Chupa Chups Stranger Things Lollipops (Co-Op) By @Cinabar

I’m loving this Stranger Things and Chupa Chups crossover. Even the logo on the bag looks like it’s from the Upside Down. The packaging features a Demogorgon front and centre, and I picked these up specially to hand out to Trick or Treaters.

The flavours are presented as a mystery, with themed names to match. There’s a blue one called Mind Flayer, a red one called Code Red, a black one called Vecna’s Layer, and a purple one called Demogorgon. I went for the black lolly first and was pleased to find it was cola flavoured, a nice surprise. A look at the back of the pack reveals the flavours are actually the usual mix of things like cherry and raspberry, so it’s the names and packaging doing the heavy lifting on the theme.

They’re not particularly spooky once you start eating them, but the branding is great fun and perfect for Halloween. I’ll be keeping most of them for the Trick or Treaters, but if there are any left over, I’ll happily finish them off myself.

Hope you’ve got your seasonal sweets ready - have a fantastic Halloween! 🎃

Jedburgh Abbey & a McSween Haggis Burger [@NLi10]

 We went across the border to Scotland for the day while we were in Northumberland - to Jedburgh - because we wanted a look round the ruined abbey.

It's a great little town with a lot to offer during the high season, but as Halloween approaches it gets a little spooky, and the hot chocolates call.

We popped into a little gift shop & cafe and decided that the national delicacies should be enjoyed

My partners hot-chocolate was stacked with choc orange pieces that flipped the cream upside down and melted lovingly into the drink

I had a perfectly ordinary burger...

Not so! It's an Angus burger with McSween haggis piled on top!

We know them form back in the days when we got sent PR guff - I used the tote bag they sent me for years! No idea where that's hiding now.

The veggie haggis was my favourite, and we still buy that on occasion - but the meaty one was a bit of a large person for one person to make it through in time.  So having a portion while out was a nice treat - it's mostly oats and good things... 

This was one heck of a lunch and I didn't need to eat until we were back across the border - a great (if not a bit heavy) hearty meal for the cold days.

Booom Vampire (Pound Stretcher) By @SpectreUK

Halloween is just a couple of days away and I found some weird looking Vampire themed sweets. Apparently they are extra sour gum by Fini. What's more is that once they have twisted your face from their sourness, they make your mouth go blue.

There is a Fini sour Booom Challenge on the back of the packet, which encourages you to try six sweets at a time. I decided to try just one to begin with, in case I didn't like them.

On first taste there was a super sour blueberry flavour that made my face twist and turn. I sucked the sweet like a wanton vampire before chewing the rest. There was a little gum flavour, but it certainly didn't feel like chewing gum when I swallowed the brittle fragments down. The sourness was pretty scary for the first few seconds though, and my tongue is still blue three hours later.

Information on the packet; The 65g packet had 344 calories per 100g, with 0g of fat, 73g of sugar, and 0.2g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Galaxy Green Hot Chocolate (Home Bargains) By @Cinabar

When I grabbed this, I was convinced it was a Halloween special. The reality? It’s not flavoured, no mint, no pistachio, just plain white hot chocolate coloured green. Look closely at the packet and you’ll see… nothing spooky, nothing pumpkin-y, nothing hinting at a witch’s brew. So why green? Who knows. I’m rolling with it as a Halloween drink, even if I’m clearly stretching the theme.

This is instant hot chocolate, so it’s easy to make. I put four heaped teaspoons into my mug. The powder looked pale and a little boring, but the moment it hit the hot water, it transformed into a vibrant green drink. No lumps, easy to mix, very Instagram-ready… if only the tub itself matched the colour drama.

Taste-wise? Meh. The colour is fantastic, but the flavour is mild, white chocolatey, with a hint of… something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Flat? Slightly cardboard-ish? Honestly, just a little underwhelming. I suspect a bigger mug might need an extra spoon of powder, or a splash of syrup to save it. On its own, it’s green and cheerful, but it’s not exactly thrilling. Still, it’s a fun little Halloween experiment, if nothing else.

Halloween Doughnuts (Krispy Kreme) By @Cinabar

It’s that time of year again, the Halloween decorations are up, and we’ve started our annual marathon of horror films. After a weekend of two comic cons, we stopped at a service station on the way home and couldn’t resist treating ourselves to a couple of Krispy Kreme’s seasonal doughnuts.

First up is Howl-O-Ween, the chocolatey one in the photo. This is a classic chocolate ring doughnut, neatly decorated for the season with a spooky screaming face. The flavour is familiar but delicious, and the festive design makes it feel extra indulgent.

The second doughnut is Pumpkin Spicemare, the one that looks like a pumpkin. The orange icing and pumpkin face are spot on for the season, and the flavour inside is something a little different, pumpkin spice cream. The filling is packed with warming spices, rich and comforting, and works perfectly with the sweet icing on top.

Both of these were a real treat after a busy weekend. I heartily recommend grabbing them while you can, Krispy Kreme’s Halloween range is as short-lived as a ghostly apparition, but every bit as delightful.

We’re not done haunting the snack aisle just yet, check back tomorrow for another spooky Halloween find!