Burton’s Fish ‘N’ Chips - Chip Shop Curry Sauce (Home Bargains) By @SpectreUK

I do love a fish and chip takeaway. I always have a pot of chip shop curry sauce to dip my chips and battered sausage. Sometimes I need a snack. Well, a lot of the time to be honest. Something reminiscent of a takeaway from the local chippy sounds great to me.

These Burton’s Fish ‘N’ Chips Chip Shop Curry Sauce fit the bill perfectly. Although I got told off for opening the multipack too early, and diving right in. I loved the smell of traditional chip shop curry sauce on opening the packet.

The fish and chips mini baked snack biscuit shapes were bursting with sweet and spicy curry flavour. They were so moreish, I’d finished most of the multipack before I remembered to write about them.

Information on the packet; Each 25g bag had 117 calories, with 6.3g of fat, 1.4g of sugar, and 0.44g of salt.

Pepsi Cherry & Vanilla (Tesco) By @Cinabar

There was a mixed response on social media to the new summer flavour, Pepsi Salted Caramel. Personally, I liked it, but I do have a very high tolerance for anything aimed at those with a sweet tooth. The other new flavour released alongside it is this Pepsi Cherry & Vanilla, which feels like the safer option. Cola flavoured with either cherry or vanilla has been around for years, but this combines both together.

Again, the label features an ice cream motif, so naturally I’m thinking this would work brilliantly as a cola float. For the purpose of the blog though, I tried it on its own first. After a sip, I found it much milder than the Salted Caramel version. The cherry flavour is there, but gentler, allowing the cola to shine through before finishing with a smooth, creamy vanilla note.

This is an easy-going drink, slightly fruitier than standard cola with a pleasant creamy edge. It may only be a small twist on cherry cola, but I can’t deny that it works really well.

Walkers Wavy Spanish Queso Crisps (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Firstly, I have to admit to using Google. Queso is Spanish for cheese. We have written about over 600 different varieties of crisps over the years, and many of them have included cheese. From the first cheese crisp review in 2014, Aldi’s Vintage Cheddar and Real Ale Crisps, to the more recent Walkers Emmental Cheese flavour that was out at Christmas, I can safely say this is not my first rodeo. I have eaten a lot of cheese crisps.

I was fairly sure nothing could surprise me about cheese crisps anymore, but I was wrong. These Walkers Wavy Spanish Queso Crisps blew my mind. They are the strongest cheese crisps I have ever eaten. The first one was a bit of a shock. I liked it, but the cheese flavour was on another level. They were salty, cheesy, and somehow cheesier than actual cheese, which makes no sense at all. I had poured the wavy crisps into a bowl when Spectre came in. I warned him they were ridiculously strong, but he shrugged, tried one, and immediately said, “Oh my word!” I replied, “I know.”

Fun fact though, we still finished the bag. Once you get accustomed to the strength of the cheese flavour, you really start to appreciate it. I think we would buy them again.

These crisps are part of the FIFA World Cup Flavours of the World range. I have also bought the England Sausage and Mash flavour, although I am assuming that one may be slightly less dramatic!

TGI Fridays at home - BBQ Pork Burnt Ends & Tetris Waffles [@NLi10]

When I bought this the guy in Iceland asked me to let him know how it was as no one there had tried it yet.

Turns out it's likely because it takes 40 mins to oven cook, and would rather you defrosted it first .

That's a lot more mental planning and effort than I'd expected - and also it's for 4 and I'm only one person

Which means getting complicated and using half the sauce

And somehow chiselling off half this bag of horror.

Meanwhile in the frozen aisles these lovely mini waffles appeared.  Looking like Tetris blocks and infinitely divisible they are also much better for dipping.  How have these not been around for 40 years?!

All hail the air-fryer, I'm sticking them in the oven.

Wait ages for a long piece and get loads when you don't need one. 

Thankfully blurred shot of defrosted but not cooked burnt ends bag.  Looks like dogfood.

As I was home alone I decided to just go for it, make the whole bag of burnt ends and some waffle fingers on the side.  With a bit of cooking and the sauce added on it not only started to resemble human food but actually smelt really good.

And turned into a serviceable meal at home.  Had the meat portion not been so big I'd probably have added some other sides, but I could definitely imagine getting this at a TGI and being absolutely fine with it.  Better for two people, but possible for one with a movie and breaks.

The sauce was the star, but the meat was decent quality and while not particularly crispy that might have been me using the glass casserole bowl instead of the tin as recommended.

Bonus Content!

I did spot as well this full Sunday Roast chicken dinner for 4 for £25 (including veg and pigs in blankets) which I think I'd struggle to solo, but for 2/3 might be manageable.  Can't imagine how long this would take in the oven from frozen though.

 

Shandy Shack: M&S Raspberry Shandy (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

It’s a hot sunny day and I’ve been doing chores instead of being out enjoying the sun. I have a cheese and cold meats meal tonight, and fancy something light and fruity to wash it down with.

This Raspberry Shandy made for Marks & Spencer by Shandy Shack, sounds just the thing to go with all that cheese and pickles. At 2.8% in volume it won’t blow my head off, as I have a comic con tomorrow, unless, of course, I run out of shandy and move onto my favourite ruby port.

On opening the 330ml can there was a a light crisp herbal hop aroma just underneath all that raspberry. On pouring there was the slightest pink colour to this golden lager beer. Sort of like a raspberry blonde, I suppose.

On taste this not too bubbly lager had a sweetness from the lemonade, and a mild fruitiness from the added raspberries. Subtle in raspberry fruit, and yet very refreshing after a long day of chores. Yum.