New KFC Zinger Ricebox (@KFC_UKI) [By @Cinabar]

Kentucky  Fried Chicken is a fast food chain famed for its chicken and chips combo. Various coated joints of chicken and burgers and wraps etc, but usually all served with chips. The new item on the menu is a step away from this, and instead combines rice with their coated chicken; and some salad too.
The Ricebox is summery, its lighter feeling and the added salad makes it appear healthier too. It does seem odd to launch it at this time of year, when the summer is ending and the weather is starting to make us think of comfort eating. I think it is nice lunch alternative and picked one up with Spectre, although he had his usual variety meal.
When I ordered the Ricebox I was asked if i'd like a side, and for a minute I though the lady serving meant chips, but there were different options, I chose some baked beans.
The packaging of the Ricebox is quite smart and reminiscent of american style take away boxes. In side the Ricebox was a large KFC coated chicken breast on a bed of tex mex rice, bean salsa and salad and a hefty does of mayo based sauce. Actually mine had far more sauce than the pretty but thin and neat drizzle on the menu board photo. Underneath all that sauce it was difficult to spot that the chicken was pre-sliced, which is just as well as eating a fully loaded chicken breast with a spork would have been a challenge!

I have to admit I found this to be an ideal lunch, the chicken was lovely and spicy, and the sauce was pleasingly cooling. The rice was really good and warmly spiced too, with the bean salsa adding a fab extra tang. The salad was cool and crunchy and added a nice layer of depth to the textures. I’ve discovered, bizarrely through writing at Foodstuff Finds, that I love variations of texture in my food and this totally nailed that. Every bite was different, be it the chicken or the salad or the rice. The Mexican spices left my mouth with a nice chilli buzz and I found myself scraping every last grain of rice up with my spork. Heaven! I hope this is here to stay to be honest, I’m a big fan of these new Riceboxes.
The KFC Ricebox is also available in Original flavour, if you don’t like too much spice, but also a vegetarian option with corn on the cob.

By Cinabar

Choc Affair - Peach & Raspberry White choc, Bergamot Dark Choc [by @NLi10]

While we were exploring the lovely huge farm shop recently we found a few interesting finds, top of the list being these two chocolate bars.  I know I can get choc affair more locally, but I'd never seen such a wide range and really fancied these two.

First up we have the Peach & Raspberry in creamy white chocolate.  I wasn't entirely sure how the peach would go with this, but like recent lemon chocolate bar explorations these all went really well. Probably my favourite of the two - and when shared around the one that the went the fastest.

Its got quite a light flavour, quite sweet and with less bits in than my normal preferred chocolates but I'd buy this again, and haven't taken it in to work - instead choosing to guard it jealousy and eat in secret.

The bergamot sounded like a fun idea - earl grey chocolate is essentially what this is.  It's got no bits to speak of, just a delightful blend of very dark chocolate and the fruity notes of the bergamot.  This is far more of a savouring chocolate than a snacking chocolate, and a couple of chunks per sitting is perfectly adequate.  I may take this one in to work so that others can sample it's delightful sophistication.

Choc affair is a brand that is yet to let us down, and always produces flavours that are interesting enough to seek out and pick up as impulse buys.  As ever the packaging is suitably luxuriant so these would be suitable as small thank-you gifts and a little more personalised than the usual box of chocolates with centres. 

Knock 'em Back Beer (Cosford Food Show, Golden Valley Brewery) [By @SpectreUK]

Some may recall that I was dragged to my first food show which was held a few weeks ago at Cosford Air Museum. I'd managed to look around most of the museum by the time Cinabar called me over with the promise of free booze. Amongst the beers and ciders I picked up was this bottle of Knock 'em Back from the Golden Valley Brewery in Hereford. This premium bitter is their tribute to hard working country folk. I can't quite claim to be hard working at the moment, but I have been slowly editing my almost completed dissertation today and after recently applying to hundreds of jobs I've finally bagged an offer and accepted a role in my future career. In a couple of years of on the job training I'll hopefully become a fully chartered surveyor. I guess I'll be requiring plenty of 'real beer' during and after that time, so without further ado I opened the bottle. This golden ale had an instant malty bitterness from the well merged malts and hops that pounced on my tastebuds straight away, and lips-smackingly so right through to the aftertaste. I could really get the feel of drinking a full-bodied tasty strong real ale brewed traditionally for traditional country folk. A real treat for a townie such as I who doesn't venture out to the country pubs enough. Maybe I should take drive out there and find a good country pub to have a ploughman's lunch and a strong ale to wash it down with? For now I'll rather enjoy this real ale in the comfort of suburbia.

Information on the bottle;

500ml at 5% volume. Ingredients included; malts, barley, hops, water and yeast (usual stuff then...).

By Spectre

New Toasted Marshmallow Chocolates (Thorntons) [By @Cinabar]

Thorntons have got some new chocolates out for the autumn. They are all named after sweet treats and are available either in individual bags or as part of some of the box sets. The flavours are; Toffee Apple, Candy Floss and these milk chocolate Toasted Marshmallow truffles. Reviews of all three will be following shortly.

First up are the Thorntons Toasted Marshmallow chocolates. Inside the bag are seven milk chocolate coated marshmallow sweets, each with a sprinkling of coconut. The chocolate shell case on each of these truffles is quite thick and this does dominate the flavour. Marshmallow is a delicate combination of sugar and vanilla. Originally the recipe used to use the mallow flower, but that isn't included in many modern or commercial versions of these sweets anymore. That means that the distinctive feature of marshmallow ends up being the vanilla base and the texture. Sadly these chocolates don't quite have the texture either as they are slightly firmer and less squidgy than actually marshmallows. What you are left with is a pleasing sweet vanilla truffle with a chocolate and coconut coating. Tasty yes, but not quite living up to expectations.

By Cinabar

Klopsy w sosie pomidorowym/pieczeniowym (Polish meatballs) [by @NLi10]

I am overjoyed when I find exciting Polish things to review - even using my rare and appropriate diet breaks to do so.  Here we see meatballs and sauces to try. I probably didn't need to buy both, but sometimes it's easier than making a decision in the shop (Asda).

This is what they serve it like

This is my more realistic version! 

On a bed of waitrose pasta and bad kitchen lighting the tomato sauce looks much browner than it actually was. Granted it's not the bright red sugar sauce that Heinz raised us Brits on... I found the meatballs to basically be the flavour of ravioli centres, which meant with the red sauce and pasta it was a really pleasant dish. A decent size for one person too. Not quite a startling revelation of earthy flavours like I was hoping but a good solid meal.

A few days later I tried the gravy version

This time with vitamins!

I preferred this sauce, but only a little, I think that the overall flavours worked better. Was more like an IKEA meatball in gravy dish (incidentally the IKEA meatballs are much better quality but do have a smell that unnerves the vegetarian in my house and attracts the cats).

Of the two I'd probably pick up the second given the choice, but I was expecting something closer in wow factor to the Look What I Found range so was a little disappointed. If you want giant ravioli centres in a Euro style sauce then these are good.