Eating GLUTEN FREE “Made without Wheat” M&S new additions: Prawn Mayonnaise Sandwich & Chicken Basil Pasta…

I was so excited when I saw M&S had further extended their “on the go” range as part of the “Made without Wheat” with an additional sandwich flavour: Prawn Mayonnaise. This is a classic sandwich was indeed, the first ready-to-eat sandwich introduced to the UK in 1981. The supermarket was the first to introduce this product as it used to be the case, sandwiches were available from bakeries and corner shops, not High Street Food Retailers.

Before I was a Coeliac, I probably always choose the Prawn Mayonnaise sandwich, there was something just creamy and refreshing about them so when I saw they had been launched I rushed to the “Arch (Marble Arch M&S Flagship store) only to be disappointed that the shelf labelled “Prawn Mayonnaise” was filled with more Piri Piri Chicken Wraps. I guess they’ve not promised any availability so I would have to wait…

M&S (nearly full) Made without Wheat On-The-go range

But I spotted the “Chicken Tomato & Basil Pasta Salad”. It is a smaller portion than the regular one but it looked really tempting, so lunch was sorted.

Chicken, Tomato & Basil Pasta Salad (incl Ingredients)

It’s a strange one as the pasta is al dente which isn’t how I remembered this pasta salad but the flavours of the tomato and basil really come through. Indeed, it made me feel “normal” as it felt like the regular dish.

Lunch

So despite my initial disappointment with the size, I can confirm that I finished it all off and it was the right portion for a quick “on-the-go” lunch and one I will be having again….

A generous portion of chicken covered in tomato dressing, good pieces of pasta and the basil which adds depth to the flavour. It is a great “on-the-go” lunch and one that tastes like the original (I suggest). And a couple of days late, to my surprise and joy (I did a little dance in the store), my local M&S Food Only store had a single Prawn Mayonnaise sandwich…

Made without Wheat Prawn Mayo Sandwich

The prawns seem to have been upgraded to the next size up as I recall them being quite small and now they seem a little big larger. Strangely, I found the prawns to be very very salty, and the mayonnaise has been spread on the bread but it didn’t taste of anything: it used to be a creamy contrast to the prawns. It does not soak into the bread but the moisture from the sauce makes the malted bread a little less bouncy than regular GLUTEN FREE Bread. It was a real disappoint to have this, to the point that I didn’t actually finish the second sandwich and binned it.

The Sandwich

Ingredients

I recognise that my tastes may have changed since being diagnosed a Coeliac and of course, the receipe -being Gluten Free, isn’t quite the same but compared to other Sandwiches (the BLT) and the Pasta dish (as above), this is something I won’t be purchasing again.

It’s quite exciting to have even more choice as a Coeliac as that often is the challenge. M&S have always been pretty good to Coeliacs with their extensive literature on their website, listings of stores with GF Products (excluding the new products as yet although on a previous posting, I have shared their emailed listing of stores with the new products).

On my blog, I’ve reviewed M&S “Made without Wheat” products including Sweet Treats: Mini Hazelnut Praline Cakes, Rhurbarb Crumble, Blackcurrant Ripple Loaf, Extremely Strawberry Triffle & New York Cheesecake,Victoria Sandwich, Lemon Drizzle Cake, Mince Pies, Hot Fudge Pudding and Triple Chocolate Cookies) Savoury Items (Quiche Lorraine, Chicken & Mushroom CrispBakes) and M&S Bread products (Soft White Baps, Sliced White Boule, Soft Brown Bapsand Fruit Loaf).

(M&S Products also appear in my Chocolate Bar listing, Chocolate Box listing, Easter Egg listing, Mince Pie review and my 2015 Advent Calendar listing)

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If you are a member of Coeliac UK, they produce a comprehensive directory which covers over 16,000 food and drink items (including GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars). This is available in a paper-based Manual and online FREE to members of Coeliac UK. They have also published an Easter listing (although it is not as visually EGG-citing as this posting and excludes many of the included Chocolatiers and High Street stores covered in my posts).

One of the hard-hitting posters (featuring Yours Truly) from Coeliac UK launched for Awareness Week, held in 2015 and to be seen again in 2016.

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This information was correct as of September 2016.

But as I am learning, ingredients do change and therefore you should always read the label and check for yourself whether it is GLUTEN FREE or not!