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.

Iced Caramelised Banana Macha Latte and Oat Shaken Espresso (Starbucks) By @SpectreUK

First off, I think they need to work on the titles. Try saying “Iced Caramelised Banana Oat Shaken Espresso” when you need to sober up. Or “Iced Caramelised Banana Macha Latte” when you’re overheating in hot weather.

It’s hot today, and after two mini heatwaves, we stopped at a local service station, as I was feeling tired from driving. Cinabar mentioned a couple of cooling drinks we could try in the Starbucks there.

I was too hot or at least too tongue-tied to order. I also couldn’t decide between Iced Caramelised Banana Macha Latte or Iced Caramelised Banana Oat Shaken Espresso. I couldn’t even decide when they were delivered.

I tried both. The Iced Caramelised Banana Oat Shaken Espresso tasted mostly of coffee, with a little sweet caramelised banana milkshake. It was fairly strong, but at least it didn’t taste like Starbucks regular Americano.

Whereas, on first sip of the Iced Caramelised Banana Macha Latte, it tasted solely of sweet caramelised banana. Well, until Cinabar told me to angle the straw to the top of the drink, which was pure bitter Macha. Once mixed up the Iced Caramelised Banana Macha Latte was quite sweet with caramelised banana and slightly bitter Macha, which was okay. Cinabar like it. I couldn’t decide if I liked either.

M&S Blends Orange and Passionfruit Drink (Ocado) By @Cinabar

For a company that was very upset with Aldi over selling a cake that was, shall we say, 'similar' to their own Colin the Caterpillar, this is a bit of an odd product. Here we have M&S Blends Orange and Passionfruit, which could also be described as 'similar' to a J2O. Perhaps I'm imagining the similarity... just in case I need to include that for legal reasons! 😄

Anyway, what I do know is that this heat means it's important to stay hydrated, and I'm always up for trying a new drink. I popped these in the fridge to chill before giving one a try.

I was really impressed by just how fruity it is. There's loads of flavour and plenty of juicy fruitiness. The mango comes through nicely, while the passion fruit adds a pleasant sharpness that makes it especially refreshing towards the end. If I were to compare it to the market leader, I'd say it's 'similar', but perhaps a little richer in flavour and slightly thinner in texture. I'd probably need to try them side by side to be certain, though.

Either way, it made for a lovely, refreshing drink on a hot summer's day.

Alpro - Matcha Coconut & Coffee AT HOME [@NLi10]

 Matcha is a big deal at the moment, and all the coffee establishments are now doing it in a reasonable way - although they do seem to use the cheap stuff.  And now you can have pre-mixed Matcha at home!

I chose the coconut one but BOY do you have options - a whole aisle of green milks

And yes - it's great cold so make your hot stuff and dump it in almost freezer temperature this

It's got stuff in it!

And without any fuss it's just thick Shrek juice.

Here's the nutrition

And it's only half a percent matcha - and not ceremonial grade Matcha because you bet they'd tell you if it was.  You won't notice in this mind.

And if you brew up a shot of your Exhale espresso and dump it in (with ice - not pictured) then frankly it's my drink of the summer.  I've been tempted to make a whole filter coffee pot of the stuff at espresso strength and then keep that in the fridge to use with this carton - only there isn't much left now.

It's not a thirst-burster until you add the watery ice, and it does overshadow the coffee unless you do it as a 50/50 Matcha cortado style but it's great for these heatwaves and I'll be getting more as soon as it's cool enough to leave the house.

Hot Peperami Cheezy Bites (Home Bargains) By @SpectreUK

It’s rare these days when I bite into a snack and I’m surprised by it’s chilli heat. So, when I saw these Hot Peperami Cheezy Bites I figured they would just have a light chilli warmth. I haven’t tasted any really hot snack food for such a long time.

These Hot Peperami Cheezy Bites are ‘Hot BBQ Flavour Mini Biscuits’. I haven’t had Peperami for a long time, so I can’t recall what they taste like, asides being spicy and meaty. I had the green one, I think.

I opened the packet and there was quite a good chilli aroma from the round reddened biscuits inside. The first crunchy biscuit made my tongue tingle with chilli. It took me aback a bit. There was a meaty barbecue taste and a slight cheesiness too. I really enjoyed these Hot Peperami Cheezy Bites with my messy tuna sandwich.

Information on the bag; Per 6 x 30g bag is 152 calories, with 8.7g of fat, 1.9g of sugar, and 0.6g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Frijj Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake (Morrisons) by @cinabar

The weather is heating up again and, whatever your views on sunshine, we definitely need to stay hydrated. For me, I much prefer the mid twenties to thirties before it starts becoming a bit uncomfortable, but I am enjoying discovering all the summer drinks.

Here we have Frijj Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake, and everyone knows strawberry is the fruit of summer.

I poured the drink into my cup. It was the usual thickish liquid you expect from Frijj, with a pale light pink colour. I took a sip and at first thought it was very much a strawberry milkshake. There was a sweet, fruity strawberry taste, but as that melted away, the creamy flavour came through, with just a tiny touch of sourness giving it the cheesecake edge.

Mostly though, it is a subtle twist on a strawberry milkshake and a lovely fruity drink.

Swizzels Squashies Tropical Sweets (Tesco) By @Cinabar

I am just loving the look of these new summer sweets. Swizzels Squashies Tropical Sweets are absolutely oozing sunshine. There are three cute designs in the bag. A slice of watermelon that tastes of watermelon, a pineapple shaped sweet with a pineapple flavour and, naturally, the parrot shaped sweet is flavoured with parrot. Just kidding, it's actually mango and passionfruit!

All of the sweets have a firm, foamy texture with a satisfying chew, without being too soft. The flavour is fairly mild at first, but the more you chew, the fuller and fruitier it becomes.

The watermelon is the zingiest of the three, with an almost sour edge that is sharp, sweet and really refreshing. The pineapple is lovely and juicy, reminding me of canned pineapple chunks, just with a much chewier texture. The parrot is packed with fruity flavour, with the mango really taking centre stage. It has a lovely sweet, smooth tropical taste that I really enjoyed.

These sweets are perfect for the warmer weather. And did I mention just how cute they look? Swizzels Squashies Tropical Sweets deserve to be displayed in a bowl rather than simply being munched straight from the bag, otherwise you might miss all those fun little shapes.

Mr. Pretzels now has Pistachio sauce [@NLi10]

We were in town to go see the new minions movie and my partner left me unsupervised by the pretzels.  The Auntie Anne shop has been gone for years, but Mr Pretzels is just the right size to possibly be one of the longest running shops in the Birmingham Bullring now.

And now they have Pistachio sauce.  Yes - I have a jar of the stuff at home, but this is a nice treat.

They have a multitude of more meal-like pretzels and toppings, but the bites are easier to share even if it's a couple of pounds more expensive at £6.50

 

And while it looks like a horrible sticky mess...

And I guess it is a bit much, but as they all stick together then you can just pull bites off and eat them while watching.

While they are still hot when you get them it's a bit harder to eat, but very tasty.  The pretzels are always decent quality here, and the sauce is luxury enough that it almost cools into a sold so is easy to get off your hands again.

Hawkstone Lager (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

Hawkstone Lager is produced by Cotswold Brew Company. Hawkstone Lager is named after a local Neolithic stone. You may have heard in the news that it’s also made with Barley grown on Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm. I haven’t watched the TV series made on his farm, but I have been told it’s well worth a watch. So, I’ll have to give it a go.

At 4.8% in volume, Hawkstone Lager has a quiet unassuming bottle. I would have thought it would have Jeremy Clarkson’s face on the label waving next to a fast car or perhaps tractor. No, just a smart black label with a gold font. If Cinabar hadn’t told me whose beer it was, I wouldn’t have known. And besides, as soon as it’s in my beer fridge, it’s my beer.

Anyway, on opening, Hawkstone Lager had a cheerful fizz. On pouring, it’s a light golden coloured lager with a good frothy head. I have to say I did like the sweet malted barley aroma. It also had a herbal hop hopping up to try and grab my attention.

On taste Hawkstone Lager had a crisp bitter herbal and light citrus hop to start with, that was smoothed out by its sweet malted barley into the aftertaste. It went perfectly well with my fishy picky-bits dinner. It was very nice indeed. Cheers, Jeremy.

PerfectTed Sparkling Matcha Strawberry Energy Drink (Ocado) by @cinabar

Gosh there is a lot to unpack with this PerfectTed Sparkling Matcha Strawberry Energy Drink from Ocado. It is a tea,  a matcha tea, a fizzy matcha drink, strawberry flavoured, sugar free, with added vitamins and extra caffeine. Basically it feels like an energy drink trying to be everything at once, I'm thinking this is basically an energy drink for Gen Z.

Fun fact, I have never had an energy drink before and I didn’t really know what I was buying. Not that surprising really, this is exactly the kind of product that is trying to tick a lot of boxes. I do drink coffee though, so I do have caffeine in my life. I checked the can and it has 80mg of caffeine, while a mug of coffee is around 100mg depending on how it is made, so I figured I was still in familiar territory. It is actually less than most energy drinks anyway. There are still the usual health warnings on the can though, which you don’t tend to see on coffee.

I gave it a try and the flavour is pleasant enough. I could definitely pick up a sort of strawberry taste, it is there but it is not very sweet. The matcha is quite subtle too, which surprised me a bit because that is really meant to be the main thing. It all feels quite light and a bit understated rather than bold.

It is not a bad flavour by any means, and it was quite refreshing. I have saved another can for Sunday night, which is a 1am kick off for the England game, so I’ll be half asleep at half time and probably questioning all my choices, but we’ll see if it actually does the job or if I just end up watching it half asleep with a drink in my hand.

Magnum Collection - Vegan Almond Amande [@Nli10]

While at RSPB Bempton - looking at the puffins we spotted one of the recently released Vegan Magnums.  These appear to be an updated range on the previous ones. 

Lots of lovely nuts, no irritating dairy, and dark chocolate

Tada! Looks good.

Looks good inside too - creamy without cream and stayed frozen enough to eat on a very hot day.

Well recommended - even for non vegans.