Savoursmiths Desert Salt and Black Pepper Flavour Potato Crisps (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

Salt and Black Pepper is one of my favourite flavours of crisps. They go with pretty much any sandwich, cheese and cold meets meal, or just for a snack with a beer, or a cup of tea.

I tried these Savoursmiths Desert Salt and Black Pepper Flavour Potato Crisps with a Moussaka and veg, instead of French Bread as the store had run out. I’m a bit obsessed with French Bread, as it too goes with so many meals itself, from Spagbol, lasagne, cheese meals, Moussaka, picky-bits, and even a good curry.

On opening the packet there was a salt and peppery aroma from the crisps inside. These crunchy Desert Salt and Black Pepper Flavour Potato Crisps had a sweetness from the salt I hadn’t experienced before.

Usually salt and pepper crisps are sea salt. The desert salt seems to have a slightly sweet taste to it. After this sweet saltiness came the spicy warmth of black pepper. These Desert Salt and Black Pepper Flavour Potato Crisps were very moreish, and complimented my Moussaka and veg very well indeed.

Information on the 150g bag; Per 100g there were 501 calories, with 27g of fat, 1.3g of sugar, and 1.20g of salt. Gluten free and Vegan friendly, please see photograph for the ingredients.

Mr Kipling 4 Cookies and Cream Whirls (Ocado) By @Cinabar

We are big fans of Mr Kipling products and always keep an eye out for any new flavours or twists on their classic treats. These new Cookies and Cream Whirls immediately caught our attention. They are clearly inspired by the brand's popular Viennese Whirls, but with a chocolatey cookies and cream makeover.

Inside the box are four dark cocoa-coloured whirls sandwiched together with a pale cream filling, creating an attractive contrast. They sit somewhere between a biscuit and a cake, sharing characteristics of both. Whatever category they belong in, they certainly look appealing. Getting one out of the tray required a little care as they are extremely crumbly. Mine shed plenty of crumbs before reaching the tasting stage, although it managed to stay mostly intact.

The dark cocoa appearance led me to expect a rich chocolate flavour, but that wasn't really the case. Instead, the overall taste is quite mild. There is a gentle chocolate note, a hint of cookie flavour and a simple vanilla style cream filling in the centre. Even the buttery richness often associated with Viennese Whirls is fairly subdued, with the cocoa flavour taking centre stage, albeit in a restrained way. These are perfectly pleasant to eat and the texture is nicely crumbly, but I couldn't help feeling they missed an opportunity. Given their striking appearance, I was expecting something bolder and more indulgent. A stronger chocolate flavour or a more distinctive cookies and cream filling would have made them much more memorable.

Overall, these are enjoyable enough if you're looking for a light sweet treat, but they don't quite deliver the rich cookies and cream experience their appearance promises.

Ülker Metro Mini (Home Bargains) – Review by @Cinabar

I do love a wander around discount shops for imported treats you just would not normally come across. These Ülker Metro Mini bars definitely caught my eye, even though we had originally gone in for something as exciting as toiletries. That is the magic of bargain stores though, you go in for one thing and somehow leave with a basket full of things you did not know you needed.

These little bars are imported from Turkey and are essentially mini versions of a familiar style of chocolate bar. Each one contains soft nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate, all neatly packaged into small individually wrapped pieces. They really are mini as well. When I opened the packet I was surprised by just how tiny they are, but in a cute, snackable way rather than disappointing.

Taste wise, they are very pleasant. The caramel and nougat flavour comes through nicely, and the chocolate is sweet and smooth. The texture is quite soft and a little sticky, which works well for this kind of treat, although I think I would personally prefer them to have a slightly firmer bite. That is just my preference though, and it does not take away from the overall enjoyment.

One thing I do really like is that they are individually wrapped. It makes them perfect for sharing, especially if you put a bowl out when friends are over or during a film night. They are the kind of sweet you can just graze on without thinking too much about it.

I would happily pick these up again. They are simple, easy-going little treats that work well for snacking, and they feel like a fun find from the bargain aisle rather than something you would normally go looking for.

Cinnamon & Mixed Spiced Shortbread - Sainsbury's [@NLi10]

Finishing off all the winter snacks I spied a box of winter spice shortbread that had got forgotten about!  The Earl Grey shortbread was a little odd so I think this was also relegated to the 'try later' pile. 

These little luxury boxes are great, but the shortbread inside just was a little too crumbly and not 'short' enough for our liking.

Coriander Clove & Fennel have been added in trace amounts to add a little warmth to the proceedings

This makes them darker and crumblier than normal, and a more difficult to slot in snack.

With a cup of tea in the afternoon though it's quite nice, but like the Earl Grey one finger really is enough to get the idea.  I will make it through the box, but I'm not sure I'll be hunting these down again.

Drop Bear: Bonfire Stout (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

It feels a bit early to be writing about anything with ‘Bonfire’ in the title. November is still a few months away and we seem to have hit Summer. It’s been hot here for a few days, and I’m sure quite a few people are already complaining about the heat. I miss Autumn and Winter too.

I like the comforts of home, wrapping up warm with the heating on, whilst listening to the patter of rain on the window. Right now I’m sitting in front of a huge fan, with an air con unit gurgling away fairly close by. I’m hoping a low alcohol stout will wash my lamb, veggies and roasties down a treat tonight.

This Bonfire Stout was brewed by the fierce looking Drop Bear Beer Company. Being a carbon neutral company, they have planted thousands of sustainable trees all over the world, and are a Certified B Corporation. That means Drop Bear Beer Co. balance purpose with profit, considering their workforce, suppliers, customers, community and environment in every decision they make. So, I hope their beer is good.

Bonfire Stout is 55 calories per 330ml can, and is 0.5% in volume. There is so much malt listed in this stout’s ingredients that it’s difficult to list it all. There is Pale Ale malt, wheat malt, dextrin malt, cara malt, dark crystal malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, and smoked malt, with Chinook hops added in the brewing.

On opening the can there was a smoked, chocolate and sweet caramel malt aroma from the almost jet black liquid inside. To begin with, this Bonfire Stout had a mix of pale malt with sweetness from the cara and chocolate malts, a touch of roasted coffee, a little bitterness from the hops, and then a whole heap of smokiness into the aftertaste. I could not tell that this stout was low in alcohol, but I could definitely tell why they called it Bonfire Stout.