Dessert Menu Dutch Apple Tarts (M&S)

There's not many things more satisfying in life than finding a good bargain, particularly if said bargain is found in M&S! One afternoon last week I popped into our local branch and spotted duo packs of their Dessert Menu Dutch Apple Tarts reduced to just 35p! Now I'm not normally a fruity dessert kind of person, opting for chocolate every time, but these looked rather good and I just couldn't turn them down at such a steal -especially as they could be frozen too! 

"Apples with sultanas and cinnamon in an all butter luxury pastry case topped with butter enriched filo."

They didn't pay a lengthy visit to my freezer because I thought that the tarts would make a perfect post-roast Sunday pud. They appeared to be the wonderful love child of a strudel and an apple pie. Could these possibly be the most homely desserts known to man?

The tarts come in individual tin foils, and M&S suggest popping them in the oven for 15 minutes before serving. Whilst they were heating up I contemplated serving them with custard, then ice cream, before remembering I'd got the rest of the Aunt Bessie's custard ice cream left to use -perfect. 

The tarts were hot to touch after quarter of an hour, and were easy to remove from their casings. One had a slightly soggy bottom so I guess it could've done with a few minutes longer, but I was too impatient to wait! 

There was a good mixture of apples and sultanas in the centre of my tart, which were wonderfully sweet and well spiced. The apples were soft but not mushy, retaining just enough texture to provide bite. Talking of texture, the combination of pastries worked wonderfully well together. I can't remember ever having filo and shortcrust pastry together before, but they complimented each other remarkably well.

As they did with their Frangipane Mince Pies (which I so hope will return this year) Marks and Spencer have created perfect buttery shortcrust pastry once again. It's sweet and crumbly, melting in the mouth in the most delicious way. I'm sure I heard Bert groan with pleasure at the simple but ultimately scrummy dessert -I know I did!

I only wish I'd stocked up on these tarts; they're delightful.

9/10

New Limited Edition Apple Strudel Müller Light

Yesterday was national apple day; although I can't say that was the reason I bought these new Apple Strudel yoghurts. I like that Müller are an innovative brand, who don't rest on he laurels of their star flavours, but who continue to create and produce a variety of different products every year. 

I reviewed their other new Autumn limited edition 'light' yogurt last week- Key Lime Pie- but as a dessert Apple Strudel is much more my cup of tea. I love the traditional warming puddings that return to our dinner tables at this time of year; especially anything with Apple and/or cinnamon in. Producing a limited edition flavour that reflects both the time of year and this general shift in eating preferences seems like a a sensible idea to me. I read nibbles 'n' scribbles review a couple of days ago and her opinion was that  'if you like apple strudel you should definitely try this' which definitely made me all the more eager to try it for myself.

The first thing I noticed when peeling back the lid was the plentiful chunks of apple and cinnamon speckles that permeated the yoghurt. The yoghurt was runnier than I like, but akin to all the other flavours in this range. The chunks were substantial, and had a decent bite which then melted in the mouth. The cinnamon came through strongly but in a pleasantly sweet and warming way. 

As nibs also noted, there is no pastry in this yoghurt, so yet again Müller have been rather misleading in their product name, although not quite to the same extent that I think they are with their Key Lime Pie limited edition. 

I really enjoyed this yoghurt, and I think that yet again Müller have nailed creating a fairly luxurious tasting product without all of the associated fat or calories. I'd recommend it for any fans of Apple and cinnamon, and I'll be certainly buying more before Müller discontinue it to produce a new hybrid... Sticky toffee pudding or mince pie maybe? I sure hope so! 

7/10