A British Christmas with Marks & Spencer
If you don’t have the time — or the kitchen knowhow — to whip up something, Marks & Spencer Food saves your potluck Christmas dinners and the upcoming Noche Buena with ready-to-eat food that you can simply heat and serve fresh without missing that “wow” factor.
How about four-cheese ravioli or mince pies? And for dessert, Scottish shortbread, handmade like they do it in Edinburgh. Don’t forget the Christmas pudding or the vintage fruitcake, both matured for 12 months.
During the launch of the M&S Food Christmas hampers and limitededition Christmas line, M&S head of franchise for Middle East and Asia James Harvey, who flew in from the UK for the launch, assures, “Our food products do not contain artificial preservatives or coloring. It is also made fresh from the UK, so we focus on the packaging and ship them in special refrigerated containers. It was in our mind to make everything as fresh as possible so it is as good as you making it yourself.”
M&S Food has in-house product developers who develop recipes and then tap the best suppliers from around the UK. Food makes up a quarter of the brand’s business. Underwear and apparel are strongest all year round; James says that the kids’ line is coming to the country next year.
But for the holidays, food is catching up. The curation of items and festive packaging makes it a pleasure to give and receive an M&S Christmas hamper (ranging in price from P1,300 to P5,000). “We are Christmas!” James says. In its 25 years in the Philippines, M&S Food’s biscuits and chocolates are undefeated bestsellers. For savory snacking, I recommend the hand-cooked potato crisps, seasoned either with Long Clawson Stilton cheese and port wine or winterberries and Prosecco. The tin can packaging is a gift that keeps on giving as it is recycled as sewing kits!
Better yet, find a new favorite at the newly opened M&S Food hall in Central Square. It is the largest in the country with a bakery and café, plus the full range of food products.
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M&S Food offers complimentary delivery to one Metro Manila address for food hamper purchases worth at least P25,000. In the Philippines, M&S Food is exclusively distributed by Rustan Marketing Specialists, Inc. at Central Square, BGC; Megamall, Ortigas; Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati; and Ayala Center Cebu, with select items in Marks & Spencer stores nationwide. Follow @MarksandSpencerPhilippines on Facebook or @marksandspencerph on Instagram for updates.