Tayto Smoky Bacon flavour crisps (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

After an afternoon in the sun at a school summer fete, I must admit I didn't fancy a beer tonight. I did fancy bacon and fried egg sandwiches though, which are pretty much the only thing I can cook.

I figured these Tayto Smoky Bacon flavour crisps would go well with the sandwiches. I also had beans with hot sauce added to them in bowl. On opening the bag, there was a smoky bacon aroma from the slightly orange crisps inside. On first crunchy taste, these crisps had a sweet and smoky bacon flavour, which was certainly very moreish indeed, and I really enjoyed them.

Information on the bag; The 25g bag contained 134 calories, with 8.2g of fat, 0.8g of sugar, and 0.4g of salt.

Yazoo Birthday Cake Flavour Milkshake (Tesco) By @Cinabar

I’ve noticed this summer seems a bit thin on the ground for new milkshake flavours compared to last year. I always keep an eye out for fresh, fun varieties, but pickings feel slim. Still, I did spot this Yazoo Birthday Cake Flavour Milkshake, so decided to give it a try.

Last year’s lineup was much more playful, ranging from caramel latte to Flumps marshmallow. This “Birthday Cake” offering had potential, though. On opening the bottle, the aroma was pleasantly sweet,  the sort of comforting vanilla scent that makes you think of a dessert table.

Pouring it out, the texture was reasonably thick without being cloying. When I took a sip, the first flavour to hit me was vanilla, and a lot of it. I enjoy a vanilla milkshake, so that suited me fine, but honestly it reminded me more of custard than birthday cake. There was a definite sweetness, but I couldn’t pick up anything “baked” about it, no hint of sponge, frosting, or sprinkles, which is what I’d expect from a proper birthday cake flavour.

Overall, it tasted like a perfectly nice vanilla milkshake, but not one that’s going to turn heads or bring any wow factor. If Yazoo had labelled it “vanilla custard”, I’d have called that fair.

So it seems the hunt for genuinely new milkshake flavours goes on. Have you come across any exciting, unusual milkshakes this year? Let me know in the comments, I’m always up for trying something a bit different.

gwei.lo Neon Jungle IPA [@NLi10]

 Authentic Hong Kong IPA - but brewed in York so easier to get hold of!

Lots of reasons to pick the can up and read it, including all the cultural links, but essentially it's a very smooth and light drinkable IPA.

Ghost Chap instead of Ghost Ship for a change!

Basic ingredients but lovely flavours.

Reminds me of my favourite Hitachino beers, but a bigger can.  Perfect for hot days, and hot nights.  Will seek out both this brewery and inspiration again.

The Real Pork Company Golden Crunch (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I'm still slowly building strength with light weights after a fall in a car park a few weeks ago revealed an old break in my wrist, and aggravated my already grumpy knee.

I do like pork crunch for a source of muscle fixing protein, as an alternative to the risk of breaking my teeth on pork scratchings. It's happened before. I have tried many pork crunch on the market, but this is the first bag of The Real Pork Company Golden Crunch I have bought.

As you can see from the photograph, on opening these The Real Pork Company Golden Crunch were fairly small rectangular chunks of pork crunch. On taste these pork crunch were definitely crunchy and fairly salty, but after a few, and I don't know whether it's the hot weather at the moment, but I thought they were a little dry, and I found myself regularly taking a sip of drink to quench my thirst. Still, they were tasty, low in calories and helped to fix my muscles after my workout.

Information on the packet; The 25g bag contained 132 calories, with 7.3g of fat, 16.3g of protein, 0.1g of sugar, and 0.49g of salt.

Dubai Chocolate (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

There’s a massive social media buzz around Dubai Chocolate at the moment. I’ve been tempted to jump on the hype for a while now, but whenever I looked, it was either sold out or going for £12 a bar, and I couldn’t bring myself to pay that, no matter how much I love nuts and chocolate.

Then I spotted this smaller version in Morrisons for just £1.50, so it felt like the perfect chance to finally try it. For anyone wondering, Dubai Chocolate is a milk chocolate bar packed with pistachio and kadayif, which is a kind of shredded filo pastry. It looks a bit odd inside, with its bright green centre and all those fine strands running through it, but that just made me more curious.

And I have to say, it was worth the wait. The pistachio flavour is subtle and nutty, with a touch of salt that pairs perfectly with the creamy milk chocolate. The real magic is in the texture, the kadayif adds a lovely light crunch, giving every bite a bit of interest.

Overall, I’m glad I tried it and would definitely pick one up again for a treat, so long as it doesn’t shoot back up to silly prices.