Traditional Pork Scratchings (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

I haven't had Traditional Pork Scratchings for many years. I broke a tooth on one a few years back, and have stuck with Pork Puffs ever since. I saw these Midland Snacks - Traditional Pork Scratchings in the local store a few days ago. 

I meant to have these Traditional Pork Scratchings with a beer and a good book, like I used to do in the pub, but I'm just about to go out for my last Gumbo of the season at the Smokehouse, and thought I'd have a quick bite.

 

On opening the packet the little pieces of pork certainly looked and smelt like Traditional Pork Scratchings. On first taste I realised I was going to have to be very careful with these, as they were very crunchy for my poor old teeth.

Oh my, they tasted so good. Salty and crunchy pork. Gosh, it's been too long. I'll have to get another packet and carefully eat them whilst drinking a can of my favourite beer, Banks's Mild, and a good book.

Information on the packet:
The 40g bag contained 261 calories, with 21.1g of fat, <0.1g of sugar, and 1.24g of salt.

Angel Delight Bubble Jelly with Boba (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Angel Delight is one of those properly iconic 1980s cupboard staples. It’s the instant whip that comes in a sachet, you add milk, whisk it up, leave it to set and you’ve got a bowl of mousse. You can still buy it now and it definitely sits in that fun retro category.

This time though they’ve gone in a completely different direction, tapping into the boba trend. Instead of tea, we’ve got jelly. Specifically, Angel Delight Lemonade Bubble Jelly with Bursting Strawberry Boba. It might only be February but this feels like a summer dessert. Now we just need the weather to cooperate.

There are four tubs in a pack. When I picked up the first one I could see the strawberry boba suspended in the jelly and it looked really appealing. I will say the lid was firmly stuck down. This was not a gentle yoghurt style peel, it needed a bit of effort.

Taste wise, it’s actually really good. The jelly has a fresh lemonade flavour that’s bright without being overly sharp. The strawberry boba are properly sweet and packed with rich berry flavour. They pop as you bite into them, which makes the whole thing more fun than your standard pot of jelly.

It’s quite a leap from traditional Angel Delight, but the flavours work and it feels like a smart way to modernise a classic brand.

Pepsi Max Tropical (Ocado) By @Cinabar

This is an interesting new flavour from Pepsi called Pepsi Tropical. The can artwork shows pineapple and what looks like melon and possibly peach. It is not the clearest from the tiny icons, but that is my best guess. It has only just launched, yet it already feels very much like an early summer drink. This is also a sugar free Pepsi Max variant.

When I opened the can, the fruity aroma was very distinct. It immediately reminded me of a bag of fruit sweets. Very sugary and very tropical. Poured into a glass, it had a lovely strong fizz.

On the first sip, it is clear this drink is all about the tropical fruit. Pineapple comes through strongly and, honestly, it made me think of a fizzy Um Bongo. I really enjoyed it, although the cola element is definitely more muted in the background.

To test this theory, I passed it to Spectre, who normally dislikes cola of any kind, not just Pepsi. He was very reluctant to try it. After a cautious sniff, he admitted it smelled nice, took a sip, and declared it lovely and fruity and said he would happily drink it. That pretty much confirms it. There is far more fruit than cola going on here.

TGI Fridays @ Iceland UK - Boneless Chicken Wings & Chilli Jam [@Nli10]

 I'm growing to love my trips to Iceland - they have a load of things you can buy, forget about, and then really enjoy when you get to them.

Case in point is these bright red boneless chicken wings - essentially nuggets but made with chopped meat like in a Chinese restaurant not mince like nuggets.

Thew bright redness is the sachet of sticky chilli sauce you get with them - but guess who forgot to take those pictures again - so just imagine a boring bag of red sauce, and some cold looking chicken lumps

It's the good sauce, with the vinegar base like Buffalo sauce should be - I have a couple of versions in the house already

And it's an easy cook - oven for a bit, melt the sauce mix the two in a bowl then add to veg and pasta and pour remaining sauce over the top.

I expected it to be an imitation version of the restaurant ones, but frankly my only complaint was the portion size.  10 chunks is too many for one person, but not enough for two portions.  I know they have to scale to the round Iceland pricing, but this was a sad one.  Two more lumps and it'd be perfect.

The sauce was sticky, tangy and spicy, nut not aggressive. The chicken and crumb were balanced and flavourful even with the sauce.  Definitely one to add to the freezer if your family is into this Korean style spicy chicken.  Another win. Each success jut makes me more likely to go into Iceland first and then finish off in the bigger shops instead of the reverse.

Iceland Caramel Flavoured Squirty Cream (Iceland) By @SpectreUK

You may have noticed me mention how much I like ice cream. I have ice cream for pudding most nights. In fact, I probably have too much ice cream, if there is such a thing. I have what I call a 'child's portion' of ice cream. Not one of those restaurant child portions they do for little kids. A child's portion of ice cream a child would likely serve itself.

Anyway, to top it off, literally, I like squirty cream. This Iceland Caramel Flavoured Squirty Cream does taste of sweet caramel and certainly was creamy. It went very well on top of my raspberry ripple, just as well as it went on top of a hot chocolate. A very nice change from regular squirty cream.