Cherry and Pomegranate Refresha (Starbucks) by @cinabar

We are back to the hot weather again in England, and so, in an effort to stay cool and hydrated, I’m exploring the Starbucks summer menu. Here we have the Starbucks Cherry and Pomegranate Refresha.

This is an ice-shaken drink, for those of us who suffer with ice cream headaches if given a crushed-ice drink. The pain from those is real. I had an ice cream headache from a slushie at Warwick Castle and would still have another one, so clearly I have learned nothing. Plus I still want a Ninja Slush Maker. I really make no sense.

Anyway this Starbucks Cherry and Pomegranate Refresha drink also has actual cherries in it, which made it look very pretty when served. I gave it a try and loved the sharp, juicy cherry taste. The sour edge made it super refreshing, and the pomegranate added a little sweetness in the aftertaste, but it was all about the cherries. Sharp, zingy, fruity goodness.

That just leaves me with one last problem: the actual cherries. As pretty as they looked, all I had was a chunky straw and they didn’t fit through it. They were also pretty soggy by the end, so I left them. Perhaps they were just decoration?

McVitie’s Penguin Bites - Salt and Vinegar (Ocado) By @Cinabar

What is going on here with these McVitie’s Penguin Salt and Vinegar Bites? I mean, when you think McVitie’s Penguin, you think thick chocolate biscuit bars. We’ve written about quite a few McVitie’s Penguin products over the years, but one thing has always been consistent: they’ve been chocolatey and biscuit flavoured. This is about as far away from that as I can work out. Salt and vinegar? And I think they’re crisps?

Well, we decided to open them and have them as a snack while watching The Devil Wears Prada (the first one, as a reminder before the new one). I opened up the bag and was surprised that they’re tiny too. From the image on the packet, I assumed these would be crisp-sized. In fact, the Penguin pictured on the front are a few centimetres tall, while the actual ones are finger nail sized! They’re teeny tiny and, consequently, not that easy to share. They are at least Penguin-shaped, just baby Penguins. Maybe premature.

I gave a few a try. One on its own doesn’t feel like it’s worth it. Now, here are the positives: they have a nice crunch and a taste of a cream cracker, but with lashings of salt and vinegar. And that’s where they win me over. They’re full of flavour and really nice. We ended up pouring them out into our own bowls, though, just because scooping them out of the bag when they’re so small was kind of awkward.

So, I’m not sure the connection to the Penguin brand is that strong, but as a cute salt and vinegar snack, they’re all good.

CREAMY ORIGINAL CRISPY NAAN MEAL - KFC [@NLi10]

 We went to KFC again last week and BEHOLD a new menu item has appeared!  It's the same as normal but it's a naan instead of a bun.

For a very Asian area this is an interesting twist - will people be more likely to choose a familiar naan or just to go to an actual Asian shop and buy the real thing for half the price.

Because of the magic of the KFC app we won a burger and popcorn chicken and then swapped them.  I had the meal for the full experience, but I didn't need it with the bonus.  The fillet was later left out for the fox.

I decided to give the drinks another go - and had the strawberry cheesecake base which is red stuff (good), white stuff (not noticeable) and some crumb - which I thought went on the top - right at the bottom.  This meant that the last bit of the drink was almost undrinkable sludge.

At least it was only 50% ice instead of 75% ice this week.  Honestly - these drinks are a sham.  They take the meal up to £16 or so too which is insane.

Here is the naan.  Smart people will immediately notice that it is two naan - which is mad.  Why not just wrap it in one like everywhere else?  Maybe the heater is bun sized so mini-naan it is.

Inside has a not too spicy sauce, the usual boneless chicken, and lots of exciting veggies.  I immediately binned the cheese.  And honestly - if real masala chicken naan from Chaiiwalla scares you (or you just want to tempt a beginner to the dark side) then honestly it's fine.

I'll likely try the tandoori version in two weeks but with the loaded fries and the tea as the drink.  

Later on we went to Rosa's Cafe in Wolverhampton and I got a Karrak Coffee with actual blended Ice (like I'm convinced KFC is supposed to do) which was so much better and a pound cheaper than the KFC mess.  You can just about see the dosa wrap in the background which I had a bit of (fantastic) but I was still full from all the stodge at lunch.

Spellbound Butterscotch Beer (Warwick Castle) By @SpectreUK

We’ve been to Warwick Castle a couple of times recently. We watched the Viking Raiders show there last month, and wandered around the stately rooms and steam house. There is an antiques place nearby that was closed due to refurbishment. I saw a Dinky truck in the window and vowed to go back when it was open.

Unfortunately the antiques place was still shut today. After climbing the towers of Warwick Castle and The Mound, and a hot dog for lunch, we saw the Jousting. Asides on TV, I’ve never seen jousting before, and the stunt actors did an exceptional job. I can’t recommend it enough.

As well as some bottles of Mead, I picked up this bottle of Spellbound Butterscotch Beer on the way out. Butterscotch is one of my favourite flavours, so I was intrigued to find out what it would taste like in beer. Sadly I was mistaken, at 0% in volume this is a butterscotch flavoured soft drink.

Apparently it’s 100% magic, so that makes it okay. Made in the Shambles in York, this Spellbound Butterscotch Beer has liquid shimmer in it to make it look more magical when you shake it. It’s really quite pretty. It is quite fizzy too. It smelt like butterscotch on opening the bottle.

After turning the bottle clockwise three times to release the magic. At 66 calories this Spellbound Butterscotch Beer has the flavour of very sweet butterscotch. It tastes like caramel pop, and was very moreish indeed. Cheers.

Marks and Spencer S'mores Ice Cream Sauce (Ocado) By @Cinabar

S'mores are a very American invention. The classic treat consists of a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate sandwiched between two biscuits, traditionally cooked over a campfire. British people tend to keep things a bit simpler, and are generally quite happy just to toast a marshmallow and eat it! This Marks and Spencer S'mores Ice Cream Sauce is inspired by those classic S'mores flavours.

I grabbed a scoop of vanilla ice cream and cracked open the bottle. One slightly random observation: the opening is surprisingly wide, so I assumed the sauce would be quite thick. It isn't. It's actually fairly runny, and I nearly ended up wearing it. Thankfully it all landed in the bowl, but if you're planning on pouring this over an ice cream cone, proceed with caution!

The flavour, though, is absolutely lovely. It's rich, intensely chocolatey and exactly the sort of thing I enjoy. There's a lovely sweetness that I assume is meant to represent the marshmallow, but the real highlight is the crunchy biscuit pieces scattered throughout. I love a bit of texture, so those little crunchy bits really made it for me.

I know it's supposed to capture the flavour of S'mores, but to me it mainly tastes like chocolate biscuits, and that's no bad thing. It may be marketed as an ice cream sauce, but I'm planning to pour it over strawberries next. Just because that's the kind of rebel I am.

M&S Marks And Spencer Rhubarb Gooey Middle Teacakes [@NLi10]

I love teacakes, and while Tunnocks are the default the ones I actually grew up on were the M&S versions because that's what my Grandma Evelyn bought.  We'd have all the varieties, especially those with jam in them, and because they are reviving these and have a whole range of luxury bag/boxes (with only 6 in) they deserved a pick up - even at service station prices. Behold the roof of our lovely blue car. 

And these are huge!  While it's hard to get scale I'd say these are 50% larger than a standard Tunnocks and much more similar to how I remembered them.  In terms of bites they are a par three.

That said - a Tunnocks is 24g so this is only 6g heavier even with the size difference - and I think that's because of the biscuit which here is quite light.

Consequently eating these in the back of a car was a messy affair and I didn't get a picture - and a box of 6 doesn't last long with 4 of us.

The jam didn't hit as much as I'd expected, but I could taste the rhubarb, and the mallow was very floaty and sticky.  The pack mentioned no meaty ingredients but didn't flag them as veggie which is a worrying trend.  Surely grown-ups don't get upset if something is veggie/halal ?

Eitherway these are ace.  And if I am near an M&S I'll be trying the whole range (I'll snap better pictures then - the service station was busy). 

Pago Pineapple (Caffe Corretto) By @SpectreUK

Okay, so Pago is not new and possibly not that interesting. However, I’ve never tried it before. We worked on my toy stall at Gloucester Quays all weekend. The toilet was half a mile away in a shopping centre. I had to keep popping into the nearest coffee shop, Caffe Corretto, to do my business, which was much closer.

Each time I went in the coffee shop to go, I bought a drink as I left, which in retrospect probably made the issue worse. Unfortunately they didn’t have the strawberry flavour Cinabar recommended. So, I tried this Pago Pineapple, as i love pineapple juice. It seems to be pretty much 100% pineapple juice and tasted superb. A proper thirst quencher over a hot weekend.

Green & Black's Organic Hazelnut and Currant 50% Dark Chocolate Bar (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Sometimes you just fancy a really good fruit and nut chocolate bar, and I decided to go all out with this posh Green & Black's Organic Hazelnut and Currant 50% Dark Chocolate Bar. It's essentially fruit and nut, right?

I opened the bar and immediately liked the packaging. It comes in a paper wrapper with foil underneath, which felt properly old school in the best possible way.

The aroma was rich and chocolatey, and I could already see plenty of hazelnuts packed throughout the bar.

The first taste was excellent. Although it's a 50% dark chocolate, it is still smooth, creamy and sweet enough to be approachable. There's a rich cocoa flavour with an almost floral edge that makes it taste a little more sophisticated than your average chocolate bar.

The hazelnuts are fairly finely chopped, so you get their lovely nutty flavour in every bite rather than huge crunchy chunks. The currants add little bursts of fruity sweetness that balance the richness of the chocolate really well.

Sometimes you just need a classic flavour done properly, and Green & Black's have absolutely delivered here.

Strawberry Candyfloss Frappé (McDonald’s) By @Cinabar

Oh my word, how cute is this McDonald’s Strawberry Candyfloss Frappé? I spotted it advertised in a service station and realised this was exactly the drink I needed as a little pick-me-up. When it arrived, it had an almost glitter-like topping, which sadly doesn’t show too well in the photo, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Full marks for cuteness!

I took a sip and was surprised to find it tasted like I was drinking a strawberry thick shake. Weird. It was lovely and sweet and fruity, but there was no obvious candy floss flavour, and it tasted suspiciously similar to their normal strawberry shake.

I decided to try the topping, and that’s where the candy floss flavour was hiding. The topping is thick and sugary, with that classic candy floss taste, but in a texture that reminded me a little of Angel Delight. It was delicious and definitely added the fun element I was expecting from the drink. 

Overall, it was exactly the pick-me-up I needed. Spectre had a black coffee. Each to their own!

Chaiiwala on the Road - Indian Streetfood Now In Service Stations?! [@NLi10]

 We have a Chaiiwala, it's at the top of the big hill by my house which prevents me from being a regular, but I have the app and I'm willing to make trips.  On the way back from Saltaire (pretty, near Bradford) we stopped at a fairly ordinary Roadchef services that's apparently at Sandbach.

It's always a disappointment to stop somewhere that doesn't have our favourite foods, or a farm shop.  So - imagine my glee when I see this little shed tacked on the outside.  So new that it's not on the google map, or the Chaiiwala app (no points!!) because it literally opened yesterday.  It's the second one in the country, apparently there is one at Watford Gap?

Being short on time and just wanting something small we had a samosa each - which is actually a first for me.  The wraps & bowls usually get all my attention.  At £1.75 a samosa it feels expensive if you are up Cape Hill, but at the motorway thats a steal.

Very crispy, kept warm in the heater thing.  No dip offered, but I'm very white so it wouldn't be expected that I'd know the wonders of the brown dip.

And it's fairly standard generous samosa inside.  Couldn't see the whole spices like the ones I like from the highstreet, but I could taste all the right things.  A few whole peas hiding at the bottom, good crust and big enough that you'd not want two unless it was a meal.

We had a car full of drinks and the father-in-law was paying so I didn't get us a round of karak chaii but maybe I should have just got a large one to share.

Overall - I'm not going to stop having the paratha wraps and the chaat bowls, but it's amazing to be able to get actual Indian streetfood at a dodgy services.  The plan is to roll these out UK wide, so I'm overjoyed.  Lots of similarly fanatical people to me were taking pictures to send to people who wouldn't believe that their choices are no longer Greggs or McD. 

McVitie’s Digestives Jaffa Cakes (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

This may mess with your minds. In the debate of whether Jaffa Cakes are biscuits or cakes, McVitie’s have bought out these Jaffa Cake Digestive Biscuits. I have been assured that no Jaffa Cakes were hurt during the making of these Digestive Biscuits.

These McVitie’s Digestives Jaffa Cakes actually smell like Jaffa Cakes. There is a layer of Jaffa orange like sticky caramel in between the Digestive Biscuit and chocolate topping. They taste like Chocolate Digestive Biscuits, and then that familiar moreish Jaffa orange goodness sets in at the back of the flavour. Definitely yum.

Information on the packet; Per biscuit is 80 calories, with 3.6g of fat, 5.2g of sugar, and 0.14g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.