Krispy Kreme UK Gingerbread Ring Doughnut review

I have missed out on a few of Krispy Kreme's limited edition doughnuts recently and so I was determined to start working my way through their festive range. Ginger is the one spice that I avoid like the plague and whenever I can taste it the product it is in is completely ruined for me. I have been determined this year to get past my hatred of ginger so that I can enjoy all the spiced Christmas treats available. Gingerbread was the obvious place to start but I didn't know if I was ready to tackle this and so when I saw that Krispy Kreme had released a doughnut that had ginger flavoured icing and a caramelised biscuit crumb it sounded ideal.

The doughnut itself didn't smell too strongly of ginger and had the famous Krispy Kreme glaze. The texture of the doughnut was as light and crisp as usual with the caramelised biscuit tasting of the lotus biscuits that Krispy Kreme often use. This also added an extra crunch that was really enjoyable. Now for the ginger..... in all honesty it was actually pretty mild and I found this doughnut really tasty. The ginger flavour was noticeable yet subtle and the overall taste more of a sweet spice than full on gingerbread. I would happily buy this doughnut again and think that this may be the ideal way for me to ease myself into being a gingerbread lover.

McDonald's UK Spiced Cookie Latte review

Being a regular customer at practically every coffee chain in the UK, I am happy to admit that I find McDonalds coffee pretty impressive. At a fraction of the piece of the larger coffee chains, the coffee is pretty strong but no overly so. Since I am on a personal mission to taste every festive coffee I see on offer, I jumped at the opportunity to try the new Spiced cookie latte on a cold and dark evening. This latte came topped with whipped cream and spiced sugar dusting.

I didn't know what to expect from spiced cookie syrup but there was a slightly sweet yet spicy scent coming from the coffee. I sipped the drink and was let down by the flavour. I wouldn't have known what the flavour was and it wasn't actually very noticeable. Despite the latte being the perfect temperature, I found it actually tasted a little bitter which surprised me since the "cookie" flavour made me think that it would be quite sweet. The cream and cookie sprinkles made this feel more luxurious, however I can't say that I particularly enjoyed this drink and I doubt I would order it again. Despite McDonald's usual coffee range being up to a pretty good standard, I think if you are treating yourself to a sugary festive coffee then there are better options available than this spiced cookie latte (even if they do cost twice the price! )

Marks & Spencers Millionaires Shortbread Desserts review

Christmas is the one time of year that it is totally acceptable to indulge on naughty little treats whenever you feel like! For me, I look forward to eating these millionaire's desserts every year with absolutely no guilt at all! A thick layer of shortbread crumb, rich caramel sauce, caramel flavoured mousse, Belgian chocolate ganache AND a white chocolate triangle to top...... what more could anyone ask for!

The chocolate ganache is thick and rich but not overly sweet. There is good reason for this however which is made quite clear the second you get a taste of the deliciously sweet whipped caramel mousse. The generous layer of caramel sauce is also very rich and sweet but tastes amazing, especially when mixed with the thick buttery and crumbly shortbread base. The small white chocolate triangle on top is a lovely little extra and makes these desserts look even more tempting!

These are without a doubt the best desserts available in my opinion and that really is saying something. These are sweet, rich and well up to the high standards of M&S. If you haven't already tried these already then I cant recommend them enough and highly suggest that you go and get them in asap!

Starbucks UK Three Bean & Avacado Wrap review

I rarely buy wraps for lunch, however the promise of avocado, three bean & chipotle salsa, with carrot, cabbage, pepper and onion sour cream slaw and spinach sounded pretty unusual. Being an avocado lover I felt the need to try it. This wrap is also gluten free and although the picture isn't great, it was rammed full with beans, avocado and slaw filling.

I bit into the soft gluten free wrap which I found pretty tasty. The heat from the bean and chipotle salsa was noticeably spicy however the creamy flavour from the avocado complimented it perfectly. The spinach tasted fresh and crisp with the slaw adding another layer of creaminess and crunch to the texture. I thoroughly enjoyed this wrap and loved that it didn't contain the usual boring lettuce and mayonnaise that are in most wraps. The flavour was spicy yet cooling and creamy and the combination of crunchy and smooth textures made this one of the tastiest wraps that I have had in a very long time. Although this wrap was quite pricy, I expect nothing less from a chain like Starbucks and considering how much filling was in it I cant really complain. I would highly recommend this wrap and the fact that it can be eaten by anyone with a gluten intolerance is just another bonus.

Cosy Club Farmhouse Risotto review

As you may have gathered, risotto is a meal that I love to order when I go out for dinner. Homemade risotto never quite lives up to my expectations and so I see it as a bit of a treat. I have heard good things about The Cosy Club chain but never visited it there before and so I decided for my first visit to try the Farmhouse risotto. This is a pearl barley risotto with roasted butternut squash, spinach and a poached egg. Chicken, ham or cod can all be added at an additional cost however I decided to keep it simple.

It came and I was pretty pleased with the portion. Not huge but I knew that I wouldn't be left hungry. The texture of the pearl barley meant that the risotto was less chewy and creamy than risotto rice but it made for an interesting change of texture. The poached egg and spinach were both cooked perfectly and there was plenty of roasted butternut squash throughout. Overall this all sounds great and the meal was tasty but I wish that I had added one of the meats or cod as the flavour ended up being really mild and leaving the dish tasting a little bit bland. The quality of the food was brilliant and I loved the interesting décor. I happily finished my meal but I cant say that I am likely to order it again. If anyone is thinking of ordering this risotto then don't let this put you off because it really was a decent meal but personally I think the addition of dome ham or cod would have improved my experience quite a lot.

Ambrosia Deluxe Custard Salted Caramel review

Custard would never be first choice of dessert as I find it slightly boring due to the mild vanilla flavour. Despite this, I decided that I had to try this deluxe custard which is a relatively new product from Ambrosia and also came in a larger sized pot. I chose to try the salted caramel version because I thought that this might be noticeably different from the original version.

I lifted the lid and it did look pretty think and creamy. I was worried that the salted caramel would be so mild that I would find this custard really bland, especially as salted caramel products are often lacking in the salt flavour. I took a bite and in all honesty I have never enjoyed any custard so much in my life. It was utterly delicious! The salted caramel flavour was spot on with a slight bitterness to the traditional creamy vanilla custard. The caramel flavour made this sweeter than an ordinary custard and the texture certainly seemed a lot thicker than the usual variety.

I was really impressed with this deluxe salted caramel custard from Ambrosia and am desperate to get my hands on it again which is something that I never thought that  I would say about a pot of custard. This did taste a lot more luxurious than Ambrosia's normal custard pots as well as being larger in size. I will be recommending these to anyone I know who enjoys custard and even those who don't because if I can be converted then anyone can! I am now officially a custard lover.

Osem Bamba Peanut Snacks review

I like to have a browse down the foreign foods isle at the supermarket but I rarely buy anything because the imported products are usually so expensive This week however, I made an exception for these Bamba peanut snacks. I wasn't really sure what they were and I have never heard of them before but it turns out that these are a popular Israeli product. These are a peanut butter flavoured snack (which is what tempted me to buy them), made from puffed maze. These are also kosher and although high in salt and fat, they actually don't contain any cholesterol, preservatives or food colouring.

I opened the bag and was met with what looked like really large cheese puffs. They were golden brown in colour with a subtle peanut butter smell. I bit into my first Bamba and it seemed to melt exactly like any other maze snack such as Wotsits. What made these Bamba so special however is the peanut butter flavour which was spot on!

I happily ploughed my way through the bag with the light and fluffy snacks melting on my tongue. These are a really unusual product and I am surprised that they haven't taken off more in the UK considering how much we love our peanut butter snacks. These were a really tasty and enjoyable snack and they made a nice change from any traditional flavoured savoury treats. They are a little more pricey than your typical bag of crisps but if you love your peanut butter as much as I do then these are definitely worth seeking out to try.

Propercorn Crunch Corn Rock Salt review

Popcorn is probably my favourite snack but one of my pet hates is all of the little un-popped pieces at the bottom of the bag. This is why I have put off trying this Crunch Corn despite Propercorn being one of my favourite brands. This snack has been made as an alternative to nuts and is made up of half popped popcorn. I figured I may as well try the rock salt variety first as this would probably give me the most authentic taste of the half popped pieces.

I was slightly worried that the pieces were going to be so hard and tiny that I would have problems picking them up and that they would hurt my teeth. When opening the bag, I saw that the pieces were much more substantial than I was expecting and also a lot lighter. I tried the first piece and absolutely loved them. The texture is almost that of a small, soft pork scratching. It was incredibly crunchy but without being so hard that it hurt my teeth to bite through.

The flavour was also impressive. The pieces of half popped popcorn themselves tasted almost buttery but the rock salt flavour was very bold. Although the bag itself was quite small these were really filling and I only have myself to blame for waiting so long to try them. I would definitely recommend these to anyone who is a fan of salty snacks and if you are normally a nut person, I would imagine that these would make a welcome change.