Nakd Blueberry Muffin Review

My first post-Christmas review...hurrah! And in typical fashion it's for something healthy, which is just what the doctor ordered after all the rich food and sweets over the festive season.

This new Blueberry Muffin flavour Nakd bar caught my eye in a local Sainsbury's Express only a few days after Christmas, and being a huge fan of their other varieties it went straight into my basket. How would it compare to previous editions like Lemon Drizzle and Carrot Cake?

The bar cost 85p and consists of a mixture of dates, cashews, raisins, almonds, blueberries and a hint of natural flavouring. Opening the wrapper it had a super strong blueberry aroma - wow it smelled like a blueberry muffin alright!

Taking a bite, it tasted even more of blueberry muffin than I'd expected. I mean yeah I expected blueberry, but the cashews and almonds actually gave it a muffin-like taste and texture. This was a real treat indeed, and better than some of the previous limited editions, in my opinion, including the Lemon Drizzle. 

Overall, a very tasty bar indeed that feels like a genuine treat, perfect for any healthier eating new years resolutions, as well as the upcoming #veganuary season! 

8.5 out of 10.

Asda Free From Mince Pies Improved Recipe Review

I reviewed Asda's Free From Mince Pies last year, but this year they have only gone and bloomin' improved them (again), so here I am reviewing the new and improved versions. The things I do for food research haha!

It's always nice to have more gluten free varieties, and thankfully all the supermarkets are expanding their options all the time - with even Aldi currently doing Gluten Free Mince Pies and Christmas Puddings. It's a step in the right direction for us gluten free folk for sure. I do enjoy Asda's offering, in fact I'd say they're the best budget gluten free mince pies around.

Free from Dairy and Gluten, but sadly not egg these aren't suitable for vegans. And despite the lack of butter, the pastry on these still tastes lovely and buttery, melt in the mouth and has just the right thickness.

The filling is moist and gooey, with the right balance of fruits and spice, never tasting too syrupy or sugary. In fact it's rather authentic for a cheaper mince pie.

I really loved these, and I would say they have in fact improved since last year, it's hard to say how exactly but perhaps the pastry is a little more buttery tasting and the filling is more plentiful? I'm not sure exactly, but for a bargain gluten free treat this festive season these are an absolute must - that's if they don't go out of stock, as always tends to happen with gluten free festive products! Snap these up while you can!

8.7 out of 10.

Twinings Cranberry & Blood Orange Tea

Taking a break from the indulgent foods this festive season, today we have a healthier product, Twinings Cranberry & Blood Orange Herbal tea. This is the perfect drink for the festive season, and a nice way to warm up without loads of calories. I found these teabags in Poundland but most supermarkets stock them I believe.

They taste as you would exspect, warming tart cranberry with the sweeter, punchy blood orange, making for a great combination. I added some stevia to mine as I always do with hot drinks, for a hint of sweetness without the calories. I'm constantly sipping on this stuff in these Winter months, it's such a treat in the mornings especially! Also good when trying to watch your caffeine intake before bedtime.

Overall, I would highly recommend this Twinings tea, they do a great range in general but this one is particularly suited to the Winter months!

8 out of 10.

Marks & Spencer Dark Chocolate with Clementine

Since my last review was for the poor quality Terry's  Dark Chocolate Orange, I thought I'd brighten things up and spread some festive joy by reviewing a much better quality orangey chocolate - and not just any orangey chocolate - Marks and Spencer's Dark Chocolate with Clementine! Yes, regular old oranges are not posh enough for M&S and they've flavoured their bar with clementine instead, so how does it fare?

I've had this in the archives for a while now, just waiting to be reviewed, and what better time than the festive season? This is a single origin Peru dark chocolate with 52% cocoa solids, blended with clementine oil. A bit different from the usual orange oil found in most orange dark chocolates! The bar I bought was in the mini 35g range for around 80p, although you can buy larger 100g bars for £2.

The 35g bar is just the right size for a nice chocolatey hit, I really enjoyed it. The clementine oil is a bit zestier than regular orange, slightly tarter and blends well with the rich Peruvian dark chocolate. I'm glad it's semisweet chocolate though as anything darker might have clashed too much with the clementine. Make no mistake this is far better quality than the Terry's Dark Chocolate Orange, and a lot more suitable for dark chocolate and orange chocolate lovers. It's also dairy free, vegan and contains zero vegetable fat - hurrah!

If you want some good quality orange chocolate this Chrsitmas invest in one of the larger 100g bars - they might cost a little more than Terry's but are well worth it!

8.5 out of 10. 

Terry's Dark Chocolate Orange Review

Today's review is for a chocolate I have yet to feature and one that is long overdue. I've done most of Terry's Chocolate Orange range now but somehow this classic Dark variety slipped me by. Well not anymore!

With Mondelez continually cheapening their chocolates with added sugar and vegetable fat I wondered how the latest version of this classic dark chocolate would taste. I certainly didn't expect it to taste quite as woeful as it did, so let this review serve as a warning and hopefully a wake up call: invest in better quality chocolate this festive season (the Magnum Signature Orange Milk Chocolate is much better quality!)

The Milk Chocolate Terry's Chocolate Orange is a classic Christmas staple, and they've done some interesting variations over the years from Exploding Candy to Toffee Crunch, as well as White Chocolate (which I reviewed back in 2013!), White Chocolate Smasher and even a Chocolate Orange Goes Minty variety. All of them delicious in their own ways, and I sorely miss the white chocolate version. However the Dark Chocolate variety has been a permanent fixture alongside the Milk since... forever, presumably to cater to the dark chocolate lovers despite the fact it also contains milk in the ingredients.

And sadly it's pretty naff. The dark chocolate doesn't even taste like a decent quality semisweet chocolate anymore, it's some weird greasy mixture with an odd milky flavour mixed in. It just tastes wrong, and not the sweet orangey dark chocolate you would expect at all. I don't know if they changed the recipe in recent years but it's just so awful and sickly - I didn't feel like eating more than a piece, which is unusual for me!

Overall, what can I say but avoid this chocolate?! It may have once been a decent chocolatey staple to please grandpa, but not anymore. Just look how waxy it is in the pic above - chocolate that shiny ain't natural! I think it's now safe to add Chocolate Orange to the list of confectionery products that used to be good but have gone down the toilet.

3  out of 10.

Waitrose Snowdrop Chantenay Carrots

Taking a break from the constant deluge of sugary treats this festive season, I've decided to review something a little more normal but still fitting for Christmas and the snowy weather - snowdrop carrots! No, these are not parsnips despite looking like them, they are actually carrots and taste like carrots. So what's the difference between these white versus orange carrots? And are they just parsnip-carrot wannabes?

I bought these from Waitrose, reduced to 85p from £1.50. I peeled, boiled and chopped them as you would regular carrots. Taking a bite of a slice before cooking, I was subconsciously expecting the taste of a parsnip...but they tasted just like a carrot, albeit slightly sweeter and lighter. They didn't seem as "heavy" tasting as regular carrots is the best way I can describe them!

Cooked and mashed, they were also a little sweeter and lighter tasting than regular carrots, but not much different. It was nice to have something creamy looking and white to fit with the snowy weather we've been having lately, and no doubt these will make a nice variation for stews or curries depending on what colours you like. Yes, there's not really much need for them but hey, they were interesting to try!

7.5 out of 10. 

Marks & Spencer Chocolate Marbled Mallows

The big day isn't far away and the festive treats are flowing...well, they are if you review snacks anyway! Marks & Spencer have been leading the pack this year in terms of interesting Christmas foods, from the likes of Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Tortillas, Prosecco Caramels and even a Christmas Pudding Smoothie. For more do check out my Instagram page (there's updates daily!).

One thing I decided to try recently were these Chocolate Marbled Mallows, purely because they were reduced to £3, come in a fancy box and contain no suspect ingredients (for someone avoiding gluten, anyway!)

They're described as "vanilla mallow with marbled dark chocolate" and come in a fancy wooden tube style box, which you peel open to reveal a bag of mallow chunks.

They certainly looked super squishy and bouncy, with a nice chocolatey swirled effect going on. Plus there was the obligatory dusting of icing sugar.

They tasted pretty good, sweet and chewy and as you would expect, although I couldn't taste the dark chocolate much. There was a hint of cocoa flavour in there but it was overpowered by the sugary sweet mallow. Still these were pretty tasty and better quality than your average cheap marshmallow.

Overall, are these a win? Not quite, they're lacking that bit of "oomph" to make them not just any marshmallow, but an M&S marshmallow...still, they're pretty tasty if quality mallows are your thing. They'd also make a lovely gift just for the tube alone.

7 out of 10.

Coffeegator Pour Over Coffee Maker & Canister Review

Today's review is for something a bit different. A while back I was sent some CoffeeGator products to review, and it's taken some time to get to them but I thought they'd be perfect for the festive season. Because coffee always makes a great gift! And also because I've been busy using these products to get a feel for them, and can safely say now that I love them - they've made life as a coffee lover so much easier! (For someone who doesn't have a Nespresso machine, anyway!)

One of the products I was sent is The CoffeeGator Coffee Canister, a swish metal canister designed to keep your coffee super fresh as though the packet has just been opened. This is achieved with a special valve in the lid, which allows C02 to leave the canister but stops air and light getting in and affecting the flavour. It definitely keeps the coffee tasting fresher for longer, with no more having to clip pegs onto packets like I used to do!

The canister also comes with a stainless steel measuring spoon to scoop out your coffee with.

The CoffeeGator Pour Over Coffee Maker is a glass jug that looks something like an hourglass, with a metal sieve part sat above a wider jug base.

All you do is simply measure out a few spoonfuls of filter coffee into the filter, boil the kettle and pour hot water over it. And watch as it drips through and makes you an almost-instant cuppa! There's indentations on the jug to inform you how many cups have been filtered, which is very handy since it means you can decide just how shaky (in other words: full of adrenaline) you'd like to be!

I love this coffee maker, it's so handy and much easier to clean than a cafetiere. It's also faster and very satisfying to just watch the coffee dripping throughout the filter in the morning. It's almost like a meditation - never mind watching paint dry, watching coffee drip is where it's at! Once ready you just remove the filter and pour your freshly brewed coffee straight from the jug. And repeat once you've finished!

I've been using this for a while now and it's saved so much time and effort, because with a cafetiere I would spend ages just scooping out the coffee grounds and rinsing the filters afterwards to make sure they don't get mouldy. With this, all it requires is a brief rinse of the filter section and jug. Easy peasy!

Overall, in case you can't tell I love this product! For someone busy wanting good tasting fresh coffee this is the ideal solution. I now consider cafeteries a stone age contraption! Now, what I really really want this Christmas, Santa Baby, is a Nespresso machine...

9 out of 10. 

For more info on CoffeeGator their website is: https://coffeegator.com/

Tesco Finest Creamy Brie & Cranberry Crisps

Tesco have quite a track record for unusual crisp flavours at Christmas. Last year they did the tasty Cocoa & Spiced Rum Crisps, this year the weird Candy Cane Crisps, and amongst the seasonal range I spotted this relatively more-normal-but-still-novel flavour, Creamy Brie and Cranberry. I wasn't sure about berries mixed with cheese as a crisp flavour so I went with my curiosity...

For £1 a bag these are described simply as "Brie and cranberry flavour crinkle cut potato crisps". Opening the bag they certainly had a super strong cheesy aroma.

They tasted super cheesy indeed, as you would expect from brie flavoured crisps! It was quite overpowering - these definitely aren't for the faint of heart and are clearly only for those who truly love their cheese. The cranberry flavor adds a slight sour tartness, it's subtle but you can (just) taste it amongst all the cheese.

Overall, these are some cheesy crisps indeed, and I imagine you'll either love or hate them. They'd certainly make an interesting addition to any festive party or buffet!

7 out of 10.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons & Freddo Faces Chocolate Tubes

I do often bemoan the quality of Cadbury's chocolate, and with good reason - the taste and texture has gone way downhill in recent years. However I am still human and love most things sweet so when offered to try the Cadbury Christmas range I didn't say no. Their 2017 products include a few newbies in their stocking fillers, including Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo Faces. I was sent those along with Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons so thought I'd do a head to head comparison of the two!

Starting with the Freddo Faces these aren't all in one tube but rather in little packets inside the tubes, which is disappointing. It doesn't feel special but rather that they've just stuffed some regular products into a tube and given it a festive label. Still it makes them handy to give out as snacks and keeps them fresher. Well, in theory it does if you don't intend on eating them all at once!

They tasted nice, sweet and sugary, pretty much what you'd expect from Cadbury Freddo. No doubt they're perfect stocking fillers for kiddies especially with the fun Freddo shapes. Yes, the quality of the Dairy Milk isn't what it used to be, but they're still fun as far as cheap chocolates go - I can't knock that. And anything Freddo related always has a special nostalgic feel to it. 8 out of 10.

The Dairy Milk buttons are the classics we all know and love, they taste milkier and greasier than they used to but still have that comforting familiar taste underneath all the sugar. Again these come in little packets, somewhat cheapening the point of them being in a festive tube.

They tasted good, although I think giant buttons would have been better because these are a bit small and annoying to eat. But then I have a big mouth and they're not aimed at me so...yeah, I'm sure kids will love them! They're not quite as fun as the Freddo Faces, even though they are a classic. 7.5 out of 10.

Overall, what can I say but basically these are both fun and cheap chocolates that do what they say on the tin...er tube...er...packet. The Freddo Faces are a clear choice for the kiddies and the Dairy Milk Buttons would make a good stocking filler for pretty much anyone.

Christmas in Shops 2017 - Supermarket Own Brand Edition

The supermarkets have really upped their game in recent years for own-brand festive products, with some impressive and weird new treats out for the Christmas Season. Below are some I've seen whilst out and about...although there's lots more! For updates of the most recent do check out my Instagram Page. 

Tesco Chocolate Truffle Carrots: 

These don't actually contain carrot, do not fear! Instead they are coloured white chocolates with praline fillings.

Tesco White Chocolate Polar Bear:

Another white chocolate treat from Tesco are these cute chocolate polar bears.

Tesco Black Forest Dome Gateau:

Making a return for the festive season are these yummy Black Forest Dome Gateaus.

Tesco Christmas Tree Ice Creams:

Also making a return are these Christmas Tree shaped ice creams.

Tesco Chocolate Orange Muffins:

Chocolate and orange is always a welcome festive flavour and now you can get them in muffin form thanks to Tesco!

Tesco Finest Gingerbread Nuts & Raisins Limited Edition:

A mixture of gingerbread flavour cashews, raisins and chocolate pieces, these sound delicious!

Tesco Finest White Chocolate & Strawberry Nuts:

Sounding more like a Summery nut mix, these contains white chocolate nuts with white chocolate coated strawberries.

Asda Caramelised Biscuit Gateau:

Asda are getting fancy this year with their Caramelised biscuit gateau. Yum! 

Asda Party Chocolate Orange Profiteroles:

An orangey variety of Profiteroles, perfect for the festive season!

Asda Christmas Tree Crumpets:

Asda did Pumpkin shaped crumpets for Halloween now they have moulded them into Christmas Tree shapes. I bet these would be gorgeous with butter and cinnamon melted on!

Asda Extra Special Free From Chocolate & Salted Caramel Naked Layered Gateau:

I'm not sure what makes this gateau "naked" exactly, but it sure does sound delicious. Plus it's Gluten Free, hurrah!

Asda Extra Special Raspberry & White Chocolate Macaron Cake:

Asda are also doing this rather unique sounding Raspberry and White Chocolate Macaron cake.

Asda Extra Special Raspberry & Prosecco Pavlova Stack:

Plus the Flavour of the month, Prosecco in pavlova form.

Asda Extra Special Golden Baked Salted Caramel Cheesecake:

And another flavour of the month...or rather last few years...salted caramel baked cheesecake!

Co Op Gingerbread Tortilla Rolls:

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, these Co Op Tortilla Rolls sound pretty unique! If anyone has tried them do leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Co Op Pigs in Blankets Tortilla Rolls:

Also suitable for vegans and vegetarians, I don't know how the Co Op manage to make things taste so meaty without meat! Must be that festive magic...

Co Op Irresistible Cheese Board Crisps:

Containing cheese, these are definitely bot vegan but they are gluten free, hurrah! They're flavoured with brie, wensleydale, stilton and cranberry. Yum!

Co Op Irresistible Posh Prawn Cocktail Crisps:

For those who like something fishy rather than cheesy, there's these Posh Prawn Cocktail Crisps, which are also gluten free. Presumably not vegan though, unless there's such a thing as vegan fish (there probably is).

The Co Op Christmas Mini Caramel & Pecan Tarts:

You can't beat the classic combination of caramel and pecans in tart form!

The Co Op Free From Mini Iced Fruit Cake Bites:

The Co Op are doing a great job if catering for people with gluten allergy this Christmas, and these Mini Iced Fruit Cake bites sound perfect to nibble on!

The Co Op Irresistible Free From Yule Logs:

As do these gluten free Yule logs!

Marks & Spencer Merry Percymas!:

M&S are pulling out all the stops with their treats this year, with even Pecy Pig getting a festive makeover!

M&S Christmas Pudding Ice Cream:

For when you can't decide between ice cream or pudding. Marks & Spencer's Christmas Pudding Ice Cream!

M&S Chocolate Orange Ice Cream:

And if you're sick of Terry's Chocolate Orange (I know I am!) you can also get your orangey chocolate fix in ice cream form. Hurrah!

M&S Turkey Feast Hand Cooked Crisps:

You can also have your turkey feast in crisp form thanks to M&S!

Marks & Spencer Caramelised Pecans:

Caramelised Pecans, coated with milk chocolate and gianduja and dusted in cocoa powder. Sounds delicious, but they're not cheap! But then, they'r not just any nuts, they're posh nuts...

Marks & Spencer Apple Cinnamon Truffles:

Speaking of not being cheap, these lovely sounding apple cinnamon truffles are even more expensive. £15!!! Let's hope they're not just any truffles, but the best in the world!

Marks and Spencer Cinnamon Biscuit Milk Chocolate Truffles:

These sound nice, you can't beat cinnamon and biscuit!

Marks & Spencer Mince Pie Fudge:

Mince pie fudge...what better combination for Christmas?!

Marks & Spencer Orange, Pomegranate & Cranberry Sunrise:

As well as the Christmas Pudding Smoothie M&S have brought out this festive drink - Orange Pomegranate and Cranberry juice, supporting the charity Shelter.

Marks & Spencer Clementine Orange & Passion Fruit Juice:

Plus there's a clementine, orange and passionfruit variety.

Marks & Spencer Crackling Crisps:

And pork crackling crisps! Comes complete with apple cider and rosemary dip.

Marks & Spencer Chocolate Coated Gingerbread Latte Cookies:

Gingerbread latte in cookie form...yummo!

Marks & Spencer Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese & Champagne Hand Cooked Crisps:

Smoked salmon, cream cheese AND champagne in crisp form?! What kind of Frankenstein abomination is this???

Marks & Spencer Bloody Mary Hand Cooked Red Crisps:

Vodka flavour crisps, really?!

Marks & Spencer Winter Berries & Prosecco Hand Cooked Crisps:

As much as I liked the Co Op Proscco Bubbles, I'm not sure about these...

Marks & Spencer Honey Mustard Poppy Seed Tortilla Rolls:

Now these sound a bit more promosing! Also check out my review of the M&S Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Tortilla Rolls.

Marks & Spencer Pigs in Blankets Crisps:

Pork and pork flavour crisps...yum!

Marks & Spencer Raspberry & White Chocolate Trees:

Now these sound nice, you can't beat the combo of white chocolate and raspberry!

Marks & Spencer Snowy Road Mini Bites:

Paddington Bear themed Snowy Road snacks with fruit and marshmallows, yum!

Marks & Spencer Christmas Tree Chocolate Cupcakes:

You can't beat a festive cupcake!

Marks & Spencer Bacon Wrapped Mac & Cheese Stacks:

And what party would be complete without bacon wrapped Mac and cheese?

Iceland Caramel Ice Cream Trees:

Iceland are doing Christmas Tree shaped ice creams again these year, this time in caramel flavour,

Iceland Luxury Chocolate & Orange Choux Garland:

A choux pastry chocolate orange garland...yummy!

Iceland Irish Cream Profiterole Gateau:

You can't beat Irish cream at this time of year...especially in cheesecake form!

Iceland Luxury Dark Chocolate & Mint Dessert:

Neither can you beat minty chocolate desserts...

Iceland Luxury Salted Caramel Cheesecake:

Or salted caramel!

Iceland Luxury Melting Chocolate Snowflake:

Now this looks fancy!

Iceland Raspberry Eton Mess Cheesecake:

More of a summer flavour, but still very yummy no doubt...

Iceland Passion Fruit Gateau:

A passion fruit gateau with Cointreau Liquer.

Iceland Luxury Raspberry Panna Cotta Desserts:

Interesting!

Iceland Luxury Chocolate Creme Brulee Desserts:

You can't beat creme brûlée desserts!

Iceland Fruity Eclairs:

In a variety of flavours such as lemon meringue and black forest, these eclairs sound perfect for the festive season!

Well, that's about it for today's post, there's lots more festive treats in shops of course, do let me know if you spot any! And keep an eye on my Instagram page for updates of any as I spot them too...Happy Christmas Snacking!