Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Instant (Ocado) By @cinabar

It is almost September, and this marks the occasion of my first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, albeit in the form of an instant sachet. It still counts!

So, in honour of autumn, I opened up the box and gosh, it had a lot of air in it. There were only four sachets, so I checked to see if they had missed some, but no, that is all there is supposed to be. The Nescafé ones have seven or eight sachets, so this feels a little sad. The photo really does make the box look as empty as it felt!

I added the sachet, a quarter of the box, to my mug, and it mixed well with the hot water with no lumps. 

The flavour was gorgeous. I love these sorts of spices, so coffee with cinnamon and nutmeg is just divine. It is a proper autumnal drink: coffee, a touch of sweetness and warming spices. What could be more perfect?

Well, having more sachets in the box, I guess.

Minion Flavoured Sour Lemon Jammie Dodgers [@NLi10]

The latest minions movie - &monsters - was a love letter to cinema, it’s well worth a watch. And as expected there were tie in foods. Here we have - biscuits!

And sour lemon ones at that. But not too sour - that would break people 

Or is that the minions goal - to assume the shape of biscuits and terrorise everyone?

nah - they look harmless.

The biscuits are charmingly shaped and have a little variety too. A lovely touch,

And the jam is pretty lemony and pretty sticky. Nothing too amazing, but certainly decent,

I also had a matcha juice thing at Wagamama’s but it was basically apple juice with some tea sprinkled in. Boo.

 

Outrageously Chocolatey White Chocolate Coated Cookies & Cream (M&S) By @SpectreUK

I love white chocolate and I love biscuits. So, any idea combining the two seems like a great idea to me. These Outrageously Chocolatey White Chocolate Coated Cookies & Cream, does sound like a great idea too.

Apparently there is more than 50% of white chocolate in these Outrageously Chocolatey White Chocolate Coated Cookies & Cream. I didn’t know how much more than 50% of each cookie is white chocolate. Part of my childlike brain was thinking 99% white chocolate, 1% cookie, until Cinabar read the packet and pointed out there was 52% white chocolate.

On opening the packet these Outrageously Chocolatey White Chocolate Coated Cookies & Cream looked like white chocolate snow covered buildings. On first bite, “Holy, sh…” I was having a Hannah Waddington moment when she eats Ted Lasso’s biscuits.

These Outrageously Chocolatey White Chocolate Coated Cookies & Cream really are outrageously chocolatey. They taste like white chocolate cookie creamy heaven.

Once I bite through the thick layer of white chocolate, the cookie inside melted in my mouth and the whole thing ended up tasting like you’d expect a thick white chocolate building cookie cloud would taste like. Yummy. Pass me another.

Information on the packet; Each of the 6 cookies is 171 calories, with 9.5g of fat, 15.3G of sugar, and 0.11g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Nescafe Creamy Tiramisu Latte (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Oh my, it happened. We’ve reached autumnal drinks season! I did my online grocery order, and there were FIVE new flavoured coffees, with this Nescafe Creamy Tiramisu Latte being one of them! Obviously, given the season, one of them was also a pumpkin spice, but all five got ordered. I know I have a coffee problem, but let’s be honest, there are worse things. The other reviews will follow, but let’s get started with the Tiramisu Latte.

I opened the sachet and it smelled rich and sweet, with a touch of alcohol in the aroma. Think Irish Coffee. It mixed up really well, with no lumps, and had a nice-looking froth on top.

I took a sip and the flavour was very much the Marsala wine that gives Tiramisu its kick, along with some creamy vanilla. This went very well with the coffee, and it was full of flavour while being lovely and creamy too. It was a proper delight on a wet afternoon. Soothing, sweet and great for fans of Irish Coffee flavours.

Belmont Biscuits Mini Waffle Cones with Milk Chocolate - Aldi UK [@NLi10]

The last bite of the Cornetto ice-cream is said to be the best.  It's the remainder of the cone, filled with soft chocolate and any sauce that may have run down the inside or outside.  It's the headline act to the festival of summer.

And now you can have a whole bag of them to yourself!

I've seen these in a few places - best implemented by the Norwegian waffle crisps we had in 2013 on our visit that I still think about.

These however are much more faithful to the ice-cream cone experience - and they sell it as nostalgia and reminiscence, purely because Cornetto are no longer the premium ice-cream they once were.

As usual the bag is half full to protect them during transport and they all look pretty in-tact so it's worked here.  The bag reseals too which is a premium feature and very much appreciated.

And they are fairly unassuming - very full of the chocolate and a little harder than their Wall's counterparts.  And frankly - not quite as good.  I think that I'd put this down to nostalgia but we had Cornettos in Wells recently as part of a Hot Fuzz visit, and while smaller it all still worked.

Here I think that to make it work as a snack they added too much choc, and it's not soft enough.  It also doesn't have the ice-cream chill to it that the real thing does.  Besides, they put it in to stop the juices soaking through the cone (which was choc coated all the way down) so it had a function unlike these which are pure indulgence.

In the end then this is like buying the medal for a marathon you didn't complete off eBay, the real prize was always the Cornetto and that last bite just the last step.  So - worth a try?  Absolutely, but don't be surprised if you get tempted to pop to the freezer and have a bowl of ice-cream with these on top as an indulgent treat.  I'd ahve probably done the same if it wasn't absolutely pouring with rain today!

Salt & Black Pepper Mix (Waitrose) By @SpectreUK

Salt & Black Pepper flavoured crisps are one of my all time favourites. I can eat them with just about anything; on their own with a beer, or dipped in sauce, with a sandwich or any meal I’d usually have bread with.

We couldn’t get out to buy a French Stick today to have with our lasagne, as Cinabar has a cold. So, I suggested having these Salt & Black Pepper Mix from Waitrose. I was hoping for a bit of pepper spice with my lasagne, mushrooms and broccoli.

There was a mild saltiness on opening the packet of various potato crisp shapes. Some had more black pepper flavour than others, such as the waves and wagon wheels.

Although altogether this sharing party bag was pretty mild in salt and almost nonexistent in spicy black pepper flavour. Whereas I prefer my Salt & Black Pepper flavoured crisps with a bit more umph.

Information on the packet; The 150g bag contained 121 calories per 25g, with 5.7g of fat, less than 0.5g of sugar, and 0.51g of salt.

St Michael Coconut Grove (M&S) By @Cinabar

A week or so ago, I wrote about Sparks, one of the other M&S re-releases of old bars from the 1980s, in near-identical packaging to when they originally came out. Here we have Coconut Grove, and this one too looks wonderfully retro.

I did a little bit of searching on the internet to try and find what the original packaging looked like for this one, but I couldn’t find a photo, which is weird. There are loads of photos of retro Cadbury and Mars chocolates dating back multiple decades, so for this one we will have to take their word for it that the packaging is similar to the original.

Talking of similarities, this bar consists of a milk chocolate coating around a soft coconut filling. It is similar in concept to another well-known high street bar, and if you were to list the similarities, I’m sure they would be quite bountiful!

Anyway, the milk chocolate is lovely and thick and has a good bite, while the coconut filling is full of flavour. It is firm but not too much, with a sweet and creamy coconut taste. I really enjoyed it.

It has a lovely tropical taste, and I always feel coconut is a bit underused in British confectionery, so it is nice to have more choices on the shelves.

Oreo BTS Brown Sugar Pancake Flavour (Tesco) By @Cinabar

Oreo have joined up with BTS, the Korean boy band, to introduce these Oreo BTS Brown Sugar Pancake Flavour biscuits. The flavour is based on a popular traditional Korean sweet street food and sounded fab. The biscuits are also bright purple in colour, which is the official colour of the BTS fan community.

I opened the pack and they are seriously purple. They are very bright! The biscuits all feature BTS logos and designs, and I have to say this feels like a proper collaboration rather than just a new-flavoured Oreo. The aroma is lovely and sweet, with plenty of vanilla. Inside, there are two cremes: brown sugar and vanilla pancake.

I gave one a try and these hit my sweet tooth at full blast. The flavour is pure sugary goodness, with lots of vanilla and caramel. There are also little sugar crystals mixed in, just to make absolutely sure maximum sweetness has been achieved.

I have a sweet tooth, so I loved these, and they were perfect with the contrast of a coffee. I’m not entirely sure about the purple colour. I do love the colour itself, but food-wise it implies a berry flavour. Then again, if they had gone with pancake brown, we’d basically be back to the ‘Golden Oreos’, and that wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.

I can see these selling out fast, but in the sleepy end of town where I live, there was a full card display case of them. So, if you want to give them a try and can’t find them locally, it’s worth looking a little further afield.

Pokémon Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - Sainsbury's UK [@NLi10]

 Attention fellow trainers - Krispy Kreme's Pokemon range has now landed in the UK!  There are 6 flavours to choose from in America, but two of the colours are banned on the rest of the planet so we have one Starter, and two wild Pokemons and a regular ball.

And this is what they look like.

My store only had one of the boxes in stock - and I only got that because we happen to go to the store at the same time as the Krispy Kreme van every week to pick up Nanna's shopping.  I was tempted to take a picture of the guys stocking up - but I'm already struggling to beat the Team Rocket allegations by depriving kids of the lovely box...

Realistically though - the doughnuts themselves are available freely - for some reason the boxes are reselling on eBay already so it looks like people are swiping them. Madness. Mine is covered in grease and goo because we are humans so I think we shall keep it.

First up - Pikachu!  The most recognisable of all the Pokemans and only a starter in a few games after kids decided he was the best.

Lemon Sherbet Kreme is a good choice, sizzling electric flavours and lemony goodness to balance out the sheer sugar. 

Overall this is a hit.  They could keep this in the range and it'd sell. Not perfect, but pretty darn good.  Maybe a bit too gooey to cut open and share - just like a real Pikachu!

Next up - Jigglypuff! A pain of a wild Pokemon due to it's tendency to sing and put your team to sleep, but once caught great with Rollout & Pound

This is the Pink offering - and while it's just a basic glazed ring I thought that the pink bits were fun and I enjoyed them.  My partner detected an artificalness to them which she didn't like, but I was fine with it.

Solid but very much a special edition not a keeper.

The Pokeball is the same doughnut but with a white glaze and red sprinkles.

Oddly that little line of chocolate is the star, it just adds an extra dimension to it which would make me happy to have these as a change.

Next up we have my original 1998 starter - Charmander!  I had Pokemon Blue but chose this lad because I assumed you'd get them all eventually.  Oh how naive I was!

Inside it's the most interesting of all the flavours, both dolce de late and caramel, with the outside being a flavour of caramel and sparkle sugar - goodness!

A braver company would have put cinnamon on top and had this in first place, but as it stands it's a sophisticated little doughnut that doesn't earn it's fire-type and comes in 2nd to the Pikachu.

Over all - for £9 (with an odd 4p discount with the nectar card) it's not a bad offering - especially with the cute box that once cleaned and lined could hold pokemon cards or be sent to be graded.  A good treat and hopefully one that doesn't create too many family arguments over who gets the best one.

Love Lane Pale Ale (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I have fish and chips tonight. Not takeaway fish and chips from the local Chippy, but it’s Friday, so I’ll settle for the oven kind. I fancy a nice Pale Ale with my dinner. Something citrusy with a little sweetness.

I found this Love Lane Pale Ale in my cavernous beer fridge. At 4.3% in volume, it’s mix of Citra and Falconer’s Flight hops should give it a citrus, fruity and floral taste, with biscuit flavours and further fruitiness from the Golden Promise, Caramalt, Amber Malt, and Malted Wheat.

On opening the can there was a citrus herbal hop aroma, followed by sweet malts. On tasting this Pale Ale there was a crisp herbal and floral flavour, followed by a citrus bitterness, and then sweet caramel biscuit malts into the aftertaste. Very nice indeed with my oven fish and chips. Cheers.

MOMA Oat - Raspberry and Blonde Chocolate Drink (Ocado) By @Cinabar

I bought the MOMA Oat Raspberry and Blonde Chocolate Drink because I liked the sound of the flavour, rather than because I needed an oat-based alternative to regular milk. Basically, I'm all for a new milkshake flavour, and I don't mind what dairy or alternative milk it uses, as long as it sounds interesting. This is a summer limited edition.

I chilled the drink before pouring some into a glass. It isn't the pretty pink colour shown on the carton, but more of a beige colour, which made me check the use-by date (it was fine). The drink smelled okay too, but when the colour and smell don't quite match what you're expecting, you do start to worry.

I gave the drink a sip and found the flavour was good. It isn't too sweet, but there is a nice combination of berry and caramel, and mixed with the oat flavour, it tasted a bit like pink wafer biscuits, which is really nice.

I found it very easy to drink, and most of my tasting sips seemed to almost finish the glass, so I almost immediately needed a top-up, which is always a good sign. Definitely one I would buy again.

Schofferhofer - hefeweizen Bier - juicy pineapple [@NLi10]

 We got back from watching the eclipse, and I was a bit too hot and needed replenishing.  Behold! This can of Schofferhofer juicy pineapple - which is basically fruit juice and beer.

This is one of my cider style but beer outside drinking choices, but I'd never picked one up for home.  I got this because I've not seen the Pineapple one in bars.

It's interesting that they call it a drink and not a beer in the English blurb

My partner tried it though and said it was too beer-like.

For me - it's a light and fruity drink with beer-like flavours, and pineapple juice flavours, and it's a little fizzy and a little boozy but very refreshing.  It's totally a big can drink too, a small one of these would not suffice, 500ml is good.  

And while beer purists did not return my calls when I posted this in our chat I'm a big fan and will continue to drink these funny little German hybrid drinks 

Yew Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

Yes, you read the title correctly. This is Yew Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour. For my sins I have been hand picked to try this “Sparkling water with a splash of briny dill pickle, notes of fresh cucumber and a bright tangy finish.” Perhaps I didn’t step back quick enough in the line up.

Apparently this Yew Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour is all natural in its ingredients, has zero calories and zero sweetener. I mean, come on. I like pickled gherkins, but I wouldn’t drink the rest of the jar. Who does that? Who thinks of Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour anyway? Well, Yew did.

On opening the can, asides the fizz, it smells reminiscent of an empty jar of pickled gherkins. Apart from the super strong aroma of pickled dill and cucumber, you could probably fool someone into thinking that this is a glass of lemonade. Well, at least until they come within twelves metres of you and smell it.

On taste this Sparkling Water - Pickle flavour made my toes curl. There is an instant flavour of strong sour pickled dill and cucumber, with further sourness from the brine. Unfortunately this drink is not for me. With each sip it seemed to get stronger in flavour and sourness. I mean, I have to say it does what it says on the can. Well, replacing “bright tangy finish,” with “face twisting toe curling sourness,” anyway.

Toblerone Crispy Salted Caramel (Tesco) By @cinabar

I’m just going to say it, Toblerone are a little late to the salted caramel party. The flavour peaked a few years ago! Still, it is always a good flavour, so I was keen to try this Toblerone Crispy Salted Caramel. When I bought it at the till, the lady serving me said it was her new favourite, so that sounded positive. It is also available in a bigger, giftable size, but I picked up the smaller bar as it was just for me.

I opened the bar and broke a piece off. It was surprisingly soft and broke really easily. Now, it is warm today, but at around 22°C, it shouldn’t have been quite that soft. I was expecting a bit more of a snap, so that was slightly weird.

The flavour was fab, though. This chocolate bar is packed with crispy caramel pieces and salt, giving it a proper sweet and savoury mix. The salt really makes the flavour pop. They may be late to the party, but they absolutely nailed it.

The melting point was weird, though, so I put what was left in the fridge.

Last week, having chocolate melt at room temperature made sense because the whole country was basically melting too! But today, it really should have been a little more solid. Still, the flavour more than makes up for the slightly strange melting point.

Rhubarb and Custard Hot Chocolate (Whittard) By @cinabar

This Whittard Rhubarb and Custard is one of the brand’s new summer flavours of hot chocolate. As a fan of rhubarb and custard, count me in. The tub is very pretty and looks perfect for the season. I opened it up to find pale pink granules. I heated some milk and mixed them in, and the drink turned a lovely shade of pale pink.

I gave it a sip and found the rhubarb taste to be weirdly sharp, with a slightly artificial edge to it. It wasn’t quite zingy, but there was something about the flavour that didn’t quite work for me. The creamy custard taste was the saving grace, adding a much-needed boost of vanilla.

I usually love Whittard hot chocolates, and I currently have two other tubs on the go that I’m really enjoying. With my hot chocolate addiction, I’m certainly no stranger to their flavours! Sadly, this one is the first that has been just okay. I’ll get through the tub, but I was honestly thinking about adding sugar to it.

FIVE Guys Revisited - is it better value than KFC now? [@NLi10]

 There's a section of the fast-food-eating community that are still admamant that it's worth paying extra for FIVE GUYS over things like McDonalds and KFC and that it's comparable to Nando's and similar.  It usually costs £20 for a 'meal' (they don't do meals - no discounts for you!), and now FKC and McDonalds have snuck in luxury menus they can cost close to £20 too - so - which is the best value in 2026? 

First up we have a cup of chips.  This is not a sane choice, but it's what they go with.  I think it's because of the peanut oil or something - but it's a small portion.  Why is that...?

They tip the rest into your bag.  Now - this seems silly because these are the ones you'll want to eat first before they go cold.  They are protecting the burger for safety.

And what about the drink - they have a giant machine for that.

As ever - these seem to be malfunctioning.  One was off, and the working one put the flat tasting water everywhere.  I used the variations and options to try a Fanta Grape, non Sparkling.

This is me realising I just paid £4 for a cup of squash.  Luckily it's bottomless so I could have a 2nd drink and take it with me into the cinema - I chose a Coke, but it tasted very odd.  Not sure if it was grape residue or just that the machines proportions were thrown off by it being a sprinkler system.

Next up - the main event - a burger cooked your way with a choice of toppings.

They wrap them forcefully in foil to keep them hot, which means that they all look a bit like this.  Decently fresh ingredients, nice enough meat - but is this a £10 burger?

Overall this leaves me wondering why UK fast food places can't get the drinks right post sugar-tax.

Why pub burgers are so much better value and quality than burger place burgers.

And why chips always have to have a gimmick.

Overall I had a decent meal, I was full, and everything food based was decent enough.  I enjoyed the chips and the ability to have a decent amount of salad on the burger was nice.  The £16 KFC Naan Meal from last week was better value, but not really by much. That said - in KFC I can be full for £12 pretty easily.

Maybe I'm just not the teenage/student audience that these things are designed for (when I was 21 this place was still Birmingham's Hard Rock Cafe!) and I should be valuing the fact that I can eat it fast and get back to whatever the young people enjoy these days.  As it stands £20 would get you a slower, better meal at one of towns many many independent pubs, even if the ingredients aren't quite as flashy and the kitchen is probably more basic.