Schofferhofer - hefeweizen Bier - juicy pineapple [@NLi10]

 We got back from watching the eclipse, and I was a bit too hot and needed replenishing.  Behold! This can of Schofferhofer juicy pineapple - which is basically fruit juice and beer.

This is one of my cider style but beer outside drinking choices, but I'd never picked one up for home.  I got this because I've not seen the Pineapple one in bars.

It's interesting that they call it a drink and not a beer in the English blurb

My partner tried it though and said it was too beer-like.

For me - it's a light and fruity drink with beer-like flavours, and pineapple juice flavours, and it's a little fizzy and a little boozy but very refreshing.  It's totally a big can drink too, a small one of these would not suffice, 500ml is good.  

And while beer purists did not return my calls when I posted this in our chat I'm a big fan and will continue to drink these funny little German hybrid drinks 

Yew Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

Yes, you read the title correctly. This is Yew Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour. For my sins I have been hand picked to try this “Sparkling water with a splash of briny dill pickle, notes of fresh cucumber and a bright tangy finish.” Perhaps I didn’t step back quick enough in the line up.

Apparently this Yew Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour is all natural in its ingredients, has zero calories and zero sweetener. I mean, come on. I like pickled gherkins, but I wouldn’t drink the rest of the jar. Who does that? Who thinks of Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour anyway? Well, Yew did.

On opening the can, asides the fizz, it smells reminiscent of an empty jar of pickled gherkins. Apart from the super strong aroma of pickled dill and cucumber, you could probably fool someone into thinking that this is a glass of lemonade. Well, at least until they come within twelves metres of you and smell it.

On taste this Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour made my toes curl. There is an instant flavour of strong sour pickled dill and cucumber, with further sourness from the brine. Unfortunately this drink is not for me. With each sip it seemed to get stronger in flavour and sourness. I mean, I have to say it does what it says on the can. Well, replacing “bright tangy finish,” with “face twisting toe curling sourness,” anyway.

Toblerone Crispy Salted Caramel (Tesco) By @cinabar

I’m just going to say it, Toblerone are a little late to the salted caramel party. The flavour peaked a few years ago! Still, it is always a good flavour, so I was keen to try this Toblerone Crispy Salted Caramel. When I bought it at the till, the lady serving me said it was her new favourite, so that sounded positive. It is also available in a bigger, giftable size, but I picked up the smaller bar as it was just for me.

I opened the bar and broke a piece off. It was surprisingly soft and broke really easily. Now, it is warm today, but at around 22°C, it shouldn’t have been quite that soft. I was expecting a bit more of a snap, so that was slightly weird.

The flavour was fab, though. This chocolate bar is packed with crispy caramel pieces and salt, giving it a proper sweet and savoury mix. The salt really makes the flavour pop. They may be late to the party, but they absolutely nailed it.

The melting point was weird, though, so I put what was left in the fridge.

Last week, having chocolate melt at room temperature made sense because the whole country was basically melting too! But today, it really should have been a little more solid. Still, the flavour more than makes up for the slightly strange melting point.

Rhubarb and Custard Hot Chocolate (Whittard) By @cinabar

This Whittard Rhubarb and Custard is one of the brand’s new summer flavours of hot chocolate. As a fan of rhubarb and custard, count me in. The tub is very pretty and looks perfect for the season. I opened it up to find pale pink granules. I heated some milk and mixed them in, and the drink turned a lovely shade of pale pink.

I gave it a sip and found the rhubarb taste to be weirdly sharp, with a slightly artificial edge to it. It wasn’t quite zingy, but there was something about the flavour that didn’t quite work for me. The creamy custard taste was the saving grace, adding a much-needed boost of vanilla.

I usually love Whittard hot chocolates, and I currently have two other tubs on the go that I’m really enjoying. With my hot chocolate addiction, I’m certainly no stranger to their flavours! Sadly, this one is the first that has been just okay. I’ll get through the tub, but I was honestly thinking about adding sugar to it.

FIVE Guys Revisited - is it better value than KFC now? [@NLi10]

 There's a section of the fast-food-eating community that are still admamant that it's worth paying extra for FIVE GUYS over things like McDonalds and KFC and that it's comparable to Nando's and similar.  It usually costs £20 for a 'meal' (they don't do meals - no discounts for you!), and now FKC and McDonalds have snuck in luxury menus they can cost close to £20 too - so - which is the best value in 2026? 

First up we have a cup of chips.  This is not a sane choice, but it's what they go with.  I think it's because of the peanut oil or something - but it's a small portion.  Why is that...?

They tip the rest into your bag.  Now - this seems silly because these are the ones you'll want to eat first before they go cold.  They are protecting the burger for safety.

And what about the drink - they have a giant machine for that.

As ever - these seem to be malfunctioning.  One was off, and the working one put the flat tasting water everywhere.  I used the variations and options to try a Fanta Grape, non Sparkling.

This is me realising I just paid £4 for a cup of squash.  Luckily it's bottomless so I could have a 2nd drink and take it with me into the cinema - I chose a Coke, but it tasted very odd.  Not sure if it was grape residue or just that the machines proportions were thrown off by it being a sprinkler system.

Next up - the main event - a burger cooked your way with a choice of toppings.

They wrap them forcefully in foil to keep them hot, which means that they all look a bit like this.  Decently fresh ingredients, nice enough meat - but is this a £10 burger?

Overall this leaves me wondering why UK fast food places can't get the drinks right post sugar-tax.

Why pub burgers are so much better value and quality than burger place burgers.

And why chips always have to have a gimmick.

Overall I had a decent meal, I was full, and everything food based was decent enough.  I enjoyed the chips and the ability to have a decent amount of salad on the burger was nice.  The £16 KFC Naan Meal from last week was better value, but not really by much. That said - in KFC I can be full for £12 pretty easily.

Maybe I'm just not the teenage/student audience that these things are designed for (when I was 21 this place was still Birmingham's Hard Rock Cafe!) and I should be valuing the fact that I can eat it fast and get back to whatever the young people enjoy these days.  As it stands £20 would get you a slower, better meal at one of towns many many independent pubs, even if the ingredients aren't quite as flashy and the kitchen is probably more basic.