G Mochi Ice Cream - Pistachio version [@NLi10]

 I’d seen luxury versions of these in the Asian shops, and then Aldi had a suspiciously similar version for much cheaper - win!

These are pre-packaged little rice balls with ice-cream in the middle and not much else 

And you get 6 in a box, but each portion really is one unless you are having a big pudding.

They look quite mumified when frozen

But soon perk up at room temperature and in the heatwave didn’t melt until required.

And biting causes them to squish!

The outside is standard rice ball, and the inside is luxury pistachio ice cream and it works surprisingly well if you like slimy things.

Green luxury puddings for all, hurray!

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!

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.

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.

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.

RAW milk from the side of the road [@NLi10]

 We got stuck in a traffic jam, behind what looked like half a house and happened to pass a milk shed selling ice cream - the google blurb says.

Milk Shed based at Caenby Corner with self serve vending machines selling ice cream, raw milk, milkshakes and hot drinks!

Because every one had a similar idea there were some queues and confusion because of so many new people using the touch screen machines 

As I’m immunocompromised from my meds I wasn’t prepared to risk ‘raw milk’ especially as we had 3 hours in a hot car to go, but I could happily justify a pasteurised ice cream from the other machine

The choice was pot of ice cream for £3 or no ice-cream, so I went for option one and added some red sauce.

And it was lovely and cold. I think it lacked a little of the sweetness of Mr Whippy,  but it was a very welcome option.

The family we were dropping off had chocolate milkshake and milk, which should be fine with the little cool bag. I’m not sure why raw milk would be more appealing to people than fresh milk - I’ve drank both on my families dairy farm back in the 90s to the degree where there is sometimes grass floating in it, but that might have been Uncle Bert messing with the townies.

Twix Ice-cream and Eurovision 2026 [@NLi10]

A half time icecream at the theatre is important, and when watching spectacle TV at home it's nice to have the equivalent.

For Eurovision 2026 which I watched at home I decided to pick up Bounty & Twix Ice-creams from Iceland to see how they'd changed over the years.

At the half-way point I had the Twix.  One finger which kind of misses the branding, but a decent size one.

And inside is a tunnel with caramel and biscuit balls.  Flo in the background is only interested in the ice-cream.

Overall it was a decent choc-ice with a few added extras to keep it interesting.

The bounty had less coconut than I remember from my youth, but was essentially just a bar shaped choc-ice (I had that as the songs finished)

The show was decent too, and the bad guys didn't win which is always a bonus.  Hope it's still around next year!

 

Jude’s Chocolate Guinness Cake Ice Cream (Marks & Spencer’s) By @SpectreUK

I do love a good stout, and Guinness is definitely iconic in the world of stouts. I also love a good chocolate ice cream. Someone at Jude's must have thought the same thing, and decided they wanted both at the same time. I'm purely guessing that's how this Jude’s Chocolate Guinness Cake Ice Cream was born.

The description on the back of the tub states this Jude’s Chocolate Guinness Cake Ice Cream is; chocolate ice cream infused with Guinness stout, as a homage to Guinness Cake. You get an award when you open the top of the tub, which states, "Bravo. Congratulations, you've just made the best decision of your day."

On first taste there was a rich dark chocolate flavour, followed by the flavours of Guinness stout, especially strong on malted barley. There were also tiny pieces of chocolate cake in with the ice cream. It was strangely moreish, especially with squirty cream on the side, and a couple of Cadbury's chocolate bars to accompany it after dinner. Cheers.

Iceland Caramel Flavoured Squirty Cream (Iceland) By @SpectreUK

You may have noticed me mention how much I like ice cream. I have ice cream for pudding most nights. In fact, I probably have too much ice cream, if there is such a thing. I have what I call a 'child's portion' of ice cream. Not one of those restaurant child portions they do for little kids. A child's portion of ice cream a child would likely serve itself.

Anyway, to top it off, literally, I like squirty cream. This Iceland Caramel Flavoured Squirty Cream does taste of sweet caramel and certainly was creamy. It went very well on top of my raspberry ripple, just as well as it went on top of a hot chocolate. A very nice change from regular squirty cream.

Movie Night Ice Cream (Aldi) by @Cinabar

I always have to look at the ice cream section in the supermarket. It is a bit like hot chocolate, in that they are things I will eat all year, despite supermarkets thinking they are seasonal. I spotted this Movie Night Ice Cream with the green “I’m New” label and thought it sounded perfect, especially as we are watching Jurassic Park tonight.

The Movie Night element relates to the snacks you might have on a movie night, but wonderfully built into the flavour. There is toffee popcorn and milk chocolate coated salty pretzels, along with toffee sauce and a toffee base ice cream. It sounds so good.

I opened it up and scooped some out for each of us. It was not too bad to serve, although we did let it stand for a few minutes before digging in. The main flavour is a rich, sweet and creamy toffee taste that works really well. The caramel sauce mixed through is yummy and intense, a proper treat when you get a spoonful. The pretzels and popcorn make the ice cream interesting to eat, adding a bit of savoury flavour and, of course, my favourite thing, texture.

This ice cream was absolutely divine. The only criticism is that the tub was kind of small and I wanted more.

American Screwball Dessert (Hickory’s) By @Cinabar

We’ve been going to Hickory’s a little more often than usual recently, as it’s one of our favourite restaurants. They’ve just launched their Autumn/Winter menu, and the Gumbo is back, always a highlight. It’s a hearty stew with sausage, chicken, rice, and beans, and it’s a firm favourite of ours. It returns every year and never disappoints.

We don’t usually order dessert, but today we decided to make an exception when I spotted the American Screwball on the menu. When it arrived, it looked fantastic, ice cream covered in red and blue sauce, with white marshmallows completing the colours of the American flag.

A British ice cream Screwball usually hides a gobstopper at the bottom, but this version didn’t. Instead, it featured plenty of fro-co (frozen custard, or vanilla ice cream) and lots of marshmallows, which made it fun to eat. The red sauce was fruity, while the blue had a more tangy, sour edge. I suspect the blue colour might have come from melted sprinkles, though I can’t be sure. Either way, it was bright, cheerful, and very enjoyable.

By the end of the dessert, I realised my tongue was blue, which made me laugh. It’s nice to be reminded you’re still young at heart sometimes!

Mr Kipling Caramel Tart Ice Cream (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I usually associate new ice creams with the summer season, but we still enjoy them in autumn and winter. This one is from Mr Kipling and is based on one of his classic desserts: the Caramel Tart.

I have to admit, I don’t often buy caramel tarts. It’s not that I don’t like them, I’m just usually swayed by apple pies or mince pies instead. I have had them though, and they are lovely.

This ice cream is mostly caramel, which feels like a recipe for success, it’s one of those flavours that most people enjoy. It also includes caramel sauce and pastry pieces throughout, which give it that proper tart and pastry feel.

The tub isn’t too big, but when we opened it up, it scooped easily after a couple of minutes at room temperature. The ice cream has plenty of goodies mixed in, the sauce and pastry bits, which keep it interesting. The combination of textures works nicely, and the caramel base flavour is sweet, rich and full of that lovely burnt sugar taste.

It was an absolute delight, and I’m now thinking a scoop of this on a hot apple pie might just be the perfect autumn dessert. I really need to give that a try.

G - Pink Lemonade & Popping Candy Aldi Magnums [@NLi10]

 Familiar looking branding and shape goes a long way in the supermarket - here we have an ice-cream emblazoned with an initial letter - G - is it a Gamnug?

No - It's the Aldi version of the lovely white choc popping candy Pink Lemonade Magnum - known only as G.  It's cheaper and looks tasty

They come individually wrapped in clear wrappers and if you were not that familiar with the real deal, these look basically the same.

The insides are a little less complex, but the outsides still have that familiar summer buzz.  Perfect for sitting under a blanket in November 

Flo seemed interested so it must have a decent amount of dairy in there along with the sugar and such

An enjoyable treat and perfect for both summer and autumn.  Hopefully they continue to copy more of the popular ices to try at home.

Nutella Ice Cream (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I couldn’t resist picking up this Nutella Ice Cream from Iceland, the packaging alone caught my eye. It comes in a cute cardboard tub designed to look just like a proper Nutella jar, only bigger. It’s a fun nod to the iconic spread, and I love that it’s made from recyclable material too.

The tub suggests leaving the ice cream out for a few minutes before serving, but honestly, it wasn’t too hard to scoop even if you’re not patient. Inside, the ice cream is a full-on Nutella experience, rich chocolate and hazelnut flavour, with generous swirls of actual Nutella running through it. On top there’s a layer of Nutella that sets solid, almost like a thick chocolate shell, which might be why they recommend letting it soften a little before digging in.

The flavour is spot on. Every spoonful is pure Nutella heaven, creamy, nutty, chocolatey, and indulgent. The swirls of real Nutella make it extra sweet and moreish. It’s the kind of dessert that makes you feel like a big kid again, eating Nutella straight from the jar with a spoon. I went back for seconds, and I’ll definitely be buying another tub. This one’s a keeper.

Kelly’s Millionaires Shortbread Ice Cream (Iceland) By @Cinabar

Kelly’s is a brand I always associate with Cornish cream, and this tub proudly carries that badge. The difference here is the packaging, it’s not in the classic rectangular tub I usually expect from Kelly’s, but a smaller, rounder one more in line with what you’d see from Ben & Jerry’s. That instantly sets the tone, because this isn’t just plain ice cream, it’s packed full of extras.

The base ice cream is wonderfully creamy, with that signature shortbread flavour running through it. What really makes it, though, are the generous add-ins. There are ribbons of rich caramel sauce, crunchy shortbread pieces, and plenty of chocolate chips scattered throughout. I was impressed that the shortbread pieces kept their crunch, which made them really stand out against the smooth ice cream. The chocolate bits gave a nice extra bite too, making the texture varied and fun.

The caramel sauce was thick, sweet and indulgent, bringing everything together into a proper millionaires shortbread experience. It’s one of those tubs where you find yourself going back for “just another spoonful” until you realise you’ve eaten a lot more than you meant to. Overall, this is a really enjoyable and indulgent ice cream, and a great twist from Kelly’s. Definitely worth picking up from Iceland if you’re a fan of sweet, loaded ice creams.

Minecraft Ice Creams (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I’m definitely starting to think I should have tried these ice creams before the change in weather. We seemed to move very quickly from lovely warm days to me digging out jumpers to keep warm.

These new ice creams are blocky, as you’d expect from something Minecraft inspired. They have a green vanilla layer, a cocoa layer, and another vanilla section with blue “crystals” (crispy rice coated in blue). The Minecraft styling is spot on. Even without the packaging, it’s obvious these are based on the Minecraft world. I was actually pleased that the green section was more muted in colour than the box suggested. On the pack it looked like it was going to be a very bright grass green, but in reality it wasn’t garish at all.

The vanilla sections were creamy and sweet, nothing too exciting but pleasant enough. The blue crystals added a light crunch, broke up the texture, and looked fun, though they didn’t really add any flavour. The cocoa section had a stronger chocolate taste that was very nice, still smooth and creamy.

These lollies are clearly aimed at kids, and that’s probably why the flavours are so simple and easy going. The appearance and theming are great, but I do think they could have pushed the flavours further, especially for us big kids who still enjoy playing video games.

McVitie’s Hobnobs Ice Cream (Iceland) By @cinabar

I know summer feels like it’s winding down, but I still have new ice creams to explore. This one really caught my attention, Hobnobs Ice Cream. I love the idea of turning a classic biscuit into an ice cream flavour.

I ordered it online with my grocery shop and, I’ll be honest, I’d hoped the tub would be bigger. It’s quite a small pot, but it looks great with the full Hobnobs branding. Inside, the ice cream is biscuit-flavoured with a golden syrup sauce swirled through as an added bonus. The ice cream was fairly firm straight from the freezer, but there were plenty of biscuit pieces mixed in and a generous amount of sauce. From the first spoonful my sweet tooth was in heaven. The base flavour is creamy, oaty, and unmistakably Hobnobs biscuit, it tastes properly indulgent. Then you get a hit of that golden syrup swirl and it becomes truly divine. Maybe the smaller tub is a blessing in disguise, this is so moreish that portion control is definitely needed.

If you’re a Hobnobs fan, this ice cream is an absolute must-try.

Ice Cream of the Gods (Hotel Chocolat) By @SpectreUK

Ice Cream of the Gods sounds a bit big headed to me. After all, what will the master of all ice cream cones Mr Whippy say?

On a recent trip to Shrewsbury we passed by a Hotel Chocolat. Cinabar wanted to try their ice cream. It was a reasonably decent summers day, so we decided to eat in.

I tried the traditional raspberry sauce on mine, whereas Cinabar chose salted caramel. There was quite a zing to the raspberry sauce, and I enjoyed the Hotel Chocolat stick in the ice cream in place of the traditional Flake.

Made with Jersey Milk and Cream, the ice cream was creamy bliss, and is the first to be infused with pure cacao nibs. I also liked the waffle cone too, and the ice cream didn't melt through the base, as it sometimes does. It was quite cool in the shop though, and it looked like rain outside, so I guess that helped too.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking, Hotel Chocolat ice cream called, Ice Cream of the Gods, would be super expensive. Actually my ice cream cost just under a regular ice cream van price at £3.45, and was gorgeous. So, next time you pass by a Hotel Chocolat on a hot day, or maybe even if it looks like rain, give it a try. It'll make you feel Divine.

Haagen Dazs - Peach & Raspberry Ice Lollies (Ocado) By @Cinabar

With all the heat we’ve been having, I couldn’t resist picking up some new ice creams to try. These Haagen Dazs Peach & Raspberry Ice Lollies caught my eye, I love fruity flavours, so I was keen to give them a go.

There are three lollies in the box, each individually wrapped in bright, colourful packaging. When I opened one, I was struck by how pretty it looked. The lolly has a white chocolate coating, decorated with pieces of freeze-dried raspberry, and a lovely mix of colours.

My first bite was mostly white chocolate, which gave way to the centre, a two-part filling of peach ice cream and raspberry sorbet. The sorbet is the standout here, it’s sharp, tangy, and seriously refreshing in the hot weather. The peach adds a more mellow, sweet layer, perfectly balancing the punchy raspberry. The white chocolate is absolutely delicious, creamy and smooth, with the raspberry pieces adding a nice texture.

These ice lollies are seriously good. I love the combination of strong fruit flavours with the creamy ice cream and chocolate. They’re perfect for a hot summer’s day.