Melon Pearl Refresha (Starbucks) By @Cinabar

Today has been hot. Too hot. I love a pleasant sunny day, but once the temperature tips over 30°C it just becomes uncomfortable. To cool off, we headed to Starbucks for something chilled and refreshing. I chose a drink from their Refresha range: the Melon Pearl Refresha.

When it arrived, I was struck by how pretty it looked, more striking in person than in the photo. The drink had a gorgeous two-tone effect: a red base from the melon pearls and a summery orange layer on top, like a sunset in a cup. The straw was extra wide, perfect for slurping up the pearls.

Flavour-wise, this drink was exactly what I needed. Ice-cold and wonderfully sweet, the melon taste was spot on for such a hot day. The pearls themselves are clearly the novelty factor, tapping into the same trend as bubble teas. They added a fun twist, once they made it through the straw, they burst in your mouth with a little explosion of melon flavour, giving an extra hit of sweetness.

Overall, the Melon Pearl Refresha was a brilliant pick-me-up on a sweltering day: refreshing, tasty, and a bit of fun too.

Alpro Chocolate flavour Dessert - Dairy Free [@NLi10]

 Alpro are my go -to brand for almond based dairy replacements.  I use the normal milk daily, and the barista for coffee for special occasions. 

So I get tempted to try their desserts...

Looks great - no dairy, veggie friendly and lovely chocolate too

And oddly they seem to think you wouldn't want it chilled - I say the colder the better.

And the date on these is insane - save them for Christmas if you like!

But in the end - it's just brown goo.  It's not chocolaty enough, its not sweet enough, it's not thick enough and it just doesn't spark joy.  Maybe I'll donate the remaining two to my parents and see what they think.

Hop Hut IPA Summer Slam (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

It's been pretty sunny off and on here in the UK, so I'm having a Fri-yay Friday fishy treat of Calamari and Scampi with chips. I do like Calamari. I had a big Calamari lunch at a Greek restaurant last time we visited Trentham Gardens. Oh, it was scrumptious.

This Hop Hut IPA Summer Slam should wash my dinner down very well. At 5.5% in volume, Tiny Rebel added Simco and Idaho7 hops in the brewing, for citrus flavours of orange peel and mango.

On opening the can there was a tropical citrus hop aroma with sweet pale malts behind it. This hazy India Pale Ale had a very crisp bitterness, with citrus, and orange peel flavour, perfect for my Calamari and Scampi and chips, with a touch of mango fruitiness, and sweet pale malts into the aftertaste. Very nice indeed. Cheers.

Jimmy’s Iced Coffee — Donut Edition (Ocado) By @Cinabar

One of the best things about summer is hunting down new cold treats to beat the heat. Besides ice cream and lollies, I’m always drawn to interesting chilled drinks, like this Jimmy’s Iced Coffee Donut Edition. The can looks fun, with a pink sprinkle design that feels more birthday cake than doughnut, but it’s still eye-catching.

I made sure it was properly chilled before opening it. The flavour, though, was underwhelming. There was no hint of doughnut, or birthday cake, for that matter, in the taste. I swirled it around, inhaled deeply, but all I got was a pleasant coffee and milk sweetness. That was perfectly drinkable, but the promised doughnut flavour just wasn’t there. The aroma had more of a doughnut vibe than the taste did. Decent enough overall, but it needed a stronger flavour punch to live up to the name.

nutella croissant - frozen to bake at home - Iceland [@NLi10]

 We used to get bake-at-home breakfast breads all the time, but our oven isn't great so we cut back - but I couldn't resist these.

As with all modern things I guess this an air-fryer sized pack, although how you'd fit all 4 in an average one is anyone's guess.

I do like the serving suggestion making it look like a picnic

We had these as a Sunday evening snacky-dinner so just had a decaf tea

They do need a little longer in the oven I think with ours to get to crispy perfection

But - the layers are still there and the flavours were great.  I'll want these again, but it's much easier to find a time to eat the plain ones

Heinz Mayoracha: Mayo Sriracha Sauce (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I never used to like mayonnaise. I was always a salad cream guy. It's only fairly recently I have started to use it. Mayonnaise certainly goes well with chips and salad, and many other things.

There are a few flavoured mayonnaises on the market I have tried in the past. Some I liked, some made my breath smell (pickled onion), some I hated. This new Heinz Mayoracha: Mayo Sriracha Sauce could add a little spice to my chips and salad. We shall see…

On first splodge on my plate, this almost neon orange coloured Heinz Mayoracha: Mayo Sriracha Sauce had a creamy mayonnaise mild chilli kick that brought a slightly heated flavour to whatever I ate with it. I really liked it, and within minutes I was dunking chips, bread and picky-bits in to it to my hearts content.

Warburtons Belgian Waffle (Tesco) By @Cinabar

I spotted this Warburtons Belgian Waffle in our local mini Tesco and thought it sounded like a lovely after-work treat. I wasn’t sure if it needed warming up first, but decided against it because of the chocolate chips. I’ve had some toaster disasters with chocolate hot cross buns before! Besides, this is marketed as a grab-and-go snack, so it should be fine cold.

I opened the wrapper and took a bite, but based on the texture, which was a bit solid and dry, I changed my mind and opted to heat it up after all. The packaging does say it can be enjoyed hot or cold, and one option is just twenty seconds in the microwave, so I went with that.

What a transformation. After a quick blast in the microwave, the waffle turned soft, fluffy, and still had a nice firmness to it. It was moist, with a touch of crispiness from a sugar coating. The chocolate chips had melted perfectly, and it was absolutely spot on.

If you’re at home or near a microwave, definitely heat this up. The flavours were rich and indulgent,  sweet, creamy, and mellow; and the chocolate just brought it all together. It felt like a very naughty after-work treat, but one I’d happily have again after a long day.

Haagen Dazs - Peach & Raspberry Ice Lollies (Ocado) By @Cinabar

With all the heat we’ve been having, I couldn’t resist picking up some new ice creams to try. These Haagen Dazs Peach & Raspberry Ice Lollies caught my eye, I love fruity flavours, so I was keen to give them a go.

There are three lollies in the box, each individually wrapped in bright, colourful packaging. When I opened one, I was struck by how pretty it looked. The lolly has a white chocolate coating, decorated with pieces of freeze-dried raspberry, and a lovely mix of colours.

My first bite was mostly white chocolate, which gave way to the centre, a two-part filling of peach ice cream and raspberry sorbet. The sorbet is the standout here, it’s sharp, tangy, and seriously refreshing in the hot weather. The peach adds a more mellow, sweet layer, perfectly balancing the punchy raspberry. The white chocolate is absolutely delicious, creamy and smooth, with the raspberry pieces adding a nice texture.

These ice lollies are seriously good. I love the combination of strong fruit flavours with the creamy ice cream and chocolate. They’re perfect for a hot summer’s day.

Cakes From The Lakes at the Sawmill [@NLi10]

 We are still in the Lake District so today hopped on the Wasdale Express (a free bus!) up to the lake and to the snacks.

Needless to say we got a bit wet

It's all part of the fun though - we had the right gear and this photo was actually taken about 100m away from a lovely warm pub that sold us cider and sandwiches

The bus dropped us off at this little centre which had the sawmill café, a bigger car park and some accommodation

They also sold all the cakes from the lakes range - which was most welcome with a lovely warm cup of tea.

Even our new sheepy friend enjoyed it.

They do a lot of lovely locally made exotic things, but a simple tiffin was required to get our energy levels back up

And the cafe overlooked a river (being an old saw-mill) and gives me the opportunity to prove we dried off (my cap is still damp though).

A lovely day with only a little walking but loads of scenery to appreciate.

Beavertown Brewery Sun God Beer (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

It's been really hot and sunny over the last few days. So sunny that I'm struggling with the heat, and I'm already wishing for colder weather. I need something to cool me down and wash down my Cumberland Sausage burger and salad for dinner tonight.

This Sun God IPA was produced by Beavertown Brewery. At 6.3% in volume this is a tropical India Pale Ale, which should go well with my curly sausage and help quench my thirst.

On opening the can there was a crisp tropical citrus hop aroma with pale malts behind it. Sun God was a deep golden coloured IPA, which poured with a frothy head.

On taste Sun God had a surprising herbal hop flavour to begin with, followed by mild tropical fruits and a little citrus, with sweet pale malts and a little wheat into the aftertaste. I found Sun God very refreshing and it went very well with my sausage burger and salad dinner. Cheers.

Kettle Chips Honey Dijon Mustard (Ocado) By @Cinabar

It has been a long time since a packet of crisps last made me say wow, but here we are. That’s the spoiler for this write-up. I eat a lot of crisps, probably more than I should, and I always look out for new flavours. I still get excited when I find something a bit different. Mustard is such an underrated flavour, and it’s not one that’s easy to find, so I was genuinely pleased to spot these Kettle Chips Honey Dijon Mustard.

As they come in a large bag, we shared them out. Once the bag was open, there was a pleasant mustard aroma, not too strong, and the seasoning on the crisps looked quite pale. I know they’re branded as Kettle Chips, but for me, they’re crisps!

I tried one and absolutely loved the complex flavour. They are sweet and spicy and just completely hit the mark. The mustard flavour is perfect, noticeable but not overpowering, with a gentle tingle that builds and catches the back of the nose. There’s a lovely warming heat to them, and I was completely hooked. I definitely ate far too many and now I need more.

There’s another new flavour that came out at the same time, Kettle Chips Brie & Caramelised Onion, which I’ll have to try soon, but I honestly can’t see how it could top these. We need more mustard-flavoured crisps in the world, these prove it.

Magnum Utopia Double Cherry at Ravenglass Steam Railway [@NLi10]

 My family have been up in the Lake District recently - and visited the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway - and naturally had to try the refreshments! 

Pre the 40 mins trip we had a spot of lunch - I had apple shortbread and a Fentimans

And then at the station at the Eskdale (the Alps of England!) we all had Magnums

River Mite had some water and some coal.

I chose the Utopia - Double Cherry deluxe Magnum, but shrink-flation makes this 85g instead of the single layer Mint Magnum my mother had at 100g for the same price.

I'm fine with that - I buy the Magnum Minis for home as I'd rather just have the taste as a snack.

This was a good size and had enough flavour and fun to make it worth the £2.80 station price.

It has cherry & vanilla ice-cream and then cherry sauce frozen and stuck between the layers.  I think the pink sparkle one was better, but this had a much deeper flavour and made a nice train.

Then we had to go 40 mins back down the railway!  A nice afternoon out.

PEZ Fizzy (WHSmiths) By @SpectreUK

I have always liked PEZ, ever since I was a kid. Difficult to load, but worth it for the fun and taste. Whenever we would go abroad on holiday, I'd get a PEZ dispenser of some kind and eat PEZ during long car journeys throughout France and Spain.

 

PEZ was pretty hard to come by in this country at the time. Now, PEZ dispensers and refills are much more popular. So why have they brought out a tube of PEZ Fizzy?

True to PEZ form, the machine that created the packaging around the sweets was almost impossible to open. I think I prefer my dispenser. After getting Cinabar to open it for me, I found the rounded sweets inside.

I had a green one first. Wow, crumbly mouthwatering fizzy apple flavour. I take it back. These are really nice. I had a super tasty fizzy strawberry one next. Just like any PEZ dispenser, I can see it's going to take me a while to get through the whole packet, but after the first two sweets, I know it's going to be worth it.

Milka Strawberry Chocolate (Local Shop) By @Cinabar

This chocolate bar was another find at our new found local shop. The shop is mostly an off-licence but has a surprisingly good selection of imported sweets, chocolate, and drinks. I picked up a few goodies, and of course, I spotted my favourite brand of European chocolate, Milka, which had to include this Milka Strawberry Chocolate bar. The packaging has some English on it, but I think it originated in Poland.

The bar is made with milk chocolate and a strawberry filling, complete with freeze-dried strawberry pieces. I’d kept it in the fridge because of the heat today, so when I broke a chunk off, it had a lovely snap from the cold chocolate. I gave it a try and the flavours were just delicious. The creamy Milka chocolate comes through first, but as it melts, the strawberries take centre stage, like the perfect strawberry cream chocolate. There is loads of fruity goodness, and the chocolate works so well with it. It has a surprisingly British summer feel for an imported bar, but I absolutely loved it. This is such a fab find, I can’t wait to try the other treats I picked up too.

Dr Pepper Blackberry (Local Shop) By @Cinabar

I’m a little bit ashamed to say this is from a shop near where I live that I’d never been in before. It’s only a few minutes away and is an independent off-licence. I don’t drink, and Spectre only has the odd one, so we’ve walked past it a number of times. Today, in the search for a bottle of something different, we thought we’d take a look. I wasn’t expecting to find a fabulous import candy section and loads of interesting drinks. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out, so here’s a shout out to all your local shops, do try and support those independents.

Anyway, I came away with sweets, Milka, and pop, which felt like a proper retro experience. First up to sample is this Dr Pepper Blackberry. I chilled it at home and opened it today for some summer refreshment. The flavour is quite subtle. The initial taste is that familiar Dr Pepper vibe, a spiced fruity cola. Then came the sharper, almost sherbet-like berry flavours, which worked beautifully with the base taste. The drink is sweet and has a lot going on for the tastebuds, but I love it. Dr Pepper is a fun drink, and the added blackberry really works with it. I’m really happy with the treat I picked up and can’t wait to finish trying the rest of what we bought, and to head back for more goodies.

Pepsi White Peach and Oolong Tea Flavour Soft Drink [@NLi10]

 Now that all English soft drinks are broken and wrong I am incentivised to purchase expensive imported ones which still contain sugar and flavour.  Here today we have a China made Pepsi - with peach Oolong tea added in!

The oddest part to this is the sparkly-ness - I'd not really make tea with sparkling water - but it adds a tingle to the peach flavour.

The tea flavour is weak and fairly invisible, but the peach and Pepsi does shine quite well.

And it's dark as normal, so no real point in finding a glass!  I chilled mine, but I suspect that over Ice on a hot day this would be at it's best.

It oddly reminded me of this old thing, that I happened to pick up to let someone else to try I used to call this Wo Long Kat when it came in steel cans in the 90s, but here it's called Wang Lao Ji - essentially it's medicinal sugar water - 10 more calories per 100ml than the Pepsi!

And it tastes as I remember - too sweet, too herby, and too morish.  The first sip is always baffling, but you'll finish it and you'll enjoy it too.

The tea here is nicer than the Pepsi, but I think the peach Pepsi just edges ahead in the taste test.  I'd more happily drink a litre of the herbal tea though.

PULPT Flare Cider (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

It's rare I write about cider. I have a pork belly roast tonight with crackling on top. Cider goes best with pork, so I have opted for this PULPT Flare - Cider without compromise.

At 4.6% in volume, the bottle states that this is a balanced and easy going cider. PULPT say Flare is not just any run of the mill cider. I hope they're right. This is not just any run of the mill dinner. Pork belly roast is one of my favourite meals, and I like my cider sweet, and definitely not too dry.

On opening the bottle there was a sweet apple cider aroma. Flare is a fizzy cider, not too fizzy, just an excitable buzz. On first taste Flare is sweet and mildly alcoholic. This cider is finely balanced with a touch of dryness into the aftertaste.

Flare went perfectly washing down my lovely pork belly meal, and I had lots of roast potatoes, veg, apple sauce and English Mustard on the side. Cheers.

Nescafe Classic Unsweetened Espresso Coffee Concentrate (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

As it was nice and sunny today, I decided I wanted to try a new cold drink. I remembered that I had picked up a bottle of Nescafe Classic Unsweetened Espresso Coffee Concentrate last time I was at the supermarket. I thought it might be useful for baking, but mostly it says 'for easy iced coffee' and that was exactly what I wanted today.

I checked the bottle, and it said to pour a 'shot 30ml' over 150ml of milk. My glass isn't huge but it almost holds a full can of pop, so I figured I needed to double everything. I measured 60ml using tablespoons, which is four, into the drink. It was only then I realised this precision and obsession with numbers is definitely a side effect of me being on the spectrum, and that most other people would have just guessed. You should try spending a day in my head.

Anyway, I gave the drink a stir and a taste, and it was lovely. There is no sweetness (there is a sweetened version available if you prefer) but this drink is all about the rich coffee. It was a smooth, creamy drink with lots of coffee flavour and it was perfect as a cooling treat on a warm day.

Next time, I will definitely add some ice and not worry so much about the measurements. I’ll just add a little until the colour looks right.

Rosa's Cafe Wolverhampton - Birthplace Of the Masala Bubble Waffle [@NLi10]

 When we want a smaller meal after work there are a couple of cafe's we can go to  - including Rosa's Cafe

My friend had the chicken masala bubble waffle, and I had Chaat with Batura.

Both were great, but we've not seen masala bubble waffles anywhere else so we have to keep coming back for those at least!

As a bonus - here's a rhubarb crème Brulé that I had in a gastro pub called The Angel in Pershore.  This was also home made and amazing.