsaid: "It's no secret that M&S Food is the home of picky bits, and I'm so excited that we have 50 new nibbles, dips and snacky bits for shoppers to try ahead of National Picky Bits Day this Friday.
"As part of our 450 new and upgraded lines landing in the Foodhall this summer, we are going big on beans as one of this year's trendiest high-protein ingredients, with launches including Giant Caesar-dressed Butterbeans, Salsa Verde Chickpeas, Tuna & Cannelini Beans, and more.
"We're also adding even more fantastic options to our best-on-the-market selection of olives, with new lines including our Grilled Turkish Domat Olives – with stunning char grill marks on them, inspired by the markets of Istanbul. And in dips we are excited to be launching two new fully loaded dips to build on the success of our Caesar, Hot Salmon and New York Pastrami topped dips from last summer, taking customer favourite Chicken Shawarma and turning it into a dip – as well as Ploughman's.
"We are also launching two brand-new whipped cheese dips – a Whipped Barber's Mature Cheddar Dip and Whipped Spicy Nacho Cheese Dip. All of these are perfect for picnics, nibbles in the park or midweek picky teas in general!"
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