I tried the new autumn menu at Costa and now feel in the harvest and Halloween spirit

The 'Maple Hazel' range returned earlier this month

Earlier this month, Costa relaunched their renowned autumn menu to get customers into the festive spirit. This year, the 'Maple Hazel' range has returned, with a number of sweet and savoury food options as well as hot and cold drinks.

I headed to the Costa in Broadmead to test out the new menu. Despite being a fan of the 'Instagram-able' Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks as a teenager, I had never tried Costa's range.

Unfortunately, Costa's savoury items on offer were not vegetarian friendly: brie, bacon and chili jam panini, chicken and chorizo panini and a hog roast toastie, among other items all including meat. The only vegetarian option here was an egg and mushroom bap: a name that did not inspire me to grab one from the shelves.

The only cake that is part of the autumn menu that I could see on offer was the Maple and Pecan Loaf, though admittedly I did visit late in the day. I opted for one of these with a Maple Hazel Frappe, with whipped cream, of course.

The Maple Pecan Loaf had the texture of a normal sponge, but with a cinnamon and spice aftertaste. I was more impressed when I cut inside with my fork to see a sticky toffee sauce centre, which added a much-needed moisture to the cake.

I have always been a fan of frappe drinks, but tend to go for your standard strawberries and cream flavour on a summer's day. The Maple Hazel was presented beautifully with a swirl of hazelnut and maple syrup marbled through the drink.

The staff had run out of the crunchy biscuit topping, so I was offered chocolate sprinkles instead. To my surprise, it was not an overly sweet drink and had warm autumnal flavours that succeeded in making me feel ready for pumpkin and spooky season.

This range would not be my go-to order, as I tend to sway towards your standard English Breakfast tea and a slice of coffee or carrot cake. Having said this, my drink and cake definitely got me feeling just that bit more festive, and my only criticism would be for some more vegetarian options on the savoury menu.