21 October 2026

Anti Establishment (Aldi) By @SpectreUK

Anti Establishment

With the recent riots against political establishments, run down facilities, and the cost of living in various countries, this India Pale Ale fits the bill this evening. I can understand peaceful protests, but it’s a real shame when violence is involved, and the protests lose their arguments when looting takes over.

Anti Establishment is 5.4% in volume. It’s a golden coloured India Pale Ale, with fruity American hops giving it a strong grapefruit and also sweet pale malts aroma. So, this could be a beer packed full of attitude.

On first taste, Anti Establishment had quite a bite of citrus grapefruit hops, followed fairly nonchalantly by sweet pale malts into the aftertaste. Those bitter sweet citrus hops did hang around like a yob on a street with a bad attitude almost throughout the entire mouthful. Definitely Anti Establishment.

20 October 2026

Maynards Spooky Gums (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Maynards Spooky Gums


Here we have Maynards Spooky Gums, a Halloween twist on the more usual Wine Gums. These sweets come in Halloween shapes and darker colours, making them look suitably spooky. I could spot worms, a coffin and a gravestone, but there was also something rectangular that I couldn't quite identify. Feel free to leave a comment if you know what it is! The sweets look cool, though, and the packaging is lovely and perfectly themed for Halloween.

I gave them a try and was pleased to find that the flavours are lovely and fruity, with plenty of flavour. Raspberry and blackcurrant are my favourites, both having that lovely full-on fruity taste that makes Wine Gums such a good sweet. The texture is just like regular Wine Gums, with a firm, satisfying chew that thankfully isn't sticky.

These are a fun Halloween twist on a classic sweet, with the same fruity flavours and chewy texture that make Wine Gums so popular. They're perfect for sharing during a Halloween movie, although I might have to solve the mystery of that rectangular sweet before the credits roll!

Maynards Spooky Gums

19 October 2026

Halloween Fizzy Pumpkin Mallows (Marks and Spencer) By @Cinabar

Halloween Fizzy Pumpkin Mallows

Marks and Spencer have excelled themselves with their Halloween goodies this year, and it’s hard to pick what to write about next after our good shop in their foodhall. I went for these Halloween Fizzy Pumpkin Mallows because they look so cute! They have little pumpkin faces on them, which look even better in real life than the camera managed to capture. They really are adorable.

The marshmallows are vanilla flavoured but coated in a sour fizz. I gave one a try and was impressed by the zing when I first bit into it. The sour coating delivers a proper sharp, tangy taste, but as it’s only on the outside, it quickly melts away to reveal the sweet vanilla mallow underneath. I liked the contrast between the sharp fizz and the soft, sweet marshmallow.

I’m looking forward to trying these on top of a hot chocolate in my new Halloween mug. They’ll look super cute floating on top, and I suspect they’ll make my hot chocolate even more of a treat!

Halloween Fizzy Pumpkin Mallows


18 October 2026

RSPB Sandwell Meal Deal - Chicken Chorizo & Pesto, Crisps & Drink [@NLi10]

 We went for a decently long walk in Sandwell Park yesterday, from one end over to the RSPB reserve and discovered they had decent snacks.

And if you purchased a sandwich snack and drink you got a 20% discount - win!



I chose the biggest sandwich - chicken and chorizo, but mostly salad and good vitamins.


Pretty good fillings!

I think it needed to sit out of the fridge a bit to get all the flavours, but it was a very welcome boost.



I also got the lightly salted crisps to share because I couldn't see the salt and vinegar ones, and although there are certainly less in the bag these days they are good quality.



These sparkling drinks are always good too. A nice hit of lemon and refreshing water.  Perfect for a warm but overcast day.

Overall - decent value considering this helps keeping the RSPB reserve open - and worth it for a few hide visits and a good look at the forest & park and it's residents.












17 October 2026

Soreen Scream Cookies & Cream (Ocado) By @SpectreUK


Soreen Scream Cookies & Cream


Halloween is creeping ever closer. Soreen have come up with these Scream Cookies & Cream flavoured Mini Loaves. I love Soreen of any flavour with my lunch. To me, these sound perfect for any scary lunchbox over Spooky Season.

Soreen Scream Cookies & Cream
On opening the first packet there was an aroma of cookies to the brown mini loaf inside. There were chocolate chips all throughout this Soreen Scream Cookies & Cream. There was also a creaminess at the end of every mouthful. Delicious.

Information on the packet: There are 5 mini loaves, each having 98 calories, with 1.6g of fat, 4.8g of sugar, and 0.15g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Soreen Scream Cookies & Cream