Super Zeros Carb Rebel - Apple & Cinnamon - Pro Cereal, High Protein Low Sugar by @NLi10

 

The kind people at Super Zeros sent me a little care package of cereals this weekend so I made a little video opening it (you don't need to watch it if your more a text kind of person).  Inside were two boxes of their new cereal and a few surprises.

I've decided to split the review into the two different flavours so I can try them for a while and see how I get on - after all this isn't just food - it's science!

They don't make lots of dubious claims on this one though - just that it's lower in sugar and higher in protein.  That's pretty refreshing. They haven't even amped up the superhero angle too much (else like the RNLI 'life-saver' tea they might have to pop a disclaimer on the box)

The balls are fairly interesting looking - and they certainly smell like cinnamon and apple.  I guessed the portion size and popped them in the newly provided bowl.

With a few left over blueberries of course - vitamins and sweetness all in one.

Using almond milk makes it even more healthy right? And eco friendly too! 

Both cats are still convinced the bowl is for them though!

So - the cereal? How does it hold up.

Well - it's certainly different.  Unlike carb based cereals it didn't really go soft - I mean at all.  This meant that (without blueberries) it'd be one texture for the whole bowl.  While that's not all that exciting, it wasn't really a problem.  I have a cupboard full of things to mix it with to add pizzazz. 

The smell and taste are the same as the pre-milk test, both fantastic.  I'm still looking forwards to eating more of these - and unlike a lot of cereals the flavour didn't just wash off.

Most importantly it's filling - if you are looking for a simple breakfast that will keep you sorted til lunchtime then this works well.  And while I'm not sure I need epic amounts of protein this is a pretty innocuous way to start the day off with a boost.

The cereal was still a little dry though, and like puffed up crisps the texture takes a little getting used to.  It really is a whole new kind of breakfast experience.  I'll eat these for a while (trying a few non-dairy milk pairings like an early morning wine list) and see how I get on and likely report back with the chocolate version.

All in all - a cautious success.  If you are after more cinnamon breakfast cereals and to reduce your morning sugar intake (more on that in the video) then these could be exactly what you've been looking for.

Sandringham Beers Queen’s Jubilee By @SpectreUK

It's the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. After 70 years of service she has reigned longer than any other monarch in the UK. I was bought a boxset of Sandringham Beers a little while back and thought I'd save them for this occasion.

Norfolk brewed these two Sandringham Beers were produced from crops grown on the Sandringham Estate. The Sandringham Estate Is a wildlife reserve with pheasants, hares, owls and other species living in the surrounding forest and farmland. Barsham Brewery created Best Bitter and Golden IPA using Organic Laureate Spring Barley. Cold filtered three different hops were used in the brewing of both beers.

Golden IPA is 5% in volume and was deep golden in colour. There was a fine herbal hop aroma on opening the bottle followed by sweet malted barley. On taste this Golden India Pale Ale had a biscuit sweetness to start with from the malted barley, followed closely by a bite of herbal hops and then pale malt into the aftertaste. This rather flavoursome ale went very well indeed with my Harry Ramsden's fish fingers and chips. I'd certainly recommend it.

Friday Bank Holiday seemed like a good day for a MacDonalds takeaway. So I decided to have a Triple Cheese Burger with extra bacon, and fries on the side. This rather posh Best Bitter is 4.3% in volume. It seemed like overkill on a burger meal, but burger, chips and beer usually goes well together. On opening the bottle there was a strong toasted bread aroma of sweet malted barley. This light brown bitter has sweet caramel flavoured malts running right through it, with a mild herbal bitterness from the added hops in the midst of all those sumptuous malts. Gorgeous. Perfect with a burger an chips or just a bag of pork scratchings or Ready Salted crisps. Yum.

So, congratulations Queenie, and I hope you have quite a few more years under your belt.

Collection of Corgis - Milk Chocolate (Marks and Spencer) By @Cinabar

Today marks 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II being on the throne, which is an epic achievement. What better way to celebrate than eating some milk chocolate corgis in her name. Corgis are the queen’s favourite breed of dog, she has several, and they have become symbolic of her here in the UK.

This Milk Chocolate Collection of Corgis from Marks and Spencers looked like something nice to have with a hot drink while watching some of the celebrations on the TV. I have to admit I was impressed with the detail in the designs on these chocolates. I loved that one of the corgis even had a Union Jack.

In terms of flavour, these are just smooth milk chocolate blocks, they are a good quality chocolate with nicely defined cocoa flavour and just the right level of sweetness. I do like a themed novelty chocolate so I think these hit the mark for the jubilee celebrations. They brought a smile and were lovely with a hot chocolate, so they did their job perfectly. Hope everyone is enjoying the extra days off?

Lovely Jubilee! Tea and Muffins with the Queen ('s 70th celebrations) by @NLi10

Happy free Bank Holiday to Englanders - let us celebrate the Queen being The Queen for 70 years.  It's longer than any of us will get to (or have to) do anything! Considering most people get to retire at 65 years of age, doing the actual job for longer than that puts us to shame.  My waving hand would be in agony by now!

Lots of products have been released to coincide with the Jubilee - most deciding that Corgi's should be eaten rather than effigies of her maj.  The lovely people at the best normal tea company PG Tips wisely put them on the box.  I'd have quite liked a commemorative plastic toy like the olden days but times have changed.

Maybe there will be tea cards inside?!

Nope - just some clip art corgis.  And the calorific information.

Deep down though it's just proper, hardworking PG sourced from abroad to fill a gap in the British market, like the Royal Family themselves!

I ended up in Serenity Cafe today (Bearwood Highstreet - fairly basic but good grub) and they had decorations on the tables!

I had an English Muffin to celebrate (with tea - but harder to photo that in a crowded restaurant) - bacon and egg.  It's what The Queen would have wanted.

Long may she reign over us, unless she's bored and wants to let Charlie have a go - that'd be cool too.  I think the Royal's are excellent for tourism, and as the Medieval equivalent of reality TV stars are pretty good at encouraging people to visit the UK and spend money (and emigrate here with all their lovely foods to stuff and find).

So I don't begrudge her a weekend party after all the lovely things we've got in return, but I'm still not watching any of it deliberately.

Nestle Kit Kat Lotus Biscoff (Candy Mail) By @SpectreUK

I love Lotus Biscoff biscuits. I love their spicy crunchiness with a good cup of tea. I love Nestle Kit Kats. So you'd think I'd love them both together. However this tiny Nestle Kit Kat Lotus Biscoff chocolate bar is packed full of calories.

Now I know most people don't calorie count. A lot of people on diets cut out all the snack foods such as crisps and chocolate, biscuits and cakes, but I like my balanced diet and limiting my calories to try to match the huge amount of exercise I do. I have to treat myself, otherwise just eating lettuce gets me seriously down.

So what's my problem, you may ask? Well, these Nestle Kit Kat Lotus Biscoff chocolate bars are tiny at 93 calories. A Kit Chunky, where I feel like I'm eating a real thick chocolate bar (because I am) is 203 calories. Whereas a Lotus Biscoff biscuit is 37 calories and they are around the same length as this Nestle Kit Kat Lotus Biscoff chocolate bar.

I know I don't make snacks, but when I'm eating a chocolate bar I do like to feel like I'm savouring it. Barely two bites and this Nestle Kit Kat Lotus Biscoff was gone, in fact I was being polite. I could just have dumped the whole thing in my gob. It tasted great. Really. Lovely Nestle milk chocolate, wafer crunch and a little spice from the Lotus Biscoff, but before I knew it, it was gone. And I was craving a Kit Kat Chunky!