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Marks & Spencer's best Christmas food to order in 2023
So you can add the lot to your basket!
Here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, we conduct hundreds of taste tests every year to ensure you can always buy with confidence.
To make your festive food shopping a little easier, we’ve collated all of our top-scoring Christmas products from Marks & Spencer, so you can select your slot, add to basket, and wait for your GHI Approved feast to arrive!
And Christmas has certainly come early for M&S customers after a reported 22% increase in festive food orders in the run up to the big day, compared to the same period last year.
“In challenging times, occasions become even more important, and that’s why our customers are rushing to buy their festive feasts in advance, giving them something to look forward to," said Kathryn Turner, Product Development Director, M&S Food.
Best M&S Christmas food to order online
Does Marks & Spencer do online food shopping?
Most of the M&S range is now available online through Ocado.com. Christmas slots are still open but dependent on availability, and you’ll need to spend a minimum of £40 in order to check out. Your reserved slot will be held for 60 minutes, which should give you plenty of time to complete your order. Unfortunately, though, you’re unable to use M&S gift cards through Ocado.com.
Delivery charges vary depending on the day and time of your chosen slot, and the value of your order. For orders under £75, you’ll be charged between £2.99 and £6.99. For standard orders over £75, you may be offered free delivery. Alternatively, you could sign up to Smart Pass. This costs between £6.99 and £10.99 per month but you’ll wave goodbye to individual delivery charges.
Marks & Spencer's opening hours 2023
If you’d rather head to an M&S shop, or have missed a delivery slot, opening hours vary between 6am and 9am, and closing times range from 8pm to 10pm on weekdays. To find your nearest store and its opening hours, use Marks & Spencer's store finder tool.
How we test M&S food
Our consumer panel is constantly evaluating product ranges, from turkey to champagne. Assessing aroma, taste and texture, only the very best is awarded the Good Housekeeping stamp of approval.
We’ve collated all of the GHI Approved Christmas products available at M&S here, so you can simply add to basket.
To start
Score: 89/100
Rostis proved popular for entertaining this year, as demonstrated by this crispy potato tower that comes topped with shredded beef, creamy cheddar cheese sauce and gravy. Testers described the comforting combo as “phenomenal”.
Score: 76/100
These steamed bao buns couldn't be cuter! They cook in just two minutes, and will provide a welcome splash of colour to your canapé platter this Christmas.
The fluffy buns contain juicy stir-fried veg, with plenty of garlic and ginger notes from the tasty hoisin sauce.
Score: 77/100
Granted, these veggie canapés may look like blackened lumps of coal, but inside you'll find a tasty blend of mixed mushrooms, rice and melted mature cheddar — yum!
Score: 72/100
Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a "picky tea", and we think prawn toast makes a welcome component. These tasty bites reminded our testers of a typical Chinese takeaway, enhanced with lemongrass, chilli, and sesame seeds. The pack also includes a soy sauce dip for serving alongside, so all that's left to do is plate up!
Score: 80/100
These aren’t just any Christmas crisps, these are Marks & Spencer’s hand-cooked potato crisps, flavoured with Pembrokeshire Bronze roast turkey no less!
In reality, they taste like a classic roast chicken potato chip, with a generous dose of dried herbs. However, the panel appreciated how natural they tasted, steering away from artificial flavourings.
Score: 91/100
Veggies are well catered for with Marks & Spencer’s sophisticated tarte tatin. Sweet, caramelised shallots contrast perfectly with sharp balsamic vinegar, all wrapped up in a crisp pastry case. Easy and elegant — what more could you want?
Score: 83/100
The GHI voted this the best supermarket smoked salmon on the market this year. With natural-looking, thin slices, our panel said the flavour shone with notes of rich, peaty smoke, fruity sweetness and salt. The texture was described as “melt-in-the-mouth" too — high praise indeed!
Score: 76/100
Elevate your Christmas day scrambled eggs with Marks & Spencer’s elegant peppercorn-sprinkled smoked salmon. The meaty slices are subtly sweet thanks to the maple syrup, with a gentle smokey back note and herbaceous freshness that cuts through the rich fish.
The main event
Score: 83/100
A slow-cooked turkey is the ultimate in Christmas convenience, and this year M&S has simplified the process further by also providing all the trimmings — including roast potatoes, spiced red cabbage, carrots and gravy — in a handy meal kit.
The well-brined turkey comes with bacon and stuffing, keeping the meat moist and tender, while the roasties remained perfectly crisp.
Score: 75/100
Free to roam and forage, this heritage turkey proved to be a real crowd-pleaser, and the ideal base for you to add your own stamp to. While the skin wasn’t quite as crisp as some would have liked, the white meat was moist and very tender, which bumped up its score.
Score: 80/100
Achieving an impressive score, this succulent British lamb has been French-trimmed and generously stuffed with caramelised shallots, leaving you with minimal work to do on the big day. Juicy and oh-so-tender, it’s clear this is a quality cut.
Score: 81/100
This meat-free main is a celebration of veggies, without relying on an artificial meat-replacement protein. It combines sweet butternut squash with creamy, molten brie and earthy mushrooms. There's plenty of herbs throughout, while the crisp pastry was described as “perfectly cooked”. Delicious!
Served with
Score: 76/100
Made with British outdoor-bred pork, Marks & Spencer's “Best Ever” pigs in blankets are well wrapped in thick maple-cured streaky bacon. They're blended with roast pork stock to add extra herby flavour, and they happen to be gluten-free too!
Score: 77/100
These British Maris Pipers have had a glow-up for Christmas, coming in a suitably festive pack that will serve four people on the big day. The classic combo of beef dripping, rapeseed oil and creamy butter proved popular, while a generous dose of salt means they shouldn’t need any additional seasoning.
Score: 74/100
These Yorkshire puddings have a large boat shape, making them the perfect gravy vessel. Testers thought they looked homemade, so you could always pass them off as your own (we won't tell if you don't).
Score: 89/100
Speaking of which...Testers felt this traditional turkey gravy tasted homemade, with a hint of sweetness and tasty roasted flavour that would pair well with roast potatoes and Yorkshire puds.
Score: 89/100
Made with whole juicy cranberries, this vibrant jewel-hued condiment will add a splash of colour to your plate. Fresh, tart and plummy, it’s the perfect pairing for turkey.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
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