Cream Filled Caramelised Biscuit Yumnuts (Marks and Spencer) By @Cinabar

We have new naughty desserts at Marks and Spencer. What better way to start the weekend is there than with these Cream Filled Caramelised Biscuit Yumnuts. Oh my, have you seen how amazing these look?

Firstly, let me start with a bit of history. First,  we had the cronut. Which is a doughnut mixed with a croissant, hence the name cronut. Marks and Spencer then launched the Yumnut, which I think is just a doughnut made with pastry and yummier. I’m not sure it matters. Eyes were placed on them to create the Omball-icious Yumnut. The next level is the versions they have just launched with a whipped cream filling, where the Yumnut is now combined with caramelised biscuits, and rather than trying to change the name again to something like Carambiscyumnut, the packet is just a bit more descriptive. I think we are all relieved. There are two in the box, and they look like a proper indulgent treat.

I went to take these Cream Filled Caramelised Biscuit Yumnuts out of the box and realised that even this isn’t as simple as it sounds, they are dripping in caramel sauce and oozing with cream. It was not a bad thing, but it meant these are the sort of cakes you eat on a plate with cutlery. Oh my, they are such an amazing treat. There is whipped cream and caramel for a proper flavour overload. The pastry (dough) is lovely and soft, and the spiced biscuit and cream taste shines though. Every mouthful is an absolute delight, and I can’t recommend them enough. They are seriously delicious, indulgent, and sticky, but wow, they really are the best way to start the weekend. 

Cathedral City - Hot Cheesy Bites (Iceland) [@NLi10]

 Iceland have done it again - make an oven ready version/range of something you recognise!

This time it's those big blocks of cheese.

Cathedral City is an acceptable brand to bring home as long as I don't accidentally pick Mild.

This is extra mature so a safe bet.  Easy enough to cook.

And there's only twelve so might as well do them all!

As a 'side' with a veggie curry for my partner and her sister they seemed to do well and worked like a very white version of paneer.  They did indeed get through all 12 with no issues and said that they were very good and suitably cheesy.  I have been asked to get more - so if they still exist (the downside to Iceland) then I'm sure we will have these as a replacement to the Chiquito's halloumi cubes that seem to have vanished again.

Hunky Dory’s Crinkle Cut Buffalo Flavour Potato Crisps (Iceland) By @SpectreUK

I do love beef flavoured potato crisps, especially with a beef sandwich. I reckon beef is pretty much my favourite flavour, well, after ready salted, and salt and vinegar crisps. I find they go the next best washed down with a pint of ale. Although, beef and steak flavoured crisps do go well with a pint of beer also. These Hunky Dory's Crinkle Cut Buffalo Flavour Potato Crisps sound like they would go well with a decent pint too.

One smell of these orange coloured crinkle cut crisps on opening the packet, and I immediately thought: Beef Jerky. My second thought weirdly was: crisp sandwich. Once in, I couldn't get the idea out of my head. So, I buttered a couple of pieces of bread, took one crisp to confirm their smoky sweet beef jerky flavour, and dumped the rest of the packet into my sandwich. I haven't had a crisp for a while, and as a filing, these Hunky Dory's Crinkle Cut Buffalo Flavour Potato Crisps certainly didn't disappoint. Gorgeous.

Information on the packet; The 25g bag contained 134 calories, with 8.5g of fat, 0.8g of sugar, and 0.3g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Cadbury Dairy Milk & More - Caramel Nut Crunch (Iceland) By @Cinabar

We have a newly released bar from Cadbury, and it is a UK edition too. This bar is from a new range called ‘& more', which is Diary Milk with extra chocolate. This particular edition is Cadbury Dairy Milk & More Caramel Nut Crunch. 

The bar is made with milk chocolate, a layer of gooey caramel, a layer of toffee, and a layer of chopped hazelnuts. The bar is big too; it is thick, and the pieces look big. 

I gave one a try, and firstly, I loved the different textures. I find that mix of softness and then crunch from the nuts very satisfying. The flavour is good too, but you need to be like me with a sweet together, the sweet Dairy Milk, and sugary toffee, and then a layer of caramel too. It is an indulgent treat. The nuts do bring a bit of a change to the flavour, and of course, they are crunchy, but ultimately, this is a yummy, sweet bar. I love nuts and chocolate, but I think I’d have preferred a few more nuts in there to add to the taste. I managed to eat a row of this Cadbury Dairy Milk & More Caramel Nut Crunch chocolate and then paused for a bit as it is rather a sweet delight. 

Tango Mango Editions (Iceland) By @Cinabar

Just because it rhymes, I think they should have made this ages ago. For the warmer weather, we have Mango Tango, which is surprisingly pleasant to say. It is also very summery-sounding, with thoughts of tropical weather and holidays. I will add that this is a sugar-free edition; these are becoming more popular, but I know some people are completely put off drinks that are made with artificial sweeteners and not proper sugar. I don’t mind either.

I poured the drink into a glass, and it was nice and fizzy, and well as a dark orange colour. The flavour was lovely; it was sweet and fruity and had just a touch of a sharp tang. It was the sort of sweet-tasting drink that was easy to guzzle. I think if it was a hot day, a can of this straight from the fridge would be the perfect accompaniment. 

Also, did I mention that the name Mango Tango rhymes, so it was obviously meant to be. 

Seriously Spooky Ghosts - Kitkat Sweet Potato (Korean) [@NLi10]

 Happy Halloween leftovers!  Spotted these in the Korean grocery shop, but obviously left over from Trick-Or-Treat.  They'd not been discounted but need to be eaten pretty fast.

The theming and bag is top notch - it even folds out to make a pumpkin display (if you can be bothered to colour it in)

As usual these are made in the one special KitKat factory in Japan they opened for all the weird flavours - and is just a specific regional variation.

Super packaging - all the same flavour though.

And that flavour is white chocolate kitkat.  Seriously - If I gave this to someone and said 'what does it taste of' then the answer would be white chocolate. 

No wonder then that at £5 a bag they had quite a few left.  Not disappointing - as these are still crunchy and taste great, but I think I paid a lot more just to recycle some spooky packaging in April.  Ah well.

Kona Longboard Island Lager (M&S) By @SpectreUK

This Longboard Island Lager has a surfing theme on the can. I tried surfing once in the south of France when I was about nine years old. I borrowed a short foam board and waded out for quite a way. I tried to surf, but I couldn't stand up, and the waves weren't particularly strong. I waded a little further and I saw a sign that stated; "Swimmers Beware, Blue Sharks in these waters". So, I waded all the back to the shore, and I decided surfing was for other people.

This lager should go well with my Lamb curry and chips takeaway tonight. This Longboard Island Lager was brewed by Kona Brewing Company, in Hawaii. It's pretty well travelled indeed, and at 4.6% in volume it will help with all the spices from my curry.

On opening this can there was a light herbal hop and wheat aroma. Not too bubbly, this Longboard Island Lager had a decent fizz on pouring. So, that shouldn't make me burp up all those spices over Cinabar after eating. This bright golden lager shone like the sun on a kissed Hawaiian beach. Not that I know from experience, I'm afraid, but I did watch Magnum when I was a lad.

On taste there was a sharp refreshing herbal hop bite followed by smooth malted barley and then sweet wheat into the aftertaste. Perfect for a sunny day, like this afternoon, Longboard Island Lager would be welcome anywhere where there is a bit of brightness poking through the clouds, and a good amount of spice to any meal. Cheers.

Coca-Cola Lemon Zero Sugar (Ocado) By @Cinabar

My mind is playing tricks on me. I'm sure this isn’t the first time I’ve had lemon cola. The thing is, this little blog on new products has been going on for more than ten years, and I searched my previous posts and couldn’t find any. There were a few citrus flavours, even a clementine, but no actual lemon. These tastes feel like they should go together well. 

Another important note is that this new flavour is one made with sweeteners, which I know will immediately put many people off. I don’t mind full-sugar or sugar-free drinks; I’m not too fussy. 

The launch drink, Coca-Cola Lemon Zero Sugar, is a lovely bright can, and I decided to have one with my dinner this evening. The drink is the usual colour and has the usual strong fizz. The taste is good; there is some zingy lemon, but the taste softens to a sweeter version, and then the cola taste washes over, leaving a citrus tingle. This does work; it is refreshing, like a strong cola with a lemon slice. I really liked it. I don’t know why they haven’t done it before, but I’m rather pleased they did, and I hope they keep it on the shelves. 

White Choc & Rasp Granola - Sainsbury's Free From Range [@NLi10]

 I had a look for a new exciting cereal, and unexpectedly found one in the 'free from' section.

My main issue with granola is that it tends to be a bit heavy for breakfast, but I wondered if this would work out as a slightly lighter alternative.

It's basically just normal granola which has been made in a gluten free environment.

Milk free white chocolate alternative is the only real concern - plus the fact that the choc looks like it's melted into huge lumps.

Quite pretty, but but has resulted in clumping - lets see what it's like.

Sticking to the dairy free theme I've gone with Oat Milk as my Alt Milk (I get whichever is cheapest usually) and it worked pretty well.  

The grain bits have crunch, there is a decent variety in them too. The choc stuff is actually a highlight - the not-milk helps it blend in with the rest.  There isn't much of the red fruit bits - but what is there is good quality and strong tasting.

With a handful of blueberries or something to balance the lack of fruit bits then this would be perfect.

I think I can eat this happily on relaxed weekend mornings but I do love a larger bowl of cereal on a week day so see how it goes.

Haribo Soda Twists Zing (Cost Cutter in Texaco Petrol Station) By @SpectreUK

I picked up these Haribo Soda Twists Zing at a petrol station on the way back from our favourite smokehouse restaurant. As I was running out of calories, I foolishly offered to share them. I know, I try not to let it happen often, but I exercise a huge amount and count my calories every day to rehabilitate from various operations and injuries I've picked up along my way.

These Haribo Soda Twists Zing looked amazing. The bottles were giant, so I believed they should be big and tasty. I was loving the size of them and I reckoned they could be the the reason for going to back to that shop to pick these up pretty often. Soft in texture and sour by nature, I had astronomical hopes for these Soda Twists Zing to be my favourite Haribo of all time.

There were three different flavours of Haribo Soda Twists Zing sour sugar coated bottles. Pink and green bottle colour was Strawberry Appleade. There was a definite apple taste, then soft strawberry, then sharper apple. I really liked that one, sour but sweet. These were so good, I could have eaten a whole bag of them.

Next up was the red and brown coloured bottle, which of course was Cherry Cola. Now I don't like cherries, and I don't like cherry sweets. I'm not particularly a fan of Coca Cola either. Well except for Fizzy Cola Bottles, especially the really super fizzy ones that seem hard to come by. These big and soft and sour Haribo Cherry Cola Bottles had the same effect on me. Very sour cola in flavour, pretty much like my favourite Fizzy Cola Bottles, and then a good sour hit of cherries with it. In fact these are one of the best Cherry Cola sour sweets I've ever had.

Last up was the pink and yellow coloured bottles, which was Rhubarb Lemonade. I love rhubarb, so these shouldn't be a problem. And they didn't disappoint. Packed full of flavour, almost rhubarb and custard, these bottles were pretty sour, in fact they caught the back of my throat. Not so much lemon, but plenty of rhubarb and certainly a bucket full of tartness.

These Haribo Soda Twists Zing were pure delight. They were lovely and soft, and I really liked the texture. I'm never keen on rubbery gummies you really have to chew through. I am pleased to say I was right too. These are my favourite bag of Haribo sweets ever. I could quite happily eat an entire bag of each flavour and more. I have to get more of these. How have I only just found these now in my life?

Information on the packet; The 160g bag contains 349kcal per 100g. Please see photograph for further information.

Banoffee Pie Drinking Chocolate (Hotel Chocolat) By @Cinabar

I have no idea why we are getting so many new interesting hot chocolate flavours in spring compared to the winter offerings, but I’m all for it. Hot chocolate is not just for Christmas. I spotted this Banoffee Pie Drinking Chocolate in Hotel Chocolat and just couldn’t wait to give it a try.

Banana is a bit of a Marmite flavour; some people really hate it, but thankfully I like the stuff; I like real bananas, and I like banana flavour like you find in milkshakes. You can bring it all on. I heated some milk in my hot chocolate maker, added a sachet of Banoffee Pie Drinking Chocolate, and waited for it to finish mixing. You can make it on the hob too with some hot milk; I just can’t resist a kitchen gadget.

The drink smelled yummy, with loads of chocolate, sweetness, and banana. I gave it a sip, and the flavour was super soothing. There is plenty of caramel and banana, but it still wasn’t too sweet, and chocolate shone through too. It was an impressive mix, and despite the milkshake-like flavour,  it was actually quite a grown-up but fun drink. I can’t wait for my next cup. 

Cadbury Triple Decker Mint Edition (CandyMail) By @Cinabar

I think I have to start by saying, I bought green chocolate! Mint and chocolate are a fairly common combination (think Mint Twirl, After Eight, etc.), but actually making the chocolate a green colour is a braver choice. This Triple Decker Mint Edition bar is from Cadbury, but it is imported from Australia; perhaps they are braver with coloured chocolate there. 

Inside the pack is a large sharing bar, and the green shines through, but there are actually three layers: milk chocolate, green mint chocolate, and a topping of white chocolate. 

I gave the bar a try and really loved it. The texture is that of solid chocolate, but when I bit, it seemed to split into the three pieces a little bit. The mint is lovely and strong, and my senses were filled with sweet peppermint, followed by the creamy white chocolate that seemed to be dominant in the flavour. This gave the bar a nice, soothing, refreshing feel, and I had to remember that it was meant for sharing and not to accidentally eat the whole thing while watching Netflix. What a delight this Cadbury Triple Decker Mint Edition is! I wish they would bring it out in the UK, and I even forgive the green colour. 

Rana Sicilian Style Caponata [@NLi10]

 It's Rana time! We are definitely part of the Rana family and love picking up the new versions as they come out.

This one is an odd one - aubergines, tomatoes, onions & capers. All quite strong flavours and ones that I like.

It says to add tomatoes too - but we didn't spot that and were just having them as a late snack.

Always cook for the indicated time so that it's neither runny or hard inside - like eggs I guess.

And here we see them, with a little balsamic thrown on top for added pizzaz.

The usual 'chopped not blended' Rana ingredients really benefit here - there is great textures and deep flavours here.  I do think that the sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes would have been a bonus and it'd work better in a full meal but I'm sure we will keep buying this one as it's a nice side dish.

Titanic Iceberg American Pale Ale (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I'd say I was going with a theme tonight by having a salad with Iceberg Lettuce in it with my steak and chips, but it looks like I've got vegetables instead. This 4.1% in volume Iceberg American Pale Ale was first produced by Titanic Brewery in 1993. Heavy on the wheat, it was one of the first UK beers to use American hop varieties in its production.

The Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic was a British ocean liner, owned by the White Star Line. It sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15th April 1912, after it hit an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. It's one of the most famous ship accidents in history, with great loss of life, and many movies both good and bad.

Titanic Iceberg ale was produced with Maris Otter and also Pearl malted barley, as well as wheat, with Herkules and Cascade hops. There should be a citrus, zesty and floral aroma, with flavours of grapefruit and citrus bitterness from the hops. So on opening the bottle there certainly was a zesty citrus smell with a slightly floral aroma from this bright golden American Pale Ale.

Titanic's Iceberg ale started with a sharp bitterness reminiscent of grapefruit, as well as knife like citrus with underlying sweetness of malted barley trying to batter off oodles of wheatiness. This was a very refreshing Spring feeling pale ale, with lashings of citrus bitterness and sweetness of malts and wheat into the aftertaste. It was scrumptious washing down my steak and chips.

Shloer Summer Punch Sparkling Fruit Drink (Waitrose) By @Cinabar

The weather might not quite be saying summer, but this new drink is the Shloer Summer Punch Sparkling Fruit Drink. I can’t resist a new flavour of Shloer; it is my favourite posh soft drink, and I do buy them quite often as an alternative.

This version simply declares itself to be a summer punch, which wasn’t nearly enough detail for me to understand the flavour. There is a bit more description on the back of the bottle that says it is a sparkling juice drink with strawberry, cucumber, and mint. It also suggests pouring the drink over fruit and ice, but I didn’t go that far, even though that would look super pretty if there were people coming around.

I did pour the drink straight into the glass; it has a light pink colour and a nice fizz. I gave it a try and was super impressed with the flavour. This drink is all about the strawberry, which we just don’t get enough of in soft drinks. The flavour then went onto a lovely blast of herb mint, and that worked so well with it; it was fresh and well balanced, and it did taste very grown-up. As I said, I drink Shloer regularly and always get the limited edition flavours, but this one would take some beating; they should make it all year round. This Shloer Summer Punch Sparkling Fruit Drink is very different, and the mint flavour and sweet strawberry were an absolute delight. 

Muller SKYR - Raspberry & Hazelnut Granola [@NLi10]

 I wanted a quick post-supermarket snack and realised I’d not had a posh yogurt in ages. My god they’ve gone up in price!

I settled on a SKYR, as it was different enough to pique my curiosity and yet still basically a fruit corner.

It’s made of Quark! Well - isn’t everything? This just means the strange milk derivatives and not the sub-atomic particle, but I guess technically it’s both.

The lid sounds enough like a cat thing that both cats were summoned, they were both very briefly interested in the lid - but neither liked the taste so I was left to tip my granola into my quark.

It’s got a different texture to that which I expected, but it’s really nice. Not too sour, not too sharp. The granola was properly nutty and fruity in all the right ways.

I discovered on a future trip that if I’d bought a multipack these aren’t that expensive, but I think I’d rather just have them as a secret late night treat occasionally than have a stash ready.

Makes me wonder if they do vegan style ones made of coconut or similar because I’d be very interested in that.

Mr Kipling Strawberries & Cream Chequered Cake (Ocado) @SpectreUK

I could definitely be accused of having a sweet-tooth. I have been known on many occasions to balance my calories, after eating all my fruit, carbs, protein and veg, more towards my evening pudding. This Mr Kipling Strawberries & Cream Chequered Cake sounds right up my street, unfortunately I have to share it, but sometimes that's the case.

New for Spring and Summer, Mr Kipling's Strawberries & Cream Chequered Cake is pretty much a differently flavoured Battenberg cake. Whereas the Battenberg is a combination of sponge, apricot jam, and soft almond paste (Marzipan), this Strawberries & Cream Chequered Cake is sponge, with strawberry jam, covered with a sweet strawberry icing.

There was an amazing aroma of strawberries on opening this Mr Kipling Strawberries & Cream Chequered Cake. The smell made me think of hot summer days watching tennis at Wimbledon on the box. The strawberry icing was super sweet, not sickly, but pretty much uber sweet. There was a great deal of fruity strawberry taste from the cake. The strawberry jam provided extra moisture, and the sponge was nice and soft.

Like a birthday cake, this Mr Kipling Strawberries & Cream Chequered Cake was super sweet and super indulgent. If you want a super sweet treat, maybe even for sharing, that reminds you of Spring and Summer, even if it is constantly raining outside, this is definitely your cake. Some of it was mine.

Information on the packet; Per 1/8th of a Cake (32g): 125kcal. Please see photograph for further information.

Heinz Beanz Curry Edition (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Recently, Heinz has treated us to a wonderful new product, the Heinz Beanz Cheesy Cathedral City Edition. This wonderful can of beans had the grated cheese pre-mixed in for the ultimate lazy cheese and beans combination. I loved them; they are so quick to heat and add to a jacket potato, which makes a great meal. The cheese was plentiful and had such a nice taste. 

The next new variety to hit the shelves is this Heinz Beanz Curry edition. I bought a can and waited for my jacket potato to cook in the oven. The contents warmed quickly in a pan; they smelled nice, and I poured them over the potato. I love this kind of food. 

The beans are nice, but they didn’t wow me. The tomato-based sauce is there, and the beans have the usual nice texture. The curry element is mild and has a slightly sour, spicy taste. It reminded me of a curry dip flavour rather than a proper curry taste. I think I was expecting more of a softer, warming taste like a proper curry sauce, and although the taste was pleasant, I wouldn’t run out for another can. I may have also been spoiled by the Heinz Beanz Cheesy Cathedral City Edition, which was absolutely yummy, and these Heinz Beanz Curry Edition were just nice.

Caramelised Pineapple Drinking Chocolate (Hotel Chocolat @HotelChocolat ) By @Cinabar

It has felt like a bit of a slow period in terms of new hot chocolate flavours over Christmas, but Hotel Chocolat has gone for a very interesting-sounding new drink: Caramelised Pineapple Drinking Chocolate. 

The word pineapple triggers two things: one, a thought of tropical tastes, and two, an argument about whether it belongs on a pizza. It does, by the way. My taste buds have yet to find a pizza I don’t like; from ham and pineapple to pepperoni or meat feat, they are all good. 

Back to the hot chocolate. As I’m clearly not in the camp that has any aversion to pineapple, even I have to admit it sounds like a curious combination with chocolate in a drink. Inside the box are sachets, which you can either use in a hot chocolate maker or by heating milk on the hob. As a hot chocolate addict, I have a machine, so I added milk and poured in the sachet. It smelled amazing and was very fruity in aroma, and I couldn’t wait for it to finish so I could give it a try.

The drink itself isn’t quite as sweet as I thought it would be from the aroma. This drink is chocolate first and has gorgeous tones of cocoa, and the pineapple is well balanced. It is very much present and tastes zingy, tangy, and sweet, but the balance is in favour of the cocoa, which gives it an unexpected soothing tone too. This Caramelised Pineapple Drinking Chocolatedrink is a delight. It is different, but it works. Even the people who are anti pineapple on pizza might find they like it! 

Bikaji Soya Sticks - Masala Munch {@NLi10]

 Crisps are great, 'Bombay' Mix is great - so why not just buy a whole bag of the one crispy bit from the mix that you fancy?  It is Ramadan after all.

This is Bikaji brand version- and Masala Munch sounds exactly like what I want.

Oil, tapioca starch & gram flour - and more importantly Ginger, Chili, Tumeric powder - instead of potatoes makes this a little different in texture to British crisps, and a welcome change.

You can still have them as a side with your sandwich too - and it adds a little spice to the proceedings.   Lovely and crunchy, and just spicy enough to get your attention but not so much that you need a drink alongside.  I do plan to eat lots of these with a beer (maybe during today's Wrestlemania) but they are more of a snack.

As I'd taken this to Nanna's I also got an ace slice of home made cake with Damson jam - but made by her gardener!  Puddings at lunch time is always a welcome luxury.

Vocation Chocolate Caramel Cookie Stout ( @WeeBeerShop ) By @SpectreUK

After a long week there isn't much better than a gooey chocolatey liquid pudding. This Chocolate Caramel Cookie Naughty & Nice Chocolate Stout was produced by Vocation Brewery. At 8% in volume, it should have a nice alcoholic kick with all the sweet caramel and cookie flavours, and smooth milk chocolate. Gosh, it's making my mouth water writing about it.

Malted barley, oats and lactose were added in the brewing sporting flavours of biscuit, chocolate, and even salted caramel. I can't help looking forward to drinking this Chocolate Caramel Cookie stout whilst it washes down my Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate Easter egg for pudding tonight. I'm slowly working my way through quite a stash of chocolate after Easter.

On opening the can there was a powerful sweet chocolate caramel aroma from the deep dark brown, almost black liquid inside. On taste there were bittersweet roasted milk chocolate flavours combined with an oaty biscuit taste, sweetened with gooey caramel, and more roasted chocolate malt into the aftertaste. Gosh, this Chocolate Caramel Cookie stout washed down my chocolate Easter Egg a treat.