Marks & Spencer has launched a new menu at its cafés nationwide, with a focus on alternative dietary needs.
Among the bakery items making their debut are gluten-free and vegan toasties and sandwiches, and high protein pancakes, along with some new wraps and sweet treats.
In addition to its bakery offerings, M&S has also embraced the bubble tea trend for the first time at its cafés, serving Strawberry and Mango & Passion Fruit flavours of the green tea-based beverage complete with popping boba (sweet tapioca pearls).
Having checked out the new menus from high street chains Pret A Manger and Costa Coffee, we explore the various offerings that have been rolled out at M&S Cafés to kickstart the new year:
Toasties
Said to be 15 months in the making, the brand new Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Pesto Toastie (rsp: £6) comprises toasted slices of gluten-free seeded loaf filled with sweet sundried tomatoes, Italian mozzarella and basil pesto.
As another new item for 2024, the Very Veggie Toastie (rsp: £6.50) is packed with chargrilled peppers, butternut squash, and Kalamata black olives, balanced with salty vegan feta-style cheese.
Making their return as a ‘firm customer favourite’ are the Smoked Ham & Three Cheese and Emmental & Mushroom Toasties. These are cheesy bechamel-topped sourdough bread toasties (rsp £6.50), either with British smoked ham and three different cheeses melted inside or with Emmental & Mushroom as a vegetarian option.
Sandwiches
Providing a twist on classic sandwich combinations for M&S Café chillers is the new Deep Filled range, featuring thicker ‘pillow soft’ bread, exciting new ingredients, and even more filling.
The Avocado & Rainbow Veg Sandwich (rsp: £6) is a vegan option with layers of fresh salad with sliced avocado, baby spinach leaves, and a basil dressing on nine-grain bread. For those looking to cut out gluten, there’s the Gluten Free Cheddar Cheese New Yorker Sandwich (rsp: £5.25) made with matured cheddar cheese, tangy pickled slaw, gherkins, and mustard encased in gluten-free seeded bread.
The Prawn & Mayo Sandwich (rsp: £5.50) stars cold and warm-water prawns, baby spinach leaves, and lemon & black pepper mayonnaise, sandwiched between slices of seeded nine-grain bread. The Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Sandwich (rsp: £6), meanwhile, is made using responsibly sourced Scottish smoked salmon, with sweet, pink pickled onions, cream cheese and dill.
The Chicken & Basil Salad Sandwich (rsp: £6) features British chargrilled chicken breast with sweet cocktail tomatoes, baby spinach leaves, and basil mayo on nine-grain bread, while the Egg Mayo & Watercress Sandwich (rsp: £6) contains one whole sliced egg and chopped egg mayo with a hint of salad cream on nine-grain bread sandwich, finished with peppery watercress and a sprinkle of pepper.
Wraps
Billed as an exciting new artisan wrap to be served hot, the Chipotle Chicken Wrap (rsp: £6.50) has a filling of spiced, marinated chicken in a rich spiced tomato sauce with Monterrey Jack cheese and black beans.
Another debutant is the Spiced Chicken Shawarma Wrap (rsp: £5,25), which is deep filled with spiced British chicken breast, chilli slaw, baby spinach leaves, and a garlic and cucumber dressing. Joining the line up is the Ham & Egg Wrap (rsp: £5.25), deep filled this time with British smoked dry cured ham, rich egg mayo, and baby spinach leaves.
Sweet treats
Sure to be a ‘new Cafè icon’, according to M&S, the High Protein Maple Pancake Stack (rsp: £6.50) comprises toasted pancakes stacked with 0% fat Greek yogurt, topped with blueberries and strawberries, and finished with a drizzle of Canadian maple syrup. It is also available with streaky bacon and maple syrup.
The limited edition Magic Coffe Cake (rsp: £2.95) – created to help mark the one-year anniversary of M&S’ exclusive Magic Coffee – is a coffee-soaked sponge topped with mascarpone icing.
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