I slept on the new M&S ‘no plump’ pillow for a week – this ingenious buy is faff free and a bargain for under £30

My M&S Pintuck pillow review puts this affordable pillow through its paces to see how its unusual pocketed construction compares to the best pillows on the market.

In a nutshell

For someone who sleeps on their side and back like me, and prefers a not-too-firm pillow, I think the M&S Pintuck Cloud pillow is perfect.

This pillow offers medium support, so I found my head didn't sink too much and good spinal alignment was maintained, but its polyester fill is still soft and comfortable, which means it doesn’t feel too hard like some of the best memory foam pillows and best pilllows for side sleepers I've previously tested.

I also liked the fact that this pillow features 20 stitched pockets (or pintucks) on one side. They look unusual, but it means that the polyester stuffing didn’t clump together in one place or flatten under my head at night. I also found that the pockets meant the pillow could still offer enough support to keep my head and neck aligned in a neutral position when sleeping on my side.

The fact that the pillow can't be washed or dry-cleaned is a big downside for me; but it is only £29.50, so it's at least not going to break the bank too badly if it does have to be replaced (although that's not very sustainable, I know).

Plus, I think the M&S Pintuck Cloud looks and feels much more expensive than it is. It feels good quality and well made, and overall, I think it’s a great choice for anyone looking for a soft, comfortable, and gently supportive pillow at a good price.

M&S Pintuck Cloud Medium Pillow review

Specifications

• RRP: £29.50
• Best for: side sleepers
• Materials: 100% polyester
• Dimensions: approx H17 x W48 x L74cm
• Care instructions: do not wash and do not dryclean
• Manufacturer sleep trial: none

Comfort

M&S describes the Pintuck Cloud pillow as being ‘generously filled with ultra-fine fibres for cloud-like comfort’, and after testing it in person, I couldn’t agree more.

The brand says the pillow offers a medium level of support – ideal for people who side-sleep or back sleep, like me.

When I first lay on the pillow, my head sank into it enough for it to feel soft and springy, but my head didn’t dip too low, so it kept my neck and spine in alignment when I slept on my side or back.

I also really liked the fact that it offers medium support but with a soft feel. I preferred it to the 'harder' edges of some of the dense memory-foam pillows, which don’t feel as sumptuous and fluffy. The tapered edges meant that it didn’t dig into my neck and shoulder when I slept on my side.

Because the pillow features 20 stitched pockets on one side, I also found that did the trick to keep the filling perfectly in place, removing the tendency for it to clump together in one place or go very thin in the middle like some pillows do when your head weighs down on them.

Also, this pillow is light. So its much easier to move about than a heavier memory foam pillow.

Temperature regulation

The M&S Pintuck Pillow is made of 100% polyester inside and out, which isn’t generally a very breathable material, and as such can tend to get warm when it's next to the body (or, in this case, the head).

However, I tested this pillow during the colder autumn months (so the central heating was already on), but I didn’t notice any overheating when laying on this pillow. No doubt its light airiness means there's still good airflow through its fibres, so whilst not as cooling as a natural fibre pillow – such as a feather and down or wool fill – I didn't wake up with a hot head.

Ease of care

The M&S Pintuck Cloud pillow can’t be washed, tumble dried, bleached or dry cleaned. Unlike most of the pillows I’ve tested recently, which have all had covers which can be unzipped for washing, there's also no removable cover on this pillow.

For me, this is a big downside, as I like to be able to wash my pillows to freshen them up. However, weighing up its price, it wouldn’t put me off buying it, as it's not so expensive it couldn't be replaced if needed.

Sleep trial

There's no sleep trial available on M&S's bedding, which means you can't try out the Pintuck Cloud pillow before you invest, but, as I'll come to shortly, at £29.50, it's at least not an expensive pillow to take a punt on.

Value for money

The M&S Pintuck pillow costs just £29.50, making it extremely affordable. Admittedly, it is made from 100% polyester, which is a very budget-friendly material, but I think it still offers good value for money for what you get.

Plus, it's considerably cheaper than many other pillows I’ve tested, such as the Tempur Cloud SmartCool Pillow, which costs an eye-watering £139, or the adjustable Cloudpillo Original, which is £69.95.

Whilst the fact that the cover can’t be removed and washed is a downside, it looks and feels much more expensive than it is and feels good quality and well made. I think it’s an ideal choice for anyone looking for a soft, comfortable, and gently supportive, good-quality pillow at a very affordable price.

How I tested

Rachel Tompkins

I’m Rachel, a mother of two and a product reviewer who helps the Ideal Home team put all manner of products through their paces to find the top recommendations for our readers. For this review, I tested the M&S Pintuck Cloud Medium Pillow.

In order to test out this pillow, I slept on it for two weeks on my own bed to assess its comfort and temperature regulation. I also assessed its ease of care, any sleep trials available, and how it compares to similar products on the market to see if it offers good value for money.