Marks and Spencer meal 1 - My little brother's birthday
As announced in my "Marks and Spencer Family Favorites meal deal" blog post, I will now show you what I made on my little brother's birthday. It is tradition for us to have a private family meal on each family member's birthday. Often, it falls on a weekday and we would hold another birthday party for close friends on the following Saturday. The birthday boy or girl gets to choose what we eat and most of their chores are taken off their hands, so that he or she can have a carefree and relaxing day. That's why I (the one that happened to have the most free time) had the task of making all the food that day. But this time, it was quite easy as I already bought all the food at Marks and Spencer during the shopping day in The Hague, together with my mom. The only thing I had to do was putting everything in the oven and wait for it to be ready.
I was lucky enough to get one slice out in one piece and I quickly made some pictures of it, before it totally melted. The hard meringue crust was very yummy (almost like candy!), but sadly, the soft meringue underneath has melted too much. I kind of expected a crunchy meringue crust and soft, chewy meringue in the middle. Maybe, it would be better if I didn't place it in the oven the next time and eat it straight out of the refrigerator.
The lemon filling didn't have as thick of a layer as in the picture on the packaging, but there was quite a lot. I thought the lemon filling was a bit on the sour side, even though I normally just love anything sour. It does taste more well-balanced, mixing it with some hard meringue pieces, soft meringue, and the buttery pie crust, but it was a bit difficult getting everything on one spoon. I had never eaten a meringue pie before, as it isn't that easy to find here in the Netherlands, but I liked it.
Marks and Spencer Trattoria Pantofola (6 servings)
We first started with the Marks and Spencer Trattoria Pantofola and on the packaging, it was suggested to slice it in 6 pieces, but we divided it in 4 instead. The rustic bread with a crispy crust was very delicious and I could really taste the fresh red onions. However, the provolone cheese was a bit on the mild side. I don't know if it is because I didn't have much of it on my piece or that it wasn't distributed that evenly, but I couldn't really taste much of it.
Marks and Spencer Spicy Fajita Chicken Stone Baked Pizza (2 servings)
Our main meal was the Marks and Spencer Spicy Fajita Chicken Stone Baked Pizza and it was supposed to serve two. Although the pizza might look a bit small in the picture, it is in reality very large. I cannot imagine myself eating half of it in one go. I ate about one fourth of the pizza and I was already quite full. I was a bit worried about the level of spiciness, but it was very acceptable to me. The pizza has thick pieces of delicious Mexican chicken and they didn't go too heavy on the herbs, so it should suit the general Dutch people. It was a bit spicy, but the slight burning sensation would go away quite fast or could be washed down with a drink very easily. I also really like the airy, crispy, and thin crust of the pizza.
Marks and Spencer Lemon Meringue Pie (6 servings)
We finished our meal with the Marks and Spencer Lemon Meringue Pie. It already looked very delicious before I placed it in the oven (and you could have eaten it cold too), but I wanted to try eating it warm. I am not sure whether I should have removed the aluminum tray, but it was so fragile, I couldn't remove it. But even after warming it up it in the oven, the lemon meringue pie still almost fell apart with the slightest movement.
I was lucky enough to get one slice out in one piece and I quickly made some pictures of it, before it totally melted. The hard meringue crust was very yummy (almost like candy!), but sadly, the soft meringue underneath has melted too much. I kind of expected a crunchy meringue crust and soft, chewy meringue in the middle. Maybe, it would be better if I didn't place it in the oven the next time and eat it straight out of the refrigerator.
The lemon filling didn't have as thick of a layer as in the picture on the packaging, but there was quite a lot. I thought the lemon filling was a bit on the sour side, even though I normally just love anything sour. It does taste more well-balanced, mixing it with some hard meringue pieces, soft meringue, and the buttery pie crust, but it was a bit difficult getting everything on one spoon. I had never eaten a meringue pie before, as it isn't that easy to find here in the Netherlands, but I liked it.
If you are wondering why I called this blog post "Marks and Spencer meal 1", it is because I actually made two meals out of the Marks and Spencer Family Favorites meal deal. This is the second Marks and Spencer meal that I made.
