NEW! Mud Pie Ice Cream (M&S)

Today's review concerns another product from M&S' new 'Spirit of Summer' range... So far we've had the Dulce de Leche cheesecake, Banana & Dulce de Leche slices, and mango jaffa cakes, and now it's time to add an ice cream to the mix.

"Smooth dairy ice cream swirled with chocolate truffle sauce, chocolate brownie pieces, chocolate chunks and cookie pieces."

The half litre tub cost £2.20 (introductory offer) which puts it on a par price-wise with Ben & Jerry's  -I never stump up the full RRP and instead either buy the brand either from farmfoods or wait for the supermarkets' money-off deals. The pale ice cream was flecked with cookie crumbs, chocolate chips and a ripple of sauce. Firmer than the likes of carte d'or but not quite as solid as Ben & Jerry's, meant that it was ripe for the scooping straight from the freezer.

I'm not going to be able to give you the low down on each of the components I'm afraid, because each mouthful contained a little bit of everything. Unlike Ben & Jerry's tubs the 'added extras' such as the brownie and cookie pieces were crumbled down, which meant that they permeated the otherwise plain ice cream and ensured an even distribution -injecting a gritty cocoa flavour into every bite. The chocolate truffle sauce wasn't in as ample supply as I'd have liked, but what there was of it tasted delicious.

The new Mud Pie ice cream hasn't knocked M&S' new Salted Caramel ice cream from the topspot, but it's certainly on a par with their Hazelnut ice cream and I'll be stocking up whilst it remains on offer. Well done Marks and Sparks!

9/10