It's a rare savoury review from me today, and no doubt the first of many in M&S' Spirit of Summer line up. Yes guys it's back! Last year there was a definite South American feel to it, with a heavy emphasis on salted caramel. 2017's range seems to be more Mediterranean with plenty of coffee-based and citrus flavours popping up. Put it this way: I can only hack the food hall for a limited amount of time at the moment, the new treats are both drool-inducing and dangerous for the wallet.
As you can guess from the theme of this blog, its a scarce occasion when savoury food tickles my tastebuds, but yesterday lunchtime M&S' sammies bore into my brain. And so after I'd eaten my packed lunch followed by a dull lecture, I found myself de-touring on the way home in the hope of finding some bargains. It just so happened that I found this Lamb Kofte flatbread reduced, and with that, my dinner plans went out of the window.
"Flatbread layered with lamb meatballs, vine ripened tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, cucumber, Greek style yogurt dressing, crumbled feta cheese, pickled red onions and spinach."
Oof. There's one main reason why this flatbread particularly appealed - it reminded me of the best dinner I've ever had...
Ten years ago my best friends and I went on a post a-level requisite booze filled holiday to Zante. On the last night, having lived off a diet of pasta (made in our grubby apartment kitchen in an effort to preserve maximum funds for alcohol) we decided to splash out and visit a restaurant on the beach that we'd passed every night on our way to the strip. The menu was entirely in Greek and so we each took a punt and pointed to something illegible, whilst hoping for the best. My dish turned up wrapped in foil and contained an utterly delicious lamb, feta and potato stew. It may have partly down to my poor alcohol flooded body that I enjoyed it so much, but to this very day anything containing feta and lamb has grabs my attention. Anyway, enough of the side-tracking, get back to the damn flatbread Amy.
Oh, I expected two halves, kind of like a pitta, but instead it was more like a flatbread club. The bottom layer contained the roasted tomatoes and 'meatballs' (the least round balls I've ever seen*)....
...whilst the top deck contained the salad, tzatziki and feta. It was flimsy and clumsy to manage; I don't know how anyone could eat this on the go -a plate is definitely required.
The first flavours to greet my tastebuds were the flatbread and minty yogurt dressing. As expected, it was a refreshing combination, especially with the salad too. The next bite heralded a wonderful combination of lamb, feta, bread, roasted tomatoes and dressing. At first I couldn't distinguish much flavour from the meat and thought I'd been short-changed as the other (albeit scrummy) flavours came to the fore. That soon changed though as I continued on in and the warming cumin and cayenne pepper came through. The lamb, it turns out, was spot on. The gentle spiciness perfectly complemented the rich feta and cool yogurt. Sheer heaven.
Half way through I took a risk and decided to see if it would taste even better warmed up. I snuck out the cucumber and tomatoes, and popped the remaining flatbread in the microwave until piping. Mmm. Yes it worked. Just writing about it is making my stomach rumble at the memory.
If it was easier to eat on the go then this new Lamb Kofte Flatbread would be granted full marks. If you want little taste of Greece on even the greyest of British days -and have a plate handy- then pop down to Marks and Spencer. Even at full price (£3.50) its much cheaper than a flight.
9/10
*dont be rude, I can see you smirking.
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