Review- Tags Tasty Crisps: Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt and Mature Chedder & Red Onion

I am not very adventurous when it comes to crisps. Even though my household is full of all different fancy favours, I tend to stick with my favourite - Salt & Vinegar. I spotted Tags Tasty Crisps in Asda on a 2 for £2.50 offer. I hadn't tried them before so grabbed a couple of bags. 

Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt 

I wasn't about to change a habit of a lifetime so picked up Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt Flavour. 

These are great! Nice and crunchy with a pleasant Salt & Vinegar flavour which wasn't overpowering or hurt my tongue due to the acidity. I did notice that the flavour wasn't completely consistent throughout the bag - a few crisps lacked any vinegar and tasted quite plain. Not bad at all, it's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Mature Chedder & Red Onion 

My Brothers crisp flavour of choice is Cheese & Onion so I couldn't not get him the Mature Cheddar & Red Onion.. Like the amazing Sister I am. 

We were both disappointed by these. Although we liked the green parsley flecks and the crunch, we were put off by how ridiculously salty they were! It completely suppressed any potential Mature Chedder & Red Onion flavour they had. Not great sadly, a 2 out of 5. 

Overall, I feel Tags might be a bit of a hit or miss brand. There is a Sweet Chilli Flavour in the range which is my Mums favourite so I expect they will be in the cupboard soon. As for me.. I think I'll be sticking with my trusty old Salt & Vinegar! 

Review- Gu Hot Chocolate Souffles

I have a rather large collection of glass ramekins in my kitchen.. Gu Puds are to blame.

I picked up the Hot Chocolate Souffles in Tesco for £2. Each box contains 2, 65g containing ramekins. They are one of the few Gu desserts that I am yet to have tried. 

I was tempted to eat it like this, straight from the fridge but decided it was probably best eaten in its intended soufflé form. For the good of review and all that. 

I popped it into a 160 degree fan oven for 12 minutes and it puffed up beautifully. It smelt as divine as it looked! 

I got stuck in immediately and was greeted by a molten, ooey gooey, chocolate centre. The flavour was rich and dark but not bitter in the slightest. Texture wise, it was perfectly light and fluffy - I could have easily cooked and eaten the other one there and then!

These Soufflés are spot on - I cannot recommend Gu Puds enough. The twin pack dessert range is very extensive and includes, Gu-Zillionaires Puds, Raspberry & White Chocolate Mousses, Lemon Cheesecakes, Key Lime Pies and Melting Middles, to name a few! Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. 

I'm off to buy all of the above and add to my ramekin collection. It's top marks from me - 5 out of 5! 

Review- Asda Ripplicious Coconut & Chocolate

My freezer pretty much solely consists of ice cream at the moment. Every time I go shopping, I see another one I want to try. There are loads of new ones out including this Asda Ripplicious Coconut & Chocolate. I love how coconut ice creams are becoming more popular! 

It was a bargain at £1.89 for a 550ml tub. 

I was dubious at first. Upon opening, it smelt a lot like sunscreen which isn't really what you want from an ice cream - Thankfully it didn't taste how it smelt! It was full of coconut flavour and was very creamy. The chocolate sauce wasn't anything to write home about. It was fairly generic but went well with the coconut ice cream. The chocolate swirl was lacking. It only 'ran through' where you can see it in the picture and was mainly on the sides of the tub rather than in the actual ice cream. This was a bit rubbish as you could easily end up with no chocolate in your portion depending where it's scooped from - Very hit or miss! 

I'm glad I picked up this ice cream. It's much nicer than other supermarket brand ones I have tried previously. My only complaint is that I wish there was more chocolate sauce! There are lots of other flavours in the Ripplicious Range - I have just got to make some room in my freezer now! It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

Review- BeLoved Date Cereal Bars: Cranberry & Blueberry and Pumpkin & Sunflower Seed

I am always on the look out for new cereal bars. My family gets through boxes and boxes of Alpen and Special K bars but I am always a bit wary of all the refined sugar in those! I prefer to save that for chocolate, desserts and general cakey goodness so when I spotted these 100% Natural, BeLoved Date Cereal Bars, I jumped on them. 

I got them from Asda. They're currently part of a 3 for £3 offer. Both contain whole rolled oats, crisp rice and hand picked dates that are sourced in Oman. Each bar contains around 135 calories and 2g of fibre. 

Cranberry & Blueberry 

These are really tasty! I enjoyed how chewy, sticky and wholesome they were. The flavour of the freeze dried raspberries made the bar pleasantly sweet but did overpower the blueberries and cranberries slightly. I couldn't really taste any dates either sadly. If you're a fan of raspberries I'm sure you would love them. It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me.

Pumpkin & Sunflower Seed 

I was really impressed with how densely packed this bar was! With every bite you could see all the pumpkin and sunflower seeds. These along with the flax gave an even chewier texture than that of the Cranberry & Blueberry Bar. The flavour of dates was much more apparent also. A 4 out of 5 from me. 

Overall these are pretty darn delicious! They fill you up and it's reassuring to know you are eating something healthier than your standard sugar filled cereal bar. They would be great for kids and would make the perfect, post workout snack. These might just be my new staple! 

Review- FRijj Supreme Sticky Toffee Pudding and Honeycomb Choc Swirl Milkshakes

Chocolate milk is the best. I use to drink pints of the stuff and probably still would if I allowed myself! I spotted these FRijj Supreme Milkshakes in Sainsburys for £1.30 each and thought I'd give them a whirl and reignite my love for flavoured milk. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding 

Very suave packaging! 

Oh my goodness gracious me! A lovely toffee scent welcomed me upon opening the bottle. I poured myself a glass pronto, eager to try the delight that was waiting for me.. My bubble then burst. One sip and I was overwhelmed by sweetness and left with a claggy film in my mouth and throat! I don't like the texture at all and the flavour is just as bad - Sticky Toffee Pudding, it is not! I can't for the life of me fathom how anyone would enjoy this awful drink. A 'I wouldn't drink this again, for love nor money' 0 out of 5 from me - YUCK! 

Honeycomb Choc Swirl

I really do like the fancy-pants bottle. Wish I could say the same for the drink *cough*. 

OK, this one wasn't quite as vile as the Sticky Toffee. It had a nice honeycomb smell and at first it didn't taste all that bad. That was until I was greeted by the trusty old claggy film and a delightful celery aftertaste - what a bonus! Why a milkshake would taste of celery is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, I love celery but I don't want my drinks to taste of it! For being slightly more bearable, it's a 0.5 out of 5 from me! 

There is a third milkshake in the Supreme range - Raspberry White Choc Swirl. Thankfully, my buddie Kev (@kevvieguy on Twitter - he's full of banter and finds the best snacks) has reviewed it on his blog (http://kevssnackreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/frijj-supreme-white-chocolate-raspberry.html?m=1) as I'm not sure I could stomach another! 

What are FRijj playing at with these Milkshakes and who decided on the name, Supreme?! Unless you particularly enjoy super sweet, claggy celery drinks, I suggest you steer clear. I'm off to pour both my bottles down the sink and have a lie down. Good grief. 

Review- Tims Dairy Greek Style Yogurt with Honey

My love for yogurts has never really gone much further than the Frubes and Petit Filous of my childhood lunch boxes but when I saw Hannah, my fellow reviewing bud (check her out @thereviewaddict on Twitter and Instagram- she's awesome!) raving about Tims Dairy Greek Style Yogurt, I knew I had to give it ago for myself- she's never steered me wrong as of yet! 

I picked up the Greek Style Yogurt with Honey on offer in Asda for 70p. 

The picture doesn't truly show how thick the yogurt is! It's so luxurious and creamy with a perfectly smooth texture. I enjoyed half of the 175g pot on its own and the other with a Special K Cereal Bar crumbled on top which made a lovely accompaniment. The honey flavour is quite mild and only really apparent after the initial tang of yogurt. I don't think thats such a bad thing but if you are a honey fanatic you could always drizzle a bit more on top. I imagine it would be lovely with granola and fruit too. I'm not sure there is a wrong way to eat this stuff! 

Overall I am very impressed with Tims Dairy! It is not a brand I had heard of previously. I would be keen to try more from them, especially the Vanilla, Blackcurrant and Raspberry variants of the Greek Style Yogurt. I might even be tempted to buy a big 450g pot! I can certainly see why it has a 'Great Taste Gold 2011' award. It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Asda Giant Ice Cream Cupcake

As an avid baker, I don't really ever buy cakes from supermarkets. My mum spotted this rather cute Giant Ice Cream Cupcake in Asda for £6 in the Birthday Cake aisle and decided we just had to have it. It's not either of our Birthdays. 

Light, fluffy Madeira sponge bursting with tangy plum and raspberry jam, topped with our yummy frosting and sweet treats. 

Unfortunately, some of the frosting was dislodged when I removed the plastic around the cake. Why have they got to put it on there? They should realise that most people would like their Birthday cake picture perfect! 

I liked how the cake was in an actual giant cupcake case! 

This smelt gorgeous - sweet and vanilla-y. The sponge was surprisingly light in texture - almost too light as it was hard to stop eating slice after slice! The plum and raspberry jam sandwiched inbetween was fruity and flavourful. I'm glad it was only a thin layer as it easily could have become overly sweet. The frosting topping was delicious! I think this is mainly where the vanilla scent was coming from. The proportion of icing to sponge was perfect also and the sprinkles added a nice sugary crunch. My only complaint is the chocolate flake - it tasted very cheap! 

Overall for a 'bought' cake this wasn't bad! I was expecting to hate it considering I do bake an awful lot but it's much nicer than other supermarket Birthday cakes I've tried. This would be perfect for a kids Birthday party. Or a 'Mother, Daughter' afternoon tea like we had. I'm not sure how it would serve 10 as it recommends - 8 slices seems much more realistic! A 4 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Waffletops Caramel & Coffee Fudge Waffles

Guess who got another hankering for waffles? Twice in a fortnight is record! I must be becoming a fanatic.. 

I picked up the other variety of Waffletops in Asda priced at £1.50, once again. I was eager to see how the Caramel & Coffee Fudge version would fare against the sickly sweet Lemon & Strawberry Fudge I reviewed a few weeks back. 

The box contained 3 waffles again, each individually wrapped. The Nutritional Infortmation was indentical to the Lemon & Strawberry Fudge, having 309 Calories, 9.5g Saturated Fat and 19g of Sugar each. These can be enjoyed cold of warmed too. 

The Angel - Chocolate Fudge 

A Belgian Waffle topped with temptingly dark fudge and heavenly curls of milk and white chocolate. 

The Adonis - Caramel Fudge 

A Belgian Waffle with tanned caramel fudge topping and shavings of tall dark and delicious chocolate. 

The Adventurer - Coffee Fudge 

A Belgian Waffle with caverns of coffee fudge, topped with snowy ridges and peaks of white chocolate. 

Wow! What a complete contrast to the extremely artificial tasting Lemon & Stawberry Fudge Trio! These were all divine - it was hard to pick a favourite!

The Angel tasted very much like hot chocolate fudge sauce which was of course, delicious. The white chocolate shavings were crucial to cutting the richness - a match made in heaven. The Adonis might just pip the others to the post at being number 1! The sticky Caramel Fudge was perfection. It had a sweet vanilla-y butterscotch flavour which was balanced out by the deep dark chocolate shavings. I wasn't disappointed by The Adventurer either. As a massive coffee lover, I did wonder whether the flavour would be wishy washy but I was pleasantly surprised. It is quite sweet given all the white chocolate shavings on top though. 

I microwaved all 3 of my waffles as they are very dense when cold. You do have to be careful not to over nuke them though as they can go a bit soggy. 

Overall these were really tasty! I would buy them again in a heartbeat - it's a shame the same can't be said for the Lemon & Strawberry. I really like how they are individually wrapped. They are perfect to get you over the 3pm slump at work - just warm them for a yummy afternoon pick-me-up. 

One thing I am dubious about is the Nutritional Information. How can all 6 Waffles contain exactly the same amounts? I would have thought there would be some discrepancy even if only marginal. With that curiosity aside, these delights get a 4 out of 5 from me! 

Review- The Laughing Cow Mini Cravings

I wasn't a particularly fussy eater as a child but Birds Eye Fish Fingers along with The Laughing Cow Dippers, pretty much summed up my entire diet back in the day. They go by the name of Dip & Crunch now.. I swear they weren't called that when I was young?

As you can imagine I was very excited to spot these new, The Laughing Cow Mini Cravings in Asda. They were on the end of an aisle and priced at 94p. I do love an introductory offer! 

I picked up the Cheese Selection and Flavoured Cheese out of the 3 available options. The other was just the Original Laughing Cow Cheese. 

Flavoured Cheese 

Ham & Herb, Garlic & Herb and Three Cheese Flavoured Snack Cubes 

My immediate first thought was 'oh my goodness! They're so tiny and cute!'. 

L-R Garlic & Herb, Ham & Herb, Three Cheese 

I liked how the Garlic & Herb was speckled - it smelt delicious. Taste wise it was just as good. It was very similar to Boursin so if you're a fan of herby cheeses, there's no doubt you would enjoy this too. The Ham & Herb was very nice also - I wasn't sure how a ham flavour would fair but I was pleasantly surprised. The Three Cheese was nothing remarkable but tasty all the same! I can't really find anything to complain about with these.  A 4 out of 5 from me!

Cheese Selection

Cheddar, Smoked Cheese and Blue Cheese Flavoured Snack Cubes 

Each individual cube measures about 0.5inch by 0.5inch. Adorable! 

L-R Cheddar, Blue, Smoked 

These 3 didn't look that different - they varied in shade slightly. I can't fault the texture, they were all perfectly silky smooth. Taste wise the Cheddar was fairly mild but pleasant none the less. I can't say the same for the Smoked Cheddar unfortunately. It was pretty grim! I can't put my finger on what exactly but it tastes very similar to something else I've tried which wasn't to my liking!* My favourite was the Blue Cheese, it had a lovely flavour without being overpowering. I felt it was creamier than the Light Blue Cheese Laughing Cow Triangles - I'm not sure if it is different or whether I'm just imagining it. I have to give these a 3 out of 5 due to the yucky Smoked Cheddar. 

Overall these are great as a light snack! At only 14 calories each, they are perfect if you're watching what you eat. I enjoyed mine on Pumpkin Seed & Oats Ryvita but I'd imagine they would be lovely on Melba Toast, in a Sandwich or in your kids lunch boxes. All hail The Laughing Cow! 

* I've done a bit of research and found the thing it reminds me of. The Laughing Cow Cheez Double Dippers - Yuck! 

If you fancy a blast from the past, watch the advert here: 

http://youtu.be/2alB5hv0mY0

Review- Honey Monster Honey Wows

Every now and again I go on a massive cereal kick. I can't get enough of the stuff - I prefer to eat it dry, straight out of the box as a snack rather than drowned in milk for breakfast. I was pleased to find these Honey Monster Wows in Pound Stretcher. I am not sure if these were new but I hadn't seen them previously. They must have been one of the few cereal I haven't tried! 

Honey coated multigrain hoops filled with wholegrain oats and crisp rice

I was met with a lovely honey scent upon opening the bag. I grabbed a handful and started munching. It was hard to stop! These were very crunchy and moreish. They tasted surprisingly oaty and 'whole'. The honey came through quite subtly so they weren't overly sweet which you can sometimes find with a cereal like this. I did try some with milk for the purpose of review. Even though it's not really my cup of tea, they weren't bad. They didn't go immediately soggy thankfully. 

I did notice that most of the oats and crisp rice were in the bottom of the bag rather than 'filling' the hoops. Aslong as you give the bag a good shake to distribute the bits, it doesn't really effect the overall taste. 

Not a bad offering from the Honey Monster! I miss seeing him.. Has he retired from adverts or does he live solely on the kids TV channels now? All kids go crazy for a sugary cereal - even big kids like myself! These get a 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Alibi Max Coconut & Caramel

I'm obsessed with the Polish section of my local Tesco. There's loads of different chocolate bars on offer and they're usually on a 3 for £1 deal. I picked up a Alibi Max Coconut & Caramel Bar priced at 49p singularly. 

Crispy bar with coconuts and caramel in milk chocolate 

It looked and sounded a lot like a Lion Bar! The texture was very similar also with the distinctive chewy caramel between crunchy wafers and crispy coating. The coconut aspect was amazing! It didn't overpower the rest of the bar at all although it was very sweet as to be expected. I was quite impressed with the quality of the chocolate also - it was not bland or overly sugary. 

I think I might have just found a new favourite chocolate bar. Anything coconut is a winner in my books but this really was divine! Who knew that coconut and caramel were a match made in heaven?! It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Krispy Kreme Chocolate Hazelnut Kreme

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are my weakness. I avoid the cabinet in my local Tesco like the plague as I know I won't be able to resist! Having said that, I'm so glad Krispy Kreme are now sold in most stores - doughnuts make me happy. 

I knew the Choco Mania Range was out so was excited to find this little beauty - Chocolate Hazelnut Kreme! 

Filled with hazelnut Kreme and topped with chocolate hazelnut topping and caramelised nut sprinkle. 

With a description like that I couldn't wait to get stuck in! I cut it in half to check out the Kreme filled centre. I love how whipped and light it is! 

How good does that look?! 

The doughnut itself was the perfect super soft buttery dough you know and love from Krispy Kreme. The hazelnut flavour of the filling was quite subtle which I'm glad about. I think it could have easily been overpowering! I'm not sure I could taste any hazelnut in the actual chocolate topping but paired with the crunchy nuts, it gave a hazelnutty taste. 

Overall this wasn't quite Nutella perfect but it was mighty tasty! I would eat another tomorrow.. Or now if someone had one to offer me! There's a Chocolate & Honeycomb Kreme in the same range which I'm keen to try if my Tesco gets them in. It's a 4 out of 5 from me!