\u201cSorry, did you say lemingtons? Are they like, tropical fruits?\u201d<\/p>\n
Not the response I was expecting when I excitedly told my colleagues that M&S Food was about to launch two versions of lamingtons to the UK public<\/a>. As an Australian living in London, I\u2019m used to navigating minor cultural differences in the workplace. Case in point: Brits eat their sausage rolls cold, with no sauce. And if you ask for sauce, they\u2019d ask: \u201cWhat kind?\u201d But to learn that they hadn\u2019t heard of lamingtons \u2013 the treat I\u2019d scoff at my Grandma\u2019s house, the major player at any cake stall, the bakery stalwart, neighbour to the trusty snot block \u2013 felt downright wrong. Like I\u2019d slipped through a wormhole into a tragic parallel universe.<\/p>\n To fix this feeling, I bought both kinds of the British-made lamingtons and arranged a taste test with a group of fellow Australia-born immigrants.<\/p>\n What defines a classic lamington? As the legend goes, the cake was created in Queensland in the 1890s, when Lord Lamington\u2019s chef whipped up a batch for unexpected guests using leftover sponge cake, dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut. The first known printed recipe for them appeared in the Queensland Country Life newspaper in December 1900.<\/p>\n M&S lamingtons. Photograph: Tom Regester\/M&S\/PA<\/p>\n These days, they vary in complexity, but the key ingredients remain. Radio Lamington, a lamington business by UK-based Australian restaurant group Daisy Green, says: \u201cThe classic should be fluffy vanilla sponge, layered with jam and then dipped in a chocolate and coconut dusting\u201d.<\/p>\n For me, the classic lamington is a cushiony wodge on a paper plate at your cousin\u2019s sixth birthday party. It\u2019s the sticky residue of chocolate on your fingers. It\u2019s finding bits of sweet, nutty coconut on your school collar. It\u2019s served in plastic supermarket sleeves, and crinkly bakery bags. Am I too blinded by nostalgia to accurately assess the efforts of the M&S Food<\/a> bakers? Perhaps. But I\u2019ll give it my best shot, along with four willing taste-testers.<\/p>\n M&S Chocolate & Coconut Lamingtons, \u00a34 for two<\/p>\n M&S Food says: Cubes of buttermilk-enriched chocolate sponge coated in rich chocolate sauce, rolled in coconut flakes and topped with hand-piped buttercream and jam.<\/p>\n Score: 6\/10 skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Saved for Later<\/p>\n Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia’s culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u2018The classic lamington is a cushiony wodge on a paper plate at your cousin\u2019s sixth birthday party. It\u2019s the sticky residue of chocolate on your fingers.\u2019 Photograph: Rose Johnstone<\/p>\n I can\u2019t fully convey just how wrong this made us feel; like shucking an oyster to reveal a piece of popcorn instead of a pearl. All the taste testers agreed that this fundamental difference places it firmly into \u201clamington-inspired\u201d territory, with one rightly saying: \u201cA cubed cake does not a lamington make!\u201d<\/p>\n That said, all reviewers, somewhat guiltily, enjoyed the cake in the end, praising its density and balance of the rich chocolate and coconut with the jam\u2019s tartness. Just don\u2019t call it a lamington.<\/p>\n M&S Caramelised Biscuit Lamingtons, \u00a34 for two<\/p>\n M&S Food says: Cubes of buttermilk-enriched chocolate sponge coated in rich chocolate sauce, rolled in caramelised biscuit crumb and topped with hand-piped buttercream and salted caramel sauce.<\/p>\n Score: 7.5\/10<\/p>\n Well, this doesn\u2019t even look like a lamington, does it? This time, our taste testers knew to brace themselves for the secret mud cake within. A classic lamington needs to feel like a soft pillow ensconced in a semi-firm choccy blanket. But this \u201clamington\u201d has strayed so far from the path of righteousness that it\u2019s hard to tell where the cake ends and the coating begins. Personally, I feel that without the coconut, it\u2019s just an entirely different cake, and an average one at that. But I\u2019m alone in this opinion: the majority of taste-testers preferred this one. One reviewer said: \u201cI wish I could call this an abomination and an insult to Australians everywhere, but this was actually really good \u2013 100% not a lamington in any form really, but just a great little sweet treat.\u201d<\/p>\n
This lamington is a beautiful thing to behold. Sure, the artfully piped buttercream and jam on top is unconventional, but looks a treat. The familiar smell \u2013 borderline-overpowering coconut and subtler chocolate \u2013 is just right. But I was genuinely shocked when I sank my teeth into it. Instead of a light white sponge, it\u2019s a dense chocolate cake!<\/p>\n