MCDONALD’S is launching five new items as part of its winter menu shakeup, as well as bringing back some returning favourites.
The fast food giant changes up its menu every six weeks or so and this time the additions are all of a festive theme.
Earlier this week The Sun was invited for an exclusive tasting of the new items, which include two never-before-seen burgers.
The latest menu will hit UK and Ireland menus from Wednesday, November 22 at 11am.
It will also see the launch of three new desserts including a caramel pie and new McFlurrys.
Making a highly-anticipated comeback is the Chicken Big Mac and the festive Cheese Melt Dippers.
Every item has been specially picked for a festive feast.
Also soon to be available in McDonald’s restaurants is the McDonald’s Chicken Combo.
This festive feast was launched on delivery platforms earlier this month and includes ten Chicken Selects and a 20 Chicken McNuggets Sharebox.
If you want to try these additions then don’t hang around because they will only be on menus until January 3.
I gave a mixture of the new and returning items a try and rated them out of a total of five for taste and appearance.
The Big and Cheesy burgers are hitting menus for the first time.
It’s made up of a large quarter pounder size patty, two slices of cheese, red onions, crispy onions and cheese sauce.
This is then sandwiched together between a toasted flour-dusted bun.
I thought the regular Big & Cheesy was a tasty combination of the triple-cheese whammy and crispy onions with the classic beef patty.
The bun was pretty unique and unlike one I’ve had from McDonald’s before.
My only slight complaint is it could have been done with a bit more cheese sauce.
Compared to the Philly Cheese Stack, which is on menus at the moment, it’s a bit dry for my taste.
You can buy the burger on its own for £5.49 or £7.29 as a meal with a side and a drink.
You can also pick up the Big & Cheesy with bacon.
The Chicken Big Mac is also back after not appearing on the menu since March.
It tastes like you’re eating a Chicken McNugget burger to a certain extent but with the classic tang of the Big Mac sauce.
I don’t tend to like cheese with chicken burgers but it tasted pretty decent in this one.
I’m not quite a fan of the gherkins with the chicken though, I think if I were ordering my own I’d ask to have those left off.
The burger costs £4.79 for a single and £6.59 for a meal.
The McDonald’s Cheese Melt Dippers are a festive must-have for me at this time of year.
People go wild for them every time they’re back on the menu.
The combination of the Camembert cheese and crispy batter makes a really impressive crunch as you take a bite.
They taste rich and slightly salty, a tasty festive snack.
The only issue is you’re always left wanting more and four just isn’t enough.
You get four in a pack for £2.59 or £6.89 for a Sharebox of 12.
Maccies’ Galaxy McFlurry has had an upgrade this Christmas and it’s definitely taken it up a notch in my books.
The regular Galaxy Chocolate McFlurry never did much for me, I’d usually opt for the caramel version whenever they returned to the menu.
But this Christmas the ice cream treats have had an upgrade with added extras making them new flavours in their own right.
The new McFlurrys are topped with a huge helping of chocolate stars with that signature Galaxy taste.
This made all the difference when I gave the chocolate version a try, adding a bit of crunch to each mouthful.
That swirled with the rich chocolate sauce meant each mouthful was a sweet delight.
I will still miss the Celebrations McFlurry which has been on menus for the past few years at this time of year.
Both the Galaxy Chocolate McFlurry and the Galaxy Caramel McFlurry cost £1.49 for a mini-size and £1.99 for a regular.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.
The Galaxy Caramel Pie was unlike any of the other pies McDonald’s has run in the past.
Fans of the axed Chocolate Pie and the soon-to-be axed Toffee Apple Pie will no doubt be excited to give it a try.
It’s oozing Galaxy-flavoured caramel sauce encased in a crispy chocolate coating.
The crunch after one bite was the first indication I was in for a treat, the texture combo really was unmatched.
The flavours combined well together into a tasty, warming festive treat.
And it’s definitely better than the usual Festive Pie in my opinion.
It costs just £1.99 for one.
Meanwhile, you have t-minus three days to give the current Halloween menu a try, here’s what we thought of it.
Plus, we also tested supermarket Quavers dupes – the winner tastes nearly identical plus it beats Aldi and Lidl.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
