Galaxy Milk Chocolate Digestives Biscuits (Morrisons) By @cinabar

There are new Digestive biscuits on the shelf, not a new limited edition flavour as such, but a new chocolate covering! These are Galaxy Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits. Galaxy is fab chocolate, it isn’t my go-to chocolate, but whenever I do have it, I always think how silky it is. You can’t really beat a Ripple.

These biscuits are in a standard tube pack that was a pain to open and had no way of re-sealing if you just wanted a couple with a coffee. I so need a biscuit tin. The biscuits themselves have the word Galaxy on one side of them a coating of Galaxy chocolate on the other. I gave one of the biscuits a try, and they were a nice flavour of wheat and a tasty biscuit. The chocolate coating was smooth Galaxy chocolate, and the combination worked well, they were super tasty. I would happily have these again, perhaps not the most adventurous new release (chocolate digestive biscuits have been around a while), but nice to see Galaxy trying out something new. I look forward to anything else they might bring out, and I have made a mental note to buy a Galaxy Ripple next time I fancy a chocolate bar. 

Sky By The Water - Resorts World, Birmingham [@NLi10]

 We don't go out to fancy restaurants very often, but for a surprise 40th we were invited to Sky By The Water, which is on top of Resorts World Birmingham.  This is basically a restaurant on top of a hotel, and beneath that is a shopping centre and cinema.  It's also next door to where they now hold Birmingham Games Expo (and the airport) so I know it well!

I started with the Chorizo Scotch Egg - which was pretty deluxe and warm and crispy - for £8 it was about right.  The textures were great, the flavours a little muted for my tastes, but overall glad I chose this.

Next up was the Lemon Chicken Risotto, which was quite a filling main.  The veggies were balanced and well cooked (and you could order a side of extras if required) and the chicken was tender and did have the lemon flavour.  The risotto could have had a touch more bite for me, but was very enjoyable and I almost couldn't finish.  Almost.

By this point the sun was setting and the smaller groups in the extension could see the view.  Larger parties are more in the main area though so we had to look at the view at the end - but over the water in question it was a little too dark to see.

Having had the Crème Brulé last time I went out (generous portions!) I opted for the fruity crumble.

The topping was very light which was appreciated, and the custard was lovely and strong.

Overall this was very fruity and well worth hanging around for.  A fantastic three course meal for just under £40 (didn't have alcohol).

After dinner you can hang out in the secret garden in these little pods, but there isn't a view as they have put up partitions - so we went to the casino for a few hours and we didn't loose too much.

Harper’s Summer Ale with Peach (Aldi) By @SpectreUK

We've had a deluge of rain for weeks in the UK now, so we've been lucky compared to the heat and fires many countries have had to endure. Then suddenly we have had a hot couple of days, yesterday and today. So, I thought it would be a good idea to crack open this Harper's Summer Ale with Peach while it lasts.

At 3.4% in volume, this Harper's Summer Ale with Peach is a seasonal edition, so I should definitely drink it while the sun lasts. Without further ado I popped open the bottle while it was still a hot sunny afternoon. There was a fruity aroma to the sweet malts and touch of herbal hops on opening the bottle. This deep golden almost brown ale poured with a good fluffy head.

On taste the peach was the predominant flavour providing a luscious fruity thirst quenching relief to the hot weather outside. There was a crisp bite from the preceding hops, and then a sweet malty goodness into the aftertaste. Harper's Summer Ale with Peach is very flavoursome ale, perfectly refreshing on a hot summer's day.

Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut (Tesco) By @Cinabar

Peanut butter and chocolate are a fantastic combo and one that is overlooked here in the UK. It feels very American, and despite being British, I just love the mix. In recent years, Reese’s has become more available here in the UK; you can even buy peanut butter Kit Kats, which are a joy. Krispy Kreme's new doughnut is up my street, introducing the Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut.

 

So we have a soft doughnut, topped with dark chocolate and Reese's flavoured drops, and filled with peanut butter. I eagerly gave it a try. The first bite didn’t catch the filling but still tasted like chocolate and peanuts due to the peanut butter flavour drops on top. It was a delight. When I did hit the filling, my tastebuds were in heaven. The peanut butter inside was wonderfully nutty and salty, and mixed with the chocolate, it was just such a delight. Wow, these are super good. In fact, I am currently living the dream. The only problem is that these are a limited edition and available for August only, so yes, I need to get more before the month is out. Does anyone know if they freeze?

Knock Off Luxury Euro Biscuits - Tesco [@NLi10]

 I had to buy some nice biscuits - big meeting - but instead of going for the known brands I decided to trust Tesco and see what they were like.

At the top we have Dark Choco Leibniz - the classic Euro butter biscuit with the chocolate overhang

And below we have the best biscuit in the tin, the Viennese Finger (dipped in milk chocolate)

The butter biscuits look suspiciously familiar…

Well protected in the package, and a lovely dark colour.

Even the bottoms are familiar!

The chocolate is lovely and dark, and the biscuit is decent - but not all that buttery.  These aren’t quite as good as the real thing, but for the purposes of a meeting these are serviceable and good.

The Viennese Fingers are a slightly different proposition.  The biscuits again are not quite as buttery or as vanilla as I’d like, but the chocolate is sublimely smooth and really brings it together.

They melted a little too quickly, but otherwise these are spot on, pop them on a plate and no one would suspect these aren’t the expensive ones.

Considering neither of these are in the ‘Tesco Finest’ range these are both a strong win.  Happy to buy and eat these by the box load - I’ve hidden them in the fridge so they are snappier and easier to resist.