Fanta Grape (Tesco) By @Cinabar

We used to go to an American restaurant all the time, so much so that it took three bad experiences in a row to finally convince us to stop going. Normally we are quite fickle, and one bad experience is enough! The thing I miss most from there, though (because I can easily do hot dogs and burgers at home), is the grape soda I always ordered. I absolutely love the stuff.

Grapes in America taste quite different from the ones we get in the UK. They have a much stronger, almost medicinal flavour, and I think it can confuse British taste buds a bit, but I really enjoy it. So when I spotted that Fanta had brought out a Grape edition, I just had to hunt down a bottle.

I poured the drink into a glass and it had a deep red-purple colour with a good level of fizz. One sip immediately made me smile. This drink has that full-on tangy American grape flavour. It almost has a slight hint of Dr Pepper, but with a fuller, fruitier taste. I absolutely love it, although I can appreciate that it is definitely an acquired taste. For me, though, I am so happy to be able to enjoy this flavour again.

Have you tried Fanta Grape, and what did you think?

Cluck-o-Late Drool Sweets (WH Smiths) By @Cinabar

We were at a service station branch of WH Smiths picking up some drinks when, at the counter, I spotted a box of Cluck-o-Late. I asked the person serving what they actually were, and they replied, “Chocolate that looks like chicken. I have no idea why.” Honestly, that was the perfect sales pitch, so I picked up a box straight away. Spectre double checked they weren’t dog treats, which probably tells you everything you need to know about how confusing these are.

Once home, I opened the box and, firstly, it was very crumbly. There were crumbs everywhere. Secondly, it really did look like southern fried chicken, specifically a small chicken leg. The coating looked almost identical. I chopped the bar in half to investigate further and, thankfully, this is where the chocolate revealed itself, with a marbled milk chocolate and vanilla milk flavour filling inside.

The texture was lovely to eat, and the crunch from the coating made it really fun. The coating is supposed to be caramelised biscuit, although the flavour is fairly mild and sweet. The chocolate itself was creamy and smooth thanks to the milk filling, and overall it was surprisingly enjoyable.

This is definitely a silly product, but it genuinely made me smile, and it tasted properly chocolatey and yummy too.

Weird Crisp Roundup - Walkers Chilli & Cocoa & Auchan Al Ajillo [@NLi10]

 For an Easter party a few weeks ago we had a buffet and lots of unusual crisps were brought along.  I figured they might still be available so it was worth a look.

First up is one of Walker's Easter offerings - Sensations Chilli And Cocoa.

I've seen these since then in B&M style discount stores.

They look very luxurious

Bag for sharing?  If you insist.

This rabbit is not convinced.  And neither were we.

Granted, we finished the bag, but the spice and chocolate just doesn't go well with the potato.  Each half is fine - but I think it's the cocoa and potato combo that alerts the brain to the odd situation.

There's a reason we didn't buy more of these! 

These however were another story.  Unusual as they come from the Canary Islands

Potato, sunflower oil, garlic and crinkles.

They look good, they smell good, and they go really well with a buffet style meal as the pretty strong garlic flavour is overlaid with the salad.

Will probably never see another bag from this brand in the UK, but one to look out for on the summer holidays.

Small Beer IPA (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I have a long weekend. I had a comic con today, and I have a toy fair tomorrow. Neither are too far away, but loading the car, and unloading, setting up and standing all day is wearing, but usually fun. We get to meet some interesting people, see some interesting cosplay, and make a little money if we’re lucky.

So, I fancy I light beer with my fish fingers and chips tonight. I wrote about the Original Small Beer some time ago and rather enjoyed it. This time I have Small Beer IPA to try. I do like a good India Pale Ale.

London based Small Beer Brewery used home grown hops, and Malted Barley with oats and yeast to create this Small Beer IPA. At 2.3% in volume their IPA is naturally low in alcohol and calories (at 83 calories per can), which means it won’t put me to sleep after a big day and a big dinner, and I probably have a little more chocolate for dessert.

On opening the can there was a fresh crisp herbal hop aroma with pale malts from the deep golden beer inside. On taste those crisp hops gave a refreshing bite, with a hearty body of oats behind it, and sweet pale malted barley into the aftertaste. Very nice indeed.

Mr Kipling Lemon & Raspberry Whirls (Ocado) By @Cinabar

We are definitely starting to see some new summery flavours appearing in the shops, which is always a good thing. I do enjoy fruity flavours, so I knew I had to give these Mr Kipling Lemon & Raspberry Whirls a try. There are only four in the box, but the packaging itself is smaller too, so this wasn’t unexpected.

The Whirls look really appealing, and you can see the yellow and red filling shining through the sides. I’m never quite sure whether these are biscuits or cakes. They are firm, but not crunchy, with a soft and fluffy crumb, so they sit somewhere in between. I did enjoy the texture though. They are fairly large, but still easy to bite through.

The flavours are fresh and vibrant. The zingy lemon comes through first, followed by a sweeter raspberry flavour that still has a slight tang to it. The combination works really well, and they are genuinely lovely to eat. Here’s hoping we see even more summer flavours appearing in the shops soon, along with some matching weather to enjoy them in.