NEW! Nature Valley Nut Butter Almond Biscuits (Sainsbury's)

If you're a regular reader you might've already read my review of the new peanut butter filled Nature Valley biscuits. They were so good that I detoured the very next day via Sainsbury's to fork out another £2.90 for the other flavour: almond butter. Now, I do like almond butter, but never get around to buying any, always favouring my beloved peanut butter when buying a new jar of nut butter. Actually, my dad used to keep me in almond butter, but it must've been a couple of years since I last had any ...

*hint hint, Christmas hamper idea Daddio?* 😉.

"Crunchy biscuits made with wholegrain oats, barley and cinnamon with an almond butter flavoured filling."

What I hadn't realised when buying the peanut butter biscuits was that the almond version incorporates cinnamon. I bleeding love cinnamon, and so it wasn't long after I got home that I flicked the kettle on and opened a pack whilst sitting down to write that peanut butter review. On a side note, I don't think I mentioned before that both of these new Nut Butter biscuits are individually wrapped, making them handy to pack into lunch boxes or handbags.

Wowzers. The biscuit is even better than the ones used in the peanut butter ones. They'd got the same oats, hobnob vibe going on, but this time there was a beautiful sweet warmth coming from the spice. As a cinnamon fiend, I was so pleased to find that Nature Valley hadn't underplayed it either. There's absolutely no escaping it, but why would you want to. It's got me wondering why McVities haven't brought out cinnamon Hobnobs actually...

Anyway, I digress, again.

That almond butter was scrummy - soft and smooth with an underlying nuttiness. Some might say that the cinnamon overshadowed the delicate flavour a little, but actually I liked the ratios that way round - it made the eating experience very different to that of the peanut butter biscuits.

I'm actually torn between which flavour I like better. At £2.90 they're on the expensive side for UK mass-made granola biscuit bars, but I'll definitely be stocking up when they inevitably come on offer. 

10/10

NEW! Nature Valley Nut Butter Peanut Biscuits (Sainsbury's)

My love for peanut butter knows no bounds, which is why my heart skipped a beat a couple of days ago when I spotted these new nut butter filled Nature Valley bars on @productsinstores instagram feed. They've been out in the States for quite some time, and I've been desperately wanting to try them ever since. In fact I even had a conversation with @candyhunting a year or so ago about doing a food swap which would have included them -that was before we realised how insane the extortionate shipping fees were. None of the import companies seem to do granola bars either, so I've just had to ignore the jealousy that prevailed anytime I saw the Nut Butter bars pop up on social media.

Not any longer though! Nature Valley are finally twigging that many of us Brits also love peanut butter and launched the (slightly disappointing) Crunchy peanut butter bars at the beginning of the year. I really hoped these would live up to my drawn out expectations, especially as they were on the expensive side at £2.90 for a box of four bars -they seem to be exclusive to Sainsbury's at the moment. 

"Crunchy biscuits made with wholegrain oats, barley and honey with a peanut butter flavoured filling."

I was pleased to find that they were decent sized biscuits, and even more chuffed when I prised the top layer off to find a decent peanut butter layer in the middle! Hurrah! 

Jesus F Christ. I was not expecting that! The biscuits tasted like Hobnobs. I'm sorry but if you don't like Hobnobs, we certainly can't be friends. They're arguably one of the best standard (i.e non chocolatey) biscuits. I'd chose them over a digestive every time. Stop rambling Amy. Anyway, they were oaty, sweet, and crunchy. Biscuit perfection. 

Please let the peanut butter be equally delightful. 

It was too! In fact Rob was laughing at me last night, as I actually squealed whilst trying them:

"Oh my god, oh my god, they're even better than Nutter Butters!....Well, maybe not better, but just as good!"

That peanut butter was completely authentic (it's simply made from peanuts and salt) and there was enough of it to really pack a punch. It seems Nature Valley have redeemed themselves from the shortcomings of the peanut butter crunchy bars. They were so good that I've actually detoured on the way home from work today to pick up a box of the Almond Nut Butter Biscuits, and I'm eating one as I type... so stay tuned for a full review of that flavour too!

10/10*

*I was tempted to give them 11...

NEW! Peanut Butter & Jelly Biscuits (The Co-Op)

It's such a lovely feeling when a new peanut butter product hits the U.K shelves and you guys make an effort to let me know. It makes me appreciate that I'm not the only PB obsessive who gets excited by the new treats. Saturday evening three of you got in touch to let me know about the new peanut butter & jelly biscuits in the Co-Op's American range, so thank you. It did however mean that I made a detour after a super early start at work yesterday to the big Co-Op on the other side of town. Read: I bent Bert's arm to pick me up and take me.

'Biscuits with forest fruits filling and peanut butter, sprinkled with biscuit crumb.'

£1.79? For 6 own-brand biscuits? You've got to be kidding me! I felt the pressure to review them after the triple prod about their existence, and prayed that they would be good whilst popping them in my basket. I also spotted these new pretend chocolate coated Oreos, which I can't imagine would be as tasty as the (authentic) white chocolate covered Oreos. 

Each biscuit was individually wrapped, making them perfect for eating on the go, but that's not how I roll. Instead I opened two of the square shaped biscuits as part of my peanut butter inspired late night snack.

They were much thicker than I imagined to be, and I didn't expect them to be square either. The base was very crisp and crunchy, tasting more like shortcrust pastry than biscuit. As you can see, there wasn't a huge deal of the jam filling, meaning that it made little impression on the overall flavour of the biscuit. As for the peanut butter.. well at first I thought it wasn't real peanut butter* because it lacked the salinity that I expected -when in fact, the biscuits contain 19% peanuts, However, the more I ate, the more I enjoyed the biscuits and although there wasn't as much salt or as much jam (or jelly) as I'd have liked, they were edible and fairly enjoyable. There's just no way on earth they're worth £1.79 per pack.

7/10

*If you've had the British peanut butter Oreos, you'll know exactly what I mean by that. If you haven't (lucky you) then I'll fill you in: for some reason Mondelez decided to use a synthetic peanut flavouring instead of real peanut butter. Both disgusting and mind boggling. 

NEW! McVities Coffee Caramel Digestives (Sainsbury's)

Tomorrow will mark two months since  the two new McVities caramel digestive flavours were announced, and since then I've been on my longest and most frustrating snack hunt to date. It seems I'm not the only one who's been desperate to try the new biscuits, as many of you have got in touch, sharing my  disappointment. At long last though I have got my hands on both varieties though (you can read my review of the banoffee caramels here) thanks to the lovely Beth and her digestive-related determination. I'm just glad I'm not the only foodzilla out there! The new coffee caramels can be found at Sainsbury's now for a rather exorbitant £1.75 -which usually I wouldn't pay, but given the length of time I've been searching for them I could hardly leave them behind. According to Beth's email from McVities, they'll be stocked in ASDA from next week and Morrisons the week after. 

"Wheatmeal Biscuits with Coffee Flavour Caramel, Covered in Milk Chocolate."

The components bare striking resemblance to the Cappuccino Twix (which, FYI, have recently popped up again, this time in Poundland at 3 for £1). I must admit though that I was less impressed when I re-tried the Twix version recently though; the caramel just wasn't as coffee-y as I had originally thought. I found myself praying that McVities had done just as good a job with this new flavour as they had with the banoffee.

I knew I was on to a winner as soon as I opened the packet and was greeted with the scent of freshly made latte. I say latte because it wasn't knock-your-socks off espresso, but the aroma was still promising.

The second sign that led me to believe that the Coffee Caramel Digestives weren't going to disappoint occurred when I left a couple in the living room whilst I retrieved my mug of coffee from the kitchen and heard a clattering. I pegged it back around the corner, where I caught my dog red handed, guiltily nabbing the biscuits from the coffee table. He's seven years old and never stolen food before. Damn McVities, what have you done to Monty?

Oh boy. They nailed it. The sturdy, wheat biscuits were truly complimented by a caramel that delivered a coffee kick much stronger than the Twix. The nature of the caramel means that it's still very sweet, but the flavour is not hindered in any way. In fact it want until writing this that I realised that the biscuit wasn't coffee too, for the flavour had permeated throughout. The chocolate was good too, which has got me thinking: why aren't caramel mochas a thing? 

I loved the taste of the cappuccino thins when they launched at the beginning of the year, but wasn't happy with the thin nature. I'm all for a bit of biscuit chunk (and hence won't be reviewing the 'new' Maryland thins -they can bore off). These are far superior, and well worth a buy!

9/10

NEW! McVities Banoffee Caramel Digestives (Waitrose)

Almost six weeks ago the best biscuit broadcast was made; McVities were set to release not just one, but two new caramel digestives. Hurrah! Apparently they weren't being subjected to any of this 'thin' nonsense either, and as a bonus McVities had opted for fabulous sounding flavours. Banoffee and coffee sounded right up my street -I'm guessing they must've read my cries for a full size cappuccino digestive 😉. 

The only trouble was... the new biscuits were playing an almighty game of hide and seek. I kept hunting for them, and even contacted McVities three weeks ago, who replied "the new coffee and banoffee caramel flavours will be in stores over the next few weeks and in major supermarkets over the coming months." Helpful. Cue the daily stalking of my local corner shops, which never prevailed. In fact it wasn't even me who found them, it was @productsinstores, who eventually discovered the banoffee variety in Waitrose yesterday. No exagerration, I was on my bike within ten minutes, I must've stunk of desperation. My local store had them in and thankfully, at £1.50, they weren't any more expensive than the standard caramels. Double win! 

"Milk chocolate digestives with a layer of banoffee flavour caramel."

I hoped that McVities had executed the banana flavour well. I mean banoffee caramel digestives sound delicious, and just the idea of dunkable banoffee pie was too good to resist. It's just that my recent experiences with banana biscuits haven't gone so well. Take the Party 'Jaffa cakes' for example, or these Julie's banana crackers that I brought back from Malaysia. Both were almost inedible due to the awful synthetic taste -although my dog seemed to enjoy the crackers. 

Thankfully McVities new biscuits didn't suffer the same fate. Yes the banana is synthetic, but it works well, reminding me a little of the flavour in Grenade's Banana Armour bar. The caramel layer is perhaps on the thin side, but there's enough of it to add texture to the wonderful wheat biscuit and to compliment the milk chocolate. 

 Despite not being a banana buff in the same way that I am, Bert adored these new biscuits too. In fact I might have to hide the rest of the pack....  I just wish Mars would be as brave and create a banana Twix. Anyone else with me on that?

10/10

NEW! McVities Mini Penguins (ASDA)

McVities' Penguins. If they don't bring back memories of school trips then I feel sorry for you. I know that they were the highlight of my packed lunches, even if they were melted and crushed beyond recognition by the rum you opened them, and you'd read the jokes a million times over. I also love Cadbury's Animals and so I hoped these new mini Penguin biscuits would offer the best of both worlds. At £1 for a packet of 6 bags from ASDA they were cheap enough to find out! 

"Mini penguin shaped chocolate flavour biscuits topped with milk chocolate." 

Each bag contained 8 or 9 cute little penguins. The biscuits evidently weren't going to be a similar to bourbons given their lighter shade, but they did smell strongly of milk chocolate.

The full size Penguins are arguably one of the chocolatiest* biscuits you can get, so it's no surprise that these don't provide the same intense hit. That's not a complaint though, as the biscuits were still well flavoured and were perfectly crunchy; imagine if you will a chocolate flavoured digestive. Given the size of these penguins, the milk chocolate topping didn't make them too sickly either. As a bonus they're dunkable* too - surely that makes them as good, if not better, than the original?

It's safe to assume that I loved these mini penguins. They might be marketed towards children but that's not stopping me! Oh, and I imagine they're good if you're trying to watch your weight -each bag is 118kCals and feels more satisfying than a lone biscuit! *PLUS* Each bag has a joke on it, hey it's the small pleasures in life! 

9/10

*now added to the Amy dictionary of adjectives. 

NEW! Häagen-Dazs Speculoos Caramel Biscuit & Cream Ice Cream (Tesco)

Recently I admitted something embarrassing on Instagram. I bought a tub of the Häagen-Dazs Cookie Dough Chip ice cream and acknowledged that I hadn't tried the brand before -or if I had I certainly couldn't remember it. Indeed the reason why I bought the tub was because Sainsbury's were advertising it as new and had it on offer (a combination as a food blogger that is near-on impossible to refrain). I apologise HD fans, but I really wasn't bowled over by it. Ben & Jerry's still got my vote. In came the suggestions of other, better flavours that I needed to try - many of which were caramel based.

Fortunately HD have listened to their customers and have recently brought out a four pack of mixed mini tubs called their 'caramel collection', which launched in Tesco for a princely £4. 

Whilst the idea of trying a selection of the HD caramel flavours was appealing, it was the inclusion of a new-to-the-UK flavourthat really made the pack tempting. When the new HD collection packs* came on offer this week my restraint buckled and I headed straight to Tesco to hand over my £2.50.

"Caramel & Speculoos (11%) ice cream."

HD suggest waiting 10 minutes after retrieving your tub from the freezer before consumption. Ha! I haven't got that kind of patience I'm afraid. Instead I tried to scoop the rock solid ice cream straight away. Badly.

The cinnamon biscuit was immediately evident both from the sweet scent and golden speckles rage permeated the ice cream. I couldn't see a huge amount of biscuit pieces but hoped they were just playing a game of hide and seek.

One thing I do really like about HD is the indulgent creaminess that somehow tastes more refreshing than other brands. The caramel was relinquished to the back of the flavour queue but lingered in the background to allow the gentle spice to shine through. The cinnamon wasn't as punchy as it is in Ben & Jerry's 'Speculoos? Specu-Love', but admittedly the HD version is smoother and more refined.

I loved the little biscuit pieces which -despite my initial reservations- were in abundance and crunchy. To me they tasted more like shortbread, but the ingredients list gives little away as to the reality of my supposition.

If you're a HD/caramel ice cream fan I suggest you head to Tesco and buy the collection whilst it's still on offer. I would buy the Speculoos Caramel Biscuit & Cream as a full pint if HD launched one, but only on offer... otherwise it's back to Ben & Jerry for me!

8/10

*there's also fruit, sorbet and vanilla collections available, all currently £2.50.

NEW! Jammy Ring Ice Cream (Tesco)

After many trips to Tesco I've finally found the Jammy Ring ice cream. Well, no actually I fib, Bert found it for me. Given my disappointment with the Red Velvet I didn't have very high hopes for this new flavour, but still desperately hoped that the supermarket would pull it out of the bag.

"Try our delicious 500ml tub of Jammy Ring Ice Cream. Biscuit flavour ice cream with a swirl of raspberry sauce and tasty shortcake biscuit pieces."

Except the tubs only contain 480ml of ice cream don't they Tesco? Starting with a lie is never a good sign. Each of their new 480ml tubs cost £2 each.

Once the lid was removed I was met with a milky coloured ice cream that barely hinted at the prospect of raspberry sauce. Digging in I found the ice cream to be almost mousse-like in consistency. It was so airy that the 96ml portion only weighs 59g (compare that to 82g for the same volume of Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Swirled). I did, however, uncover some bright pink swirl as I scooped.

I'm not exactly sure how to describe the flavour of the ice cream. It's meant to be biscuit flavour, but seeing as biscuits come in such a huge array of varieties and flavours, it's hard to distinguish one determining element. Instead I'll tell you that the ice cream is sweet, and somehow does remind me of shortbread -although that might just be wishful thinking. I also found it to be quite nostalgic, stirring memories of the cheap little ice cream mousse pots that mum used to give us as children.

The sauce was neither here nor there, adding little in the way of flavour. As for the biscuit pieces, they were far and few between - I had a grand total of 3. Texturally they were hit and miss too: two were soft and cake like, whilst one was delightfully crunchy. Humf. Fortunately Siân had already tried the ice cream and given me the heads up on instagram concerning the meagreness of the chunks so at least I'd had the foresight to top my cone with mini Jammy Dodgers.

What a shame. Tesco have created an ice cream with a scrummy flavour; it's just a shame they haven't used quality ingredients and seen the product through. As a luxury tub it doesn't quite work and as such I'd rather pay the extra 50p for a tub of Ben & Jerry's from ASDA.

7/10

Lotte Pepero Biscuit Sticks: Peanut & Chocolate and White Chocolate Cookie

The lovely Nat didn't just send me the beautiful Solkiki white chocolate Gianduja bar for Christmas, she was kind enough to send me a number of goodies including these curious Pepero biscuit sticks. I'd never seen the Korean (no.1!) brand before, but my they looked good -especially the flavours! I imagined that they might be similar to Mikado or Pocky because Lotte describe their Pepero as: "Pretzel stick filled with premium chocolate, from end to end!"

 Peanut & Chocolate

"Love peanuts? We give you the best of both worlds with a combination of dark chocolate and peanut bits!"

The 36g box was generously filled with the biscuit sticks, each amply decorated with both chocolate and chopped peanut pieces. Biting into them, they weren't as crunchy as expected. Don't get me wrong, they weren't soft or stale but simply lacked the snap of a pretzel. That said, they still managed to be utterly moreish. The chocolate was mild considering it was meant to be dark, but to be honest that suited me much better. The peanut pieces added texture and imparted their nuttiness almost the whole way down each stick. I really enjoyed them and before I knew it I was reaching for another, but alas, they were all gone. Nom!

7/10

White Chocolate Cookie

"Enjoy cookie and cream on the go? These white cookie sticks will definitely leave you wanting more! Crispy biscuit sticks covered with white chocolate and cookie crumbs – one stick is never enough!"

As you can see, the sticks in this box were more broken than the peanut flavour. Is it awful that I just thought "oh goody, more munchy bits"?

The white chocolate cookie Pepero had the same texture as before, but this flavour had an even scrummier covering. Imagine a Hershey's/Dove Cookies 'N' Creme bar coating a biscuit stick and you'll have a good idea of what this flavour Pepero were like. The combination of biscuit and cookie studded white chocolate might sound a little sickly, but thankfully the sticks themselves weren't that sweet, meaning that the overall flavour was well balanced. 

9/10

If you don't follow me on Instagram, you won't know that I'm off to Malaysia today (If you do, I'm sorry for banging on about it). It's my first holiday in a very long time, and I'm looking forward to trying some of their local delicacies as well as bringing back some unusual treats to review. Now that Nat has whetted my appetite for chocolate coated biscuit sticks (thanks again Nat) I'll be sure to keep an eye out for some similar products. In the meantime I promise to try and keep up the reviews, but if I go AWOL please forgive me -I'm simply having too much fun (well that, or the Malaysia Airline flight has gone missing).

NEW! McVities Milk Chocolate Cappuccino Digestive Thins (Tesco)

We've been moaning for years about the ever decreasing size of chocolate bars and snack packs. Walkers crisps, Mars bars, Magnums, Toblerone, Dairy Milk have all been shrunk recently and of course we all now expect the outcry that occurs every year when the Christmas chocolate tins come into Supermarkets inevitably smaller than the previous year's. Yet still there's a juxtaposition of interests going on. We complain and feel hard done by, conned by the greedy companies who have sneakily done away with a few grams here and there, yet eagerly jump on the "thin" bandwagon. I'm not exempt from this and often don't think twice about spending the same on bagel thins as I would on a pack of their chunkier brothers. We're strange creatures.

The thin trend is growing too, and what once only applied to the bakery section has now extended to the biscuit aisle. Oreo thins have recently arrived on British shores but Mcvities and Tesco* have also jumped aboard the bandwagon too.

I did think of two bonuses to McVities new range though:

1. They're coated, meaning there's surely a greater chocolate:biscuit ratio (always a win).

2. Smaller/thinner = I can eat even more biscuits!

Also, they've made this cappuccino version which is the real reason* I bought them when I finally spotted a box in Tesco for a rather expensive £1.69.

*well that and admittedly I'm a gluttonous chocoholic.

"Delightfully delicate cappuccino flavoured digestives covered in milk chocolate."

Crikey, they really do mean thin don't they? How they've even managed to make a biscuit that's not much wider than a sheet of paper I don't know!

I was impressed that despite their narrowness McVities have managed to imprint their logo and thin on the back (just in case you forget it's not a regular digestive of course). 

Are you a dunker? I can't help it, I just have to! So it's an odd experience, eating a biscuit so thin that you can't really dip it in your drink. Luckily despite its size the flavour still managed to shine through, offering a mocha mix of coffee in the biscuit itself and chocolate covering. The characteristic wheat-yness remained in the undertones and I realised that I was actually quite impressed!

They're delicious but not as satisfying as full size digestives, and so I find myself longing for non-thin cappuccino flavoured milk chocolate digestives... or better yet, white chocolate digestives. McVities are you reading this?

8/10

NEW! Peanut Butter Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches Review (Sainsbury's)

Friday night I received a very exciting comment from the lovely Heather who asked me if I'd spied the new peanut butter Oreo ice cream sandwiches yet. I hadn't, but I knew that I NEEDED them in my life pronto. The original Oreo ice cream sandwiches have long been a favourite in our house, and so the idea of a peanut butter one version like perfection. Except for the one huge problem: unlike their American mini Reese's counterparts, English peanut butter Oreos are grim. Like really, really bad. How Oreo can even get away with marketing them as peanut butter flavoured when they've never even sniffed a nut I'll never know. I really hoped that they'd done a better job with their ice cream versions.

The very next day I trekked across town on a Sainsbury's mission to try and buy a pack. The freezer aisle was a heavenly but ultimately tempting sight. Not only did I find the Oreos and loads of new ice creams as well as a number of bargains.. including the Walls gingerbread ice cream sandwiches for just 75p a pack. I figured that the cheap ice cream balanced out the expense of £3 for 6 Oreo ice cream sandwiches (3 portions lets be honest here), and bought a load. The number of tubs and boxes of ice creams in my freezer now stands at 21. Party at mine?

"Chocolate flavoured sandwich biscuits filled with peanut butter ice cream with crushed biscuit pieces."

Hurrah! Peanuts are in the ingredients list! Admittedly it's not peanut butter but still it's infinitely closer to my favourite spread and a fairly good sign. 

Size wise they're exactly the same as the standard variety, which I was happy with, after all eating two ice creams in one sitting is more satisfying than eating just one. The filling was the colour of a very pale peanut butter, and not too dissimilar in shade to the Co-Op's PB&J ice cream. 

The outer cookies were soft, chewy flavoured with the expected signature Oreo richness. As for the ice cream? Well it was very light and mousse-like, studded with the biscuit crumbs and had a respectable peanutty flavour. Please note: respectable and not delicious. It's a mild flavour, and could've done with a stronger, more saline hit to really deliver on the peanut buttery promise. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the ice cream sandwiches, they're actually tasty and a damn site better than their biscuit cousins, but they could be a lot better. 

One to pick up when on offer, but I wouldn't pay full price for the new Oreo Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches again. 

7/10

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream (M&S)

Last spring M&S went positively potty with a huge release of their Spirit of Summer range. Some of the goods have since been re-branded and retained under the normal labelling -such as the peanut butter cookies, which I wasn't particularly fussed on, much preferring the softer style of Grandma's or Lenny & Larry's. Other products have held on for dear life and, despite summer having been over months ago, can be found lingering in corners of the food hall. The Mud Pie & Key Lime Pie ice creams are two such items, although they've finally been reduced to clear this week.

I wrote a review of the Mud Pie last year so I thought I'd write up a quick review of the Key Lime Pie in case you're worrying about spending 75p on snapping up the 500ml tubs. I joke but I did briefly question my purchase actually, not because of the monetary element for once, but because I wasn't entirely sure how or if a lime ice cream could work. 

"Dairy key lime flavoured ice cream with key lime sauce (10%), digestive biscuit pieces (8%) and meringue pieces."

Hang on a second, shouldn't M&S have used ginger biscuits instead? 
...Although a quick google search later proved that Delia uses digestive biscuits, so maybe it's just me who uses gingernuts in citrus based desserts! 

Anyway, the pale green ice cream was fairly easy to scoop straight away, and I was only one spoon down before I uncovered a treasure trove of goods (biscuit chunks). That's what I like to see Marks & Sparks! The lime sauce wasn't so evident, but I could smell a strong zingy scent straight away. 

What a welcome surprise! The lime worked much better than expected as an ice cream flavour, with the zing counteracting the sweet creaminess wonderfully. It wasn't bitter either, which is always my fear with citric desserts, but was very refreshing on the palate (I imagine it would be particularly good after a curry). As for the abundant digestive pieces, they were crispy -but tasted more rich tea than digestive. Their crunch was gladly received, making the ice cream much more interesting to munch on, but I still think that ginger biscuits would have worked even better! Occasionally I would fall upon a pocket of sweetness coming from the meringue pieces, but they were subtle in their inclusion and wouldn't have been missed if omitted completely. 

The biggest shock with this Key Lime Pie ice cream was that even flavour fussy Bert liked it. I didn't tell him what it was before he tried it for fear that he would refuse to even sample it, but he actually said that he enjoyed it! Quelle surprise!

M&S' Key Lime Pie ice cream was an innovative and unusual addition to their 2016 line up and I'll be stocking up on tubs whilst they're so cheap. I'm also looking forward to seeing what they bring out this year... any ideas?

*Fingers crossed for banoffee pie.*

8/10

Easy Peasy Speculoos No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe

Happy Boxing Day you lovely lot! Fingers crossed you had a somewhat enjoyable Christmas day, and I hope at least some of you woke up with a stinking hangover but a big smile on your face like I did. Admittedly our day was almost a disaster when I forgot to serve up the pigs-in-blankets, but fortunately I remembered them whilst we were all still eating and they hadn't turned to charcoal in the process. 

Of course every family have their own traditions, and in the (almost) 9 years that Bert and I have been together we've formed our own little rituals: there's the Christmas Eve PJs (passed down from my family), the no presents until after lunch rule (his family -that one took some getting used to) and the homemade Christmas cheesecake (my own tradition). For the past 6-7 years I've religiously made said cheesecake on Christmas Eve as an alternative to the Christmas pud, and every year it changes, but it always ticks two boxes: very chocolatey & very boozy. 

Poor Bert isn't the biggest chocoholic (hence why we're such a good team, he never raids my chocolate stash) and is tee-total.  He also hates Xmas pud, but has obligingly munched his way through years of cheesecakes including white chocolate & Baileys, dark chocolate & Cointreau and milk chocolate & Amaretto. This year though I decided to make a cheesecake based on what he loves (especially after the Mince Pie Danish debacle) so opted for a Biscoff inspired cheesecake. I popped a pic of it up on Christmas Day and received so many requests for the extremely simple recipe that I thought I'd make a change from my normal review posts to pop it up... 

N.B I can't take credit for this recipe as it's a very slight amendment from Jane's Pattiserie's, which can be found here.

Makes 8 individual Gu ramekins- but can be easily amended to suit.

Ingredients: 

Biscuit Base

•  110g Digestive Biscuits
•  110g Lotus Caramelised Biscuits
•  110g Butter

Cheesecake Filling

• 360g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 2 tsp Caramel flavouring (I used Dr Oetker's)
• 70g Icing sugar
•  200ml Double Cream
• 190g Crunchy Biscoff Spread/ Favorina Spiced Biscuit Spread

To Decorate

• Lotus Caramelised Biscuits

Method

1. Melt the butter in the microwave (10-20 secs should do it)
2. Blitz the biscuits into fine crumbs using a blender/food processor, and mix in the melted butter. Press into 8 ramekins.
3. Whip together the cream cheese, caramel flavouring, icing sugar and Biscoff until smooth using an electric whisk.
4. Add the cream and whisk slowly until thick enough to stay on an upturned spoon. 
5. Spread the mixture over the bases and chill in the fridge until you can't resist their call!
6. When serving, pop 1/2 a Lotus biscuit on top

Et voila! Simples... 

NEW! Irish Cream Ice Cream Chocolates (ALDI)

I was in ALDI buying the Christmas Turkey the other day when I took the opportunity to scour the party food freezers as I walked towards the till. Now I really shouldn't be buying more ice cream seeing as we could open a gelateria from our utility room, but I spotted these curious Ice Cream Chocolates for less than a pound and didn't resist. Is there any alcoholic drink more festive than Irish Cream? Yes, OK, Mulled Wine. Still, Christmas Day is the ultimate excuse to crack open the Bailey's, comfort our food babies and indulge in the knowledge that we won't need to move from the sofa all evening. Until then, ALDI's Irish Cream Ice Cream Chocolates would serve to whet my appetite for the slick liqueur due to hit my tastebuds next Sunday.

"Irish cream flavoured ice cream with a chocolate flavoured centre, chocolate flavoured coating and amaretti pieces."

The box contained ten 10ml ice creams on a gold chocolate box-esque platter, which I thought was a lovely touch. They were dinky little barrels that would have looked perfectly at home nestled amongst the Thornton's selection. 

The chocolates were extremely soft straight from the freezer, and the middle was more mousse like than ice cream which made them a little messy to eat. There was a definite Bailey's kick to them though. I shared the 10 with my other half and didn't tell him what flavour they were until he looked disgusted at me when biting into them (he's tee-total). Sorry Bert. I really couldn't distinguish the 'chocolate flavoured centre' against the Irish cream, and only know it existed thanks to the photo evidence. 

As for the chocolate casing, it wasn't particularly thick or of great quality, but then I didn't expect it to scream indulgence given that the ice creams are part of ALDI's 99p party range. The amaretti biscuits studded in the chocolate were tasty however and they added a welcome crunchiness, as well as a little almond to the flavour mix.

I wouldn't rush out to buy these Irish Cream Ice Cream Chocolates again, but I also wouldn't refuse a few if offered at Christmas. 

6/10

Christmas Tree Biscuit (Greggs)

You know that you've completely lost the plot when you're finding food to match your plates. Yes, that's my current state of mind, thanks to the desperate assignment avoidance mode that's kicked in. If you follow me on instagram you might've spotted my impressive array of themed serveware that has come out to play recently. One of my best finds thus far is the Christmas tree plate that I found at Home Bargains (I think it cost about a pound), and now most evenings I entertain myself by finding festive foods to match said plate -much to the bemusement of my other half. I tried making branches from apples with a mince pie base before discovering that Christmas tree crumpets matched it rather well. Then yesterday I had a brainwave whilst attempting to write a social media report: what about the Christmas Tree biscuits that I've spotted at Greggs when buying their mince pie and Christmas Muffin? They would fit perfectly I'm sure! So that afternoon I side-stepped my studies once more and cycled into town on important biscuit business. 

 Photo from www.greggs.co.uk

"What's more Christmassy than a Christmas tree and a bit of ginger?! That's why our Christmas tree biscuit is back!
Ginger biscuit covered with chocolate flavour coating and decorated with sugar sprinkles and a sugar paste star to finish it off like all good trees should be."

It's a good job I love both gingerbread and chocolate really, and that said biscuit was a reasonable 80p, otherwise this plate hobby could become a bit of a chore. The biscuit was every bit as pretty as the picture in Greggs' adverts, with a good covering of chocolate and sprinkles. I felt a bit childish ordering it, but if you can't be childish at Christmas then when can you be? 

Like Cinderella's shoe, it fit!

Are you a crispy, soft, or no gingerbread kind of person? I like both varieties, but have had my fill of the former kind this month thanks to the Lebkuchen Hearts I've been gorging on. I did hope that the biscuit would be a little kinder on my teeth than the sneaky Gingerbread Reindeer from ASDA were last year though. 

Fortunately the base of the tree was rather soft and almost bendy. I wondered if it had gone slightly stale, but it still tasted good and delivered a fiery warmth. As I worked my way up  towards the star, the biscuit was crisper with a good crunch, yet wasn't hard enough to worry the dentists (although the sugar content might!). The coating tasted typically of cooking chocolate -it was cheap and not the sort of stuff you'd want to eat on it's own- but used in this light its sweet waxiness worked well to counteract the heat from the biscuit.

Greggs' Christmas Tree biscuit is a lovely little festive treat, and I'd be more than happy to have another!

8/10