M&S launches viral strawberries and cream sandwich – we tried it, here's our verdict

Cosmopolitan

3 days ago

We've had our fair share of viral food trends over the past few months – from Dubai chocolate to all matcha everything – but M&S may have really topped them all with its latest offering in the sandwich aisle.
The limited edition strawberries and cream sandwich, based on the internet's beloved viral 'Japanese fruit sando', became M&S's best-selling sarnie just two days after its initial launch.
Japanese-style fruit sandwiches have become increasingly popular thanks to TikTok, seeing intrepid foodies trying to hunt them down in Eastern-style bakeries. However, this strawberries and cream sandwich marks the first time this type of snack has been widely available in a British supermarket.
With strawberries and cream the nation's go-to snack during the summer (particularly with Wimbledon now getting underway), could a sandwich really be the chic new way to enjoy this British institution? There are very few things that cannot be improved by putting them between two thick slices of white bread, so team Cosmopolitan UK decided to put these unique sandwiches to the test.
From the moment you tear open the cardboard packet, you will be hit by a saccharine aroma that borders almost on sickly. This, after all, is not any bog standard white bread with some strawberries shoved in – these are two thick, hearty slices of brioche-style bread which have been generously smothered in a lightly sweetened crème fraiche AND full fat soft cheese which hug the densely cut strawberries tightly. I'm someone with a well-worn sweet tooth (with the fillings to prove it), and even this seemed a little *excessive*.
It wasn't so much the taste that was bad when I sunk my teeth through the thick, hearty portion (features editor Jenni decided to wield a knife to cut the sandwich into a dainty finger, while I basically deep throated my triangle), but the texture that threw me off. The cream and strawberries filling aren't the problem – they're a tried-and-tested and relatively safe combination (although the filling could have been slightly colder, but I am writing this while London scorches at 34 degrees). The strawberries are firm and tart enough to cut through some of the more overwhelming sweetness, while the soft cheese provides a slight tang to proceedings. It's the bread that's a disappointment – not sweet or hardy enough like a proper brioche bun, and a little too limp to really hold such a chunky filling with any sort of gravitas. It's basically a sandwich that wants to be a scone so badly.
For me, two bites was enough before I eagerly rid myself of it as I would have found it too sickly, but the rest of Team Cosmopolitan are more forgiving than me. Beauty director Keeks compared the sandwich to a Victoria sponge cake, while Jenni said she 'wasn't mad at it' and said the sandwich paired well with a cup of tea.
Would I buy it again? While M&S have (rightly) gone viral for its numerous cookie offerings, this fruit sandwich doesn't quite hit the mark; I prefer to have my strawberries and cream in a bowl rather than on bread. But it was worth being adventurous enough to try something new. I've put worse things in my mouth, after all.
Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper's Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.