Shandy Shack Elderflower Lager Top (Co-op) By @SpectreUK

I fancy a shandy. I haven't had one in years. I used to drink sweet lemonade shandy all the time when I was a kid. It just seems difficult to find it in the shops these days.

Shandy made me feel grown up as a kid, with the feel of drinking a little beer with my lemonade. Now I prefer beer, but sometimes I do reminisce for the simpler times.

This Shandy Shack Elderflower Lager Top should go well washing down my calamari and scampi and chips tonight. It is a pilsner lager with a top of elderflower cordial. At 105 calories per can, gluten free and with an ABV of 2.5%, it won't give me a headache for my early start in the morning to Milton Keynes Film and Comic Con.

On opening the can there was a light aroma of elderflower and pilsner. The elderflower cordial was fresh and sweetened the lager shandy, making it very moreish indeed.

Shandy Shack Elderflower Lager Top was a very refreshing drink, and after a very hot day, I could see why the can mentioned simpler times of summers on the village green.

Mokate Classic Matcha Latte (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I spotted these Mokate Classic Matcha Latte sachets in Iceland and decided to pick some up. I enjoy a good matcha latte, but they can be expensive in high street coffee shops, so at just 25p per sachet, these seemed like a bargain.

When I opened the box, I noticed a lot of empty space. It does contain the promised six sachets, but the packaging could easily have been half the size and still held everything comfortably.

I read through the instructions and opted to make a hot version. You can make it cold by blending it with ice, the guide shows an electric hand blender, but since I don’t own one, I stuck with the kettle.

I poured the sachet contents into a smaller mug. It suggests adding just 150ml of water, and I think my mug is closer to 200ml, but I went with it anyway. My usual mug is a beast at 350ml, so I often have to double up on sachets for drinks like this.

I added the hot water and was pleasantly surprised by how easily the drink mixed, no lumps, just a smooth green drink with a nice frothy top, purely from stirring. The flavour was lovely too: that leafy, slightly grassy green tea taste with a touch of bitterness, balanced out with a little sweetness. It was actually quite close to what you'd get from a coffee shop, soothing, slightly creamy, and very enjoyable.

I’d definitely buy these again. In fact, I might even try two sachets in my big mug next time. Even doubled up, it's still a fraction of the price of a Starbucks matcha latte.

FOREVA Dubai Style Pistachio Chocolate [@NLi10]

 Dubai style chocolate is all the rage.  Which is unusual, as it's essentially chocolate coated Baklava 

And it's not usually made in DubVegas but imported - this one from Turkey.

Having the German on the pack inspires confidence - they are selling chocolate to the experts so clearly it's the good stuff

So far - so luxurious.  Clearly designed to survive travel and heat.

And like Dubai itself it's not actually as green as you'd expect.  This is surely just a normal chocolate bar!

All the green is on the inside!  

This is crispy 'bombay mix' style noodles - infused with pistachio and covered in remarkable Lindt-like chocolate.

And it works really well.  It's far too sweet, which I think is the intention, and we shared this one cube on a 30 degree day and were satisfied.

I've put the rest in the fridge to see if that makes the flavours pop a little more, but as it stands it's a very nice luxurious treat.

I'd probably still rather walk to my fresh Baklava shop, but if you don't have access to those on your high-street then this works too. 

7UP Pink Lemonade (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I haven't had pink lemonade for quite sometime, probably since last summer. 7UP's new summer drink this year is pink lemonade. 7UP is my favourite lemonade to have with rum. Not that this blog is going to be about me trying pink lemonade and rum, that's for after.

7UP Pink Lemonade had a sharp raspberry, lemon and lime aroma. Pink on pouring, this pink lemonade had a very crisp refreshing flavour of raspberries with the traditional lemon and lime flavour of 7UP. It was perfect for a hot summers day like today. Now where did I put my bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Gold?

Nesquik Chocoballs Yoghurt (Iceland) By @Cinabar

While searching for new milkshake flavours to try this summer, I did an online grocery shop and used a few key search terms. I looked up Crusha, but only the standard options came up. Then I tried Nesquik. There weren’t any new milkshakes available, but I did spot these Nesquik Chocoballs Yoghurts and added a pack to my basket.

When they arrived, I found there were four yoghurts in the pack. After removing the outer wrap, I noticed all four had a slightly damp patch on the lid in the bottom left corner. The seals didn’t look broken, but I wondered if the yoghurt might have rested on its side during transport or storage. As they were all still sealed and had a long best-before date, I decided to give them a try.

Each yoghurt pot contains a plain yoghurt base with a small section of chocolate cereal balls. I tipped the Chocoballs into the yoghurt and gave it a stir. The yoghurt itself wasn’t too sweet, it had more of a sharp, tangy kick rather than a rich, creamy texture. The Chocoballs were the highlight, adding a nice crunch and a hit of chocolatey sweetness.

They were decent enough yoghurts, but not amazing. Probably healthier than some, due to the lower sugar content, but honestly, I wouldn’t have picked them up if it wasn’t for the Nesquik branding. In the end, they weren’t quite what I was hoping for in terms of a fun new summer flavour.