Jimmy’s Ice Coffee Cookie Butter (Asda) By @Cinabar

So, let’s start with the fact that it says butter, not batter. I completely assumed batter when I bought it and expected something more like cookie dough (cookie batter). It is actually cookie butter, which I think refers to those biscuit-flavoured spreads you put on toast, often inspired by flavours like cookies.

Okay, before I confuse myself any further, probably time to open the can and give it a try.

The first sip gave a really creamy coffee impression with plenty of sweetness. It tasted lush. As I drank a little more, I could pick up on the biscuity notes, almost like a buttery flavour (even though those spreads don’t always actually contain butter). I don’t think I would ever have been able to drink this and guess it was specifically cookie butter (or batter, for that matter), but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.

It was a sweet, creamy coffee and a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. The flavour wasn’t the most defined, especially given such a specific flavour description, but it was still a tasty iced coffee that I would happily have again.

Pips X Attic Brew Co Fermented Hot Sauce [@NLi10]

 I love supporting local businesses, especially when it's food and drink.  We went to the 'Night Market' in Edgbaston (which is only about 20 stalls at this time of year) and it was mostly art - but thankfully Pips Hot Sauces had a stall and I was running low.

We also love Attic Brewery and frequently get their cans for home.  I had not seen this combo, but it seemed perfect - if not a little on the red side.

I'm a brave boy so I turned down the trial cracker and just got a bottle.  I'm more of a Nandos medium, and I'd say this is just a shade above a 'hot'.

I'm not sure where the X comes into it, but I suspect that she's using one of their vats to brew up some wickedness.  I wonder if the beer they put in there after has a kick to it.  Be fun to find out.

We had it initially with an all veggie meal - which really doesn't disperse the spiciness well.  That said - it gives you a good idea of the heat and the flavours and I like it!

I reckon I could blend it into some cream or butter and make a wicked Buffalo style dipping sauce, and I already have tried it as a spicy mayo and that's perfect.

Once I've got through this I'm sure there will be plenty more to replace it with even if this may only be a limited run.

pips website is here but if yr local then Red Brick Market and other similar places have them

Attic brew  is here, but again - if yr local just go over and drink in front of the tanks. Its more fun.

Efes Draft Beer (Home Bargains) By @SpectreUK

I was looking in the toys section in Home Bargains the other day, as I am a big child. On the way out to the till with some Hot Wheels, I saw this Efes Draft Mediterranean Slow Brew beer.

Brewed in Turkey, this 5% in volume Efes Draft should wash my sausage, egg, beans and chips down a treat tonight. On taste, this deep golden beer was not too fizzy, and had a strong malt flavour with a decent spiciness from the hops. Very nice indeed. I fancy another.

Yorkshire Tea Victoria Sponge Brew (Ocado) By @cinabar

It has been a little while since we tried a new flavour of tea, so I couldn’t resist picking up this box of Yorkshire Tea Victoria Sponge Brew. We have tried their Jam and Toast variety before, but this sounded perfect for an afternoon cake-inspired cuppa.

While the tea was brewing, it had a lovely sweet aroma which was very appealing. I added some milk and gave it a sip. The flavour was wonderful and soothing, with notes of vanilla, cake and raspberry. It is sweet, but not quite as sweet as the smell suggests.

They tell us in science class that we taste using our tongues, but that a lot of what we experience actually comes from our noses. I’ve never quite been able to reconcile how things can taste and smell different, but here we are! Teas in particular often seem to have a stronger aroma than flavour.

This tea smells wonderfully sweet, but the taste is gentler. It is still really enjoyable though, with plenty of rich tea flavour and a lovely hint of berry goodness too. I would have liked a slice of cake to go with it.

Pringles Minis - BBQ Flavour (Iceland) By @Cinabar

You know the whole “once you pop, you can’t stop” thing? Well, that has always been true for me when it comes to Pringles. They are incredibly moreish, and I always end up eating far too many.

In fact, I once ate far too many from one tube, worked out afterwards how many calories I’d consumed, and realised (without too much of a spoiler) that after the shock had worn off, those big tubes are clearly meant for sharing! So Pringles tubs are definitely a treat for us. These, however, are Pringles in individual packs, and they are much more about portion control and the ability to pop a bag into a lunch box.

These Pringles Minis BBQ Flavour are smaller versions of the usual curved shape. The seasoning is plentiful too, which is great. It isn’t completely evenly distributed, but every crisp has a good sprinkle of flavouring.

I gave one (who am I kidding, I finished the whole bag) a try. I loved the BBQ flavour, which was sweet and smoky. The crunch and potato base were fab, and all that Pringles magic was packed in there.

I could have eaten more, but I didn’t, because that would have meant physically opening another bag! For me, these worked perfectly. I can’t wait to pick up the Ready Salted flavour too and have them at lunchtime with a sandwich.

Krispy Kreme Bites - Tim Bits but KK - Sainsbury's [@NLi10]

 My friend at work buys a lot of Tim Bits - these are Tim Horton's  'doughnut holes' made of the same flesh as a doughnut but with only a little of it.  This means the office can have a bite but not over indulge and it's a lot cheaper to get a round in (so to speak).

The Tim bits have various fillings and flavours

Krispy Kreme have added their version to the pricy supermarket stands and advertised them on posters outside so that weaklings like me pay £6 for 8 tiny dots.

The sticker placement is I think deliberate - the middle makes it into bits

And they do look like toddler/cup of tea sized doughnuts.

But - they just aren't quite the same.  All of them are varieties on the same plain inner. The sprinkles and glazes add a little, but not much.  For the Tim Hortons one there is a choice to be made on what you fancy. Here they are essentially the same.

I'd honestly recommend just spending the £6 on 2 (maybe 3?) regular KK doughnuts and then cutting them in to quarters.  Much nicer texture and flavour combo.

The only reason to buy this is if you are snacking in the car with coffee, or you are Snow White and want one for each of the Dwarves and a spare for yourself.

Nestlé Aero Milkybar (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I have a cheese, cold meats, baked bread and port meal tonight. I’m looking for something creamy and chocolatey to have with some ice cream for later.

These Nestlé Aero Milkybar sound like a creamy treat. On the packet they are described as white chocolate shells filled with vanilla flavoured bubbles. They sound ideal with a vanilla ice cream topped with squirty cream.

As you can see from the photograph, these Nestlé Aero Milkybar are white chocolate balls, similar to the Milkybar Crunchy Pops, I wrote about the other day.

On eating these Nestlé Aero Milkybar taste like aerated super creamy Milkybar white chocolate. They were ridiculously moreish, and didn’t last long, I can tell you.

Information on the bag: The 92g bag had 162 calories per 10 pieces, with 8.9g of fat, 17.8g of sugar, and 0.05g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Pepsi Raspberry Ripple Flavour (Ocado) By @Cinabar

We've been a bit spoilt for cola flavours this year. Every time I look, there seems to be another new variety of Pepsi to try. So far we've had Max Tropical, Salted Caramel, and Cherry & Vanilla, and now we have Pepsi Raspberry Ripple. As a cola fan, I'm absolutely loving it.

This new flavour is part of the ice cream range, and the bright pink can looks really cute with the ice cream design on the front.

I chilled the can before giving it a taste test. It had the usual fizzy kick, but the aroma was very sweet and fruity. I took a sip and this was a full-on raspberry ripple experience. It absolutely nailed that wonderful pink raspberry sauce you get on a 99 from the ice cream van (which always seems to cost a lot more than 99p these days!).

The sweet, fruity raspberry flavour is right at the front, with the cola taste coming through afterwards. It works surprisingly well, creating a refreshing drink that's perfect for summer. This is definitely one to enjoy over ice on a nice hot day.

Robinsons Mandolorian Metal Squash - now with Grogu! [@Nli10]

 The original Beskar metallic grey squash was so popular in our house that we had to try the second flavour too.

Surprisingly, even though this is little green alien themed, it's still metallic - those bits you can see swirl about.

It's hard to photograph but looks great in the sunlight.

Even baby Grogu approves.  We still haven't seen the movie.

It's Mango-Lorian! I mean it's mostly apple, and it tastes of apple and mango, but the puns are harder.

And it shimmers and shines!

I'm not sure which I like best of the two - this has another intense fruity flavour.  It hasn't gone down as quickly I suppose, but it's not as hot here at the moment.  Given the choice I think I'd go for the grey one, but the apple and mango squash is really nice too.

Mixing the two kind of cancelled the flavours out and was disappointing. 

Hellman’s Buffalo Ranch Sauce (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

I have chicken dippers tonight with potato Smily Faces on the side. With plenty of dip to go around, I decided to blog about a sauce today. I have four different sauces in the cavernous Foodstufffinds cupboard to write about, and this Hellman’s Buffalo Ranch was the closest in reach.

I haven’t eaten Buffalo Wings for quite a while. Personally I never knew they flew. They must have quite a large landing zone. Anyway, on opening this deep yellow Hellman’s Buffalo Ranch, there was the description on the back of the bottle, “Spicy Buffalo ranch style mayo with yoghurt and buttermilk.”

This thick Hellman’s Buffalo Ranch sauce can be used as a dip or on a sandwich or burger. There was certainly a spicy chilli heat on first taste. I noticed there were flecks of chilli hiding in the thick yellow mayo and buttermilk. This is certainly a fiery tasty sauce, which went perfectly with my chicken dippers and Smily Faces.

Apparently there is also a Blue Cheese Ranch, which I must pick up when I see it and try it with a good steak.

Skips Salt and Vinegar (Asda) By @Cinabar

I have been eating Skips crisps since I was little. I do love the classic prawn cocktail flavour, and as I got a bit older I also appreciated that they are tasty while still being fairly low in calories. I don’t think I’ve seen many special editions or new flavours from the brand over the years, so when we spotted these new Skips Salt and Vinegar in Asda, we just had to give them a try.

Once home, I poured some out and the first thing that struck me was that the Skips looked wrong. Where were the pink veins on each one? It slowly dawned on me that the pink colouring must come from the prawn cocktail seasoning, and as these are a colourless salt and vinegar flavour, the familiar pink lines aren’t there. I’m not sure why that surprised me so much!

Anyway, on to the taste test. The salt and vinegar flavour packs a lovely punch. They are full of flavour, with a great balance of salt and a proper vinegar kick, making them very moreish. The texture is the usual light, airy crunch, thankfully that hasn’t changed, and the flavour works really well with that classic Skips texture.

I do wonder if they will bring out any other varieties. I’m picturing Roast Chicken (my favourite crisp flavour) Skips. Can we make that happen?

These also still have the lower calorie count per bag, with just 73 calories, so they’re a great option if you’re looking for a lighter treat.

Strawberry and Watermelon Instant Iced Tea (Whittard) By @Cinabar

We had a few days away around the UK and found a branch of Whittard in Stratford Upon Avon. This is dangerous territory for us! I have a hot chocolate problem, and our tea cupboard barely shuts as it is. Inevitably, we bought tea bags, a new hot chocolate (which I’ll be writing about soon), and then I had a sample of this instant tea. I loved it so much that I ended up buying a tub.

I don’t think I’ve tried Whittard’s instant teas before, but a drink that you can make cold feels absolutely perfect for summer. When I got home, I found that the recommended serving is three teaspoons per 200ml of water. My bear cup is huge, so I went for six teaspoons, and the flavour was about right. The tea granules are brown, but they turned a lovely red colour in the cup when mixed with water. They dissolved easily, leaving no lumps, even in my awkward-shaped cup.

The taste was just wonderfully summery. The watermelon is juicy and refreshing, like a proper thirst-quenching summer drink, while the strawberry adds just enough sweetness and berry flavour to balance everything perfectly. You can still taste the tea too, which stops it from feeling like just a fruit drink.

I must try it with ice as suggested on the pack. It does say that it can also be made with hot water for a warm drink, but it feels a little wrong to make Whittard Strawberry and Watermelon Instant Iced Tea with hot water! Some of the other flavours might work better that way, but this one has warm summer days written all over it.

The Coconut Collab - Plant-based Double Cre&m [@NLi10]

 All hail the vegans - for they have made it effortless to reduce the amount of dairy in my diet and still have a great time.  Take this for example - we want summer puddings - I want to not have too much dairy.  Here is a double cream (spelt cre&m) but it's all plants. I can enjoy my Wimbledon strawberries and no cream.

This means that a left over banana fritter from the takeaway can happily bathe in thick coconut goo, and become a proper pudding

Happy as can be.

If anything it's a bit too white and photogenic.  It looks great with red fruit and especially goes well with pineapple as it's like eating a Pina colada.

The coconut isn't strong, but it's present enough to enjoy.  I can see why this won taste awards, it's much more interesting than some of the other brands and begs to be tried with everything - only we finished it so now I need some more.

Milky Bar Crunchy Pops (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I like a snack with my ice cream after dinner. There seems to be so many options these days to try. These new Nestle Milky Bar Crunchy Pops are no exception. They are described as crispy cereal balls with a vanilla flavoured filling, covered with white chocolate. They sound ideal.

On opening the packet these Milky Bar Crunchy Pops looked like white Maltesers. On first crunchy taste, they tasted a little like sweet vanilla Rice Crispy coated in creamy white chocolate. They were super moreish and went very well with my vanilla ice cream topped with squirty cream. Yum.

Information on the bag: The 90g bag contained 145 calories per 14 balls, with 7.3g of fat, 13.6g of sugar, and 0.19g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Gu Raspberry and Strawberry Fruit Crème (Tesco) By @Cinabar

This is one of the new summer desserts from Gu, the Raspberry and Strawberry Fruit Crème. When I spotted it in Tesco, I thought it would make a lovely sweet treat for a warm summer's day. It is a little like their cheesecake range, but without the biscuit crumb.

The dessert has a layer of raspberry and strawberry fruit compote topped with a thick fruit crème. As usual, they come in packs of two and are sealed with a foil lid. I unwrapped mine and gave it a try.

The crème topping is sweet, fruity and wonderfully creamy, with the rich, thick texture that Gu desserts are known for. The fruit layer underneath is the real star though. It is packed with bright, zingy fruit flavour that cuts through the richness of the crème perfectly. The contrast between the tangy fruit and the smooth creamy topping means every spoonful is slightly different, making it a really enjoyable dessert to eat.

These are wonderfully fruity, refreshing and perfect for summer. I'll definitely be picking up another pack.

M&S Marks And Spencer's Thing & Crunch T&C Cereal [@NLi10]

My partner brought home three boxes of store brand cereal the other day - oh no! But wait, what's this - M&S Food?  That's surely going to be quite exciting.

 

I've not tried the chocolate one yet - I need to mix that with some cornflakes as honey and chocolate will be great. The others - I'm half way through the boxes.

First I tried Strawberry & Almond

I suspect the crunch will always be the same, but the things are different

6% almond and 2% strawberry - but that still looks fine

I'd not even registered the almonds eating it - but there they are.  Great flavour and light enough to eat every day.

There are very few good apple cereals so this was the exciting one

And while it looks less impressive the flavours are interesting enough to keep me coming back.  I'm adding blueberries and almond milk and loving it.

Premium cereals at stores own prices is definitely something I'm a fan of.  Kudos to Marks & Spencer for this one.

Drop Bear Beer Yuzu Pale Ale (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I fancy a citrus fruity pale ale to go with my spicy curry tonight. I’ve got quite adept at cooking curry now, with my kitchen assistant (Cinabar, who does all the chopping). We used to have takeaways, but they gave me so many chips to have with my curry, that I just couldn’t eat them all or any sides.

I think they call it a Fakeaway. I cook curry and chips, but leave enough room for a starter, such as a Sheik Kebab or Onion bhaji, and also have popadoms, and dipping sauces. It’s cheaper than a takeaway. I get more variety of food to enjoy, and a beer on the side.

This Yuzu Pale Ale is produced by Drop Bear Beer Company. It has Yuzu flavouring added in the brewing for extra tartness. There was certainly a strong citrus aroma on opening the can. This super fizzy pale ale frothed out the top of the can on opening.

Even for an old barman, this Yuzu Pale Ale was difficult to pour. On taste, this deep golden beer had an initial tart citrus flavour, followed by sweet biscuit malts into the aftertaste. Very nice indeed, and it washed my curry down a treat.

Jaffa Cakes Mango (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Another summer edition from Jaffa Cakes, who are really going all out with new flavours this year. They have even released a range of Jaffa Cakes that are specifically marketed as biscuits, but that's a review for another day. Today we're talking about the wonderfully tropical-sounding Jaffa Cakes Mango. The box is lovely too, with a bright, summery design that certainly catches the eye.

As much as I enjoy trying the new flavours, my heart will always belong to the classic orange Jaffa Cakes. They just work so perfectly together. That said, I'm also a fan of mango, so I was keen to see how these compared.

Opening the box, they looked exactly as expected. I broke one in half and there wasn't much difference there either, with the familiar layer of jelly looking much the same as usual. There wasn't a particularly noticeable aroma either.

The flavour, however, was a different story. From the first bite the mango really bursts through, delivering a juicy, tropical sweetness that is genuinely delicious. Combined with the familiar soft sponge and thin layer of chocolate, it works surprisingly well. The mango is distinctive without overpowering everything else, making these a fun twist. They're definitely worth picking up if you spot them, especially if you're a fan of fruity treats.

Cadbury & More Caramel Nut Crunch (Tesco) By @Cinabar

The main problem with hot weather is that chocolate melts. I mean, there are plenty of problems: not being able to sleep, trying to stay cool and hydrated, worrying about sunburn... but as a food blogger, chocolate is a genuine concern.

Thankfully, this bar was tucked away in a cupboard where it was a little cooler, before being promoted to the fridge drawer once we remembered it during the peak of the heatwave. Honestly, I know the photo shows our bar looking a little less crisp than usual, but considering the temperature, the fact you can still almost read "Cadbury" on every piece feels like a small summer miracle. After chilling it, I finally opened the bar, and it is satisfyingly chunky. There's a generous amount of filling and, as someone who loves nuts and chocolate together, I couldn't wait to tuck in.

The standout flavours are the creamy Cadbury chocolate and crunchy hazelnuts, which work really well together. The caramel isn't particularly gooey, but it adds a pleasant sweetness that complements the nuts nicely. Personally, I would have preferred a pure flowing, gooey caramel filling, but I still enjoyed the combination of textures. The flavour also reminded me of an old chocolate bar. Wasn't there one called Nuts About Caramel, or something similar?

Anyway, fear not, dear reader. Our chocolate stash has now been given priority space in the fridge drawer, along with the chocolate biscuits. Move over, tomatoes, we're snack bloggers.

Pizza Express - Pizzaiolo Specials - Marry Me Chicken [@NLi10]

 Pizza Express at home is quite a fun deal.  Often there are special offers, and with that you get a just about restaurant quality pizza, for a just above home price.

I spotted this interesting flavour - "Marry Me Chicken" - apparently the sauce is so good you propose to the pizza.

Typical professional box and nicely packaged pizza.

And some kind of loyalty for the restaurant app. Nice touch - onboarding but with freebies.

And while I don't want to marry the pizza, the fresh bits are very tasty, the meat luxurious and big chunks.  The sauce could be a little more saucy, but cooking pizza at home you never quite get the heat/time right for these.  

Overall though this (and the accompanying veggie one) were greatly enjoyed and I hope that Sainsbury's still has the deal on next week.