Warrendale Wagyu Burgers (@NLi10)

I've had a few weeks home alone so have been trying out more meaty things, and as a result have caught up on the Wagyu trend.  The first ones from Finnebrogue were amazing, but ordering from a different store meant I get to try out a different one this time. 

Flo is interested if nothing else!

I really need to clean George before the vegetarian returns, but it's doing well with the meaty BBQ feel.

As usual no buns for me - today we are having paratha (I had waffles with the other one in the packet).

And here we go! Decently well-done as the package suggested, with a side of broccoli and another paratha just cooking to go on top!

And - well it's not as exciting as the last one. It still crisped up and had a nice beefy flavour, but it just wasn't as magical as the Finnebrogue ones.  Burger number two backed this up - a decent burger that I'd be happy with if I got served while out - but not the headline act of the other ones.  Maybe this is one for the meat purists to make into their own recipe were as the other ones were almost their own distinct thing and worth the little extra they cost.

All decent - but these did just feel like fatter burgers.

Lock Ten Brewing Co. Session IPA (Aldi) By @SpectreUK

I've talked about Session beers before, so if you are a regular reader please don't skip ahead, as this is all I've got in me. In the old days people used to have beer breaks during working hours. I know, old days do sound the best, but they were possibly quite dangerous. Session beers were created with low alcohol by volume in order for a worker to have a "quick one" during a break. Yes, I'm still talking about beer. Although never underestimate a "Quickie", but that's for a different type of blog entirely.

This Session IPA was created by Lock Ten Brewing Company. At 3.9% in volume this Session India Pale Ale was created with a multitude, yes, a multitude of different hops. Everything from Cascade to Jester, Herkules (which I'm assuming has nothing to do with the Agatha Christie detective), Centennial, Progress (for slightly inebriated workers), and Columbus hops. All were packed in one small can with malted barley and a little bit of wheat to finish.

I was assured on the 330ml can that this Session IPA has a fruity taste and a zingy kick. Whatever fruit and zing this Session IPA may have, I'm rather hoping it's going to wash down my fish, chips, battered sausage (to help keep with the quickie theme) and chip shop curry sauce takeaway I have planned for this evening. The can also helpfully stated that this beer has 121 calories in it, which makes me feel better concerning my greediness in nicking everyone else's chips to dip in my curry sauce.

On opening the can there was a tropical fruity citrus aroma from the deep golden Session IPA inside. Quite a lively bubbly beer on pouring, this India Pale Ale had a fresh fruity and citrus bite to start with, and then a touch of herbal hops for a further crisp sharp edge, moving into the sweet pale malted barley and a hint of wheat into the aftertaste.

This Session IPA went perfectly well in washing down my fish and chips takeaway from our local Chippy. After weeks of keeping to my business plan, and strictly to my project plan, my budget plan and activity tracking logs, I finally ordered my first products to sell online today. So this Session IPA and my takeaway were a perfect treat on a Friday night after a good week at work. Cheers.

Emmi Caffe Latte Popcorn (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

When the seasons change, there is less and less hot chocolate around, and I hate that because I drink it all year. What I do like as a seasonal drink is iced coffee, and any new flavours always make me smile. This Emmi Caffe Latte Popcorn edition was found in Morrisons and would have been difficult to miss in its bright red and white carton.

I have to admit to being impressed that this is quite an exciting new flavour; it is something a bit different from the salted caramel flavour that is still doing the rounds.

The cup of popcorn latte doesn’t have a straw, but it does have a pierce-able lid if you have your own re-usable one. I took off the foil lid and then just sipped it. I will say the shape of the packaging is pretty funky, but it did seem a little unstable and top-heavy until I had drunk some down.

The drink is very well balanced, the coffee is creamy and enjoyable, and the popcorn flavour is just right. It isn’t too strong, but it is distinctive, with a touch of caramel, salt, and, of course, corn. Emmi Caffe Latte Popcorn is a fun edition, but it is also nicely put together, and I immediately thought I wanted another one. Here’s hoping that more brands choose popcorn as the new go-to flavour of choice for new items.

Vegan Block Naturli - like butter - only no milk (@NLi10)

 While undertaking the extensive preparations for the Coronation that's happening next weekend (ha!) I spotted some fantastic things to eat to celebrate us getting a king.

I've saved all the real stuff for closer to the day, but while there were lots of things to snack on no-one had really capitalised on Charles's love of the animals. So - I picked up some Vegan Block. Now ordinarily you'd go with a fun brand name like "I can't believe it's not butter" but that already exists, and portmanteaus like Not-Butter would come out as Nutter or Notter which both just sound wrong.

Vegan Block does sound like a protest though, or a self-defence move. It also feels like heresy as my family have an Irish Dairy in Co Donegal!

We will try it out on Scotch Pancakes.  Anyone who says these aren't essential is very wrong, and these store brand ones have the perfect crisp/fluffy ratio.

The Vegan Block has the perfect fat/different fat ratio. 75% oil - I can hear my arteries screaming already.

Certainly looks the part - it's slightly softer than butter would be out of the fridge so with the right knife you can get some lovely curls going.

Pop on some essential jam (see pic 1) and enjoy!

Verdict - tastes like decent butter.  Not quite as strong as the Kerrygold, and doesn't have that distinctive Lurpack taste that reminds me of childhood baking (turns out Irish Nanny was occasionally a heretic too!) but - it works really well.

The price/size of this is higher than regular butter but I was shocked at how effective this is.  First person to get a catchier brand name (Faux Butter = Fautter? Sham Butter = Shatter ... I give up - comment new suggestions) can take this as global as the pretend milks the coffee shops of London now report as going in more Coffees than Dairy.

Now if only I had some Royal Themed food to try this on...

Barratt Wham Space Babies #gifted By @SpectreUK

Jelly Babies in space! Barratt very kindly sent us these Barratt Wham Space Babies sour gummies. It's rare to get anything new through the post given to us try, and it is really nice of a snack or drink producer to do that. Hint, hint.

I'm really hoping I like these Barratt Wham Space Babies, "Power of Extreme Sour" and "soft & sour space gums". I have a habit of being too honest at times, but I still reckon you prefer that and certainly deserve it when you spend your time to read our blogs. And your time is always appreciated too.

Barrett's space themed take on their Jelly Babies seems like a good idea to me. Who doesn't like space? And dinosaurs, don't forget dinosaurs. I do like sour gummies, though some claim to be more sour than others. Just like super hot chilli crisps with lots of flames and warning chillis all over a packet. So I'm hoping these Barratt Space Babies will deliver a Wham as promised.

There are four flavours of Barratt Wham Space Babies available. Raspberry, Strawberry, Banana, and Apple. As you can see from the colour chart photograph, pale in colour there were predominantly banana and strawberry sour Space Babies flavours in the packet. There were only a couple of apple flavours in the bag, and no raspberry flavour. Perhaps there is a bag of apple flavour somewhere, and also a packet of the elusive raspberry flavour that is so full of raspberry sour Space Babies that it makes a funny noise when opening.

The texture of these sour Space Babies was a foam gummy, so very squidgy and nice and chewy. I tried the apple first. Yes, that was pretty face twistingly sour to start with, and then a fruity apple flavour to finish. There was definitely a Wham there. The banana flavour had the same effect of contorting my face in all directions. After chewing through all that sour sugar, the banana flavour was reminiscent of the old banana shaped foam gummies I used to like as a kid, so these made me smile. The strawberry flavour was my favourite. That Wham super sour sugar to start with, followed by a lovely sweet and fruity strawberry taste. I can't wait to try the raspberry flavour. Oh well, I guess I'll have to open another bag…

Information on the packet; The 130g packet contained 344 calories per 100g, with 0.1g of fat, 54g of sugar, and 0.03g of salt. The ingredients included no artificial colours or preservatives, please see the photograph below.

Fentiman’s Good and Fruity Cherry and Blood Orange (Ocado) By @Cinabar

I saw a new Fentiman’s flavour, and I bought it instinctively. Their cola is one of my favourite drinks, admittedly an occasional treat due to the price, but one I keep going back to. This drink is Fentiman’s Good and Fruity Cherry and Blood Orange, and there were two things I didn’t spot when I committed this to the basket. Firstly, there was no added sugar, and secondly, it was still. I love fizzy drinks, and when I unscrewed the lid and there wasn’t that fun fizz, I realised my error. I poured the drink into my glass and it filled it; this is significant because a standard ‘can’ of pop is always too much for my glass and I have to top it up.

I gave the drink a sip, and the flavour of cherry and orange was nice. The two fruit flavours were well balanced, and it reminded me of a still fruit tea without the tea. The whole thing just felt a bit watered-down. I realise all this comes from my expectations for a fun, sparkling, sugar-packed drink, but honestly, that is my sort of expectation for the brand. This Fentiman’s Good and Fruity Cherry and Blood Orange tasted more like a health drink. I dare say that with the added vitamins, fruit content, and less sugar, it is a lot better for me, but I think I was hoping for a treat for the new flavour. I’ll pick up a cola next time.

Haagen Dazs Pierre Herme Macaron Double Chocolate Ganache (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I’m not very cultured. I had to Google who Pierre Herme was. All I could think was that it was either a handbag company or a delivery company, maybe? It turns out he has won World's Best Pastry Chef, which makes more sense in the context of a collaboration with ice cream maker Haagen Dazs. So this new ice cream has some summer flavours based on macarons, and the first one I am giving a try is Double Chocolate Ganache.

 I gave it a try and the chocolate flavour was amazing, it was super creamy, rich with chocolate and and an absolute spoon licking delight. There was just so much cocoa and cream. Mixed into the ice cream were chocolate-drop sized pieces of macaron biscuit, which added text and made this a delight to eat. The first biscuit piece I had was a little hard but as the ice cream melted they softened up too. This Haagen Dazs Pierre Herme Macaron Double Chocolate Ganache flavour was so nice, I can’t wait to try the other flavour. 

Razzberry Bang Juice - Morrisons Market Kitchen (@NLi10)

 

I was next door to Morrisons the other day so I popped in for a look at their 'Markey Kitchen'. The idea is that it's a load of authentic street food stalls - like how you might get a gourmet pop-up appear in a mini-golf or bowling alley these days,

I spotted this half price drink and thought it'd be an exciting review.  I didn't take pictures of the whole set-up (would have been nice!) but they did pizza, chicken and some desert parlour things too.  I already had the evenings meal planned so I stuck with the juice.

I'd been out at the IMAX cinema next door - for the film fest which means that you can see films you've missed for £3.  I went to see The Batman because I'm not a massive DC fan but I do enjoy them occasionally. Shouldn't have been 3 hours though...  

I'm always sceptical that this brings new people into IMAX - yet every time there are people in the wrong row and all confused about it (it really isn't that clear).

The juice isn't that clear either - it's full of raspberry (sorry RAZZBERRY) seeds. 

And well - it's basically freshly squeezed apple juice with a touch of orange and raspberry to add pizzaz - and some acid to stop it going a funny colour due to oxidisation.

Technically there isn't any added water here - but it just wasn't that exciting.  Worth £1.25 but at the full £2.50 I'd have been a bit underwhelmed. Nice flavour and fairly refreshing, and the vitamins probably did me good, but I'll try something different next time.

Kees Caramel Fudge Stout Old Watermill (Wee Beer Shop @WeeBeerShop) By @SpectreUK

This is making my mouth water just reading the name of it, Caramel Fudge Stout Old Watermill. Wow, how much more of a pudding stout can a beer be? This pastry stout by Brouwerij Kees Brewery is 11.6% in volume and was aged in old watermill barrels. The strength of this beer might blow my head off, but I'm looking forward to washing down a Gooey Caramel & Biscuit flavoured Nestle Munchies bar.

Rather helpfully on the back of the can the brewer mentioned that Pale Ale, Caramel, Haver and Chocola malts, as well as Sorachi Ace hops were used in the brewing. Caramel and chocolate were added also to make sure this Caramel Fudge Stout Old Watermill would be rather enjoyed by the sweet-toothed pudding beer lovers. I'm definitely one of those.

On opening the can there was a strong caramel chocolate liquor aroma from the almost jet black stout inside. On first taste this Caramel Fudge Stout Old Watermill had a strong sweet smooth caramel fudge flavour, then the chocolate enveloped this caramel sweetness like a thick velvet suit, then came the heady punch of strong alcohol. Not too strong in alcohol, but enough to buzz my tongue and give a warming tingle to the inside of my mouth, coupled with that chocolatey caramel sweetness into the aftertaste. Gosh, what a pudding beer, perfect for an after dinner treat with my chocolate caramel biscuit bar. Yummy. Cheers.

Cadbury Trail Mix (Tesco) By @Cinabar

I don’t buy a lot of Trail Mix products, I only picked this up because it was Cadbury and had a ‘new’ label that caught my eye. I can’t help it, the word ‘new’ is like a magnet to me. The point is that I don’t really know what other trail mixes are like, so the whole thing is a bit new to me. Inside the bag are nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate buttons, and the whole lot is dusted with cocoa. The cocoa powder dusting makes everything brown and look a bit dull and samey.

Some of the fruit bits are very small, to the extent that I was wondering where they could have gotten such a small currant or cranberry from. The nuts were okay; some were hard. The chocolate buttons were nice, but there weren’t that many.

Trail mix is meant for people hiking, and I only had a 10 minute walk to the park today, so I’m not the target market for the product. I’m also not converted, I’d rather have a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut. 

Chicago Town Saucy Vegan Stuffed Crust Takeaway Sticky BBQ Jackfruit Pizza (@NLi10)

 

As I'm home alone I can have all kinds of crazy food that I'd never usually cook - like meats that stink the house out - and pizza without the cheese.

This Chicago Town Saucy Vegan Stuffed Crust Takeaway Sticky BBQ Jackfruit Adjective Pizza was added to my Ocado order as a bonus pizza because I don't mind vegan food, but my partner loves the cheese.  In theory it doesn't matter as she's not eating my pizza - but because you do them all at the same time in the oven a raw-dough pizza needs a different cook time to the regular ones we have.

For all the adjectives and extras it's actually a fairly simple BBQ pizza with a saucy crust.  The jackfruit is probably closest to pizza grade chicken - but pappa johns clicked that this wasn't the best and did a beef jerky version which was wonderful (but meat).

And it doesn't look too bad either.  It wasn't a planned review but it looked so fabulous I had to take a pic.  I'm still not entirely sure what the grated pizza topping is - it's got coconut in apparently - and while it's aesthetically cheesy it almost got me to put it back in for a bit as it looks like it's not finished cooking.  The rich, rich sauce was the highlight, but the veggies were fresh and crispy too and made eating it all a pleasure. (2 servings is a challenge not a recommendation).

Luna liked the pizza's smells enough to try for some peperoni - but she just got stuck in a loop of tapping the pizza crust and wondering why she was getting away with it (but not getting cheese or meat).

All in all, a great pizza that was a nice change.  I was very tempted to add deli meats, but I'm glad I tried it without this first time as it was satisfying enough as it was.

Walkers Puckering Pickled Onion flavour (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

These Walkers Puckering Pickled Onion flavour seem so familiar. Yet I can't find whether they were discontinued once before and then recently brought back again. A quick look at the crisp packets in the mixed up crisps bag we have in the cupboard suggests that my old head could have just mistaken them for Walkers Salt & Vinegar flavour instead.

On opening the packet there was a strong pickled onion aroma from the crisps inside. On first crunchy taste I could instantly see why they called these Walkers Puckering Pickled Onion flavour, "Puckering", as they were pretty face twisty in sourness. They were instantly moreish too and I couldn't stop popping them in my watering mouth. If you love pickled onion flavour like me, you'll love these crisps.

Information on the packet; The 25g packet had 128 calories, with 7.3g of fat, 0.4g of sugar, 0.34g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Munchies Chocolate Bar (Asda) By @Cinabar

Munchies chocolates have been going for a very long time, since the 1950s, in fact. Part of me thinks if you have a recipe and combination that works so well it is still popular over six decades later, you probably shouldn’t mess with it. It clearly works right. One of the popular things at the moment is sharing bars, so they have tried to turn the formula into a flat bar.

I opened it up, and the pieces are flatter but larger than Munchies. Couldn’t they have pushed a load of full-size Munchies into a block held together with melted chocolate? I think thats how I would have done it. Looking at them like this, it feels like the caramel to biscuit ratio can only be wrong. However, when I tried a piece, I was pleasantly surprised. The biscuit is in the form of bits set into the chocolate, and the caramel is actually fairly generously layered on top. The main ratio change is the extra chocolate, but that was fine. They had the feel of Munchies, and the caramel, the star of the show, shone through, so this bar worked surprisingly well. I wouldn’t want to lose the originals, but these are a decent addition to the range. 

Starbucks Dark Chocolate Mocha (Sainsbury's) By @Cinabar

It might not quite be warm enough for this, but I have started on the iced coffee. I saw this flavour, and although the weather might not be hot enough, I found it jumping into my basket. I picked up this Starbucks Dark Chocolate Mocha up at the supermarket, and although it is made by Starbucks, it is a drink for home or commuting.

I chilled it and then had it as an afternoon treat as a bit of a pick-me-up. The straw is cardboard, which is good, and I think all the materials (except maybe the wrapper the straw was in) recycle, which is a bonus, but with the foil lid and then a secondary plastic lid, there is still quite a bit of packaging.

The flavour of this Starbucks Dark Chocolate Mocha was lovely, the dark chocolate with the coffee was a real winner for me. Sometimes these drinks can be quite sweet, but this one was well balanced, rich cocoa and a touch of salt just made this a lovely taste combination. It was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, especially on a Monday in a week when there isn’t even the decency to have a public bank holiday.

Tcha & a Bubble waffle [and pretty dogs] (@NLi10)

 I attended (and helped out at) a dog show near Coventry on Saturday, and nearby is one of the loveliest little farm shop/cafe's I've found.  It's a reason to go to the shows!

I picked up tcha tea in a can - and some salsa to review properly another day.

low calorie, vegan and gluten free? That's just tea - surely! Unfortunately it's very much just fruity water - nothing like the strong brewed teas you get in bottles from the grocery shops in Chinatown.  Refreshing, but disappointing.

One thing I got from Chinatown in Birmingham on Friday was this Happy Lemon Bubble Waffle. I'd not tried these before but they are the perfect mix of crispy bits and squishy batter. I'm having this again!

Back to the dog show...

In the shop they also had the mix for birthday cakes for dogs - yum! Oh hang on - with British Duck. Nope. And for £12 your puppy might rather have something else. Like a new bed!

Star is only 5 months old so no birthdays, but so many gifts anyway!

Williams Brothers Otis Blood Orange IPA (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

I can't help feeling I should keep this beer for Halloween. However, Williams Brothers Otis Blood Orange IPA sounded too enticing to leave on a shelf. This India Pale Ale was brewed with five different malts, four different hops and bitter blood orange. At 5.9% in volume, this blood orange India Pale Ale even has a little rye in it, which is my favourite ingredient in beer.

I've tried orange flavoured beers before and remember that they go particularly well with fishy meals. So I probably should have had this beer last night with my fish fingers and chips. However, tonight I have a Chinese takeaway, where usually I have Pork Yuk Sung, and also peppered steak, so never mind.

On opening the can there was a tangy orange aroma. The orange smell was so strong that wearing a blindfold I would likely have sworn this was a soft drink. Deep golden in colour, Otis Blood Orange IPA poured with a frothy head. Still the blood orange aroma was very prominent, making me wonder if this India Pale Ale would taste of anything else.

On first taste the soft drink first impression faded instantly. Yes, there was tangy bitter orange flavour throughout this India Pale ale, but the complexity of flavours directly underneath this bitter blood orange flavour was quite something else, there was a combination of sweet malts fighting to break through all of that orange, and then a variety of bitter hops were pushing down the malts and jumping up in great enthusiasm to be noticed. Sadly I didn't find the rye. Still blood orange was the dominant flavour throughout this Otis Blood Orange IPA. Well, blood orange is what it said on the can.

What The Fanta PURPLE Mystery Flavour 2023 #WhatTheFanta (Ocado) By @Cinabar

For the last few years, Fanta has released a mystery-flavour drink, usually in a bright colour without much of a clue as to what the taste may be. It plays on the fact that what you taste is influenced by what things look like, so if a drink is orange in colour, you sort of expect it to be citrus. However, having tried these drinks for a while, the moment I discovered the Fanta Mystery Flavour for 2023, I immediately ruled out blueberry and blackcurrant, the purple fruits. I know better.

I opened up the bottle, and the scent of the drink immediately jumped out at me, no questions, no hesitations this drink smells like strawberries and cream. There is a sweet, fruity strawberry aroma as well as a softer, more gentle, creamy vanilla aroma. I was pretty sure I’d nailed this.

I gave the Purple Fanta Mystery Flavour Drink a sip, and as much as the scent is strawberries and cream, the flavour is a little sharper, with strawberries, lemon, and sour cherries mixed in. That was much more the vibe of the flavour. The taste has less soft vanilla than the aroma, but it is still present. My final guess is still strawberries and cream, as I can’t quite put anything else together. Have you tried it? I would love to know your thoughts.

100% Grass Fed Wagyu Burgers - Artisan Finnebrogue (@NLi10)

 Review is a bit late today - because I've only just finished eating these!

My partner is away so I can risk buying and home-cooking meat without stinking the house too much.

Wagyu is something I've never tried really - but "Probably The Best Burger In The World" and me needing two Burgers is a pretty good timing.

They look pretty when raw!  They are a little shiny somehow - and don't feel disgusting like some burgers.  And they smelt gorgeous while on the George Formby grill.

Pic doesn't show it too well, but the tops and bottoms are really crispy! And they were so tender - I really didn't need two - I was pretty full by the end of this pile. 

And yeah - probably the best beef burgers I've had at home - and certainly if we are judging just the meat quality these are up there vs restaurants too.

Pan fried gnocchi and a little veg topped it off nicely.

bonus pics! Here is my favourite pizza from co-op - also topped with Broccoli from the huge pack I ended up with because weights and measures confuse me.

And post cooking add rocket for super spicy delights!

Fox’s Crunch Creams Salted Caramel (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

We do love caramel flavour in this country. I can't say anything against that, as it's easily one of my favourite flavours too, especially in chocolate. I even like caramel flavour in my black coffee. I say even, simply because I don't drink that much coffee, but I just love the added sweetness. It only seems recent that we have become more adventurous with salted caramel. I never thought I'd like caramel with added salt, but just as long as the salt is not too strong or grainy, such as I had in one chocolate bar recently, I do like salted caramel.

This new limited edition Fox's Crunch Creams Salted Caramel biscuits is destined to get on my nerves a little. Well, anything that is named 'limited edition' usually does get on my wick. There aren't many new ventures to be had with snacking in the biscuit market, so to try something fairly racy, but make it a limited edition, seems a bit of a shame.

On opening the packet there was a strong smell of salted caramel from the Fox's Crunch Creams inside. The crunchy top layer of biscuit was sweet and pretty delicious to be honest. I ate the top biscuit, then scooped out the creamy inner layer with my teeth, and it was a gorgeous sweet salted caramel. Then I ate the bottom biscuit, which is my usual practice when I eat this type of biscuit.

This type of biscuit never fails to make me feel young. I ate all the biscuits with a tub of low calorie salted caramel ice cream for an extra treat. Gosh, what a lovely pudding. I'll definitely have to have these Fox's Crunch Creams Salted Caramel biscuits again.

Information on the packet; The 200g packet had 13 servings at 76 calories per biscuit, with 3.4g of fat, 5.9g of sugar, and 0.07g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.