Marks and Spencers Salted Caramel & Custard Slices review

A salted caramel custard slice.... it sounds too good to be true! I have been eyeing these slices up for ages and finally decided to treat myself to them. Custard slices were a childhood favourite of mine and being a salted caramel addict I was sure that I was going to love these! They came in a pack of 2 and were topped with a demerara sugar.

I took the first slice out of the packet eager to tuck in. As soon as I took my first bite however, I realised that my much anticipated dessert was actually not that great. In fact they were actually pretty bad! Both the custard and salted caramel fillings were an odd texture, slightly too mousse like and the pastry layers were so wet they just seemed to collapse into the custard leaving me with a sort of mush.

The flavours of the dessert were also pretty bland. Although I enjoyed the top layer with the demerara sugar which was the only part of this pastry that maintained any crisp, I couldn't really detect the flavour of salted caramel but rather a slightly odd tasting vanilla. Maybe my expectations for these slices was just way to high but especially for someone like me who loves practically every M&S product, I was left incredibly disappointed. I found these bland and soggy and will definitely be avoiding these in future in hopes of finding a more enjoyable dessert.

Starbucks UK Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino review

With the end of the pumpkin season fast approaching, I have made it my personal mission to taste every last pumpkin treat available. Although I have had Pumpkin spice latte's and loafs from Starbucks, I have not yet tries the Frappuccino as the poor weather has meant that I haven't been craving an icy drink. Knowing that these will only be available for a short while longer however meant that I was determined to try this coffee and milk Frappuccino with autumn spices.

It was slightly orange in colour which should be expected I suppose but was still slightly off putting for me personally. My doubts were quickly forgotten as soon as I took my first sip of this delicious drink! I opted for my Frappuccino to be without cream so that I could really taste the flavours which were pretty full on. This was incredibly sweet so be prepared however the strong spices especially cinnamon were more that detectable. I can't decide if I prefer this drink better as a latte or in this Frappuccino form but either way I am totally obsessed with both! I wish that these were available all year round and would recommend trying them both while they are still available if you haven't already. I will be devastated to see these disappearing from my local Starbucks store however this does mean one good thing..... Let the countdown to red cups begin!

Burts Lentil Waves Lightly Salted review

Lentil based snacks are becoming increasingly popular and I for one am a fan of the light and crispy texture of these type of snacks. Burts lentil waves are snacks that contain less than 99 calories per bag and seeing as I love the taste of salt, I decided the lightly salted flavour would be a good flavour to start with. These are also suitable for those who require a gluten free diet and vegans so good news to those people who have a restricted diet.

This 20g packet states that these are "Big on flavour" and so I was curious to see how flavoursome the "lightly" salted flavour would be. When I opened the bag there wasn't much of a sent and so this was all going to be down to the taste. The texture was light, crispy and really enjoyable. The flavour however was lacking somewhat and these were much less salty than the majority of salted flavoured crisps. Initially I thought that these were really bland, however once I had gotten through the first few and adjusted to the lack of salt that I was expecting I started to enjoy them a bit more.

By the time I was half way through the packet I found that I was actually enjoying these lentil waves. I cant honestly say that I loved them or that these will be my new favourite snack but I probably would actually eat these again. I think that these would taste a lot better with some sort of dip so I would recommend having something on the side with them for a bit for of a kick to the flavour. Overall these are a decent snack with a very mild salty flavour. They do taste slightly healthier than a traditional bag of crisps but they have a great curly shape and a really good crispiness to them. The only thing I would state is that if you are looking to taste a decent sprinkling of salt with your crisps, then these probably wont be for you.

Cadbury Pots of Joy Screme Egg review

These limited edition desserts are around for the Halloween period and since they are only a limited edition product I was eager to try them. I have always been hesitant to buy any of the pots of joy range due to the small portion size but the rich flavour of Cadbury's creme egg made me think that this would be rich enough that I would be left wanting more.

These pots of joy are made up of a layer of Melted Cadbury Milk Chocolate on top of a layer of creme egg fondant. Since these are a seasonal edition to the range the fondant has the same green colouring that is in the autumn time screme eggs rather than the traditional orange.

The thick chocolate layer was rich, delicious and clearly made from classic Cadbury chocolate. Breaking through this revealed the sweet yet creamy fondant layer which had all the flavour of a creme/screme egg but with a slightly more creamy texture. I was right not to worry about the size of these pots because the very sweet flavour meant that I was left more than satisfied. I was really impressed by these pots of joy and will be looking to get these gain whilst they are available.

ASDA Extra Special Sicilian Lemon Cheesecake review

Described as being luxuriously creamy with a crumbly biscuit base, I couldn't wait to get this Sicilian lemon cheesecake home. I always enjoy lemon cheesecake when I have it but it's not a dessert that I regularly have because its always too tempting to choose something a bit more sickly sweet such as a chocolate or caramel flavoured pudding. Supermarket cheesecakes can sometimes be a bit of a let down but seeing as this was a part of ASDA's extra special range I had high hopes.

There were two perfectly circular cheesecakes in this pack which were both topped with candied lemon pieces. They were a fair portion size and there was just the right amount of biscuit base to cheesecake ratio. The biscuit base was thick enough that it had a good bite without making the overall texture slightly dry. It was also buttery in flavour and maintained its solid texture but crumbled well when biting through it.

The cheesecake filling was as promised creamy and delicious. It had a slight lemony zing but the overall taste was lovely and sweet. The candied fruit added a chewiness to the texture and had a tasty sweet yet tart flavour. This did have a thick, slightly dense feel which is what made it feel so luxurious. ASDA have done well with this addition to their extra special range and it may actually be one of the best lemon cheesecakes that I have ever bought from a store. I am really lad that I tried this cheesecake and would happily buy this again or recommend it to anyone who is a fan of citrus flavoured desserts.

Nature Valley Popcorn Peanut And Seeds Bar review

Nature Valley is a brand that I have seen around on numerous occasions but I have never been particularly drawn to many of their products, especially as there are usually very similar but cheaper alternatives. Despite this, I am a big lover of both popcorn and peanuts and so decided that these popcorn, peanut and sunflower seed bars covered in a nutty flavour coating would be worth a try.

These bars are 20 grams and have only 92 calories so they seem to be the perfect on the go snack. When I looked at the bar I could clearly see popped pieces of popcorn, along with plenty of peanuts and sunflower seeds. There was a strong peanut-y smell from the bar and it made me eager to tuck in.

The texture was chewy but the seeds and nuts added a crunch to the texture which prevented it from tasting just a little stale. The nutty coating was sweet and gave it almost a glaze. I could certainly taste the popcorn in this which is what differentiated it so much from typical nutty cereal bars and it was an added element that I liked. I can't rave about these popcorn bars but then there wasn't any part of them that I didn't like. These are a handy snack to have when your on the go and one for any peanut or popcorn lovers out there. I did enjoy this bar and would happily have one again if it were in front of me, however in the grand scheme of things it was pretty forgettable and I haven't bought another one since this.

Marks & Spencers Cool Mini Tortillas review

Doritos were my favourite crisp when I was younger and the cool original flavour were a classic in my house. These mini tortillas are a part of Marks and Spencer's guilt free snacking range and contain only 96 calories a bag which is less than half of a bag of Doritos. Although this is probably largely due to the size of the portion size being a lot smaller, I still figured these were worth a try.

There were actually more tortillas in the bag than I originally thought that there would be despite them being a bit smaller in size than traditional Doritos. They smell of these tortillas was exactly the same as the cool original flavoured Doritos and this followed through into the flavour. These had that cool almost sour cream like taste that is hard to describe but these had a strong, full on flavour and a good crunch.

I was pretty impressed with how much these cool mini tortillas replicated the original Doritos and I really enjoyed them. They were thick in size and although there was a smaller portion than a traditional bag of crisps, there were enough in the bag to keep me satisfied. These are well worth trying if your trying to be good but have a craving for Doritos and I will definitely be buying these again.

ASK Italian Sea Bass Al Forno review

Sea Bass is generally considered one of the more sophisticated fishes available on restaurant menus and I have had a few amazing sea bass dishes from Italian restaurants. This sea bass was from ASK Italian and came in an al forno type dish with layers of mushrooms, new potatoes, sea bass and spinach in a white wine sauce. It is worth noting that this is supposed to come with tomatoes but not being a big lover of tomatoes I requested it without.

This dish came and looked really impressive. It was a lot larger than I expected and piping hot. Every part of this dish was lovely. The sea bass was cooked perfectly and absorbed the flavoursome white wine sauce really well making it soft and flaky. The potatoes were larger than I expected, soft and also worked really well with the buttery type sauce as did the well cooked spinach. The mushrooms were a welcome addition to the texture and added a nice flavour. I would highly recommend this dish to any fish lovers out there as every element was delicious. This is probably the best meal that I have ever had from ASK and I wouldn't hesitate to order this again.

Mars Ice Cream review

A Mars bar wouldn't be my first choice of chocolate (although I wouldn't say no to one). Despite this, I remember having an obsession with Mars ice cream bars a few years ago. For some reason I haven't had these in a long time and so I decided it was time to try my old favourites again.

These are ice cream bars, similar to a choc ice but with the addition of caramel. However these are far more luxurious than a typical choc ice. The chocolate coating is much thicker and of a good quality which is to be expected as it is the same chocolate used in other mars chocolates. The ice cream was also very thick and creamy and although not strong in vanilla flavour it was sweet and tasty. The caramel was without a doubt the best part of the ice cream bar and was chewy and delicious.

These ice creams were lovely. They were sweet, chocolatey and creamy with a thick gooey caramel layer. Although it isn't the best quality ice cream in the world, it was still far superior to a typical supermarket brand. They are not huge in size but because the caramel is so rich they didn't need to be any bigger. These are a handy little treat to have in the freezer and I am sure that they would be a crowd pleaser as I would be surprised if I met somebody who really didn't enjoy these.

John West Light Lunch - Tuna, Lime & Cracked Black Pepper Salad review

I have bought a few of these light lunches from the John West range before mainly out of convenience and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them. These can be easily stored in the cupboard and eaten at your convenience due to the practically decade long eat before dates which John West are well known for. This lunch contains tuna, sweetcorn, pasta, crunchy water chestnuts and peppers in a lime and cracked black pepper dressing and is also one of your five a day. The package states that this is a new product and I haven't seen it before but for under 250 calories I figured it would be worth a try.

As with the other varieties that I have tried the tin packaging reminded me slightly of cat food but I have already learnt that appearances can be deceiving. There was plenty of tuna throughout the lunch with just the right amount of spiral shaped pasta to balance it out. There was also a generous amount of sweetcorn, peppers and water chestnuts which were my favourite element as I loved the crunchy texture. There were also quite a lot of chickpeas which I wasn't expecting but these were a welcome addition to the lunch.

The lime and black pepper dressing was interesting. It was subtle when I was eating the lunch however the more of it that I ate, the more I noticed a slight burn from the black pepper so the dressing was certainly more noticeable in the after taste. I could detect the lime slightly but I think that this is only because I knew that this flavour was present. Overall I did enjoy this lunch and it was a handy, healthy light meal to have when your on the go. It was very flavoursome and although it looked quite small I wasn't left feeling hungry afterwards. Although these light lunches are a bit pricey for what they are, I will probably pick up a couple if I see them on offer as I find them surprisingly tasty, filling and I like the fact that they are a lot healthier than a lot of on the go meals.

GU Cracking Hot Chocolate Souffle review

I have now worked my way through the majority of the GU range and been impressed with pretty much every product. Despite this, I have to admit that I have put off trying these soufflés purely down to laziness as these require heating up in the oven for just over 10 minutes. With the colder weather creeping in I decided to get a grip and try these hot chocolate soufflés.

After the hard work of heating them in the oven I sat down with my soufflé which had risen well. The rich chocolatey smell filled the room and the taste matched the scent. It was a full on chocolate flavour but the light texture meant that it didn't feel too heavy or rich. The top layer broke revealing the gooey underneath which was soft and chewy.

These GU desserts made a nice change from your typical dessert and they had a lovely high quality feel to them. They were warming and had a sweet chocolate flavour so I would imagine any chocolate lover would enjoy them. I cant say that these are my favourite product from the GU range because I think that I prefer something a little heavier and indulgent in texture, however they were far from unpleasant and if I were handed one of the soufflés in the future, I certainly wouldn't turn it down.

Sainsbury's Be Good To Yourself Bread & Butter Puddings review

Bread and butter pudding would rarely be my dessert of choice purely because I don't find it sweet enough and find that it can just be a little heavy in texture and bland. However, as these come as a pack of two and I was offered one, it seemed rude to say no. These contain less than 3% fat and so I thought at least if I didn't enjoy them very much, it was still a relatively healthy choice

These can be cooked either in the oven or the microwave. I oven cooked mine as I thought that this would produce a crispier top. I popped it in the oven in the little plastic pot for roughly 20 minutes and when it was ready I tried tucking in, however it was too hot so if you do buy these then my advice would be to let them cool down. There was a strong smell and taste of cinnamon and I think nutmeg and the top had gone crispy like I had hoped.

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed these desserts. In fact I preferred them to some more luxury bread and butter puddings that I have tried due to the strong flavour of the spices. Under the crispy top the pudding was soft and moist with a slightly wet texture but this isn't a bad thing as it actually made them feel more like a pudding and prevented any dryness .There were also plenty of juicy sultanas throughout the dessert which added a sweetness and extra level of texture. These are not the best dessert that I have ever had but I have to admit that I would buy them again especially in the colder wintr months. For only 152 calories these are pretty impressive so are well worth picking up, especially if bread and butter pudding is your dessert of choice.

Zizzi Spiedini Pescatore review

Italian food is my favourite and Zizzi's is an Italian chain that I am yet to be disappointed in. I decided to treat myself to the spedini pescatore which is a Mediterranean hanging skewer with salmon, roasted king prawns roasted peppers and courgettes. This was served with Tuscan potato's, white wine and lemon sauce (and a naked slaw which I requested not to have).

The skewer came and it looked pretty impressive which I was glad about seeing as it was one of the more pricey items on the menu at £14.25. The potatoes were incredibly crispy and delicious. There was a lovely crunch, they were well seasoned and had a good pinch of salt. The salmon was cooked perfectly and it fell apart as soon as I put my fork through it. The prawns were large and juicy and the roasted veg was sweet and tasty. The white wine and lemon sauce was a lovey little extra and so I happily smothered both my potatoes and fish with it. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and would happily have it again. I can't wait to head back to Zizz's to try out some other items on their menu.