Cadbury Dairy Milk Crispello - From Egypt With Love (via B&M) [@NLi10]

 Cadbury's is one of Birmingham's biggest exports.  It started a short bus ride from my house, and has travelled the world. Like most international brands there are regional variations but most of it seems to make it to the UK at some point.  While in Wales we popped into B&M and spotted this - and it's new to us!

We think it's got a double-L in it so it's Crispello, but unlikely to be pronounced in the Welsh way as it's imported from Egypt. 

It even has Arabic on the packaging. Cool!

Same familiar Cadbury branding, and while it claims to be Dairy Milk crumb, it's not quite to the British taste and is a little milder than I'd expected.  This said - I've not had Egyptian Dairy Milk mix so I'll have to remember to try that when I'm over there visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum (although with the current chaos that's on hold).

What this is - tiny crispies inside a finger of dairy milk - seems like a great idea for a bar. That said, it's only a tiny 4 fingers, and there just isn't enough of the crispy bits to get excited.  Double the sizes and we are talking.  We shared one of these in the car and both felt like it was a little too slight.

I'll have to pop to Cadbury World and see if there is anything like this in the factory shop - I know the Dairy Milk Delights series had something similar.

So - not worth importing, but worth grabbing for cheap in B&M as a light bite. 

Prime Time Pear Fruit Lager - But Better (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

Spring is here and I fancy a light crisp fruity beer to wash down my Hunters Chicken and Curly Fries tonight. This 4% in volume Prime Time Pear Fruit Lager But Better was made with Nashi pears.

Nashi pears are a good source of fibre, helping to maintain good bacteria in the gut, and can help balance cholesterol. The can states that Nashi pears contain polyphenol plant compounds, containing antioxidants and enzymes studied for breaking down alcohol and reducing oxidative stress. How about that!

On opening the can there was a strong slightly sour aroma of pears, which reminded me of a dry pear cider. Deep golden in colour, Prime Time Pear Fruit Lager But Better tasted of slightly sour pears to begin with, then the unmistakable flavours of lager kicked in.

The pear flavour was there throughout each mouthful, but the lager flavours of sweet malts and fruity hops stopped my tastebuds in there tracks from thinking that this was just another pear cider. And it washed down my chicken dinner a treat. What a lovely pearing!

Baileys Strawberries & Cream Biscuits (Home Bargains) By @Cinabar

These biscuits immediately caught my eye thanks to their pretty pink packaging. They feel very much like a summer release, with that hint of strawberries giving them a lighter, seasonal appeal.

Opening the box, the biscuits did seem a bit smaller than expected compared to the packaging. They are not tiny, but there is definitely some wasted space, and it feels like more could have been included.

Each biscuit consists of a chocolate base topped with a dollop of strawberry and Baileys cream, all coated in milk chocolate. Snapping one in half, I was pleased to see a generous amount of filling, which is always a good sign.

Texture-wise, these work really well. You get a satisfying crunch from the biscuit, balanced by the softer cream layer and smooth chocolate coating. The flavour is just as enjoyable. There is plenty of chocolate, a clear Baileys note, and a gentle strawberry sweetness. The fruit flavour is present without being overpowering, avoiding that overly artificial strawberry cream taste you sometimes get.

Overall, these strike a nice balance and feel well suited to a summer treat. They would be perfect with a cup of tea on a sunny afternoon.

Ube Hot Chocolate (Costa) By @Cinabar

It had been a while since we had been in a Costa, but we stopped at one in a service station while heading back from a long day out. I really wanted a hot chocolate, but as someone who always goes for anything new, I asked what the Ube Hot Chocolate was flavoured with. The lady replied, “Ube.” I think I had worked that out, so I asked for clarification and she replied, “yam”. She said it in a way that made it sound as normal as orange or mint.

I decided not to ask what it tasted like for fear of her simply replying “yam, of course”. Instead I risked it and ordered it. I had the drink made in our own cups, so the purple colour is hard to see, but it is there under the cream.

I gave the drink a sip and really enjoyed the flavour. There was plenty of milky chocolate, but the additional flavour sits somewhere between vanilla and coconut. It was sweet, creamy, smooth, and had a slight edge that veered towards coconut or a very light nutty taste. I thought it made the drink super soothing. I love the colour too. Next time I am in a proper Costa I will make sure I get the drinkin a glass holder so I can see it in its full glory.

Biscoff Everything - KRAVE Caramelised Biscuit & White Choc [@NLi10]

 I think we've reached peak Biscoff.  From the little spicy biscuit you got given with a coffee to signify that it was posh, all the way to every conceivable food.

Here we have Kelloggs KRAVE version, with a Biscoff style outside, and a white chocolate inside.

Standard branding

Standard look

And it doesn't go soggy too quickly. 

The funny thing is though - this is probably the best Biscoff thing I've had in years.  The sweetness is slightly too much for me so I mixed with cornflakes (Kellogg's of course) but otherwise the whole thing is great.

Hopefully this isn't a limited deal (we got ours from B&M) because it's easily as good as the regular KRAVE (which we only don't buy as the Asda own brand version is much cheaper and just as good).

A wonderful blend of flavours and textures - and unlike the Kellogg's spicy naff flakes from Jan - actually a pleasure to eat.