Ordering Tom Kerridge’s beef wellington for Marks & Spencer last month gave me triggering flashbacks to last year when I tried to buy Oasis tickets.
Clearly deluged with customers, the M&S Christmas ordering platform kept crashing and I had to sit patiently, constantly refreshing the page as I tried to bag one.
Thankfully, unlike Oasis tickets, the wellington wasn’t subject to ‘dynamic pricing’, meaning that the price didn’t creep up with demand. Which is just as well, given it costs £195!
Eventually I managed to secure a wellington and paid my £50 deposit, ready to collect it on December 22, the earliest date available.
If, like me, you’re a fan of M&S food then you’re used to spending a little more than you do in other supermarkets – that’s the price you pay for amazing quality.
However, when the store revealed it would be selling this beef wellington as part of its ongoing collaboration with triple Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, even the brand’s loyal customers were stunned at the hefty price tag.
‘It’s not just spending on Christmas, it’s M&S overspending on Christmas,’ said one online wit, parodying the shop’s famous advertising slogan. Another remarked ‘that price is only justifiable if it includes Tom Kerridge to do the cooking and the cleaning up’.
M&S, which lost around £324 million in sales earlier this year thanks to a crippling cyber attack, was quick to defend the high cost. Marketed as a ‘Christmas Eve showstopper’, it pointed out that it was of the highest quality and would ‘leave guests speechless’.
Claudia Connell puts the M&S £195 beef wellington to the test
Pictured: M&S’s beef wellington created by Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge
On Monday, an M&S spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail that the wellington had been a sell-out nationwide.
So – controversy and eye-watering price aside – was the dish worth the wait, hype and cost?
My local M&S’s collection point in Brighton was already buzzing when I turned up at 8.30am on Monday morning. I could see the person ahead of me in the queue pick up their Christmas turkey, as well as the Kerridge wellington – the ‘Christmas Eve showstopper’ sell had clearly worked.
Mine is handed over and, from the box alone, it looks classy and impressive, weighing 2.1kg (4.6lb) and claiming to feed six people.
Having sampled several other supermarket beef wellingtons in recent weeks for the Daily Mail, I’m baffled by how they decide what a serving is.
Take Fortnum & Mason, grocer to the King for example. It says its wellington, comparably a snip at £120, serves 6-8 people, and yet at 1.4kg it’s significantly smaller than the M&S one.
The high-end frozen food retailer Cook states its 1.6kg wellington serves six, as does Asda (the winner of my initial taste test earlier this month) even though its one is 1kg (£44.97), the same weight as Waitrose’s Michel Roux wellington that serves four. It’s all very confusing.
Before I rip open my box I see that there’s a message on the side from super-chef Kerridge: ‘The festive season for me is about being together, eating good food and creating special memories. It’s not about stress and being stuck in the kitchen for hours. My wellington centrepieces are perfect for entertaining and give you that something extra special. Enjoy.’
Elsewhere on the box it states that the wellington comes with a ‘Tom Kerridge and M&S twist’. Let’s hope it’s something other than a massive dent in my finances.
The cooking instructions are detailed and a little faffy, but I follow them to a T, as I don’t want to mess up such a pricey dish.
The 1kg Michel Roux beef wellington (pictured), £95, from Waitrose serves four
I need to remove all the packaging and let the wellington rest at room temperature for 45 minutes, then place on a preheated baking tray in a 200-degree fan oven.
The reason for the hot baking tray is to seal the bottom of the pastry and prevent the dreaded ‘soggy bottom’.
I then need to cook for 45 minutes, being sure to ‘turn’ the tray around halfway through the process. After that it’s important to let the wellington rest for 45 minutes before cutting into it with a sharp knife with a serrated edge.
I remove it from the oven and let out a gasp, it really is a thing of beauty. The ‘all butter hot water crust pastry’ is browned and glossy. Unlike other wellingtons I’ve cooked recently, there is no leakage of meat juices – it’s all perfectly intact.
Waiting 45 minutes before eating is a big ask when it looks so mouthwatering, but, finally, it’s time. With my newly sharpened knife I cut in. The pastry is wonderfully crisp and flaky and, for a minute, I wonder if they forgot to actually put a slab of the beef fillet in there.
My knife just goes straight through in seconds, no resistance, no sawing required – surely that can’t be right? But, no, there it is in all its pink glory.
The instructions are for a medium cook, I’d say it’s more medium-rare, but as that’s how I always order my steaks that’s fine by me.
The pastry is thick and, despite containing a huge hunk of juicy beef, it remained totally non-soggy. The beef is encased in a portobello mushroom duxelles and smooth chicken mousse flavoured with black truffle.
The high-end frozen food retailer Cook states its 1.6kg £90 wellington (pictured) serves six
After drizzling over the supplied beef and red wine gravy, I’m ready for my first mouthful. As I chew, it feels like I might have died and gone to culinary heaven. It’s simply sensational. I’ve never tasted beef so tender – it melts in the mouth and is beautifully complemented by the rich, earthy duxelles.
On the downside, I see that just one slice contains 501 calories, roughly the same as a McDonald’s Big Mac. I don’t care and instantly devour another helping.
I can taste the buttery pastry, the rich truffle and the delicious beef with every bite. It also might just be the only time I’ve ever cooked something that ends up looking exactly like the picture on the package.
I’d query whether six people could be satisfied (given I easily scoff half of it on my own), but I think M&S is right – guests will be ‘speechless’ if they’re served this at Christmas – if only because they’d rather be chewing than chatting.
I like to cook but I have to be honest, there’s no way I’d be able to rustle up a wellington that tasted half this good.
So, if you did fork out, fear not – you’re in for a delicious treat that’s worth the overdraft.
