Summer at M&S

With Easter well and truly behind us, shops are sure to be refilling their shelves with exciting new summery products. Marks and Spencer is no exception.
Here are some of the things I spotted...

Clotted Cream and Strawberry Fudge

Peaches and Cream Fudge

White, milk and dark coated freeze dried strawberries, raspberries and blackberries:

Earl Grey almonds: Earl Grey flavour white chocolate coated almonds.

Elderflower Raspberries: White chocolate coated freeze dried raspberries with a hint of enderflower flavour.

British pudding chocolates

Doritos Roulette

In case your normal bag of Doritos doesn't provide enough entertainment, Doritos have launched this exciting new product: Doritos Roulette. Each bag of Doritos Roulette will contain a number of ultra spicy chips hidden amongst the usual tangy cheese flavour, giving consumers an element of surprise. You know, like Russian Roulette but without the guns. 

Doritos Roulette (£1.99 RRP) randomly placed fiery hot tortilla chips are covered with invisible spice making them completely unrecognisable and hidden amongst the tangy cheese chips.

These spicy chips are the hottest that Doritos have ever produced – with the liquid used on them being 10 times hotter than a Jalapeño pepper. Some consumers in other countries are calling the spicy chips 'a solid slap in the face' and many have taken to posting videos of themselves taking the challenge on YouTube.
However, the only thing worse than getting a spicy chip, it seems, is getting a bag with none. Or at least not being sensitive enough to be affected by it.

 

Tesco Cookies

Fun chunky cookies from Tesco, available in 4 funky flavours: Sticky Toffee (butterscotch flavour cookies with toffee chips and dates), Chocolate Brownie, Flapjack, and Rainbow (baked with sugar-coated multi-coloured chocolate beans).

£1.49 for a tub of 5.

Upbeat Chocolate Orange flavour

This new flavour is the fourth in Upbeat’s portfolio, and joins the existing strawberry; mango and passionfruit; and raspberry variants. It combines protein, fruit purée, oranges and real chocolate for a low-fat, protein-rich boost that amounts to only 150 calories in each 250ml bottle. I'm pleased that it's not just your standard chocolate milkshake; they've made it a little more interesting.

Available from Tesco currently on offer at £1.00 a bottle.

Tesco Cereal Bars

3 new and exciting flavours of cereal bar from Tesco, evidently inspired by traditional British puddings. Pudding for breakfast. Why not?

Sticky Toffee: Sticky toffee flavoured cereal bar with caramel flavoured fudge pieces and date pieces

Apple Crumble: Apple & custard flavoured cereal bars with dried apple pieces

Berry & Almond Bakewell: Dark chocolate chips, raspberry flavoured fruit pieces & almonds

Cawston Press Elderflower Lemonade and Ginger Beer

Cawston Press has added new elderflower lemonade and ginger beer varieties of its canned juice range. New Cawston Press ginger beer combines a sweet, citrusy type of ginger with a more fiery variety “to achieve a fruity, complex ginger flavour with a satisfying ‘bite’”. The elderflower lemonade blends Sicilian lemon juice with sparkling water, and contains less than 100 calories per can to provide a lighter soft drink option.
They join the existing rhubarb and cloudy apple varieties in 330ml cans.

Cornetto Bites

Meet one of the many new additions to the freezer cabinets: Cornetto Bites. Each bag of Cornetto Bites contains 12 x 28ml bite-size Cornettos (six Classico and six Chocolate) which are designed for sharing with friends and family.

Tiptree Spreads

Mmmmm.... your breakfast is about to get a whole lot sweeter! Tiptree have brought up two bang-up-to-date spreads; Banoffee and Salted Caramel. Imagine these on toasted waffles. Or, if you don't have a sweet tooth in the morning, then how about a dollop with ice cream for pudding?!!

Review: Hula Hoop Pufts

These pufts are a new addition to the Hula Hoop family. They are a light wheat and potato-based spin of the familiar hoop. The packet doesn’t tell you how they are made; whether they are air-popped, baked etc… The company has been secretive about their traditional Hula Hoop recipe, so perhaps the new Pufts are no exception!

The packet felt very empty, and sure enough, upon opening, I discovered what appeared to be a rather meagre offering of the hoops. I assumed that this accounted for why there are so few calories in a packet, and that it wasn’t due to the way they are made. However, my first impressions were too hasty. Once I started making my way through the packet, I realised that the quantity was just right for a mid-morning snack. Most importantly, the hoops are brilliant. They are incredibly light but sufficiently crispsy and satisfying to bite into. They melt in your mouth, but not before you’ve had a decent munch! The salt and vinegar flavour mild, which compliments the lightness of the hoop.


Would I buy them again? I already have!

Frozen Alcohol Pouches

Kopparberg has launched new frozen formats of its strawberry and lime, and elderflower and lime varieties, as it follows the growing trends towards frozen beverages, following other leading brands such as Smirnoff.

New Kopparberg frozen fruit cider “provides the ultimate mix of invigorating fruity flavours and absolute refreshment". This new product comes in metallic pouches, and the brand has claimed that the new formats are the world’s first frozen cider products. 

And the trend continues....




WKD Original Blue will be rolled out in April  in 250ml freeze pouches.

Laughing Cow Mini Cravings

Awww, how cute! Here is a new snacking invention from Laughing Cow; the 'Mini Cravings' and when they say 'mini', they really do mean it! Each block of cheese is about the size of an Oxo cube, but I suppose you can't complain if it's only 14 calories. They have arrived in a fantastic array of flavours: Three Cheese, Garlic & Herb and Ham & Herb in one pack, and Blue Cheese, Cheddar and Smoked Cheese in another. Take your pick!
£2.00 for a pack of 24 in Asda.

£2.00 for a pack of 24 in Asda.

Review: Heinz Rich Beef Broth with Smokey Paprika

I decided to try this new soup from Heinz after tasting (and very much enjoying) goulash whilst in Budapest a couple of weeks ago.
"Goulash  is a soup or stew of meat (typically beef) and vegetables, seasoned with paprika and other spices. " Yup, basically this Heinz beef broth is goulash, and this certainly tasted very similar to the one I tried in Budapest. The Heinz version was absolutely delicious. I was expecting a broth to be quite watery, but this wasn't at all. The paprika was just the right amount; not too hot that you couldn't taste the rich tomato and carrot flavours, but just enough to make it different from your everyday soup. It added something special. However, there didn't seem to be much meet. Perhaps this was because I was expecting chunks of meet like in Budapest. Nevertheless, the pearl barley was plentiful and added to the satiety. The can features a recipe to turn the 'broth' into a proper meal, but I found this filling and satisfying without adding anything. And, thanks to Heinz, I can now enjoy memories of Budapest at the turn of a tin-opener!

Tropical Sun snacks

Tropical Sun have traditionally produced seasonings, coconut oils and numerous other cooking ingredients. However, they have just released a new venture; snacks. Though it may have taken them a while to divert into such a food category, they appear to have done it rather well and have steered clear of the regular crisps and popcorn.

They have produced three variants: Chilli & Lime Green Peas, Peri Peri Peanuts and Roasted Barbecue Peanuts. Each is available in a handy resealable bag and the Chilli & Lime Green Peas have already been spotted in Asda for £1.69.

Muller Corner Crunch Mochaccino

Another new product from Muller; this new crunch corner is a coffee flavour yogurt with dark chocolate coffee biscuits on the side. It's not guaranteed to stick around; it's up to the consumers to decide whether or not it permanently joins the Muller family. So, in a sense, it could be considered a limited edition. 

Available exclusively from Tesco in packs of 4 for £2.69.

Innocent Bubbles

Innocent Drinks has launched a new lightly sparkling blend of fruit juice and spring water for those “times when you fancy a bit of extra sparkle”.

New Bubbles is a lightly sparkling variant available in two flavour combinations: tropical (pineapple, orange and grape juice) and a zesty, zingy lemon, lime and apple. Launching this month, each can of Innocent Bubbles contains one portion of your fruit and veg, and less than 100 calories per serving. It is packaged in  slimline 330ml cans and has a recommended retail price of £1.49.

 

Beloved Cereal Bars

Here are two new super-healthy cereal bars from Asda's shelves:

Cranberry, Blueberry & Date or Pumpkin, Sunflower Seed & Date




With no added sugar, these cereal bars are made from oat flakes, date syrup and apple paste. The packaging alone makes me feel healthy!
£1.98 for a pack of 4

Pringles Tortillas

First Popchips, then Tyrrells. It seems like they're all at it. Tortilla crisps seem to be 'hot' right now!

So here they come from Pringles. Although the very essence of a Pringle is its ‘hyperbolic parabaloid’ shape that stacks up neatly in a re-sealable can. So you won't be the only one wondering how on earth they can produce a tortilla...

Well.... fear not. They are still the same old shape, so we can stack them as much as we like, do 'duck-beak-mouths' with them, and generally make rather a mess of ourselves when we bite into them! They're just made out of corn and have the familiar tortilla texture. The line has four flavours - original, nacho cheese, sour cream and spicy chilli. No surprises there then!

Review: Tesco Pineapple, Kiwi and Lime Smoothie

This smoothie was a quite a vibrant shade of 'sludgy' green; the type of green that looks like it may be a rather unappealing concoction of green vegetables. However, it tasted delicious. It was quite sharp, but this wasn't overpowering - the sweetness from the apple juice and purée probably helps temper the acidity of lime and pineapple. In fact, the slight tang was pleasantly refreshing. 

The smoothie was a little thinner than some others on the market, but  it was velvety-smooth; certainly no bits.
I would certainly buy it again - very more-ish!



£2.00 for a 1L carton

Frozen and Star Wars cereals

Well, it was inevitable that sooner or later there would be a Frozen cereal to join the mass of Frozen merchandise that is collecting on our supermarket shelves. The Frozen cereal is a vanilla flavoured assortment stars and balls made from a mixture of rice, wholegrain, oat and maize.

Star Wars, on the other hand, seems like a rather unusual choice for boys these days. The cool packaging and the chocolate-flavoured moons and stars are sure to be the big attraction though. The cereal itself is a mix of wheat, whole-wheat and rice.

£2.00 a box from Asda

Spotted in Tesco

The Cadbury Layers of Joy: Caramellionaire

This describes itself as a ‘shortcake biscuit at heart surrounded by delicious layers of Cadbury milk chocolate mousse, rich caramel dessert and white chocolate mousse’. The clear pot makes it easy to see three layers of white chocolate, caramel and milk chocolate. However, despite contributing to 11% of the desert, I couldn't see any shortbread.

Cadbury Freddo Faces Limited Edition Twin Pot

Well you know how I love a limited edition! The lovable little chocolate frog faces have finally made their way to the chilled dessert aisle. 78p each. 

Alpen Light: Banoffee

Another interesting flavour of cereal bar, and good news for dieters! Pack of 5, available for £1.69.