Marks & Spencer has rolled out scones with a brand-new recipe along with a range of new cakes for autumn at its cafés nationwide.
Following what the retailer described as an extensive development period, the new scones are said to be 10% larger than previous versions and come in three varieties – fruit, mature Cheddar cheese, and classic Devon.
Priced at £2.50 each and served with butter, the first two flavours are available at 330 M&S Cafés across the UK, while the Devon scones can be purchased at 170 locations.
“We’ve spent a whole year in our super-sciencey scone lab (OK, development kitchen) testing and tasting scones until we’ve reached what we believe to be the ultimate scone recipe and bake profile,” said Claire Hodgson, lead product developer for M&S Cafés.
Described by the retailer as having a crisp golden crust and a lighter, more delicate texture, the scones are made with a combination of two different flours to help them retain more moisture, so they don’t break when being buttered.
“We’ve replaced cream with butter and buttermilk to give in a rich flavour, with more softness,” continued Hodgson. ”These scones are shaped to perfect roundness with our own bespoke cutter for the ultimate rise. To finish them off, we’ve glazed them to give the scones the distinctive shiny finish you’d find in a 5-star hotel afternoon tea,” she added.
M&S has also launched a new range of cakes this autumn, offering a wider variety of formats, sizes and flavours.
Among these is the Apple & Blackcurrant Crumble Loaf Cake (£3.50 per slice), which the company commented was “already proving very popular despite the unexpected heat wave”. It features a spiced cinnamon sponge filled with Bramley apple pieces, layers of blackcurrant jam and smooth buttercream, and topped with an all-butter crumble.
There is also the Blueberry & Pistachio Sponge Square (£2.95), a light, fluffy sponge smothered in a sweet and tangy blueberry compote, topped with pistachios and flaked almonds.
The Raspberry Meringue Cupcake (£2.95) has a tangy raspberry jam centre, topped with raspberry buttercream, ombre meringue and freeze-dried raspberries.
Lastly, the Caramel Cornflake Brownie (£2.95) delivers a crunchy top alongside a rich brownie base, and the fudgy Butterscotch Blondie Square (£2.95) comprises an all-butter recipe and full of blonde chocolate and white chocolate chunks.
A few weeks back, M&S announced it was extending its collaboration with regenerative farming experts Wildfarmed to use the firm’s flour in its in-store bakery sourdough loaves.
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