Sainsbury's Pistachio Tiramisu [@NLi10]

 We love puddings, so when the supermarket is near closing and clearly isn't going to sell all of the reduced but exciting puddings on offer it feels rude not to try a new one.

As it's Eurovision week TV puddings are especially welcome - this Pistachio Tiramisu is a little alcoholic but a lot tempting

It looks much better like this

And it's a pain to serve so doesn't look great in the bowl - maybe a fish slice required not a serving spoon!

The taste is great, there isn't enough coffee and the alcohol is a bit fumy (probably better after it's sat for a bit) but it's got a lovely mix of flavours and textures and is something I'd try again.

Does feel like it needs a sauce pouring over the top to elevate it - but I'm already planning seconds tonight!

Maryland Choc and Caramel Cookies (Sainsburys) By @SpectreUK

I ran out of rum the other day. Devastating I know, but with both mom's constantly in and out of hospital, and my personal losses mounting up over the years, things are beginning to look very bleak. I needed a treat.

I like spiced rum, not too alcoholic in taste. If it has vanilla in it, even better, but it's not written in stone. I usually put around four shots in a 330ml glass and top it up with cool 7UP. I've tried other lemonades, but to me, 7UP is the best for rum.

When I was a kid I used to drink shots, but I drink with meals these days and prefer to savour it. I've tried all sorts of rums over the years, some very expensive, some not expensive at all. The first rum I tried was Captain Morgan's when I was a kid and hated it. I say 'kid', I was around 18, but when you reach 50, everyone below 40 is a kid. I've never tried the Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, because I always figured I'd hate that too. Short on cash the other day, I picked the cheapest bottle of rum in the store, which happened to be Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum.

So, feeling slightly foolish with my new favourite spiced rum next to me, I opened up these new Maryland Choc and Caramel cookies. I'm not sure Cookie Monster would approve, but I don't care.

Although they were relatively small cookies, there were quite a few and I'd saved up on calories. They had a lovely crunch and there were lots of chocolate chips. These cookies had a nice chocolatey taste to begin with, and a sweet caramel flavour into the aftertaste. They also went perfectly with my new favourite rum.

"Me love cookies (and spiced rum)".

Milka Bubbly White (Tesco) By @Cinabar

It's always a treat to find a different version of Milka chocolate here in the UK, and as a fan of bubbly bars, I had high hopes for this one.

As soon as I unwrapped it, I thought the bar looked lovely with its bubbly design. It’s not the easiest to share, though, the pieces don’t break off very cleanly, and it did crumble a bit.

Taste-wise, I was really pleased. That distinctive Milka flavour still comes through thanks to the fairly thick coating. The white chocolate adds a lovely sweet creaminess, reminding me a little of Kinder chocolate. It’s sweet, creamy, and a proper little treat, perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Texture-wise, it hits the mark too. The bubbles give it a lightness while still feeling firm. I really enjoyed it and would happily pick up another bar. Let's hope we see more Milka variants in the UK.

Lyons Salted Caramel Iced Latte (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I’m going to start with a bit of a tangent. Lyons Corner Houses were one of the original UK coffee house chains, founded in 1909. They disappeared from British high streets before I was born, but the brand lives on through pre-packaged treats like this Lyons Salted Caramel Iced Latte. The reason I know about the cafés is because I studied Computer Science, Lyons was the first commercial company in the UK to use computers for stock management. They were ahead of their time in 1949. You’ll thank me when that comes up in a pub quiz.

 

Anyway, back to the drink. This Lyons Salted Caramel Iced Latte comes in a generous box with 12 sachets. The pack suggests mixing it with cold water, milk, or a half-and-half combo, I went with half and half. It blended easily, with no lumps, and I really enjoyed the flavour. It was creamy, with mellow coffee notes and a sweet caramel tang that made it refreshing on a warm day.

I couldn’t really detect much of the “salted” part of the salted caramel, but the drink was rich and smooth, with just the right hint of sweetness. I’ll definitely be reaching for these again when the sun’s out, and next time, I might even add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for full-on indulgence.

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.