Giggling Squid Lunch Menu [@NLi10]

 We went for a family lunch to the Giggling Squid in Harbourne, Birmingham. The menu has been tweaked since we last went and is based around Thai tapas - small plates called Samrub and grouped into combos of 4 for your ease.

This is the veggie combo.

I chose a spicy chicken Samrub solo and added a full Pad Thai Gai too

And then for puddings there was a choc and ice cream combo with a coffee for £6 so most of the table had that

And I had a cappuccino with the matcha cheese cake

We all enjoyed our meals, and adding the spicy edge to the Pad Thai made it a little more special.

The matcha cheese cake was lovely and smooth too - and now I need a nap!

Nitro Mini Mars - Nitro Steller Stout (Vault City Brewing) By @SpectreUK

I fancy a pudding stout. I'm still working my way through a chocolate stash I had over Easter. This Nitro Mini Mars - Nitro Steller Stout from Vault City Brewing should fit the bill rather well.

At 6.2% in volume this milk stout was produced with chocolate malt, vanilla, caramelised brown sugar and cacao nibs to resemble the classic Mars Bar. Unfortunately I don't have a Mars Bar to enjoy it with, but it does remind me to get some in. I love the mini Mars treat size bags that are available over Christmas, so I can have the odd one and not worry too much about the calories.

On opening the can there was a milky creamy aroma with chocolate malt and sweet sugary caramel. On taste this almost black Nitro Mini Mars stout had silky smooth creaminess, with oodles of malted chocolate, a touch of herbal bitterness from the hops, and then sweet caramel into the aftertaste. Simply gorgeous, cheers.

TGI Fridays Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Sticks (Iceland) By @Cinabar

It is Friday, so I felt like having a TGI Fridays treat. The shop Iceland stocks TGI Fridays branded goodies, and the latest addition is these TGI Fridays Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Sticks. I love peanuts, so I was excited to try what feels like a classic American food combination, but in ice cream form. I don’t think I’ve ever had a peanut butter and jelly (jam) sandwich, despite growing up with a lot of American television.

 

I opened the box and found three individually wrapped ice lollies. I unwrapped one and found a peanut-flavoured chocolate coating. My lolly had been damaged a bit on one side, but otherwise looked fine. I bit in and gave it a try. The main flavour is a lovely, sweet, creamy, almost salty peanut taste. The shell was wonderfully nutty and I really loved the flavour. The ice cream inside is peanut too, but creamier, and it contrasted nicely with the sweet fruit jam. What a lovely combination. I really liked the taste, and the texture from the nuts added something extra. These were a delight and a perfect treat after finishing work on a Friday.

After Eight Mini Eggs [@NLi10]

 We still have the odd few Easter choc left over and it’s been nice to have a few in the evening while watching tv.

One I’d not seen before is these Easter versions of After Eight eggs

Here is the technical info!

They are quite small, but perfectly formed.

All individually wrapped and neatly sealed together

And inside it’s a neat mix of layers and flavours and surprisingly works well. I didn’t expect to like these, but I’m a fan - but you only want one at a time. Great with a tea or coffee and an episode of pointless.

Seabrook Waffle Bites Maple Bacon Flavour (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I love bacon flavoured crisps. They go with pretty much anything. I do like maple syrup and bacon. The Canadians definitely know what they're doing there. To me these potato and maize Seabrook Waffle Bites Maple Bacon Flavour sound terrific.

 

On opening the packet there was a very strong aroma of bacon and maple syrup. Good start. As you can see from the photograph, there were quite a few maize and potato waffles in the packet. They tasted of bacon and maple syrup, nice and strong and super moreish. I'll have to have these in regularly.

Information on the packet; Each 16g bag has 74 calories, with 3.5g of fat, 1g of sugar, and 0.29g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Daily Jam Croissant (Petrol Station) By @Cinabar

We picked up two of these Daily Jam Croissants as part of a DIY all-day breakfast treat. I spotted them at the petrol station and thought they sounded interesting. Once home, we cooked bacon, sausages, fried some mushrooms, made eggs, and then, for dessert (and for theming), finished the meal with the Daily Jam Croissants. We actually waited a while, as we were quite full, but eventually got round to them with a traditional cup of tea.

 

I opened mine and was pleased to see it looked full, large, and fluffy, though not particularly crescent-shaped. The texture was spot on, but it wasn’t as buttery as some croissants, and it lacked the crisp top layer you’d expect from a freshly baked one. The jam was tasty but poorly distributed, thin at the edges with a big dollop in the middle. It really needed to be spread more evenly throughout.

They were pleasant enough, but they didn’t match up to a fresh croissant served with jam and butter. I think I’ll do it properly next time.

Pom-Bear BBQ Multipack Crisps (Ocado) By @Cinabar

I’ve always liked Pom-Bear crisps; they remind me of my childhood. I used to love finding the cute bear-shaped crisps in my lunchbox, and I also remember my mum occasionally getting bear-shaped ham for my sandwiches. It used to make me smile. For nostalgic reasons, I still pick up multipacks of the crisps from time to time. I’m not sure if the ham (if it even still exists) would have quite the same effect now, but I might check next time I’m in the supermarket.

What definitely tempts me into buying Pom-Bear these days is a new flavour, and here we have it: Pom-Bear BBQ Crisps.

I opened the bag to find the familiar bear shapes and a sweet barbecue aroma. I gave one a try and loved the texture, that familiar light crispiness. The flavour was spot on too: sweet, salty, smoky and a little tangy, but not overpowering. These are aimed at children, after all, so the seasoning is milder than adult snacks. When I was a kid, I always had the Ready Salted ones.

I really enjoyed these with my lunchtime sandwich. They brought back happy memories and tasted great, definitely something I’d pick up again.

Really Fruity Jammie Dodgers - Strawberry Flavour Jam AND Biscuits [@NLi10]

 We love Jammie Dodgers, and even though they've gradually changed the recipe to be less exciting, they do the odd special edition to keep things spicy.

Here we have pink biscuits along with the classic strawberry jam centre - which adds an extra dimension to the flavours.

And - if I'm honest - it's a bit much.  The classic plain biscuit and powerful jam was a great duo.  Here the two flavours don't quite mesh (so you can tell there are two) and instead of harmonising they just clash.

I mean I'll happily finish the box, but they aren't a classic combination to go back to.

Vocation Brewery Love & Hate Beer (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

Love & Hate, two sides of a coin that can flip between two people quite quickly. Some may say you can't feel hate without love, just the love may have been hurt so badly the coin can't be flipped back easily, perhaps not at all.

This Love & Hate New England IPA from the Vocation Brewery was made with Vermont yeast and oats for a smooth body. Brewed with Citra and Galaxy hops for tropical citrus notes, this hazy India Pale Ale is 7.2% in volume. It seems unlikely I'm going to hate this beer from its description.

On opening the can there was a tropical citrus fruity aroma from the hops, with sweetness from the pale malts behind it. On taste there was the crisp tropical fruity flavour of hops to begin with, followed by smoothness from the oats and a little sweetness from the pale malts.

Love & Hate. Two sides of a coin. There is a catch though. To me there are two types of love. There is conditional love, where the coin can easily be flipped when hurt turns to hate. There is also unconditional love you may only feel for one or two people in your life, where there is no coin, and no matter what happens, there is no capacity for hate. Unconditional love is rare, and some people may never experience it.

Whatever your opinion on Love & Hate, I rather enjoyed this beer, and I'll raise a glass to the Lovers out there, and hope the Haters find some peace someday.

Limited Edition Fanta Tutti Frutti (Asda) By @Cinabar

We've had a few warm days recently, so finding a new drink for summer seemed like a great idea. Enter the Limited Edition Fanta Tutti Frutti. It comes in one of those slightly smaller cans and I spotted it near the tills in Asda. The can itself is gorgeous, bright and splashed with every colour going.

First things first, for those who care: this is a zero-sugar drink made with sweeteners. I’m oddly fine with sweeteners in drinks but picky about them in sweets, which makes no sense, but there it is.

I popped the can open and took a sip. It’s super fizzy with loads of bubbles, then the flavour hit. Wow – it really packs a punch. It’s sweet and ridiculously fruity, which is exactly what it promises, but it goes even further. There’s the familiar tropical taste of pineapple, but what really surprised me was a smooth banana note running through it. That twist makes it stand out from the usual tropical offerings.

It’s an ideal drink for a hot day, bursting with flavour and fun. I absolutely loved it and I’ll definitely be picking up more.

Pukka Steak & Bourbon (and mushrooms) Pie [@Nli10]

Pukka have quite a wide range, and while chip shops only have 5 or so, the supermarkets have loads of extras - so I figured I'd give this one a go.  Big mistake!

Why you ask?

Hidden mushrooms!

One of the big four selling points to them - but not in the name and not obvious on the box. I don't eat mushrooms but at 11% of the contents I can (and did) pick them out.

Beloved Iceland frozen broccoli and Waitrose Mediterranean mix to the rescue - it's not like Pukka will put green things in the pie - that'd scare off the core audience.

Looks vaguely meal-like

Bit sludgey for a pie (that's the bourbon I guess) so it was a pain to remove the mushrooms for the slugs to eat, but the flavours were decent. The steak was much less abundant than the All Steak black tin Pukka version though so overall I'd choose that and have the bourbon separately for afters.

Nestle Kit Kat Nescafé Mocha Flavour (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

A Kit Kat is ideal for a quick break. I don't see them in the adverts on TV so much these days. I remember the paper and foil packaging, and someone running their fingernail down the centre to break the two chocolate wafer sticks apart, to complete the "quick break" pun.

Nowadays, the packaging has changed to plastic, like most other chocolate bars, which is a shame I think. Although you may see me as a traditionalist, I still think the paper and foil was better for the environment.

This new Nestle Kit Kat Nescafé Mocha Flavour should be good for a quick afternoon coffee break. There was a strong smell of coffee on opening the packet. It was then I remembered I have never liked Nescafe instant coffee. Having said that, on taste there was a good strong flavour of coffee, which mixed perfectly with the chocolate and wafer flavours.

I'd definitely recommend this Nestle Kit Kat Nescafé Mocha Flavour, especially if you like a low calorie chocolate treat with your quick coffee break.

Information on the packet; Each Kit Kat contains 104 calories, with 5.1g of fat, 10.2g of sugar, and 0.05g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

New Tic Tac Two Raspberry Lemon (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I spotted these new Tic Tac Two Raspberry Lemon by the tills at Morrisons. They were a bit of an impulse buy, so I popped them on the conveyor belt. I noticed that the pack size was slightly bigger than regular Tic Tacs, and the sweets themselves are also larger. These have two colours, with one half pink and the other half white.

Once home, I saw that these new Tic Tacs are made with artificial sweeteners, which lowers the calorie count. I do worry, though, all sweets made with artificial sweeteners seem to carry that warning: “Excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.” It really puts me off. I know sugar isn’t ideal either, but I always end up wondering how many sweets count as excessive.

Anyway, I gave one a try. The flavour was a little more sour than I expected, with the lemon shining through first. This then developed into a sweeter raspberry taste, and it made for a pleasant, fruity sweet. I liked them and ate five, then decided to stop. But these are a nice sweet treat, and the pack isn’t too big to fit in my handbag either, which makes them perfect for travel, much like regular Tic Tacs.

Ritter Sport Coffee Duo (Asda) By @Cinabar

I think the people at Ritter Sport may have been having a debate about which of the two new coffee flavours they had been working on should be released as a bar. Should they go with Milky Macchiato or Crunchy Coffee? I am guessing both were good, and the answer to the argument was to release both. Here we have Ritter Sport Coffee Duo, a single bar with half of each flavour. I unwrapped the bar and the aroma of chocolate and coffee was very enticing. The bar has two different logos on the chocolate pieces, showing where the change in flavour occurs. I broke a strip off so that I could try some of each.

 

Crunchy Coffee This section has a darker looking filling than the other half. I decided to start here as I do like texture. I broke off a piece and gave it a try. I really enjoyed the coffee and chocolate flavour. The coffee was strong and rich, but not overpowering, and it was well balanced with the chocolate. The chocolate chunks were very crunchy, which added a satisfying texture and made it feel substantial to eat. I loved both the taste and the texture.

Milky Macchiato I broke off one of the cubes from this section and gave it a taste. It offered creamy chocolate with a smooth, mellow coffee flavour. This was good, although it was milder in coffee than the other half. I still liked it. I think this is the sweeter and creamier part, but the coffee was still prominent enough to shine. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a light crispiness in the texture, which worked well.

I love coffee and chocolate as a combination and honestly I would happily eat either side as a new main bar. It is just nice to see some new coffee and chocolate pairings appearing on the shelves.

Sainsbury's Butter Chicken Curry Pie [@NLi10]

Britain loves curry, Britain loves pies - so we have curry pies! Balti pies were all the rage a while back, but other than the 'sauce' pie I'd not seen many other variations

Butter chicken is one of my go-to options.  It's not as spicy as many others, and is a lot harder to do badly than the Korma.  Also if you are in a good restaurant they will call it makhani instead and you know it's going to be a good one and not just "curry for people scared of curry"

Looks decent enough with a lovely puff top

And the insides certainly smell legit - Luna here is confused because if I have this from the takeaway I'd get naan which is one of her favourite things in the world.

The chicken is decent sized chunks, and the sauce is as thick and rich as you'd expect.  A perfect, milder option for the curry pie then - with potential to add some of my chilli salt from the grinder to take it to the next level.

I'll certainly aim to have this one again, but when we are surrounded by ace curry houses it seems rude not to pop out to those too.

 

Roosters Roots. Rock. Reggae. Pineapple & Grapefruit IPA (Asda) IPA By @SpectreUK

We can't find a decent Chippy nearby. Our last Chip Shop changed the oil they use to a cheaper brand, which makes me ill. All the prices of fish and chips have been hiked up so much that they not worth the chance of being ill over. So, I have home cooked fish and chips tonight.

I do like a fruity India Pale Ale to wash my fish and chips down with. Rooster Brewing Company in Harrogate produced this Roots. Rock. Reggae. Pineapple & Grapefruit IPA. To add more flavour it has pineapple and grapefruit zest and juice in the ingredients. At 6.4% in volume, tropical flavoured hop varieties of Admiral, Cascade, Summit, Centennial and Nelson Sauvin, as well as malted barley and wheat were added in the brewing.

On opening the can there was a strong smell of pineapple mixed with grapefruit, and tropical hops, with sweet pale malt behind it. In taste this was a very fruity tropical IPA. Roots. Rock. Reggae. Pineapple & Grapefruit IPA was strong in both pineapple and grapefruit to begin with, followed by a crisp bitterness of tropical hops, and sweet pale malts to finish. This was a perfect beer with fish and chips for a totally tropical taste.

Pepsi Cream Soda (Ocado) By @Cinabar

This is one of the new summer flavours from Pepsi, and as we're (hopefully) about to get a bit of a mini heatwave, I thought I’d treat myself to a eight-pack and see if it brings on the summer vibe. I chilled it in the fridge for full refreshment. I also wanted to wait for the weather to warm up, it’s been pleasant, though not exactly hot yet. I gave in and cracked open a can anyway.

I gave the drink a sip and really liked the taste. The Pepsi cola is all there, but the creamy vanilla flavour smooths it out and makes it taste sweeter and creamier. Generally, I think cola and citrus are the best combo, but this worked better for me than I was expecting it to. It’s a really smooth, creamy drink, the vanilla and cola pair well.

I have to say, I’m really pleased I bought a multipack of these Pepsi Cream Soda cans. With its vanilla tone, I think this drink is going to be perfect for a coke float. I haven’t had one of those in years, but I’m now picturing a tall glass with this poured over a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream. Roll on summer.

10 Chocolate Macarons - Lidl [@NLi10]

 I got a goodie bag from my parents for Easter (yes - I'm in my 40s) and inside there were these little chocolate macarons from Lidl.  Ss part of the Deluxe range I knew I was in for a treat.

I'd expected some meringue as part of these - but no - it's double chocolate and single fruit fillings.  Ace!

The dried raspberries are very me

The inside crème is also raspberry based - and the chocolate is most luxurious.

Like someone took chocolate buttons and made them OK for grownups to enjoy

The white/passion fruit ones were just as nice too - might have to make a trip to see if these made it into the sales...

Walkers Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce Flavour Potato Crisps (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I haven't had Worcester Sauce flavoured crisps for quite a while. Apparently Walkers stopped making them in 2023. So, I guess that's why. Other brands continued to make their own variety of Worcester Sauce flavour crisps, but Walkers upset quite a few fans by discontinuing their own.

Now, Walkers have brought out Walkers Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce Flavour Potato Crisps. Arguably the same flavour as their original Worcester Sauce flavour crisps, or slightly better. I don't know, personally. What I will say is that I really like them.

Just like Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce, they pretty much go with any lunch. I've tried these crisps with beef sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, and even tuna sandwiches. These Walkers Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce Flavour Potato Crisps taste great to me.

Information on the packet: The 25g bag contained 127 calories, with 7.3g of fat, 0.4g of sugar, and 0.17g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Dr Pepper Strawberries and Cream (Import Stall) By @Cinabar

We were recently at a comic con and starting to feel a bit thirsty. I went off to find the person I’d spotted earlier selling cans of pop so I could grab us a couple of drinks. When I reached his stall, I realised he had a whole selection of imported drinks I’d never seen before. I picked a couple to have there and saved this can of Dr Pepper Strawberries and Cream to try when I got home. I chilled it first, of course, because pop always tastes better cold.

The drink had a distinctively sweet Dr Pepper aroma, with a hint of extra fruitiness. I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by the flavour. Dr Pepper already has that curious, spiced fruity cola taste, and the added strawberry really brought out the fruity notes. The cream part came through as a gentle vanilla, giving the drink a smooth finish that tied everything together. The strawberry flavour wasn’t overpowering and the balance worked well. You definitely need a sweet tooth for this, but that’s true of the original Dr Pepper too.

I’d happily buy it again, though since it came from a quirky import stall at a comic con, I doubt I’ll come across it easily again. Shame, really.

Lavender Velvet Latte (Starbucks) By @Cinabar

We stopped for coffee at the motorway services during the Easter break, and as usual, I went for whatever the current ‘special’ drink was. I have to admit I was a bit surprised they’d gone with a floral flavour, but I ended up ordering the Lavender Velvet Latte. I like lavender, it makes a lovely soap or bubble bath, but it’s not something I usually go for in food.

I watched as the barista made my drink. The base coffee had lavender and vanilla syrup, and there was more lavender in the cold foam on top. I’m not usually a fan of drinks with a cold foam topping, but they seem to be popular at Starbucks, and I wanted to try it as it was intended.

When it arrived, I took a little sip of the foam and could definitely taste the lavender. The topping was cooler, of course, but the flavour itself was delicate and thankfully not overpowering. Once I got to the main part of the drink, the flavour was stronger and sweeter. I know Parma Violets are technically violet and not lavender, but it still reminded me of them.

There was a smoothness to it, probably from the vanilla or the oat milk, that helped balance the floral notes. Overall, the Lavender Velvet Latte was okay. It’s not too garish or strong, but now that I’ve tried it, I think once was enough.