An M&S shopper has vented online of her disappointment in finding a pack of Seven Spice Beef Koftas only contained four of the minced beef skewers.
Shopper Tracy Goddard questioned on Facebook group Dull Men’s Club whether she was “wrong to assume” that the pack – from M&S’ grill range created in collaboration with its celebrity chef ambassador, Tom Kerridge – would include seven skewers.
Commenters soon put her right, calling her a “silly goose”. Others however, had sympathy, arguing it was a “deliberate attempt to mislead”.
“I have to admit that I have never heard of ‘seven spice’ hence my – I believe, understandable – confusion,” Goddard later posted. “Maybe further exacerbated by being in a rush at Waterloo Station this evening and not having my reading glasses on.”
In smaller print on the pack, it is noted it “serves four”.
Seven spice typically refers to the Lebanese spice blend also known as baharat. The aromatic blend is used in various dishes, including kibbeh and koftas. It commonly includes spices like cinnamon, coriander, black pepper, cumin, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.
Several brands offer alternative seven spice blends – Schwartz, for example, has a Japanese seven spice and Thai seven spice in its range. Another common spice blend is Chinese five spice, which contains star anise, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper and clove.
One commenter on Goddard’s post shared they had been pleasantly surprised when opening a pack of M&S’ Four Cheese Ravioli.
The koftas come from the Tom Kerridge with M&S Collection grill range, which launched in May this year. The supermarket said the product would become customers’ “new BBQ obsession”.
The Michelin-starred chef has served as the retailer’s brand ambassador since 2022. Kerridge has co-created several ranges for the retailer – including a dine-in range launched late last year – and fronted a string of M&S campaigns.
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