Marks and Spencer launch burger bao buns for summer barbecues

Or maybe you prefer those sesame baps attempting to recreate a McDonald’s Big Mac.

Whichever was your favourite, Marks and Spencer has added a third option to the mix that might just surprise you.

This summer the high street foodie favourite is selling burger bao buns to complement their chicken katsu curry burgers.

The light and fluffy steamed buns have become a street food market staple in recent years and so I just had to ‘bao’ down to temptation and give them a try.

The bao buns

The bao buns are £2 for a pack of two and were easy to use – just one minute in the microwave and then leave them to steam in their packet for another two minutes.

The most difficult part was trying to neatly slice them in half for the accompanying TikTok portion of this review but scissors were the answer if you’re in a similar predicament.

3 for £10 grill deal

The chicken katsu burgers, which are made with minced chicken, coconut cream and spring onions are part of the store’s 3 for £10 grill deal.

This is good value as the chicken katsu burgers are £4.50 alone.

We picked up the pork, chorizo and Manchego cheeseburgers (£4.50) which were oozing with cheese, and some chilli halloumi kebabs (£4.75), which had just the right amount of heat, for us as part of the deal.

The M&S pork chorizo manchego burgers were oozing with cheese. Credit: Marks and Spencer

Other options included a giant bacon and cheese sausage swirl (£4.50), chilli cheeseburgers (£4.50) or veggie side options including hasselback potatoes (£3.50) and sticky BBQ cauliflower wings (£3.50).

The katsu burgers were difficult to get out of the pack but were a delicious lighter alternative to stodgy burgers we’ve grilled in the past.

The Collection Master Grill range

Alongside the 3 for £10 deal, M&S has also brought out their ‘Collection Master Grill’ range which they describe as the ‘epitomy of show-stopping summer dining’.

Some of the dishes on the menu this year include the middle eastern-inspired Mushroom Shawarma kebab, the brilliantly-named ‘tomapork’ (which as you may have guessed looks like a Tomahawk steak but is actually pork) and grilled scallops with XO sauce.

While all these options definitely added the ‘wow’ factor, we felt as barbecue beginners we would opt for what we thought would be the easiest option to get right – seasoned rump steak kebabs.

At £11 for two kebabs this is realistically not going to be something many households can fork out for if they’re hosting a number of friends and family members. But for my husband and I, it was the perfect treat.

The Collection Master Grill rump steak kebabs. Credit: Marks and Spencer

I was a little bit concerned the meat and peppers were going to end up like many other kebabs I have tried to assemble in the past falling through the grill bars and straight onto the hot coals.

But I need not have worried as they were as robust as they were tasty and easily slid straight from the skewer onto the plate.

The marinade with this dish was so good I was mopping up the remains with the last remaining mouthfuls of my burger and bao buns.

XL bao buns with the katsu chicken burgers. Credit: Marks and Spencer

The verdict

The burger bao buns are a must-try this summer. They were light, pillowy and also looked great if you want to impress. 

All in all, M&S can definitely help turn your standard barbecue into a showstopper…but it might mean you reduce your guest list so you don’t have to share.

You can see more of Marks and Spencer 3 for £10 grill range or find out more about the store's Collection range.