Baileys Strawberries & Cream Biscuits (Home Bargains) By @Cinabar

These biscuits immediately caught my eye thanks to their pretty pink packaging. They feel very much like a summer release, with that hint of strawberries giving them a lighter, seasonal appeal.

Opening the box, the biscuits did seem a bit smaller than expected compared to the packaging. They are not tiny, but there is definitely some wasted space, and it feels like more could have been included.

Each biscuit consists of a chocolate base topped with a dollop of strawberry and Baileys cream, all coated in milk chocolate. Snapping one in half, I was pleased to see a generous amount of filling, which is always a good sign.

Texture-wise, these work really well. You get a satisfying crunch from the biscuit, balanced by the softer cream layer and smooth chocolate coating. The flavour is just as enjoyable. There is plenty of chocolate, a clear Baileys note, and a gentle strawberry sweetness. The fruit flavour is present without being overpowering, avoiding that overly artificial strawberry cream taste you sometimes get.

Overall, these strike a nice balance and feel well suited to a summer treat. They would be perfect with a cup of tea on a sunny afternoon.

Ube Hot Chocolate (Costa) By @Cinabar

It had been a while since we had been in a Costa, but we stopped at one in a service station while heading back from a long day out. I really wanted a hot chocolate, but as someone who always goes for anything new, I asked what the Ube Hot Chocolate was flavoured with. The lady replied, “Ube.” I think I had worked that out, so I asked for clarification and she replied, “yam”. She said it in a way that made it sound as normal as orange or mint.

I decided not to ask what it tasted like for fear of her simply replying “yam, of course”. Instead I risked it and ordered it. I had the drink made in our own cups, so the purple colour is hard to see, but it is there under the cream.

I gave the drink a sip and really enjoyed the flavour. There was plenty of milky chocolate, but the additional flavour sits somewhere between vanilla and coconut. It was sweet, creamy, smooth, and had a slight edge that veered towards coconut or a very light nutty taste. I thought it made the drink super soothing. I love the colour too. Next time I am in a proper Costa I will make sure I get the drinkin a glass holder so I can see it in its full glory.

Biscoff Everything - KRAVE Caramelised Biscuit & White Choc [@NLi10]

 I think we've reached peak Biscoff.  From the little spicy biscuit you got given with a coffee to signify that it was posh, all the way to every conceivable food.

Here we have Kelloggs KRAVE version, with a Biscoff style outside, and a white chocolate inside.

Standard branding

Standard look

And it doesn't go soggy too quickly. 

The funny thing is though - this is probably the best Biscoff thing I've had in years.  The sweetness is slightly too much for me so I mixed with cornflakes (Kellogg's of course) but otherwise the whole thing is great.

Hopefully this isn't a limited deal (we got ours from B&M) because it's easily as good as the regular KRAVE (which we only don't buy as the Asda own brand version is much cheaper and just as good).

A wonderful blend of flavours and textures - and unlike the Kellogg's spicy naff flakes from Jan - actually a pleasure to eat.

Jude’s Chocolate Guinness Cake Ice Cream (Marks & Spencer’s) By @SpectreUK

I do love a good stout, and Guinness is definitely iconic in the world of stouts. I also love a good chocolate ice cream. Someone at Jude's must have thought the same thing, and decided they wanted both at the same time. I'm purely guessing that's how this Jude’s Chocolate Guinness Cake Ice Cream was born.

The description on the back of the tub states this Jude’s Chocolate Guinness Cake Ice Cream is; chocolate ice cream infused with Guinness stout, as a homage to Guinness Cake. You get an award when you open the top of the tub, which states, "Bravo. Congratulations, you've just made the best decision of your day."

On first taste there was a rich dark chocolate flavour, followed by the flavours of Guinness stout, especially strong on malted barley. There were also tiny pieces of chocolate cake in with the ice cream. It was strangely moreish, especially with squirty cream on the side, and a couple of Cadbury's chocolate bars to accompany it after dinner. Cheers.

M&S Extremely Lemony Hot Cross Buns (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Hot Cross Bun season has been good this year and I cannot help buying all the interesting flavours I find. I am not a big fan of the savoury ones. It is not that they are not nice, it is just that I think Hot Cross Buns should be a sweet treat. If I turn a cheese hot cross bun into a ham sandwich it is really just a cheesy bread roll.

Thankfully these ones from M&S are sweet. They are the new Extremely Lemony version and I love the bright yellow cross on top of each one.

Like the Red Velvet Hot Cross Buns I wrote about earlier, these are not meant for toasting. In this case the filling is a large dollop of lemon curd in the middle. The bread itself also contains candied lemon peel throughout. I added a tiny amount of butter, although I was not sure if I was meant to. It did help smearing the lemon curd a little and spread the flavour more evenly inside the bun.

I gave one of them a try and it was like having a slice of lemon drizzle cake. It was lovely. There was plenty of lemon flavour, a little zingy but still sweet. The bread was soft and fluffy and the whole thing was a delight.

Have you spotted any other interesting flavours I should be trying?