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.

Hellman’s Ranch Blue Cheese (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I had steak and chips the other night. Not only did I enjoy Two Scoops Honeycomb Ice Cream Stout, but I also enjoyed dipping my dinner into this new Hellman’s Ranch Blue Cheese.

Made with Buttermilk and Blue Cheese, this Hellman’s Ranch Blue Cheese went perfectly well with my steak dipped in it, as well as my chips and broccoli. I also had it with Colman’s English Mustard on a beef sandwich earlier today.

Hellman’s Ranch Blue Cheese tastes of creamy Blue Cheese without the earthy bite it often has. It seems to go well with anything, just like its other new counterpart, Hellman’s Buffalo Ranch, which I even tried on a tuna sandwich the other day. Yum.

St Michael Sparks Bar (Marks and Spencer) By @Cinabar

This St Michael Sparks Bar came from a multipack bag of mini bars labelled as a treat selection. Reading between the lines, there’s a chance this is an early release for the Halloween season, when mini bars become much more readily available. As we’re still in a heatwave, I really can’t think about autumn yet. I’m still keeping my chocolate in the fridge!

The bar is called Sparks, and I just love the retro 1980s-style packaging. It’s super cute. I did try to investigate whether they were bringing back an old bar, but I think they’re simply going for the retro look.

I bit into the bar and found milk chocolate, soft nougat and a thick layer of caramel. It was surprisingly similar to a Mars, which seems rather curious given Marks and Spencer’s previous complaints about Aldi producing a cake similar to their Colin the Caterpillar. Aldi’s response on social media was hilarious, but it does seem slightly ironic for M&S to launch a new chocolate bar that bears such a resemblance to a Mars. Curious times!

Putting the similarity aside, this bar was lovely. The chocolate was sweet, the caramel soft and thick, and the nougat had a lovely soft texture. It was a delight and a proper treat.

For me, this is the perfect afternoon chocolate to have with my coffee. And, thankfully, without a trick-or-treater in sight.

Mochi - Tiramisu & Creme from Royal Family [@NLi10]

 My nan loves a Tiramisu - I love weird snacks - this seemed like a decent combo.  But would it freak out a 99 year old to eat rice-balls?

They certainly look quite fluffy and fun

And while they are very exotic, they definitely only contain things she already likes.

They are individually sealed which I heartily approve of, less messy.

I wonder if the V means veggie - they do kind of look veggie from the ingredients.

And it was very easy to convince her that they are essentially 'Japanese marshmallows' but a bit heavier and with an odd texture 

They are pretty sticky inside - it took a chewing but she liked it - and kept one to eat later.

I was also a big fan of these - 12 in a pack (for £2.50) is a lot of one flavour - but they certainly will get finished.  I've promised a trip to the big store that has these to someone, so maybe I'll get to try more of them.

Two Scoops Honeycomb Ice Cream Stout (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, and especially in this weather. It’s baking hot outside and I’m cooking a big steak and chips for dinner. I like a stout with my steak. I found two stouts in my cavernous beer fridge. I decided to pick this one.

This Brewdog collaboration with Mackie’s of Scotland has come up with Two Scoops Honeycomb Ice Cream Stout. I love honeycomb ice cream. At 7% in volume, this milk stout has natural flavourings added in the brewing to produce its honeycomb flavour.

On opening the can there was a creamy sweet toffee aroma from the almost jet black liquid. Two Scoops Honeycomb Ice Cream Stout pours thick and dark. It had a creamy velvet texture with sweet honeycomb from the initial flavour right through to the aftertaste. There was a little bitterness in the middle from the hops, and sumptuous body from the oats and chocolate malts. Simply gorgeous.

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.