Chef's Signature 'Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cox Apple Chutney' Crisps

Since writing my recent post about the new 'Chef's Signature' range of Kettle Chips, I have since discovered that there is a third variety. It's an interesting pairing of creamy Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese with the sweet tang of English Cox apple chutney. I think this would be a favourite of Wallace & Gromit!
£2.29, Ocado

5-a-day the chocoholic's way!

Not a fan of eating your greens? Give these amazing Choc on Choc chocolate vegetables a go instead! Each punnet contains five different family favourites (?!), recreated in gorgeous Belgian dark and white chocolate: creamy cauliflower, vibrant sweetcorn, crunchy red onion, rich mushroom, and a crisp bundle of asparagus.
£7.99 

Fruity Snacks

Snack Organisation
The Snack Organisation presents this variety of freeze dried fruit in handy snack-sized pouches. Thankfully it's another fruity snack that isn't packaged for toddlers... it can be eaten with dignity! Choose from pineapple, strawberry, apple or apricot.
A hefty £1.00 per pouch, Tesco





Whitworth's Fusions
These are also packaged for adult fruit snacking, and unlike the little pouches of freeze dried fruit above, these are bigger pouches with a more realistic price. It's £1.50 for 90g (Tesco), which would probably do about three servings. There are four imaginative flavour combinations each with memorable names, including one limited edition. The limited edition is 'Chilli Nutty Choco-Chaos', which is a mix of flame raisins, cashew nuts and chilli flavoured coated almonds and dark chocolate. Cinnamon Apple Jumble also has a bit of pep, with zingy cinnamon apple pieces combined with chopped dates, pecan halves and golden raisins. The Bountiful Coconutty is a mix of flame raisins, dark choc covered coconut pieces, brazil nuts and Californian almonds. The only one that doesn't contain nuts is the Berryfruit Madness, which is a rosy rainbow of colour and flavour in the form of crimson raisins, apple juice infused dried strawberries and blackcurrants, with dried cranberries sweetened with fruit-derived syrup.
Snack in style...

Galaxy Ultimate Hot Chocolate

As the nights get longer and the evenings have a certain and frankly very unwelcome chill about them, think of the positives! Think that you could soon be enjoying steaming bowls of porridge and cups of hot chocolate. One of the decadent hot chocolates to have been released recently is this Galaxy Ultimate Hot Chocolate. It may well have slipped in under the radar, as it came amidst the summer chaos of ice creams and BBQs. This premium line-up currently has two flavours; milk chocolate with marshmallow pieces, or white chocolate with white chocolate pieces.  Take your pick and relish the autumnal temperatures!
£2.89 each in Asda

Kettle Chips Chef's Signature

Kettle Chips are notorious for being rather fancy. And when we thought they couldn't get much more fancier, they've gone and stepped it up a notch with their new 'Chef's Signature' range. This premium new range only has two flavours at the moment; Gressingham Duck and Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. The classic Chinese-inspired duck flavour is in partnership with the renowned Gressingham Duck. It combines their rich succulent duck with the fruitiness of plum sauce and the freshness of spring onion. The Maldon Sea Salt Flakes seems rather boring in comparison, but again it is in partnership with supreme Maldon® Sea Salt in Essex,  whose unique salt is renowned for its distinctive soft white, flaky texture and exceptional flavour delivery.

£2.29 in Ocado for 150g

In case this new level of fanciness is a bit too much for your liking, Kettle Chips has also recently released a 'Seasonal Edition' in the form of Soy, Ginger, Chilli & Honey
£2.00 for 150g, Sainsbury's

New: Ritz Breaks Crunchy Grains

Just in time for the return to school, this new variety of Ritz breaks comes in 6 cute lunchbox-sized packets of 5 biscuits. The new flavour addition is 'Crunchy Grains', which adds a bit of a healthy vibe to any packed lunch, in the form of the traditional Ritz crackers topped with rice, wheat and barley cereals.
Break these bite-size treats for a handy snack, save some for later... or don't! However you eat them, they have the same delectable melt-in-the-mouth quality of the full sized Ritz biscuits. 
£1.98 for a pack of 6 mini-packs, Tesco

Shaken Udder Salted Caramel

Premium milkshake brand Shaken Udder has revealed a new salted caramel flavour, which has launched recently in Waitrose. Made using fresh British milk and natural ingredients, the new variety combines the sweet and salty tastes that have made salted caramel and incredibly popular flavour combination. It works incredibly well with milk and creates an indulgent but refreshing drink for any time of the day. 

£1.29 for 330ml

Chicken Bangers

To celebrate British Sausage Week (2nd November) HECK has created a healthier take on an old favourite to get sausage lovers thinking outside the box. HECK Zesty Chicken and Smoky Paprika Chicken sausages (each £2.98 340g) follow hot on the heels of the Yorkshire food company’s low fat and gluten-free Chicken Italia sausages. Launched earlier this year, they have raced up the pecking order with a healthy twist and appeal to slimmers, free-from groups and anyone wanting to stay in shape without giving up their favourite foods. HECK’s two new chicken sausage recipes are designed for people wanting to give pork a miss or curb their red meat intake. Packed with 85% high welfare British chicken and a host of other ingredients, they are also totally gluten-free and contain 70% less fat than regular pork sausages.

To be enjoyed on Bonfire Night BBQs, with pasta, or as a revelation in recipes to replace regular pork sausages, the versatile duo can be used in a host of different ways.
HECK Zesty Chicken Sausages contain peppery watercress, a squeeze of lemon juice and a smattering of black pepper. HECK Smoky Paprika Chicken Sausages contain roasted red peppers, smoky paprika and spices.

Find HECK Zesty Chicken and Smoky Paprika Chicken sausages in selected Asda stores from October, each £2.98 for 340g.
The HECK Chicken Italia range of sausages, burgers and meatballs is available in larger Tesco and Asda stores.

Limited Edition: Skittles Darkside

The 'Darkside' variant of Skittles has been around in the USA, but I've yet to see in in a UK supermarket. Until now. Sainsbury's are stocking a sharing bag of these bad boys, at £1.30. The bag says it's a limited edition, so don't hang around. The exciting bit: the flavours....
There's Blood Orange, which is not a deep red like the juice is. Instead the pieces are more of a dark salmon color. The flavor is nicely juicy, more of the juice flavor of a tangerine than the traditional orange. But it’s missing a note, an orange peel flavor to give it a true roundness. It’s also not that intense. Midnight Lime is a puzzle. I don’t know what makes it midnight-ish. I have some Fruits Skittles around, so I tried the lime ones as well. They’re lime Skittles. There’s very little difference. The color is a bit more on the medium green side instead of bright light green. There may be less zest, but I wouldn’t say that’s a selling point. Wicked Pomegranate has a deep flavor with a good cherry and berry flavor. It’s tangy, but doesn’t have that tannic bite that real pomegranates do. If I wasn’t told this was pomegranate, I’d just say blackberry. Not that there’s anything wrong with a good blackberry. Dark Berry is a lovely color, just a little more red than the grape in the Fruits Skittles. The flavor is good, it’s well rounded with a floral and berry jam mix of notes and maybe a little blackcurrant. Finally there's Forbidden Fruit, which tasted a bit like melon to me. A fruit punch, but less generic.

Special Edition: The Collective Dairy Pink Grapefruit & Yuzu

Yuzu eh? Well imagine a blend of lemon, mandarin and grapefruit and that’s what this Japanese super fruit tastes like, and when heightened with pink grapefruit and placed with this ridiculously creamy yogurt, this exclusive flavour combo, found only in Waitrose (£2.39 for 500g), hits it out of the park!

Wine Gums Red ‘n Blacks

Apparently red and black (strawberry and blackcurrant) are the most popular of all wine gums. I prefer the green ones, but apparently I'm in the minority. In fact, red and black are so popular that Maynards brought out bags exclusively filled with these two as limited editions in 2003 and 2009. Now, in 2015, the Red ‘n Blacks have made a come-back, and there's no whiff of this being for a limited time only.
£1.30 for a sharing bag, Sainsbury's

New: KitKat Mocha

Our favourite crispy wafer fingers with an exciting coffee flavour milk chocolate. Great if you found the Cookies & Cream or Toffee variants too sweet.
The four-finger version was spotted in Sainsbury's, 60p

Hottest Commercial Chilli in the UK

There’s a new chilli on the scene for people who think they can handle their Scovilles – and it’s taking no prisoners. Tesco say they have sourced the hottest chilli pepper ever to be grown in the UK (commercially – goodness knows what sort of monsters are being created in people’s back gardens) – and they are, perhaps recklessly, offering it to their innocent shoppers to buy. 

The aptly named Komodo Dragon measures 1.4million on the Scoville scale – comparing to 3,500 Scovilles for a jalapeno pepper and 350,000 for a Scotch Bonnet. In other words, it will blow your damn head off with a blast similar to that of China.

Tesco’s chilli pepper buyer (so much job envy) said: ‘In recent years we’ve had the fearsome Dorset Naga, the searing Bhut Jolokia and the mouth-numbing Trinidad Scorpion.But they all pale in comparison to the UK’s latest commercially grown chilli pepper – the mighty Komodo Dragon – which puts the others in the shade.’

Tesco say the Komodo is particularly interesting because it has a delayed reaction that lulls you into a sense of false security – aka you think you can handle it like a boss, you’re totally fine, whatever. Then suddenly, WHAM! ‘At first you can taste a wonderful hot fruitiness,’ she says, menacingly. ‘But then after about 10 seconds the full might of this little demon hits you and your whole mouth is aglow.’ And by aglow, she means burning with the fire of a thousand suns. ‘This is definitely a chilli pepper for connoisseurs and for those who are experienced in eating really, superhot food,’ she says in an understatement. The Komodo Dragon is grown in Bedfordshire and will be sold in 500 Tesco stores for £1. Just please don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Biscuits Galore!

I hope you've got a big biscuit tin.... you're going to need it with this gigantic biscuit-themed post:

Pick Up!
Two new flavours to Pick Up!'s range; Choco & Caramel and Dark Chocolate.  These are individually wrapped biscuit bars consisting of a chocolatey fondant sandwiched between two crisp biscuits. More or a crunch than a crumble.
£1.70, Asda

Belvita Soft Bakes
A new concept for Belvita. Chewy rather than crunchy or crumbly breakfast biscuits, in two variants; Red Berries and Golden Grain.
£1.50 for a box of 5 mini packs, in Asda




Thorntons Wafer Rolls
Satisfyingly crisp wafer rolls stuffed with either a caramel filling or chocolatey filling, smothered with milk chocolate. 
£1.80 a box, Asda

Thorntons Melts
Crispy double baked biscuits with a rich chocolate centre or a chocolate and mint centre.
£1.80 a box. Asda


Thorntons Caramel Squares
Golden biscuit with a rich caramel layer and a chocolatey topping.
£1.80 a box, Asda

Maryland Gooeys Peanut Flavour
A welcome addition to the Gooeys range. Peanut butter flavour cookies containing chocolate chips and a smooth chocolatey flavour filling. This taps into recent trends for peanut flavoured products. 
£1.00, Asda


Despicable Me Chocolate Biscuits
A standard biscuit bar coated in milk chocolate. I am now convinced that it is possible to create an entirely Minion-themed lunchbox.
£1.00 for a pack of 8, Asda





And lastly...a new lunchbox bar with a 'his' and 'hers' version! These new 'Empire' or 'Enchantment' bars are biscuit bars baked with oats, dark chocolate chips and raisins. 
£1.00 for a packet of 8, Asda

New Oreos

Oreo has announced the launch of two new flavours to its UK range: Golden Oreo and Oreo Peanut Butter. Yes, I know that these do pop up occasionally as US imports, but Golden Oreo will become a permanent addition to the UK Oreo brand, providing a delicious option for non chocolate-loving consumers. Oreo Peanut Butter, meanwhile, will be launched as a limited-edition flavour, tapping into the current popularity for peanut butter spreads. The peanut butter ones are also available in snack packs.
50p per packet in Asda

Choccy on the barbie!

If you're planning a barbecue, but aren’t sure what to serve for pudding, Lakeland has a fun new treat that will cook over your cooling coals while you tuck into your main course.

Its new BBQ Fondue consists of a silver tray with a tasty mixture of milk, dark and white chocolate discs inside.

All you have to do is remove the wrapper, pop the tray on to the cooling barbecue while you and your guests are eating your burgers and sausages, and the chocolate will have melted into a gooey fondue by the time you’re ready for something sweet. Then you can dip fruit or marshmallows into the mixture for a delicious dessert. It works on a gas BBQ, too — just turn the flames to low before putting the foil tray on to the bars. No washing up!

£4.99, Lakeland

New: Shredded Wheat Pudding Flavours

Well, whoever says that Cherry Bakewell and apple crumble aren't healthy obviously haven't seen these exciting new cereal concoctions from Nestle. These are bitesize shredded wheat versions of two favourite British puddings. The Cherry Bakewell features a cherry filling with vanilla flavour crumble topping, whilst the Apple Crumble is the same but with an apple filling. Both are made with whole wheat, so you can indulge in these desserts with even less guilt!

£2.49 for a 360g pouch in Tesco

New: Innocent Light & Juicy

Innocent light & juicy is a new juice drink made with pure fruit juices, water, coconut water and nothing else. It's naturally 30% lower sugar compared to regular juice blends. There are three flavours in this new range from Innocent: Peach & Raspberry is like summer in a glass. It's velvety, crisp, and best enjoyed ice cold while sprawled in your favourite chair. The citrus kick of Orange & Clementine, could be a good option to wake you up in the morning, whilst Pineapple & Lime is a mouth-watering combination with which you can almost feel that cool breeze through the Bahamas!




£1.50 for 900ml, Asda.

'All-Bran'd New Muesli

Have you ever found yourself stuck deciding between All-Bran and muesli for breakfast? No, me neither, but if you ever find yourself in that compromising position in the future, you'll be pleased to know that there's now a solution: you can have BOTH! Finally All-Bran high Fibre Muesli is on the market in the UK.

It has launched in two varieties: Fruit and Nut, with banana, coconut, sultanas and hazelnuts; and Cranberry and Sultanas, with pumpkin seeds. Both All-Bran muesli varieties contain 30 per cent more fibre than the average muesli, with oats, All-Bran shreds, rough barley and fruit inclusions. And while the benefits of roughage might not sound too trendy, the products’ packaging is colourful and modern, and should appeal to a range of shopper ages.
£2.49 in Morrisons

B. Fresh

B.Fresh, the cold pressed British juice brand has announced its move into Asda stores nationwide. The four strong product range will be the first brand to be placed in the fresh fruit and vegetable produce aisle, as consumers are encouraged to see B.Fresh juices as one of their five-a-day.
The drinks launching are: 

#greenwarrior : Apple, Cucumber, Spinach, Kale, Lime & Ginger

#rockthebeets: 50% Beetroot , Apple, Spinach and Lemon




#carrotkick: carrot, apple and orange

#sweetgreens: apple, spinach, kale and lemon

Each is available in Asda for £2.00

New at TGI Fridays: Chicken Waffle Burger and MORE!

TGI Fridays are one of the original American diner joints, and their latest menu revamp shows just how serious they are about satisfying your hunger. These are some of the items of the new 'Meet Your Match' line-up:

First up, there’s their boundary-pushing chicken finger BLT waffle, which TGI recommend for those who ‘like to mix it up’. This sweet/ savoury mash-up sees crispy chicken breast tenders served between two sweet waffles, with melted cheese, crispy bacon, honey mustard mayo and rocket and tomato (you know, just for good five-a-day measure).

Picture: TGI Menu

If however you’re more of a classicist, and have the appetite of a rugby team, the only possible option is TGI’s new Warrior Burger. As the name suggests, it’s a beast of a burger. We’re talking two 7oz burgers, mozzarella fingers, crispy bacon, two types of cheeses (American and Colby), caramelized onions and mayo. And because more is more, it comes served with crispy fries AND onion rings. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Picture: TGI Menu

They have also added Tostada Stacks to their line-up. Crispy flour tortillas packed with meltedcheese, Cajun-spiced rice, jalapeños, chilies, garlic veg and topped with pico de gallo, Southwest sour cream and Fridays Spicy Guacamole served with either Cajun-Spiced Chicken or Roasted Veg.

And fans of the restaurants coveted sticky Jack Daniels barbecue sauce will be pleased to know it features heavily in the new dishes. New sharing platter Jack Daniels Bucket o’ Bones - is a serving of tender slow cooked pork ribs and chicken wings tossed in Jack Daniel’s glaze, toasted sesame seeds and chili flakes, topped with Texan toothpicks. Plus a Jack Daniels Chilli Dog - a grilled pork ‘dog topped with hot and smoky Jack Daniels' beef chili, diced onions, Colby cheese, chilies and American mustard.

    

I'm full just thinking about it.... I may have to take a friend with a very large appetite to help me out!