Hot Cross Bun Cookies (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

It is officially hot cross bun season, and this year seems to be full of creative spin-offs on the classic. One that caught my eye is the Hot Cross Bun Cookies from The Best range at Morrisons. You get eight cookies in a box, which feels like a decent amount for a seasonal treat. Naturally, I had to dive straight in and give one a try.

The first thing that stands out is how buttery they are. They have a rich, indulgent flavour that leans more towards a proper bakery-style cookie than anything overly sweet or artificial. There is plenty of cinnamon running through them, giving that familiar spiced warmth you expect from a hot cross bun.

Texture-wise, they strike a nice balance. The cookies are firm, but not hard or crunchy. They give slightly when you bite into them, which makes them feel fresh and well made rather than dry or overbaked. There are also plenty of juicy currants dotted throughout, adding little bursts of sweetness and a bit of chew. A subtle hint of orange comes through as well, which lifts the flavour and keeps things from feeling too heavy.

They really do capture the essence of a hot cross bun, just in cookie form. At the same time, they feel like a slightly indulgent excuse to keep enjoying those cosy cinnamon flavours well past Christmas. A solid seasonal treat, and definitely one worth picking up if you enjoy a twist on a classic.

Blueberry Cheesecake Hot Chocolate (Whittard) By @Cinabar

I really do have to say how much I love Whittard when it comes to their more unusual hot chocolate flavours. They’re always trying something different and there’s such a wide variety to choose from. Their latest release is this Blueberry Cheesecake Hot Chocolate, and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. It sounded like such an exciting flavour.

As it happens, we were having fruit and cream for dessert, so this paired quite nicely, although that’s not something I usually plan! Opening the tub, the powder had a sweet berry aroma and was mostly white in colour. Once mixed with hot milk, it turned a lovely lilac shade, which looked fantastic. I’m really glad I poured it into a glass mug as it showed off the colour perfectly.

Taste-wise, this is a sweet and soothing drink with a solid white chocolate base and plenty of fruity flavour. It’s surprisingly complex. It starts with a zingy blueberry hit, almost with a hint of lemon, before smoothing out into a creamy cheesecake flavour. Right at the end, you get a buttery biscuit note that really completes the experience.

It was an absolute delight. Whittard hot chocolates aren’t cheap, but they really do deliver on flavour. I’ll definitely be having this one again.

Counter Culture - Rhubarb + Hibiscus Kombucha [@NLi10]

 We visited a lovely Japanese shop in Shrewsbury recently and I picked up a drink - but it’s actually more local than that!

It’s in one of those fantastic modern textured cans that gets funny looks in public as it looks like you are drinking beer.

But it’s actually made in Bristol so hopefully I can get more of these.  It’s a lot more tame than my usual Kombuchas and very refreshing - you could have a much bigger can of this and not go cross-eyed.

It’s a nice crisp refreshing taste and you can get hints of both the rhubarb and hibiscus, and I’ll certainly hunt for more of these.

Impossibrew (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

I have been selling toys at comic cons and toy fairs as a sole trader for three years now. This weekend I am part the way through trying a market stall for the first time. It's a wood cabin at a local zoo, so I have left all my stock there overnight, after a particularly cold, wet and quiet day.

Tomorrow I seem to have the impossible task of making my money back on the expense of the cabin for two days. After the first day I am almost half the way there. So, I decided to try this 0.5% in volume Impossibrew tonight.

Impossibrew is made from the usual malted barley, wheat and hops, and a blend of weird scientific sounding ingredients shown in the photography below called, Social Blend. What mainly interests me, is that this pale ale is also made with rye. So, I'm looking forward to some spiciness from the rye, and hoping the weirder ingredients don't get in the way of that.

On opening the can I could smell malted barley, a touch of spiciness from the rye, and something a little plant-like. There was a red flag there, and it definitely wasn't the rye.

This hazy pale ale wasn't red enough with rye for my liking. The head disappeared quicker than a jackrabbit on pouring. This pale ale had such a confused jumble of flavours that I couldn't pick a beginning or end. I did pass-by some rye mid mouthful, but it was fleeting and vanished amongst the chaos. I found this beer definitely Impossibrew to enjoy.

Romeo Coconut Hot Chocolate (Aldi) By @Cinabar

Romeo chocolate bars are Aldi’s own take on a coconut-covered chocolate bar. They are not officially linked to Bounty, but they are the go-to option for coconut chocolate in Aldi. Following on from that, we now have Romeo Coconut Hot Chocolate. This is an instant drink, so it is quick and easy to make, with eight sachets in the box.

I boiled the kettle and tried a sachet. The powder dissolved quickly without any lumps, which was a good start. I added a splash of milk to cool it slightly, mainly to avoid burning my tongue.

On the first sip, the flavour was impressive. There was plenty of chocolate, and the coconut did come through. However, the standout element was the sweetness. It is a hot chocolate, so sweetness is expected, but this felt a bit over the top. Even with a sweet tooth, it seemed like the balance was off. It would have been better if the focus had been more on the creamy coconut and chocolate rather than the sugar.

These are pleasant enough, but they do not quite hit the mark if you are looking for a richer, more balanced coconut hot chocolate.