NEW! Banoffee Swirls (M&S)

Banoffee Pie: one of my absolute favourite desserts (up there with Tiramisu). There's something deliciously devilish about the combination of sweet banana, gooey toffee and buttery biscuit, topped with billowing clouds of whipped cream... Needless to say, the classic dessert has been exploited by many a manufacturer, some more successfully than others (Co-op's muffins compared to Boot's flapjack for example). This time it's M&S' turn with these new Banoffee Swirls.  

"These crunchy banoffee flavoured biscuits are inspired by the traditional British pudding."

The pack cost £1.50 and contained 8 rather attractive looking biscuits -which actually beared true likeness to the photo on the front. As soon as I tore open the wrapper, a buttery shortbread-like aroma eminated, and I could see just how short the biscuits were going to be thanks to the one that had crumbled in transit.

I wouldn't describe the swirls as being crunchy; they were much softer than that thanks to their high butter content. Instead they melted in the mouth, tasting every bit as rich and indulgent as one would expect from an M&S biscuit. The trouble was, I couldn't taste the banana. Not at all. The alarm bells should have rung when I opened the pack and could only smell butter, but I was so eager to get stuck in that I hadn't even thought about it. The toffee flavour was also lacking, and it wasn't until I checked the packet that I realised why: the biscuits don't contain any real banana or toffee/caramel sauce, just 'flavourings'. It wasn't until my last bite of my fourth biscuit that I finally got a whiff of the banana I was hoping for. 

Perhaps I could blame my tastebuds for the lack of flavour, or the fact that I paired the Banoffee Swirls with a big mug of coffee. So in the name of a fair review I asked my other half whether he could taste the banana, and he said it reminded him of Banoffee Angel Delight.... Of course, Banoffee Angel Delight doesn't even exist (although I really wish it did -petitition anyone?) Lord knows what he was on about! 

Compared to M&S' new and marvellous Dark Chocolate Mango Jaffa Cakes, these are a pitiful entry to M&S' biscuit aisle.

4/10