Cadbury’s Timeout Roundie Biscuits (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Firstly, we have new biscuits from Cadbury, which is great news. They are based on the TimeOut bar and made with wafers. When I was taking the picture above, I realised that there were only five biscuits in the pack, which is a bit disappointing. I found myself wondering how they were packaged in three stacks, with just one in the middle. Once opened, I found they were a bit nicer on the layout, but talk about spaced out with plastic. I stacked all five of the biscuits and put the plastic container they were in behind them to show the issue. I’m not a fan of only having five biscuits, and I don’t like the spacing out.

Still, it was time to try a biscuit and focus on the taste. Here is where the biscuits shined; there were lots of lovely layers of wafer, tonnes of flakey chocolate, and texture, and they were absolutely lovely to eat. They ticked the boxes for me with the crispy texture and so much chocolate, perfect with a coffee as an afternoon treat. I just wish there had been more in the pack. 

Heinz Baked Bean Pizza (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I get excited about new products, which is why this blog exists. I have a burning desire to try everything: new crisps, new chocolate, new biscuits, and of course, new pizzas. That aside, some new products appeal more than others. I bought this Heinz Baked Bean Pizza as it was labelled as new, but when it came time to take it out of the freezer, I looked at it and found myself wanting to add to the topping. A pizza with a few baked beans looked a bit dull, but I managed to talk myself out of any additions.

Once out of the oven, the cheese looked nice, but it still looked like it was missing something. I gave it the taste test and discovered how wrong I was. This pizza was perfect just as it was; it was beans and cheese on toast and an absolute delight to eat. There was loads of flavoursome cheese, and the beans taste was prominent and gave a good tomato flavour; the combination was spot on. I used to love beans and cheese on toast, and I don't know how or why I forgot this. I came away thinking it would be crazy to add pepperoni, as this pizza needs to be appreciated for what it is: good old-fashioned comfort food. I will definitely buy again; this is one to have in the freezer.

Eat Real - Hummus Chips, Salted [@NLi10]

I was given these as part of a snack hamper with other nibbles, and we'd been saving them for the right occasion - but then we got hungry! 

They are vegan & gluten free hummus chips - which was interesting as I'd been thinking of them as a big bag of crisps.

The packaging sounds similar to the cat food - can you tell whose dinner time is near?

Less fat than potato crisps, and well - crispier - they are a more enticing prospect than yet another bag of Walkers.

And they certainly look the part.  Thing is - I think they are right - these are chips designed to be dipped.

The flavours are earthy and basic, but with a lovely richness crying out for avocado or salsa.

So we put the clip back on the rest of the bag and will have the rest as a side with some other bits and bobs another day.  Great product, but disserves a great dip to go with it.

Viking’s Footstep Scotch Ale (The Wee Beer Shop) By @SpectreUK

I feel a bit like I'm standing in the footstep of a giant. This Viking's Footstep Scotch Ale is an experimental edition brewed without hops. "Without hops!" I hear some of you exclaim. Wasted Degrees Brewing knows that we can all learn a lot from the past, some good, some bad. They have researched the history of beer production in Scotland and found that locally sourced herbs, such as Myrica Gale, were used in brewing ale before hops took over in the 1800s. So, this is a first for me, as I don't believe I've tried a purely herbal beer before.

At 3.7% in volume Viking's Footstep Scotch Ale could be considered as a session beer. So, when the Vikings need a break from all that pillaging, they could kick back for a short break and have a Viking's Footstep, and then get back to it. I was secretly hoping that the mention of "Scotch" on the front of the can meant that this beer was brewed in old whisky oak barrels. Instead the back of the can mentioned that this Myrica Gale tastes a little like Eucalyptus, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for any roving Koalas. You never know when one might sneak up on you. Although I live in the UK, and they seem fairly sleepy whenever I see them in the zoo.

On opening the can there was quite a strong herbal aroma from the deep golden, almost brown ale inside. Poured with a jolly fizz, the frothy top disappeared as quick as it came from this pungent herbal smelling beer. There was a little wheat after the strong herbal smell with even less sweet malted barley. On taste the Myrica Gale was the predominant flavour, and provided a bitter edge, with a little wheat thereafter and a touch of malted barley underneath.

At first I wasn't keen on this Viking's Footstep Scotch Ale, in fact I didn't really like it. I wasn't sure what the Viking had stepped in. It reminded me a little of herbal tea, and I remember just how badly that went for a couple of days afterwards. The things I sometimes do for blogging.

Anyway, this Scotch Ale grew on me the more I sipped it. I wasn't sure if it would wash down my juicy steak and chips well at all, but the more it grew in me, the better it washed my dinner down. I'd recommend giving Viking's Footstep a try. You may like it straight away or you may grow to love it. Probably another can or two would help me make up my mind.

Cornetto Soft: Cookie and Chocolate (Tesco) By @Cinabar

It is sweltering hot in the UK. This meant one thing: emergency ice cream on a midweek order. I wanted to get something a bit different, so I thought I’d see what cornettos were available, and in amongst the standard chocolate and strawberry, I found a variety I hadn’t tried before: Cornetto Soft: Cookie and Chocolate Edition.

The standard Cornetto that we buy is fairly flat on the top, in that there is usually a piece of card to pull off. These Cornetto Soft Editions are larger and have lots of ice cream piled up; they look very impressive.

I gave one a try, and what a delight on a hot day! The ice cream is part cookie and part chocolate, so it is creamy. The soft whip makes it light to eat, and although it was flavoured, it did have an ice cream van feel about it. The only issue was that, despite the fact that the bottom of the cornetto had chocolate to line it, it still started to melt. I think that says more about the heat here than it does about the ice cream cone, as that doesn’t usually happen. Still, this was just what we needed on a hot day.

If I buy a few more ice creams on the Saturday shop, it is going to rain, isn’t it?