I went out to try the iconic Shamrock Shake on its 1st ever day on sale in the UK & it was bizarre

I must admit that the concept of a luminescent mint green milkshake released in honour of St Patrick’s Day is a new one to me - I know the Americans like to do things such as tint entire rivers green and adorn themselves in all the four-leaf clover paraphernalia they can get their hands on, but the UK isn’t quite as effervescent in its St Paddy’s Day pride… yet.

Of course, that could all be about to change, at least when it comes to milk-based fast food beverages. Boasting a recipe based on ‘creamy vanilla soft serve blended with minty Shamrock Shake syrup’, the Shamrock Shake has long been a staple of the American McDonald’s seasonal menu, with fans waiting patiently all year for its Spring return.

And, finally, it has made its way across the pond to our very own shores, with the iconic Shamrock Shake landing on McDonald’s manus up and down our green and pleasant land on Wednesday March 12. Having dipped my tow into the unnervingly-tinted world of McDonald's special milkshakes last year with the Grimace shake, I decided to try it out.

First impressions were largely ‘wow, that’s green’, which isn’t always what you want when confronted with a dairy-based product. Slipping the lid off, I took a sniff, and was hit with a waft of toothpaste-sharp freshness, plus the unmistakable whiff of sugar, sugar, and more sugar. Time to dive right in.

The initial taste was strong and very reminiscent of Colgate, but the early tastebud-assault quickly faded, leaving a dull sweetness and not much else. There wasn’t much of a creaminess or even that hint of depth you get from something like an After Eight mint - - this was all up front, a minty slap in the face which rapidly disappears into nothing.

I was underwhelmed - this drink is so famous that surely there must be more to it than this. But no, I’d just fallen prey to McDonald’s PR and wonky cultural guff, tricked into believing that a mint milkshake made of pure e-numbers would be a culinary experience. But still, try one for yourself - it’s limited edition, after all…