McDonald’s hasn’t long since added new menu items to its lunch offerings, including the divisive McSpicy and the Grand Big Mac. But from today (May 12) foodies can get their hands on a further seven menu items for a limited time only.
The seasonal shake up sees a selection of wraps and salads, as well as the McCafe Iced range, featuring frappes and smoothies.
Fan favourites Belgian Milk Chocolate Frappe and the Strawberries and Cream Frappe have returned to the menu - but, what makes them any different to a regular McDonald’s milkshake, besides the machine not being broken 80 per cent of the time?
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The chocolatey option is made with Belgian milk chocolate chips blended with vanilla and ice, topped with cream and a drizzle of Belgian chocolate sauce, while the Strawberries and Cream Frappe sees a strawberry and vanilla ice blend topped with cream and a sugar dusting.
Both cost £2.69 each - a pound more than a regular strawberry or chocolate milkshake at the fast food joint. So I ordered both to see if they were worth the extra quid.
Rather than arriving in a cardboard cup, the frappes were served in plastic style McCafe cups with a domed lid to allow for whipped cream. The straws, while eco-friendly, are cardboard, and I find that with McDonald’s shakes and frappes, they lose their structure and go flimsy quite quickly.
I started with the Strawberries and Cream frappe, which seems very fitting for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and Wimbledon, both in June. The iced beverage has a similar consistency to the typical McDonald’s milkshake, but you can tell it’s an iced blend. It was sweet, sugary, synthetic, and pretty much everything you expect from a fast food strawberry flavoured iced drink.
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The whipped cream topped with sugar dusting was a nice touch, but beyond that, it very much felt like a regular milkshake, but for an extra third of the cost
The Belgian Milk Chocolate variety was vastly different to it’s choccy milkshake counterpart, offering more of a vanilla flavour but with little chunks of chocolate arriving in your mouth through the straw. I’m not really a fan of drinks having such texture, and prefer a smooth consistency - but at least it was a very different drink to a milkshake.
It was a bit of a meal to drink, and for that reason, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much, although it was pretty refreshing. The strawberries and cream frappe was my favourite of the two, but I can’t see any reason why I wouldn’t save my money and order a strawberry milkshake instead. That is, of course, unless the machine is broken.
Other new menu items available from today (May 12) include the Grilled Chicken Wrap, made with succulent grilled chicken slices, wrapped up in a small tortilla with lettuce and ketchup. You can also choose to have it with sweet chilli, BBQ or garlic.
Those who crave the big flavour can opt for The Garlic Mayo One. Choose between irresistibly crispy or delicious oven grilled 100% chicken breast, each wrapped up with garlic mayo, tomato, lettuce, and cucumber in a soft, toasted tortilla.
Another returning favourite is the freshly prepared Grilled Chicken Salad, featuring grilled 100% chicken breast, crisp lettuce and cucumber, juicy sliced tomato and flavourful red onion. Customers can also choose to add bacon.
Other new drinks on the menu are the Raspberry Ripple Iced Cooler, infused with a raspberry flavoured swirl, while the McDonald's Mango Pineapple Smoothie, which is returning permanently, features the sweet combination of fruit juices and purees, blended with creamy low-fat yoghurt and ice.
McDonald's new menu
Grilled Chicken Wrap (£2.99 or £1.99 when Wrap of the Day)
The Garlic Mayo One (£2.99 or £1.99 when Wrap of the Day)
Grilled Chicken Salad (£2.99 or £3.49 with Bacon)
Belgian Milk Chocolate Frappé (£2.69 and available until September 6)
Strawberries & Cream Frappé (£2.69 and available until July 26)
Raspberry Ripple Iced Cooler (available until September 6)
Mango Pineapple Smoothie (£2.49)