{"id":506,"date":"2025-06-27T12:35:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T12:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/?p=506"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:54:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T15:54:13","slug":"i-helped-create-ms-picky-bits-heres-my-hack-for-the-ultimate-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/2025\/06\/27\/i-helped-create-ms-picky-bits-heres-my-hack-for-the-ultimate-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"I helped create M&S picky bits \u2014 here\u2019s my hack for the ultimate dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An M&S product developer has shared everything you need to know about picky bits (Picture: Taron van der Berg\/M&S)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s June 27, which means it\u2019s officially National Picky Bits Day\u2026 at least, it is according to M&S<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The retailer is proclaiming today a holiday of sorts in honour of its new summer range being released, which includes 50 new items <\/a>perfect for picnics, grazing boards and girl dinners.<\/p>\n

Top picks from the new selection include everything from Marmite and Cheddar Sausage Rolls<\/a> to Coronation Chicken Pies<\/a>, Grilled Turkish Olives and topped dips. <\/p>\n

And there\u2019s even a theme song for the day, as X Factor<\/a> star Diana Vickers <\/a>and songwriter Chiara Hunter (Ki and Dee) have teamed up on a track about picky bits, which some have joked is the \u2018anthem of the summer\u2019. <\/p>\n

But how did Marks & Spencer<\/a> become the self-proclaimed \u2018home\u2019 of picky bits and who comes up with the ideas for the new products? <\/p>\n

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@kianddeeshow<\/a> <\/p>\n

It is the season \ud83d\ude0e\u2600\ufe0f We think this deserves to go viral and be the song of the summer tik tok do your thang #fyp<\/a> #foryoupage<\/a> #viral<\/a> #comedy<\/a> #summertime<\/a> #viralvideos<\/a> @Marks & Spencer <\/p>\n

\u266c original sound – kianddeeshow<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Metro<\/strong> spoke to Taron van der Berg, a product developer<\/a> who has worked for M&S for almost two years, to find out everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

According to Taron, who worked on creating the new range, the team came up with a whopping 250 ideas for different picky bits when planning the new range for summer 2025. This then had to be whittled down to the 50 that have been released, with some suggestions being tucked away to be used at Christmas time. <\/a><\/p>\n

The focus this year was to create a range that looked vibrant, inviting and visual, so that customers would be able to really \u2018feast with their eyes\u2019. <\/p>\n

\u2018We want to set trends and really challenge ourselves to do this when creating a new product,\u2019 Taron explained. \u2018For picky bits, we start by looking at what was popular last summer as well as customer feedback and data. <\/p>\n

\u2018We don\u2019t just look at the UK though, we work closely with our suppliers and travel to places like Spain, Turkey and Greece to source exclusive ingredients and jump on trends elsewhere in the market that people might see when they go on holiday. Then we bring them to M&S.\u2019<\/p>\n

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There’s a unique new twist on classic olives (Picture: M&S)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But there are a few rules that have to be followed when coming up with ideas for the perfect picky bits.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s got to be delicious, but it also has to be bite-sized and convenient,\u2019 Taron says. \u2018You want to be able to walk into a store, chuck food in your bag, head over to a table or picnic spot, lay it all out and be able to dig in.<\/p>\n

\u2018We also have to think of the experience, as having a picnic can be a bit of an occasion with good food, conversation and perhaps a tinnie <\/a>or some wine. You\u2019ll need to be able to eat some of it with your hands and some with wooden cutlery but it can\u2019t all require a spoon.\u2019<\/p>\n

Some of the most popular new items in the range include the dips, and while houmous has always been a staple at M&S, the topped dips offer something a little different.<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DLZmV7LIsvv\/?img_index=1<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A key example is the Ploughman\u2019s Dip (\u00a33.50), which features\u00a0a soft cheese and cheddar dip, topped with a spiced vegetable and apple chutney, ham hock, silverskin onions and parsley.<\/p>\n

\u2018We knew our customers already loved our Ploughman\u2019s Pot, so we sat down and were like what variation of this could we make that they\u2019d love even more, so we ended up with the dip and also a spicy Ploughman\u2019s Pot.\u2019<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a new Topped Chicken Shawarma Dip and a Whipped Spicy Nacho Cheese one.<\/p>\n

\u2018I believe anything can be a dip, it\u2019s something I challenge myself to think about every day,\u2019 Taron adds. <\/p>\n

And when asked if we might ever see the beloved sauce from the discontinued M&S Pizza Dippers turned into a dip, she said: \u2018Never say never, watch this space.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The new dips can be used in various ways (Picture: M&S)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the best part about the topped dips is that they\u2019re incredibly versatile – you can dunk crisps into them, or you can get a little more creative.<\/p>\n

\u2018A few people have told me they\u2019ve been using them as bagel or sandwich fillings, especially the Chicken Shawarma one as it’s got everything you need in it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Taron also shared a few other hacks for the new products as it turns out they can be used as more than just picky bits – they could help you create the ultimate dinner.<\/p>\n

\u2018They\u2019re not just picky bits, they\u2019re ingredients. For instance, some of our pepper pots, like the new Sunburst Orange Peppers, are really good if you chop them up and put them in a salad,\u2019 she suggests.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019ve also launched balsamic onions, which are great for snacking, but similarly, if you\u2019re making a pasta dish, you can chop those up and add them to that.<\/p>\n

\u2018I also like to take the Red Pepper & Walnut Dip and put it straight on a plate, you can do the same with the aubergine one. Then I take some broccoli or steamed veg and put that over the top and drizzle with a little olive oil. It becomes a beautiful deconstructed salad. <\/p>\n

‘The Whipped Herby Feta Dip would also pair nicely with some steamed broccoli, maybe throw some seeds on top and olive oil. It\u2019ll go down really well.\u2019<\/p>\n

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There are new pastries like Coronation Chicken Pies and Marmite and Cheddar Sausage Rolls (Picture: M&S)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">What’s your ultimate picky bits combo for the perfect dinner?<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>If you prefer to stick with a more classic picky tea, then you could always make a ‘charcutable’, which is something Taron loves to do when having people over to eat.<\/p>\n<p>For this, she covers her dining table in greaseproof paper, then lays everything out on top of it, straight on the table, like a giant charcuterie board.<\/p>\n<p>What you put on the table will depend on who is eating and where you are, but she recommends starting with some olives, as they’re ‘super easy to snack on’.<\/p>\n<p>‘You definitely need a dip,’ she continues. ‘Grab a Topped Chicken Shawarma and then you’ll need a dip carrier. We’ve got some amazing new crisps, but the pitta chips also go really well with the chicken.<\/p>\n<p>‘Next, you’ll want some kind of pastry, like a sausage roll and then add some pots, perhaps meat and cheese, some peppers and the new bean ones – the Giant Butterbeans with a Caesar-style dressing would be perfect.<\/p>\n<p>‘This way, you’ve got a bit of everything, there’s good variety and you can try and please all your guests.’<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tMore M&S news…\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Metro recently put a few brand new Marks & Spencer products to the test, including Punishment Juice and the viral Strawberry Creme Sandwich.<\/p>\n<p>You can read our reviews here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/25\/took-one-team-tried-m-amp-s-new-punishment-juice-dietitians-arent-happy-23503579\/\">I tried M&S\u2019 new Punishment Juice \u2014 this cheeky product could backfire<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/26\/tried-new-m-amp-s-strawberry-sandwich-fans-cant-stop-thinking-about-23514347\/\">I tried the new M&S strawberry sandwich fans \u2018can\u2019t stop thinking about\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk\">MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An M&S product developer has shared everything you need to know about picky bits (Picture: Taron van der Berg\/M&S) It\u2019s June 27, which means it\u2019s officially National Picky Bits Day\u2026 at least, it is according to M&S. The retailer is proclaiming today a holiday of sorts in honour of its new summer range being released, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":513,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506\/revisions\/513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}