Christmas Pudding Buns (M&S)

M&S's Christmas Pudding buns are one of last year's Christmas products that I wish I had got around to trying. I even posted them up onto instagram, but still they never made it home. I hoped the buns (that look remarkably like boobies with nipple tassles -surely it's not just me with a childish mind?) would be back this year, and so I have been dutifully scouring Marks & Sparks' bakery aisle at regular intervals. Yesterday my patience won out, and although I initially baulked at the £1.80 price tag, I got a grip and grabbed my buns*.

"2 Spiced and fruited buns filled with a brandy sauce, topped with a soft vanilla icing, hand decorated with a glacé cherry and a sugar paste holly leaf."

Now I should probably let you know that I really don't like Christmas cake. It's not the spices (I've told you how much I love them) it's not the dried fruit (again, I'm a big fan) or even the richness (Mince Pies are pretty rich aren't they?). I think it's more about the claggy texture -every spoonful seems to stick to previously undiscovered crevices in my mouth, lodging itself between teeth. Also, I make a mean boozy cheesecake, and cheesecake almost always wins out in any dessert war!

So why did I buy Christmas Pudding Buns? For the same reason I bought the Christmas Pud Nakd bars last year: the flavours of Christmas without the stodge.

I'll tell you now, the buns smelt incredible. Their warm spices emanated from them, and it must be a strong scent because I'm full of cold and can barely breath at the moment. The buns felt relatively light despite their brandy sauce filling -which I hoped meant that M&S hadn't skimped on the filling.

They certainly did not; Marks & Sparks did me proud. As you can see, the buns encapsulated a large pocket of golden brandy sauce, which oozed out enticingly once sliced into.

The buns were super soft, sweet, and generous with the cinnamon. There were plenty of moist currants and cherries in every bite too -yet not enough to make the dough heavy. 

The brandy sauce should be the star of the show but I had my concerns about how well it would work against the wonderful bun dough. Fortunately it was creamy and smooth, delivering a warmth from the alcohol (without the throat burn) -I loved it! 

The icing on top was in generous enough proportions to add an additional texture and sweetness, but not enough to render the bun sickly. Well played Marks and Spencer. 

I'm so annoyed that I missed out on M&S's Christmas Pudding Buns last year, but I guess I've got the 'lost time to make up for' excuse to buy them in abundance now. I don't know about you but I've really missed Mr Kipling's brandy sauce Mince Pies since they were discontinued a couple of years ago, but these buns more than make up for the loss -they're absolutely incredible. If you're a fan of M&S' fabulous Lemon Curd Whitby Buns (also absolutely delicious) and/or traditional Christmas flavours, then please treat yourself to these wonderful creations ASAP. 

10/10

*Not those buns. The Xmas Pudding buns. Obviously.