New McVitie's Cakes

Is is a cake? Or is it a pudding? It's both, apparently! It's a 'sticky pudding cake'. Therefore, I'm thinking that it can be enjoyed cold with a cuppa, or warm with custard! Available in two zingy flavours to cut through the potentially sickly syrupy sweetness; Lemon and Marmalade.

Currently 87p each in Morrisons

New Sandwich Fillers

If your sandwiches are getting a little boring, then here are some ideas which may add some interest to your lunchtime. Morrison's 'All Day Breakfast' sandwich filler contains hard boiled egg with Lincolnshire sausage, diced tomatoes and smoked bacon in seasoned mayonnaise. Alternatively, there's 'Mexican Chicken' which is  diced cooked chicken breast with fajita sauce and tomato salsa in a seasoned mayonnaise. If you'd rather go veggie, opt for ploughman's 'Cheese & Pickle', which consists of mature Cheddar and Red Leicester cheeses with sweet pickle in mayonnaise.
£1.34 each, Morrisons

New Cake Mizes

I was quite excited to spot this in Morrisons because I'm partial to the odd Malteser. But I have made a few Malteser cases before (courtesy of Mary Berry) and this one did not live up to expectations. It's just a chocolate cake mix with a very slight hint of malt. But perhaps I imagined it. It's not apparent that you need to purchase the icing and even the malteasers!! 
£2.43



Something a little seasonal from Betty Crocker. This moist, warming and Spiced Ginger Cake is simple and quick to make and tastes delicious on its own. The kit does not include the cream cheese mix as shown on the front of the box. 
£2.00 in Morrisons




Also rather Autumnal... a cake mix with cinnamon and apple pieces. £2.25, Waitrose

Guinness Steak Slice

Guinness and long standing pie experts Holland's bring you this truly unique slice. Holland's have been making pies and pastries for over 160 years and their wealth of knowledge and experience is apparent. Break through the traditional golden puff pastry and enjoy the bittersweet reward of tender, slowly cooked, diced British steak in dark, rich gravy with the unmistakable taste of Guinness beer. 
£1.68 in Asda

Cauli Rice

Yes, this is another vegetable-instead-of-carbohydrate product. The trend continues, much to the delight of our waistlines. This time it's the cauliflower, which is loudly and proudly affirming itself as a healthy rice alternative. Would you believe that one serving of this cauli rice has up to 75% fewer calories than an equivalent serving of white rice? And for all you doubters who might be determinedly sticking to your starch, the 'cauliflower-ness' is well masked behind some great flavours: Mediterranean and Indian Pilau, whilst the texture is almost identical to that of couscous or pearl barley. Move over rice!
£1.99 for 200g (serves 2) in Tesco

New flavours of popcorn

A couple of funky new popcorn flavours from Waitrose:  Smoked Bacon & Maple Syrup and Wasabi & Ginger. Both flavours are strong but the sweet and salty combinations work  together and are well balanced.
80p in Waitrose

Celebrate rugby with sausages!

In the midst of the Rugby World Cup, I thought I would tell you about my latest find. (Better late than never!) Whatever team you support, and whether you like rugby or not, there's cause to celebrate with these limited edition sausages from Richmond. Scrum Cumberland and Line-Out Lincolnshire are available in packs of 8 from the chilled meats aisle. There's nothing exceptional about the flavours, but the packaging has the novelty-factor, so why not?!! 

£2.00 in Morrisons

Propercorn Smooth Peanut & Almond

Propercorn is tapping into the trend in nuts with the launch of a new smooth peanut and almond-flavoured popcorn. Launching this month, the gluten-free addition combines sweet almonds with protein-rich peanuts to offer an intense flavour and appeal to an increasingly health-conscious British public. It is the latest flavour innovation from Propercorn since its sweet coconut and vanilla flavour  last year, which went down a treat. 

£1.59 for 90g, Ocado

New Cereal Bars and Breakfast Biscuits

Kellogg's have been busy coming up with this selection of new on-the-go breakfast options...

Nutrigrain Granola Crunch
Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Granola Crunch biscuits are large slices of deliciously satisfying crunchy wholegrain granola that can be enjoyed with or without a hot drink. They're certainly crunchy, but a little on the dry side, so probably best dunked in your morning cuppa! Available in Choc Chip and Honey Oat.




Squares Salted Caramel
Well, it's taken Kellogg's a long time to catch on to the Salted Caramel trend, for which the bandwagon definitely seems to be slowing. Salted Caramel has already popped up in the cereal bar market, but not in a big way, so this new Squares flavour is still a welcome treat. And you can't beat the chewiness of this toasted rice bar!
£1.98 in Asda

Crunchy Nut Choc, Raisin & Peanut
And yet another new flavour in the Crunchy Nut family. Chunky peanuts, juicy raisins and oats dipped in a milk chocolate layer. The variety of texture that's packed into this little bar is fantastic!
£2.19 in Asda

Kiwi Berries

No, I'm not having a laugh. These are for real. And they're in Waitrose right now! Kiwi berries, look like a kiwi fruit but are the size of a grape. They can be eaten in one bite, with no need for them to be peeled. Great for lunchboxes then! 
They're extremely 'limited edition' though; only available for 5 weeks (which started from 16th September, so hurry!) and are not available in all Waitrose stores. 

New Waitrose Crisps

Lentil Tubes
Waitrose Lentil tubes are a tasty, crunchy snack with 50% less fat than a standard fried potato crisp. A great source of fibre and only 81 calories per pack,  there are two flavours to choose from:  Mature Cheddar and Onion and Sea Salt & Black Pepper (both £1.99 for a pack of 5 single bags).




Pop Snacks
Waitrose Pop snacks are made from a blend of soya and potato. They're low in saturated fat, high in fibre and a source of protein. Great for gluten free snacking, they are also available in two flavours: Barbecue and Cheese & Onion (both £1.50).

Marmite Flatbreads

Whether you love it or hate it, I thought I'd let you know about these....
Crispy flatbreads thoughtfully baked with lots of lovely marmite... and sprinkled with cheese.
£2.35 in Waitrose

Jelly Belly Candy Corn

An American classic! No other candy corn can match its soft creamy, vanilla mellocreme texture. Always a firm Autumn favourite in the States, and now stocked in Ocado.
£1.89 per bag.

Halloween Muller Corners

I'd hate to alarm you, but Halloween is already little over a month away. I know, how time flies! But I can't help getting a little excited by all the seasonal products that flood our shelves... like this Halloween Kids Corner from Muller. They say 'Kids', but I'm taking that rather loosely. These are vanilla yogurt with sugar-glazed wheat pumpkin shapes. Not hugely imaginative, but I like the novelty factor.
£1.19 for a pack of 4, Tesco

New comfort food

I finally packed away my summer wardrobe. Sniff. Sob. I reluctantly pushed my T-shirts and flip-flops to the back of their respective drawers and got out the layers, ready for nippy mornings and chilly evenings. But it's not all doom and gloom, because this new Plum & Cherry Crumble is almost begging to be eaten on a brisk Autumnal day. Ice-creams and Pimms are a distant memory as I imagine digging through a thick layer or buttery, oaty, crumble topping to reach the plums and cherries in a sweet sauce.
£2.50, serves 4, Tesco


If it's chocolate that you're after then Tesco has that covered too! Their new Swiss Chocolate Sponge Pudding is consists of chocolate sponge topped with Swiss chocolate ganache, decorated with cocoa nibs and Swiss white chocolate. You'd have to be mad to say no to that!
£3.00

New: Indulgent Weight Watchers Cookies

Good news for those on a diet.... Weight Watchers have just released a range of 'Indulgent Cookies', with the idea being that you can indulge without the guilt. True to their word, these are indulgent. Thy are butter-rich crumbly cookies in three varieties; Belgian Chocolate & Spicy Stem Ginger, Belgian Chocolate Chunks, Juicy Sultanas & nibbed Hazelnuts and Triple Nut (Almonds, Hazelnuts & Pistachios). However, sadly they're not quite as innocent as intended. The Triple Nut flavour, for example, has 83 calories per cookie, which is more than 2 Garibaldi biscuits and almost as much as a Time Out bar!

£1.99 per packet of 10, Ocado

Hummus Crisps

What are hummus crisps? Well, Simply 7 took the main ingredient found in hummus ‑ the chickpea ‑ and baked its flavors and nutrients into an all natural bite‑sized crisp. Simple ingredients. Simply delicious. All natural chickpeas. 0 grams trans fat and nothing artificial. 
These are now available in Waitrose in two flavours: Tomato & Basil, and Roasted Red Pepper. The Roasted Red Pepper adds a slight sweetness to the hummus flavour, and the taste is so 'spot on' that it's almost as if the bell peppers are fresh off the grill. Tomato & Basil didn't work so well for me, but it was still worth trying because I haven't come across anything quite like these crisps before.
£2.29 for an 85g bag

Good news for non-bakers!

If, like me, you've been watching the Bake Off, massively in awe of those who have the technical and creative ability to bake something stunning, then don't despair. Asda have a new selection of show-stopping cakes for your celebrations. And they don't have to be just for kids' parties either!

Rainbow Jazzie Cake: A rather magical multi-coloured sponge with funky frosting and white choc buttercream, covered in hundreds and thousands. £12




Rainbow Drops Cake: A  2 tiered Madeira sponge cake layered with plum and raspberry jam, covered with vanilla flavour frosting and smothered with Rainbow Drops. £12


Chocoholic Pinata Surprise:  Chocolate sponge with chocolate and vanilla flavour frostings in a fantastic swirl design, with dark, milk and white chocolate covered rice crisps in the middle. Take that, Marry Berry! £12



Checkerboard Cake: White and chocolate sponges that have a sophisticated Battenburg-style effect when you cut into the cake, filled and covered with buttercream, decorated with cocoa powder and chocolate decorations. £12



Squashies Giant Cup Cake: A Madeira sponge cupcake with plum & raspberry jam, topped with bubble gum and vanilla flavour frostings and Squashies Bubblegum sweets. £7, but big enough to serve 12 kids.

Mr Kipling's Deluxe Whirl

I've recently spotted these little treats from the lovely Mr Kipling. They seem to have crept onto the shelves without a big fuss or commotion, under my radar and then all of a sudden, there they were! I didn't immediately notice that these are Mr Kipling products, because the packaging is so different from that of other Kipling cakes and biscuits - it's so much more upmarket.
 So... these 'Deluxe' Whirls are shortcake fancies filled with buttercream and sauce, part enrobed in milk chocolate. They come in two varieties: Rich Belgian Chocolate  and Salted Caramel. If the 'Deluxe' name-tag and more sophisticated packaging weren't enough of a statement, then the 'Rich Belgian Chocolate' certainly confirms that Mr Kipling is hoping to establish himself in the more 'luxury' cake market.
£1.80 for a box of 4 in Sainsbury's

Soft pretzel knots

New York Bakery Co has just launched Soft Pretzel Knots – a first in UK supermarkets. Available in three flavours – Original, Sweet Cinnamon, and Cheddar and Red Onion – the soft pretzel knots are intended to be consumed as is, without the need for toppings, fillings or dips. The Soft Pretzel Knots are individually wrapped, so they're nice and handy for lunchboxes. 

Available in Morrisons.

Autumn at Hotel Chocolat

Leaves turning brown, kids back at school, blackberries on the bushes.... yup... autumn is here folks. And they certainly know it at Hotel Chocolat! Look at what's they're offering us this season...

Gone Nuts 100g Slab
They’ve packed as many roasted hazelnuts into this slab as a squirrel could fit in his cheeks! Nibble away on this delicious half-caramel, half-milk chocolate, roasted hazelnut-studded slab before anyone tries to squirrel it away from you…

Squirrel's Stash
Caramel walnuts and praline hazelnuts (with a whole nut inside).




Rustle & Crunch
A comforting collection of Autumn flavours. Inside you'll find six chocolates in three different flavours. The Florentine Isabelle teams up with burnt caramel and pralines chocolates, with leaf and acorn decorations, taken from artist designs.

Thorntons X Factor Moments

Now, I'm not a fan of the X-Factor. I much prefer Strictly Come Dancing. And if Strictly Come Dancing brought out a range of confectionery, I'd be the first to try! But they haven't, and instead, Thorntons have collaborated with the X-Factor to create this new assortment of contestants: Gooey Caramel, Strawberry Dream, Creamy Fudge, Orange Charm, Honeycomb Crisp, Double Treat
...which is your favourite? Perfect for sharing during Saturday night TV with your friends and family. Plus, inside every X Factor Moments box is the chance to win one of 25 pairs of X Factor Live Tour 2016 tickets with exclusive back-stage access!
£4.00 in Tesco.