Pret launches 7 new menu items and brings back customer ‘favourites’ — here are our honest opinions

Pret’s new January menu is here (Picture: Pret/Metro.co.uk)

Pret A Manger has started the new year off with a new menu, introducing seven new items this week in their shops. 

And if this wasn’t enough, the popular high street chain has also brought back nine previous menu items, including the best-selling VLT and a banana cake reportedly beloved by Hollywood star Florence Pugh.

Several of the new items, which are available right now, are ideal if you’re partaking in Veganuary, with a brand new sticky Mushroom Banh Mi on the menu, as well as a new Butternut Masala soup.

The former is a vegan-friendly baguette made with sticky roasted mushrooms dressed in a spicy BBQ sauce with crunchy carrot and mooli slaw, sliced cucumber, coriander, and a dollop of vegan-friendly black pepper and parsley mayo, topped with sesame seeds, all served on a white baguette. 

While the soup is made with coconut cream and chunks of butternut squash which is lightly spiced with turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, cumin, and a hint of cayenne pepper.

Pret is shaking up their menu for January 2024 with new and returning items (Picture: Pret)

Other new additions include two salads, the US-inspired Petite Chicken & Bacon Cobb Salad, as well as the Petite Tricolore Salad.

There’s also another American-inspired treat in the form of The Big Apple Bowl, which has been sold in Pret over in the States and has been a hit. It’s made up of yoghurt layered with cinnamon, brown sugar, and grated apple, topped with crunchy granola.

And two new yoghurt pots are also available including Five Berry and Banana & Honey flavour.

That’s not all! Two hot rolls are back on the menu (Chipotle Chicken & Feta and Meatless Meatball Marinara), and the best-selling Slims range of baguettes and sandwiches are also making a return, with fillings such as Avo, Olive & Toms, and Chicken Caesar & Bacon. 

We put the seven brand new menu items to the test, here’s a look at our honest opinions…

Butternut Masala Soup 

The Butternut Masla Soup is a nice winter warmer (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Price: £4.50

Rating: 3/5 

Courtney thought: ‘This is a hearty soup that’s got a good consistency, not too watery and not too thick, making it a great winter warmer, especially as it’s lightly spiced. The chunks of butternut squash also make you feel like you’re being rather healthy, which is a nice bonus. 

‘My main issue with this is, it’s a bit like eating two different soups in one, as every other mouthful tastes wonderfully tomato-ey like a Tikka Masala curry should do, but on the flip side, the next spoonful you have packs a punch of coriander, which I’m just not a fan of.

‘If it weren’t for the coriander, this would have been a solid 4/5. As it stands, the Lasagna soup is still the best Pret creation in my book. Bring that one back please.’

Sticky Mushroom Banh Mi

Tiyana thought it the new sandwich was ‘delicious’ (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Price: £4.75

Rating: 4/5

Tiyana thought: ‘It tastes fresh and the flavours really compliment each other.

‘The mooli slaw was flavoursome but I’m not a huge fan of the coriander as it was a bit overpowering to me. But still overall a delicious sandwich.’

Banana & Honey Yoghurt Pot

It does what it says on the tin (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Price: £1.50

Rating: 4/5

Courtney thought: ‘I’m not a massive banana fan, but I quite enjoyed this. ~It essentially does what it says on the tin. It’s yoghurt with honey and banana. That’s all there is to it.

‘Compared to the berry pot, this one tastes much sweeter thanks to the honey, and despite it only containing two slices of banana, the fruity flavour comes through.

‘It’s a classic breakfast item, perfectly nice but nothing to rave about really.’

Petite Chicken & Bacon Cobb Salad 

The Cobb salad was a big hit! (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Price: £5.00

Rating: 5/5

Alice thought: ‘It’s rare I venture into Pret due to their virtually non-existent gluten-free offerings but after discovering the new petite chicken & bacon cobb salad was safe for me to eat, I chowed down. And oh my, this is probably the tastiest salad I’ve ever eaten.

‘I love a good salad and I’m more partial to a Greek, but this pot of delicious goodness had everything. The creamy chicken and bacon made a great combination, along with the gloriously ripe avocado and a perfectly hard boiled egg. The sharp vinaigrette dressing cut through the creaminess to balance it out and the crunch of those leaves made for the perfect bite. 

‘Do I wish there were a few more tomatoes? Yes, but that’s just personal preference. Honestly I’m just a bit annoyed it’s petite and there isn’t more for me to munch on.’

Petite Tricolore Salad

Courtney was pleasantly surprised by the Petite Tricolore Salad (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Price: £5.00

Rating: 4/5

Courtney thought: ‘Idon’t opt for salads very often and usually I’m not super keen on avocado, BUT avo aside, this was a really nice salad.

‘I have to start by mentioning the size, because Pret says this is a “petite” salad, but it doesn’t seem particularly small to me. I’m not sure what Alice was on about as I think it’s a really good portion of food (although maybe not when you really stop to consider the price).

‘The salad leaves were nice and fresh, the chargrilled peppers were super tasty, the mozzarella added a delicious creaminess, and I was impressed by the generous amount of dressing, which really tied the whole thing together.’

Five Berry Yoghurt Pot 

Ross didn’t think the Five Berry Yoghurt Pot was sweet enough (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Price: £1.50

Rating: 3/5

Ross thought: ‘While the idea is nice because it feels like you’re eating a grown-up version of a muller corner, it just wasn’t quite sweet enough – the berries make it just the wrong side of tart to be a proper treat.’

The Big Apple Bowl 

The Big Apple Bowl makes for the ‘perfect’ breakfast (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Price: £3.25

Rating: 5/5 

Courtney thought: ‘I love anything US-inspired so this Big Apple Bowl was right up my street and I have to say they’ve totally nailed the flavour combinations with this. 

‘The cinnamon thankfully isn’t too overpowering and is nicely sweetened by the brown sugar and there’s also just the right amount of each ingredient in there — from the grated apple to the crunchy granola topping.

‘This would make for a perfect breakfast to grab on the go and I’ll definitely be grabbing another for myself…’

We didn’t try all of the returning items for Jan as they’re clearly already beloved by Pret customers, but we did tuck into the hot rolls, which are said to have been a hit when were first launched last autumn.

But the Meatless Meatball Marinara (£5.25) fell a bit flat with Lucia, who gave it a 3.5/5.

She thought: ‘It all the flavour you would expect from your typical sub – without the consistency. The ‘meatballs’ resembled more of a flattened falafel, herby and with a slight kick.’

Lucia tried the meatless meatball marinara (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

But for those who aren’t doing Veganuary, the Chipotle Chicken & Feta hot roll (£5.25) was a big hit.

Courtney said: ‘The combination of chicken and melted cheese is always a winner for me. Add in a soft roll with a little crisp to it and the spicy kick of jalapenos and you’re on to a winner. Yum!’ 

If you want to give any of the new menu items at Pret a go, they’re available in all Pret stores from January onwards.

However, it’s not yet known how long they’ll actually be sticking around for though, so you might want to be quick to try them.

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There are seven new items and nine favourites back in stores this week.