As senior food and drink editor at Good Housekeeping, one of the perks of my job is getting to taste-test Christmas food months before it hits the shelves – which means I’m often eating mince pies as early as May.
And last week I attended the M&S Food Christmas Showcase and spotted a new festive launch that I just have to share with you; the new Malt and Caramel Cookie Pies.
The new treats have already landed in stores – and there isn’t a single piece of dried vine fruit in sight. I know the purists among you will be aghast, but even I can understand there’s a time and a place for innovation.
Instead, the decadent brown butter pastry is filled with a soft blondie centre, caramel pieces and milk chocolate, before being finished with malted buttercream and crunchy caramel flakes. In other words, it’s a mince pie in shape only – making it particularly exciting for anyone who doesn’t enjoy the traditional fruity, spicy filling.
And the flavour will sound familiar to anyone who has been hunting high and low for M&S’s viral better-than-Maltesers malt balls. The cookie pies tap into the same much-loved malted flavour, but is arguably even better.
They’re vegetarian, come in a four-pack, and are available in M&S Food stores right now – although, given the supermarket’s track record with its viral festive launches, we wouldn’t hang around.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
