28 March 2024

Easter in Miniature - Mini eggs Orange & M&M's eggs [@NLi10]

 There are an increasing number of competitors for the Cadbury Mini Eggs crown, including new bags of just the Orange ones.  I know we've covered these before, but it's a nice excuse to buy a couple of (tiny - 80g!) bags and have a sample.



Here is the full selection - at least from a mini Tesco on they way to Nannas. 


All subject to confusing Clubcard Pricing, but essentially just over a pound, for just under 100g of coated chocolate.


So - Mr fox - which ones best?


Well, the mini eggs are bigger than the M&M ones - which means you get less in a bag but that each individual one is more satisfying.  They have the classic Mini Egg addictive taste on the outside of the shell, and it seems like an orange flavoured version of the classic Cadbury (not Dairy Milk) crumb.  The new owners have failed to spoil mini eggs - and they are surprisingly affordable in the huge bags (from Waitrose).

The M&Ms aren't as disappointing as feared - they have chosen not to give them the M&M stench (that you can smell in the air near the M&M world in London) and these just taste like the default Mars chocolate.  The small size means just one is disappointing, but two is a nice mouthful.  And the shells look amazing - even if all my Ms were faded.

Overall though - I'd rather just have a bag of normal Cadbury Mini-eggs, mainly because I like the Pink ones best.







27 March 2024

Wasted Degrees Amber Rye ale (The Wee Beer Shop) By @SpectreUK

Wasted Degrees Amber Rye ale (The Wee Beer Shop)


I love rye beer. I'm just putting that out there as a bit of a disclaimer to start with. This 5% in volume Wasted Degrees Amber Rye ale sounds right up my street. Made in Scotland, hops of Mandarina, Bavaria, and Cashmere were added in the brewing, as well as I'm hoping, a whole spicy heap of red rye, some barley, oats, and wheat. Oh, this should wash down my Shepherd's Pie a treat tonight.

On opening the can there was a glorious spicy rye aroma, with a touch of orange from the Manadrina hops. This red amber coloured ale tasted of sweet and spicy biscuits from the rye and malts, a touch of herbal bitterness and a hint of orange flavour, with even a slight smokiness. Wheat and a full body of oats sat neatly in the background as all those glorious spices of rye and sweet amber malts, as well as herbal zesty hoppy bitterness took centre stage. I'm so glad I insisted on having a second can in the order from The Wee Beer Shop.

26 March 2024

3 Hot Honey Hatchlings (Waitrose) By @Cinabar

3 Hot Honey Hatchlings (Waitrose)


As I had an order placed with Waitrose, and that is a bit of a treat, I decided to see what chocolates they have for Easter. There were plenty of gorgeous eggs, but I was after something I could legitimately snack on before the big day, a treat for myself. Gosh, work has been stressful recently, so a chocolate fix was in order.

 
3 Hot Honey Hatchlings (Waitrose)

I found these Hot Honey Hatchlings and they sounded a little bit different. They are made with a 65% dark chocolate filled with Mexican honey caramel and a touch of chilli powder, so a very traditional recipe for chilli chocolate. The chicks look lovely and nicely moulded. The chocolate is nice and thick, and there is a lot of filling. I bit in and tried not to let the honey-flavoured liquid inside run down my chin. The first flavour is from the chocolate; it is rich, dark, and full of flavour. Then there is the sweetness of honey, and then a gentle tingle from the chilli, which grew into a bit of a burn and some serious warmth. 

These Hot Honey Hatchlings are very well balanced; they have a complex flavour, but all elements have their moment, and I found that really impressive. They are also a super cute-looking Easter treat, which is rather nice. 

3 Hot Honey Hatchlings (Waitrose)


25 March 2024

Hot Cross Buns White Chocolate and Lemon (Waitrose) By @cinabar

Hot Cross Buns White Chocolate and Lemon (Waitrose)

I’m still enjoying finding new Hot Cross bun varieties, and as we needed a top-up grocery order, I decided to have a bit of a splurge and found myself doing a Waitrose order. This is their own brand Hot Cross Buns with White Chocolate and Lemon. They certainly sound like a nice twist, and here's hoping they work.

I opened up the pack and could smell the lemon, which is a good sign. I split them in half, and I could see a small amount of white chocolate, but there weren’t a lot of chocolate drops that were visible. As always, I popped the two halves in the toaster on a low setting, and after a very short while, I could hear a drip and sizzle. Perhaps toasting these wasn’t my best idea! Still, once they popped, they looked okay, but they were a little sticky to get out of the toaster. On the bright side, this meant that the white chocolate was more prominent than I thought they were. 

I buttered the sticky buns and gave them a try, and the flavour was lovely. There was a good balance of sweet and creamy white chocolate and a nice, sharp edge from the lemon. The buns were fluffy too and had a good texture. If I found myself doing another Waitrose order, they are definitely something I would pick up again, as they are a lovely edition. 

Hot Cross Buns White Chocolate and Lemon (Waitrose)


24 March 2024

Percy Pig & Colin Catepillar - eat their faces! [@NLi10]

 Marks & Spencer have had a lot of fun with their character brands in recent years - to the extent that virtually everything is themed to Percy the pink pig or Colin the Catterpillar if it can.  Here we see a prime example - eat the chocolate faces off the cake as a Thorntons style chocolate lollipop! These are very much a part of childhood shopping trips.



At £1.75 for 26g of chocolate I can see why these were a begrudging treat.


I chose the raspberry flavoured Percy as my treat with Colin in the bag for my partner. A welcome pick-me-up for showing Nanna round the shop.Great flavours and decent chocolate quality. Worth the admission price

We went to the cafe after - and I’d planned to get a Percy Pig Frappe (poor guy) but they’d run out of blender ice! I settled for tea and a wrap.


I chose the egg wrap as it seemed nice and healthy - but what’s this…


…oh no - Percy is in this too!  I’d not consciously chosen the smoked ham, but all of the themed messages must have snuck in.

I’m not sure that M&S would be wise to theme the pork based sandwiches to Percy, I think it might cause a few too many questions.

Very nice wrap though - good egg and veg. And as always the M&S tea was perfect.