The Orchard (Tesco), Healthy Living and Frozen Veg

I very much enjoy being part of Tesco's Orchard  programme. It is a great opportunity to feel closer to the supermarket in which I do the bulk of my food shopping.  The programme invites you to try specific products and ranges, most commonly new launches.  You write reviews of the products and share these views, coupons and products with friends and family.   A lover of discovering new products and writing reviews it suits me very well.   I also  like that, one is sent discount coupons for money off which can be passed onto friends and family.

The campaign that is currently running is one for the healthy living, newly introduced frozen food products, frozen vegetables and herbs.   There was such a wide selection to choose from, I really was spoilt for choice.

Tesco Healthy Living Oriental Whole Food Mix

A great frozen ready meal style veg and grain mix.  It is packed full of veg including carrots, broccoli, pepper, baby-corn and soya beans.  So highly flavoured, there was no need to add extra spicing.  Slight warmth from chilli with soy and sesame being the key flavours.  Texture was provided by the whole cashews.  First way used, was to make sweet and sour- added a handful of bulgar wheat to the grain mix to bulk it out and served it as a side instead of the usual rice/noodles.  Mum and sister whom I was cooking for really enjoyed it.  The mix has a high ratio of veg to grains which is a positive. 

Tesco Petit Pois

Peas are peas, but these are very tasty and fresh.  They just pop and are sweeter than standard peas.  Tiny, they are such a versatile veg to add into dishes the favourite being veg curry.  Very much liked the zip lock style bag they come in, very convenient.  Found their £1.50 price to be excellent value for money

Tesco Baby Broad Beans

Again, another useful freezer standby.   These broad beans are so fresh, they have none of the bitterness that can sometimes be associated with the broad beans outer shell.  Great on the side of a dish, most often use them in stir fry's, salads, curries and chilli/bean stews. 

Tesco Healthy Living Lentil and Vegetable Soup

A thick and warming soup that is full of flavour and reminiscent of homemade.  Think this is due to there being a mix in the size of the chunky veg.  Plenty of it too.  Subtly spiced which allows the flavour of the veg to come through. 

Tesco Healthy Living Three Bean Soup

A light tomatoey soup, full of beans and veg- enjoy the addition of sweetcorn.  It is a highly flavoursome soup, with a bit of a Mexican edge.   It is  not too salty which is a nice change.  Find tinned soups generally err on the too salty side.

Tesco Healthy Lifestyle Balsamic Dressing

A delicious and tangy salad dressing, very low in calories and not at all oily.  Attracted by the packaging.  Athough it is a dressing it is a lovely dip for warm bread alongside olive oil.

Marks & Spencer Salads, Veggie Sweets and Beautiful Nougat

NEW Barley, Orzo Pasta, Cranberry and Almond Salad

A delicious and light, new seasonal salad.  Lovely texture to it, plenty of veg, fruit, nuts and herbs so it was packed with flavour.  Orzo pasta is tiny, rice like but softer.  This coupled well with the firmer barley.  Plump raisins and cranberries added sweetness, the latter tartness.  Enjoyed very much the accompanying dressing.  Not too oily, the dressing has a distinctive honey flavour, lemony and has a warmth due to the cinnamon and allspice added.  As ever with their salads, very well balanced.

NEW Black Barley, Roast Carrot, Raisin and Walnut Salad

 Another appearance for barley, this time black which I had not heard of before.  Looked very good and tasted so too, say that it had a nuttier flavour than standard barley.  This salad was jam packed, it had so much to it.  Much more filling than the above, certainly think the whole walnuts added to that.  Such varied textures, as well as the nuts, fruit and barley it contains wheat-berries.  The accompanying dressing was packed with flavour, zesty orange and hazelnut- tangy with vinegar and with an edge of spice including smoked paprika and cumin.

2x Salads for lunch with chilli sauce, dressing, peppers, iceberg and spirallized cucumber

Marks and Spencers Deli, La Petit Due

It was the beautiful tin that attracted my sister (pictured) to this product.  Inside are individually wrapped almond and honey nougatine bites.  They contain candied fruit, namely citrus fruits and melon as is the norm for nougat.  Mum is a big almond fan and she found them to be delicious, very almondy and surprisingly not too sweet.

 Colin the Caterpillar Birthday Balloons

As it is the anniversary year of the introduction of Colin the Caterpillar; Marks and Spencer have introduced a new sweet in his honour.  These vegetarian jellies are very fruity, they have a pleasant texture not too soft or hard.  Closest thing that my siblings and I likened them to was a chew bar but they are not at all sticky.  There are green and yellow, as well as pink and yellow caterpillars these have jellied balloons on them.  The balloons embossed with 25.  Found these very tasty and unique looking.

Colin the Caterpillar Fizzy Rainbows

Such fun to eat, these large caterpillar shaped sweets.  The flavours are apple and lemon the green, the pink are raspberry and lemon.  Pretty sour, these have a lovely firm yet soft texture.  They are the most delicious veggie sweets I have ever tried.  They have nothing of that peculiar wax-like texture that so many veggie sweets tend to.  A regular mix and match promotion runs whereby you can purchase two bags for £2.50.

Spice Mixes and Fancy Salt

Santa Maria Season All (Home Bargains)

A spice mix that can be used for an array of cuisines including Mexican, Indian, Spanish and Moroccan.  It is a good blend, the predominant flavour is that of paprika.  Also included is black pepper, celery seed, onion, garlic, coriander, ginger, cumin and cayenne.  It is not too hot, well balanced and full of flavour.

Santa Maria Rock and Sea Salt

I do not eat very much salt in my diet but it is very important for bringing out flavour in food.  This blend of two salts,was attractive as there was a mix in the size of flakes.  The addition of sea salt meant that it was a more intense salty flavour, therefore less was needed it and it is lasting well.

Pink Himalayan Salt (Aldi)

Seek out and like natural products.  This is attractive to look at and a very interesting product.  It has a mill on the top too which makes it great to have on the table for guests to use.   Vaguely aware of the benefits,. that it is packed full of minerals and elements.  That can only be a good thing.  It is certainly the aesthetics, origin and story behind it which encouraged the purchase.

 

Santa Maria Teriyaki (Home Bargains)

This Japanese inspired spice blend contains a hint soy.  It contains roasted black and ordinary sesame seeds and it looks very good.  Have used it in stir fry's for the most part but also as a coating for chicken when cooking for family.  There is a pleasant warmth from ginger and the blend is quite aromatic.

New Interesting Product Finds

Re-Introduction

It has been, quite a lengthy absence from blogging.  Indeed this blog has had many guises and much varied content from football to books to films.  It was rather mixed up, much like myself.  I had always wanted to have an exclusively food blog but really enjoyed writing about other things, namely books.

Now that I have acquired a camera, I will be able to use this as a place to share food product reviews.  I am a vegetarian, though may have non-veggie products featuring now and again that look interesting (will mention gelatine etc if it appears).  Brother is really into new products and has a real sweet tooth, often seek out things for him.  I am pretty healthy but like treats now and again.  Really attracted to the unusual, lovely packaging and seasonal specials.  I love food from all over the world and very much enjoy baking and cooking.  Have an unhealthy love for condiments:- sauces, dressings and chutneys of any kind.  So there'll probably be a fair few of those posted!

Lidl Sriracha Sauce Sauce

A new and interesting find.  Siracha Sauce seemed to be all the rage for a-while.  As ever and as an avid condiment fan, I certainly sought it out.  I had so far only tried an unknown brand bought in a Chinese supermarket.  However, I was delighted to find this sauce in my local Lidl store.  Possibly a remnant from a recent Asian week special.  I am uncertain whether thus will be a regular product.  So much from Lidl can appear just once due to a particular promotion, often never to be seen again.

I was pleasantly surprised due to just how flavoursome the sauce is.  It is not too overpowering in the heat stakes.  It has quite a rich tomatey flavour and is rather salty too which I enjoyed.  It is excellent as a dipping sauce and makes a delicious dressing too (with lemon zest and five spice).  The only fault I'd really pick is that there wasn't much of a twang from vinegar.  I associate that with being a  fairly important aspect of Sriracha.  However that is very mild criticism indeed and it really is quite a delicious product.

Lidl, Scandinavian Week- Almond and Chocolate Pastries (biscuits)

Another special promotion product this time from Scandinavian week.  Bought these lovely looking biscuits at the start of the promotion week three weeks ago.  My local store seemed to have rakes ordered in. Thought they looked so very tempting.  I bought these for my Mum to take home to her when visiting.  They went down well with a cup of tea.  She said that they were fresh tasting, quite homemade like and had a  strong, natural almond flavour.  I will have to take her word as I am not a fan of that flavour, they did look good though.  Crescent shaped, topped with toasted almonds and the ends were dipped in dark chocolate.

Lidl, Scandinavian Week- Hazelnut and Chocolate Pastries (biscuits)

These hazelnut biscuits look rather like compacted flapjacks.  Thought they were also pretty unique, had never come across anything like them before.  It is a winning combination, hazelnut and chocolate.  A light, soft baked biscuit style treat.  Found these to be very moreish and full of flavour.  They have a homemade look about them, they are an unusual  oblong type shape and their base is dipped in dark chocolate.  Though not a coffee drinker myself, could really see that pairing working.

Blue Dragon Massaman Curry Paste (Tesco)

A curry lover, I'm always on the lookout for the new and interesting.  I do enjoy making curries from scratch; but cooking for one- sometimes convenience is the only order, especially when you are feeling tired.   This paste looked really attractive, it was the packaging that initially drew my eye. It is a regular meal choice, therefore I am always seeking out new sauces to try.  Have heard of but never tried- Massaman curry.  It is a richly spiced sauce of Malay origin and is most commonly served containing beef, potatoes and peanuts.

Very simple to use, all you need to do is  to heat and add in vegetables, meat or fish of your choice.  Follow that with coconut milk.  Though not what instructed, I added in tomato sauce from a jar as I prefer tomato based curries.  I don't like creamy things.  It was very tasty and flavoursome.  Liked that it was not oily or greasy, find sometimes these paste sort of things are.  Has an array of flavours including lemongrass, kaffir lime and galangal.  Veggie and vegan friendly, no shellfish used. 

Blue Dragon Cantonese Style Stir Fry Sauce (Tesco)

The go to and fails safe meal.  It is a twice (at least!) weekly thing to have stir fry, so quick and easy.  Cheap too.  Really enjoy that as a meal as there is so much that you can do with it.    As it is such a regular choice, find that it is important to keep seeking out new flavours and brands of sauce.  As with the curry paste it was the packaging which drew me in.    A beautiful blue colour, the package design is highly detailed and artistic. The product itself, I enjoyed just last night.  Had it with buckwheat noodles, broccoli, peppers, sugar-snap peas, spring onion and carrot.  The Sauce was full of flavour, slightly spicy and also aromatic due to the addition of Chinese five spice.  It was enjoyable as it was, was not necessary to add any extra flavour which can frequently be the case.

Mixed Christmas Food Spots

Snackers Tubs

These generously sized tubs come in three varieties: hula hoops (salted), discos (salt and vinegar), nik naks (spicy) or wheat crunchies (cheesy).  They contain individualised selections of crisps and are made by the company that makes.  Ideal for a savoury snack over the festive period, including parties.  It is a nice idea to include a selection of snacks in one and does remind me of a favourite crisp product sold in Marks and Spencer in bags. They are generous 250g tubs and available in all of the major supermarkets.

Aldi Christmas Chutney

Aldi's Christmas food selection is especially good this year. Much more in the way of sweet gifts and biscuits, some new antipasti and savoury offerings.  Amongst the festive fayre, is this this delicious chutney.  It has all of the warming flavours of Christmas in a jar and is very fruity.  The combination of plum and orange works really well.  The orange is subtle.  The chutney would be fantastic with crackers and cheese, bread sticks, cheese straws and other such nibbles.  Not to forget a turkey sandwich!  I really love chutneys and sauces and this one from Aldi offers a perfect balance of sweetness and tangy sourness- full of flavour and just lovely.

Marks & Spencers Haul, Fruit and Treats Review

My lovely Mum handed me in a delicious selection of messages from Marks and Spencers.  The local M&S, has recently started selling more exotic fruits.  It is great to be able to sample such unusual items and was delighted to see kumquats and star fruit (which I've not seen sold in stores for a-few years).  A childish delight befell my sister and I as we dug into a fruit platter, trying out a fruit new to us in mangosteen.  It is a fantastic ending to a meal and also way to encourage children's curiousity trying out these unusual fruits. Morrisons supermarket is also very good for their exotic fruit options and that extends to veg too.

Lemon, Black Lentil and Quinoa Pecan Salad With Allspice Dressing 

Loved this salad, it is full of lots of little bits, herbs, nuts and is so full of flavour. Within the salad there are wheat berries, quinoa, black lentils, pecans and other grains.  It is ready dressed with a lemon and allspice dressing.  This has a citrus zing, freshness and an aromatic peppery flavour from the spicing. The combination of ingredients makes this salad so palate tingingly delicious!

Currying The Flavour- Sauce Reviews

I do love a good curry.  You can get a bit overwhelmed going into the supermarket and being met with such a wide variety of choices.  Be these brands or varieties, you can go Indian, Chinese, Thai or Caribbean the shelves stock them all!  My own tastes, when it comes to curry are that I like them quite spicy but not taste bud numbingly so.  Much prefer tomato based curries, lighter type sauces and those with a-lot of onion and aromats.  Find that I often need to add extra spices to curries as they can be a little bland from the jar.  In this post I'll share some of my favourites.  Only issue with supermarket available sauces is how oily they can be.

Loyd Grossman Dopiaza Curry Sauce

His brand, that has his name as its seal of approval.  Lloyd Grossman has a range of Italian, Indian and Thai sauces available and sold in most supermarkets.  His Dopiaza curry sauce is probably my favourite.  It is a delicious, light sauce that is full of flavour.  It is quite subtle, meaning that  you can appreciate individual spices and flavours.  It is not terribly thick and it is especially delicious for being so abundant in onion, these also give it a nice texture. 

New & Interesting Supermarket Finds

There have been a number of products that have caught my eye in recent weeks.  Especially since the stores have already been rearranged and festive goodies have started to appear.  It is early and not even thinking about Christmas yet, but it is nice to have a-few more choices!  The slight chill in the air and the darkness at 8pm signifies the changing of the seasons.  It is sad to say goodbye to summer, especially one so glorious.  However, autumn has its own benefits.  Food certainly comes into that in a big way.  More home baking, encouraged by The Great British Bake Off.  More soups, root veg and filling, warming foods- yum!

Despite my dad working as a craft brewer, I am not a big beer fan.  Fruit beers are a definite exception though.  The above is made by a brewery in Alloa, Scotland and it is made from the unique Tayberry.  A Tayberry is named after romanticised silvery river.  It is a cross between a raspberry and blackberry, they are a long purpley sweet berry that is packed full of flavour.  I bought a couple of these for dad, as he is always keen to try new and different beers and ciders.  Purchased from Aldi supermarket, I am unsure whether they will be sold in Aldi stores outside of Scotland.  Like the rural specialities that have become more and more available in the store.  It is great to see, particularly that some of the fruit and veg are local too.  These Scottish specialities show that the store supports local growers and meat producers and has certainly encouraged my shopping there.  One of the most interesting additions has been a Scottish influenced, Tablet flavoured ice cream (certainly one for the sweet toothed I'd imagine!). 

Marks & Spencers Delicious Salads

Marks & Sparks must be the prepared salad kings of the British high street/supermarkets.  Such a range of foods they have on offer for lunchtime and very tempting meal deals.  Their prepared salads are always so fresh and full of flavour.  They sell boxed tubs of salads, many of which are on a 2 for £3 mix and match deal.  These come ready dressed or with an accompanying  pot of dressing.  In this post I will share some of my favourites in their range.  They add new ones all the time too, so am always on the look out for them!  They had a nice one called a shaker salad but haven't seen it for a while.

A light salad, especially considering it is a pasta one.  Orzo is more like a grain than pasta and is very nice.  The salad itself contains juicy sundried tomatoes and a basil dressing.  It is a bright and colourful salad, the yellow Orzo stained with turmeric has a lovely contrast with the bright red tomatoes.  It was a little oily for me but still very enjoyable and packed full of flavour.  Really must look out for Orzo would be great to have for a change and like the idea of it in a herby minestrone soup. 

Berrylicious Summer Puds To Look Out For and Fruity Sorbets

Being honest I am not really a pudding person, do love to make them though!  Family are big sweets fans and growing up tea wasn't tea unless there was a pudding.  Nod to Dad there and his traditional upbringing!  Have found my families favourite puds during the summer are those containing beautiful British berries and naturally laden with lashings of cream!  Whether they be berry tarts, mousses, fools, sponges or simple strawberries and cream.  This post is to share some of the berry puds that have caught my eye around the supermarkets.  In the garden, my Dad has always grown his own berries. Memories from childhood, of time spent picking bowl fulls of berries or sneaking under the strawberry net for te plump juicy berries.  Berries he grew, included raspberries, red currants, blackberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries.  Would totally lose track of time when out picking the fruit and would then, sit cross legged on the grass with my sister topping and tailing or sorting berries in some other way.  Favourites were the red currants, stunningly beautiful to look at like red jewels on a string.  Gorgeous the way they hung from the bushes and caught the light. 

Recipe: Crushed Cannellini Bean and Garlic Soup

I really love soup, so much!  Make a pot once per week.  Enjoy it as a meal but also as a snack, it really appeals to my savoury tastes.  Quite often have a mug as a late night snack before bed.  So comforting the warmth and savoury saltiness of it.  Was known to drink veg stock cubes when I was younnger!

 

  This soup below is one I make quite often.  A big fan of beans in all of their forms, tinned beans are a cupboard staple and there is so much that can be done with them.  The canellini beans add a bit of creaminess to the soup and make it pretty filling.  The flavours make for a nice combination and it is a very fresh soup.  It is so quick to put together, no soaking or long boiling here!  In total takes just shy of 1/2 an hour to make.  Due to the brief cooking all of the flavours come out.  If possible it is best to use fresh herbs, the herbs in the soup are what makes it really.

 

Feeling Saucy- Stir Fry Sauce Reviews

A fail safe and a regular meal, fast, simple, easy and tasty.  Probably eat this at least 3 times per week therefore it is important to vary it with different veg and sauces!  I often have a simple stir fry just with soy, fresh ginger, chilli and garlic.  Also make a peanut satay sort of sauce with peanut butter and if I am really lazy just add lashings of sweet chilli sauce.  In this post will share some of my favourite sauces on the shelves of the trusty old supermarkets.

Blue Dragon Spicy Szechuan Tomato

A delicious and tangy sauce.  I never before associated tomatoes with Asian food.  Was quite sceptical when trying it for the first time.  The sauce is lovely.  It is spicy and has a sweet peppery flavour, the tomato comes through too.  The sauce is slightly sweet but well balanced out with the addition of rice vinegar.  Ginger and garlic also come through fairly strongly.  The sauce is full of flavour and my absolute favourite stir fry sauce.

Summer Eating- Making More of Fruit & Ideas

One of the things I love most about summer is the food.  A bountiful supply of fresh fruit and veg are so tempting, al fresco dining and homegrown (by Dad) produce are just some of the highlights. July has been positively scorching and it is the best summer we've had in this country for years and years.  With the warm weather, it brings a more continental type appetite, I find.  Personally much more in the mood for light meals, salads and there is a definite increase in the consumption of a variety of fresh fruit.

-Make Fruit The Star: Some Random Ideas-

Fabulous Fresh Soups

In supermarket chillers are an array of fresh soups flavours, brands and varieties to chose from.  Soup is one of my very favourite things and would rather have a mug of it than a chocolate bar as a snack more often than not!  Do make homemade soups often but store bought soups are so handy.  Thought I'd do a post to share some of my favourites.



Marks and Spencer Spicy Lentil Soup

A lovely thick soup, packed full of flavour, chunky veg and of course lentils.  Pleasantly spiced, it is very warming with a nice tomatoey base.  It is a very thick soup and found it needed to be watered down just a little.  It is spicy without being hot, the spices used are warming ones such as cumin and they come through well.  You always know that you will get quality from M&S and this certainly did not disappoint.

National Vegetarian Week and 2 Seasonal Tea Recipes



Spring Onion, Watercress, Radish, Samphire, Asparagus, Chicory, Jersey Royal Potatoes,  Broccoli and Apricots.  Those are just a small selection of the fruit and veg in season.  There is a plentiful supply of delicious, fresh ingredients in shops to cook with and also inspire.  Being in season means that you get produce at its very best and it tends to be kinder on the pocket.  Many of the supermarkets, as it is National Vegetarian Week are doing special offers on veg friendly food- brands such as Linda McCartney, Innocent and Qurorn.  These are well worth looking out for.

 

Food Memories and Recent Finds

Have not done a general food review post for a little while.   The ones written recently, have all had a seasonal theme to them.  This post is largely inspired due spotting drink Um Bongo in my local Tesco.  This juice drink was a real favourite of mine when I was growing up.  Similarly, last week I found a packet of crisps which I also remember fondly from my childhood.  Didn't think they were made anymore and they were quite as yummy as I remembered them to be!  Have been in a real savoury mood recently and this post certainly reflects this.  With the arrival of the warmer weather (at long last!), have found that I have been eating a-lot more fresh fruit, salad and cold meals in the evening.  One of my favourite things at the moment is baked sweet potatoes in their skin, nicer, healthier and more flavoursome than your standard baked pot!  As they were on last weeks super six, I had a generous bag full of the things for a fantastic 69p.  So versatile, they are excellent in a veggie curry and yummy in a soup- particularly combined with roast parsnips.   

UM BONGO

Not a new drink but one that I haven't seen or drank for many years.  It is also the first time that I have seen it come in a large carton (1 litre) as opposed to a single serve one.  On the shelf alongside, there was a new type which is orange in flavour and aptly called- Orang-Utan.  This keeps up the jungle feel of course!  As a child the bright and colourful packaging appealed and I seem to remember it having a very cool advert and catchy theme tune.  The flavour of the standard version and one I bought is tropical.  It blends nine different fruits to give it, its unique taste.  It is a lovely light and refreshing drink.  Especially nice chilled with ice.  It isn't like other tropical juice drinks, which oddly perhaps sometimes have a tomatoey flavour to them (to me).  I thought that it may be too sweet as the food and drinks often are that we enjoyed as children.  However, this wasn't the case at all.  A refreshing drink and real blast from the past!

Product Review- Easter Themed

Easter Treats

The shops have outdone themselves, there is such a beautiful array and selection of food, craft and floral/plant items to celebrate Easter.  I have succeeded in managing to visit each of the major supermarkets available in my area over the past month (Tesco, Asda, Lidl, Aldi and Morrison's- phew!).  Not purposefully, a couple of the times were on request of certain items by others.  I was disappointed and rather surprised to hear that M&S are not running a dine in roast.  Treated Mum to their deal for Mothers Day.  Family enjoyed it and as Dad is cooking, he was hoping to take advantage.  From what I have seen there are a number of offers running over the weekend on meat roasting joints.  It is very much the sweet tastes that arethe main focus at Easter time in terms of products available.  I have not seen but heard about a Hot Cross Bun flavoured beer being available, don't like the sound of that!

Treats That Rocked Your Ten Year Old World

* Fizzy jerks from the vending machine at the swimming pool

* Astros being the coolest of sweets

* Cool Polo varieties- Citrus Sharp, Gummy, Spearmint, Fruit and Polo O's spring to mind

* 10p crisps in all of their maizy goodness

* The joy of getting a toy/token or something in your cereal or crisps. Is my imagination getting the better of me or were Disco crisps that you kiss really a thing?  Tongue dying crisps were

* Crisp sandwiches for lunch

* When you found a chewy Malteser in your pack

* Fruity ice lollies- Fruit Pastille, Calippo, Zooms, Twisters and those Frozen Alphabet Letters

* Harry Potter themed sweets

* Woolworths pick 'n' mix

* Opal fruits being so much better than Starburst, lemon and lime were separate for a start

* Impressing friends with an old school version of the cinnamon challenge involving how many Atomic Fireballs you could keep in your mouth at once

* Smartie Cookies coming onto the scene

* Eating chew bars (Irn-Bru, Wham, Lanky Larry's and Blue Rave) in secret as your Mum hated you eating them. On a similar note, the equally discouraged bags of Swizzels Mix

* The incredible Caterpillar Cake

* Mum always buying too many treats for the guisers at Halloween- yey!


I hope that I have succeeded in stirring some memories. What were your favourite treats growing up?

Chocolate Mini Egg Review

There is quite a range of mini eggs available and sold in the UK's shops.  They are a real favourite of mine.  The type of eggs I will be reviewing in this blog are chocolate ones in a crisp sugar shell.  I thought that I would share my thoughts on the eggs that I've tried over the years.  All of these are widely available.

  I would be interested to hear from anyone regarding their own favourites, special Easter plans or any varieties local to you or that you may have come across.  Happy Easter in advance and may it be sweet!



Cadbury Mini Eggs

The classic mini egg.  The Cadbury version are the original and for many the best.  I must admit that I am very partial.  These eggs are the perfect size with a perfect coating, not too thick or thin.  The interior is Cadbury chocolate and for some reason to me it is the taste of easter (that type of choc).  Perhaps it is due to it being the commonmost Easter egg choc.  The yellow eggs have a slightly different taste to the others, which is very nice.  You can buy them in a single serve packet in the form of a small cardboard box, the size pictured-100g in size and are available in a larger 360g pack.  I also remember them being sold in tubes but haven't seen any this year.  They are often on offer at £1 for a 100g bag which is very good, Morrisons have an offer of 2 for £2 at the moment.

Veggie Fruity Sweet Review

Have not posted for a little while.  I am in the process of making some changes to this blog and adding a new one.  Decided to create a blog dedicated entirely to the football side of things, whilst on this keeping with the themes of reviews, books, films, food and that sort of thing.  The process is a bit of a pain in the arse, how I wish that the posts could be moved individually via the dashboard as I have so many drafts.  Alas!  Been seeking out some new sweeties recently and thought that I would share my thoughts.

Veggie Friendly Jelly Sweet Reviews

I am more of a chocolate person but an occasional fruity sweet is always good.  It isn't  easy to find veggie friendly options due to the addition of gelatine.  Always on the lookout for new and exciting looking products.

M&S Veggie Percy Pigs

How often had I heard how wonderful Percy Pigs were?!  Family and friends would harp on about them and admit how tasty and addictive these were.  Last year (or perhaps a bit longer ago), I was delighted to see that M&S launched Percy Pigs that were gelatine free.  At last  I was able to see what all the fuss was about, or should I say taste!  My sister also tried them and said that they were a bit harder than the standard ones and that actually made them nicer.  Really like the grape, cherry and raspberry flavour of the sweets, it is quite a unique taste- good though!  They are softish gums, refreshing with a fairly light texture.  The pack size is very generous.  They are priced at £1.89 per bag and are often on at 2 packs for £2.50 (mix and match).  As well as the Percy Pigs a sweet called Colin Caterpillars also come in veggie versions.

Rowntrees Jelly Tots

These were always a childhood favourite and this love has followed into my adult life.  Very surprising that they are indeed veggie.  The tiny little drops are sugar coated and oh so fruity.  Lovely flavour, the citrus ones- lemon, lime and orange are particularly mouth-watering and tangy.  Other flavours include strawberry and blackcurrant.  These are very refreshing and quite addictive.  They also make a nice decoration for a plain iced sponge or fairy cakes.  Found that the sharing bags vary in price from shop to shop, when I bought them they were on special offer at £1 in Morrisons.