McVitie’s Summer Collection Strawberries and Cream Flavour (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I spotted these new Strawberries and Cream cake bars from McVitie’s in Iceland and, as a sucker for anything that screams summer, they were straight into the basket. Strawberries and cream is such a classic warm weather flavour, it is hard to resist.

The packaging is bright, bold and almost a bit punk in its colour scheme, so they definitely stand out on the shelf. Inside, the bars are individually wrapped, which makes them perfect for lunch boxes, desk drawers or a quick grab and go treat.

As soon as I opened the first one, I was hit with a lovely strong scent of strawberry and chocolate. Always a good sign. The cake itself is a soft vanilla sponge, topped with a pretty pink strawberry flavoured creme and finished with a layer of milk chocolate.

Flavour wise, they are very sweet and properly fruity. They actually reminded me of those strawberry cream chocolates you get in the big tins at Christmas. There is a solid chocolate hit from the coating too, so it does not feel like just a fruity sponge bar. It is definitely more indulgent than that.

They are genuinely yummy, the only downside being that they disappear in about two bites. Still, as a little summery treat, they are spot on. If you love that strawberries and cream combination, these are well worth picking up while they are around.

Banoffee Iced Capp (Tim Hortons) By @Cinabar

We were out at the shops on Saturday and decided to stop for a drink at Tim Hortons. It is a well known Canadian coffee chain, but still fairly new to my city. As I am not that familiar with the brand, I naturally scanned the menu for anything labelled ‘new’, while Spectre went straight for a black coffee. We definitely sit at opposite ends of the drinks menu.

I chose the Banoffee Iced Capp. I have to say, “Iced Capp” is a very cute name for their iced cappuccino, and this version comes with added banoffee flavour.

I ordered a small and it was still a generous size, topped with a mountain of cream. It looked fantastic and genuinely made me smile. From the first sip, I got a rush of sweet toffee followed by fruity banana, and that smile stayed put. The coffee flavour was slightly hidden beneath all the sweetness, but honestly, I did not care. It tasted like an indulgent banana milkshake with a toffee twist, and it was pure joy.

The little pearls on top were a lovely touch. They reminded me of tiny banana and toffee fudge pieces and added a bit of texture as well as extra sweetness.

For balance, Spectre thoroughly enjoyed his black coffee too, no milk and no sugar.

Luxury Pompidou Pies - Gloucester Services [@NLi10]

The benefit to driving back through Gloucester services at the end of the day is that there are bargains to be had.

Still not cheap, but these Pompidou Pies look perfectly positioned to be a late dinner

They look wonderful, if not a little fragile

And cooking exposes their weak bellies - and the fresh ingredients flavours fill the air.

Both were fantastic - I had the chicken and apple - and my goodness were the flavours explosive.  Well worth full price and a bargain at the yellow sticker price.  Another to add to the list to pick up when we visit.

And an apple crumble Danish for dessert - yum!