Black Forest Gateaux Hot Chocolate (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

Hot chocolate season is officially here, and I’m far too excited about it. Morrisons have brought out a few new flavours, and hiding among them is one of my retro favourites, Black Forest Gateaux Hot Chocolate.

This one’s made with hot milk, and the instructions say three teaspoons per cup. Naturally, I went slightly heaped. I let my trusty hot chocolate mixer do its thing, so it came out lovely and smooth. Honestly, that gadget earns its keep in my kitchen, I drink enough hot chocolate to justify it!

The first sip was full of rich chocolate flavour without being overly sweet. The cherry came through with that fruity, slightly almondy taste that gives it the proper Black Forest vibe.

It’s a really good drink, cosy, chocolatey and satisfying, but I’d have loved a bit more cherry punch. Just a touch more of that sweet-tart zing would have made it sing. Still, I’ll definitely be finishing the tub.

Fiesta EATZ - Chilli & Lime Nuts & Hoops [@NLi10]

 Aldi had a mexican week a little while ago so I picked up some odd minty corn chips which I wasn't a fan of - but also these Chilli & Lime nuts & hoops from the same Eatz. range that I've loved.

Originally supposed to go alongside my Cineworld Unlimited pass I just left them on my desk and ate them while working.

As usual they are air-packed to enable the hoops to survive the journey.

Inside it's 41% peanuts, 23% Cashew, 14% almonds which means the remaining 32% is crunchy corn hoops and coating which is an excellent ratio.

The flavours are stronger than the Doritos nuts I'm reviewing on Thursday, and have a much more interesting lime too.  The variety of nuts is pretty unexciting on paper, but they work incredibly well and these will not last much longer at all - I've had to ration them.  The fact that each pour has a variety of textures and tastes really works well and I'm sad that unless I'm quick I won't get a 2nd bag.

Options Winter Spice Hot Chocolate (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I am so excited that hot chocolate season is here! I love seeing all the new flavours and, yes, I’ve already been told off by Spectre for buying too many. But if the cupboard still closes, there’s still room for more, right?

This one is made by Options, so it’s made with hot water rather than milk and is lower in calories than the milk-based versions. I was trying to work out if “Winter Spice” was just a code for pumpkin spice, extended to last through Christmas rather than only October, but honestly, I didn’t mind either way and happily took my new tub home.

Once home, I opened it, after struggling with the pull tab on the foil lid, which snapped (is that just me?). I tested the aroma first and could immediately smell the cinnamon (yay!) and, of course, lots of chocolate. When I added the hot water and mixed it, the aroma became even spicier and slightly fruity. A quick check of the back of the packet explained it: it’s a “Baked Apple and Cinnamon flavour instant hot chocolate drink”, much more specific than the front!

I gave it a sip, and as a lover of cinnamon, I was delighted. It’s chocolatey, spicy, and the apple adds a lovely fruity sweetness. It made me smile instantly and is such a comforting mix of warming flavours. It was so good that I’ve already added another tub to next week’s order, don’t tell Spectre!

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Sachets (Sainsbury’s) By @Cinabar

I always keep an eye on the flavoured coffee shelves in the supermarket, as they’re a favourite treat when I’m working from home. I hadn’t seen these Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Sachets in Morrisons, Iceland, Tesco, or even on the Ocado website, so it was quite a surprise to find them in a small Sainsbury’s Local. I’m glad they prioritised this one though, as I’ve been looking forward to trying it.

When I opened the box, two things struck me straight away. Firstly, there was a lot of air in the box, it’s small to begin with, but even so, it was nowhere near full. Secondly, and related to the first point, there were only four sachets inside. That was seriously disappointing. It’s clearly stated on the label, but I hadn’t noticed there were so few.

I made a drink, adding hot water, and was pleased that it mixed easily without any lumps and had a nice froth on top. The first sip was lovely, a well-balanced mix of spices and coffee. It wasn’t too sweet, but had enough sweetness to give it depth. It’s a soothing, seasonal drink, with a consistent flavour all the way through. Sometimes drinks from the shop can end up unevenly mixed, leaving a strong concentrate in the last few mouthfuls, but this stayed smooth from start to finish.

A fab autumn treat for an afternoon at home, I just need to buy some spray cream to top it off next time.

Cadbury Pumpkin Patch Cakes [@NLi10]

 Happy Halloween! My office has put up their Halloween decorations already so I can review these.

Cadbury make a lot of nonsense products, but here is the festive classic, sliced Swiss roll covered in chocolate with a sticker on it!

Spooky cakes!

Scariest part is the calories 

Safely in the cellophane 

They do look fantastic though - a little orange glitter and these are party ready.

And full of oranges!

Lovely cake, lovely chocolate, lovely time.