Today's Review: Tesco Raspberry Duffins

Ah, the Duffin, my first foray into strange bakery combinations when I had one at Starbucks a while back. Now it seems Tesco are trying to get in on the action with their own raspberry Duffins. They're easier on the wallet, at just £2 for a pack of two, but do they coffee giant's not-perfect-but-still-pretty-good offering?

Each one of these Duffins is a sizeable, very doughy affair. If it were a regular muffin, the size would be quite daunting, and probably way too heavy, but thanks to the doughnut like texture it's actually quite manageable. The result is a sugary, fluffy dough that still has a nice bit of weight to it. It does get a bit dry after a few mouthfuls, but thankfully there's some raspberry jam in the middle to break it up. The jam may be a bit thinly spread, and also a bit too thick for my liking, but all in all this is a solid package. Tesco have set out to make a raspberry filled doughnut spliced with a muffin, and that's what you get when you buy these. They won't be hitting the top of my bakery wish list, but I'd definitely buy them again.

My rating: 4/5 

Today's Review: Bubblegum Drumstick Squashies

It's been two years now since I tried - and loved - the original Drumstick Squashies. I've since tried the other varieties and also found them to my liking, but the other day I came upon this new flavour, which is a bubblegum twist on my first Squashies experience. Not sure why they tagged the Drumstick name on there, to my knowledge there's never been a bubblegum flavoured Drumstick.But oh well.

The first thing I noticed upon opening the pack is that it certainly smells like bubblegum in there. The aroma is strong and authentic, and coupled with the softness of the sweet themselves, it was almost as if I was getting ready to pop some Hubba Bubba in my mouth. That did lead to some confusion when it came to swallowing, but the chewing went alright at first. The flavour is extremely bold, and distinctly bubblegum (which I found out recently is a mixture of vanilla, berry and citrus). It's perhaps a little too overwhelming though, and what's worse is that it soon gives way to quite a bitter aftertaste. The combination of the bubblegum flavour and the squidgy texture is pretty pleasing to the palate, but I certainly didn't enjoy these as much as the other Squashies flavours. An average addition to an otherwise pretty good line.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Tesco Smoky Bacon Weirdoughs

A few months back Tesco introduced Weirdoughs, crisp flavoured doughnuts that sound positively disgusting, but are actually pretty awesome. I can't say I've added them to my list of staple foods, but I definitely had to pick up a bag when I spotted the new smoky bacon flavour on the shelf today. Bacon crisp flavoured doughnuts, sounds like an almighty American mess of a concoction. But I was surprised before, so I had high hopes for these.

Even at first glance you can see there's a fair amount of seasoning on these doughnuts, giving them a lovely dark brown speckled effect. The dough itself is quite soft, but with a slightly harder exterior, meaning they're certainly not too fluffy, but they never become too heavy. The slightly thick consistency actually works very well with the flavouring, which is definitely a tasty, smoky bacon affair. It tastes a lot like Frazzles, and since Tesco are going for the bacon crisp experience, I'd say they've hit the nail on the head. But Frazzles mixed with doughnut? Well, it works, like the cheese and onion ones worked before, and I dare say that I enjoyed these even more. Once I ate one it was hard to stop me eating the entire pack. If you're after something a little different from the bakery, you owe it to yourself to pick up these bad boys.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Coca-Cola Life

I tried this new Coke a while ago, and it seems quite unlike me that I haven't reviewed it yet, seeing as I'm pretty fond of new Coke flavours. There didn't seem to be as big a fanfare around its release as there was when Coke Zero came out, so what is the deal with this strange green variety? Well, this Coke is flavoured with stevia, the miracle sweetener that everyone seems to be going crazy for nowadays. Not that the use of stevia has cut the sugar in the Coke right down. But there's 37% less sugar than normal, so that should please those looking to cut down on calories, who also believe that artificial sweeteners are out to murder us all (for those who can't detect my sarcasm, I'm fine downing the diet Coke varieties).

While I don't quite see the point in an intermediary Coke, I must say they've actually pulled this one off quite well. It tastes pretty much like the original recipe, and the reduction in sugar is certainly nothing to sniff at. It's as sweet as ever, but loses that signature gritty teeth feeling you get after drinking too much regular Coke. It's a healthier version that doesn't really detract from the experience, and while there's still a bit too much sugar for my liking, this is certainly a step in the right direction. If you're a die hard fan of the red can, Coca-Cola Life is still a good investment.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Haribo Jogi-Bussi

Yes, it's time for another pack of Haribo, and this time we have the Jogi-Bussi, or as the packet so helpfully translates for me, yoghurt gums. These ones intrigued me, as I always enjoy sweets with a sort of dairy twist to them, like milkshake flavours, or indeed yoghurt inspired sweets that give a lighter, smoother flavour. What I wasn't quite expecting was sweets with yoghurt inside them.

Yes, these Jogi-Bussi consist of a gummy exterior with a foam base, but inside is a layer of yoghurt that lends some more flavour to the experience. It's hard to say what the flavours are meant to be exactly, seeing as there are three colours and a cornucopia of fruit displayed on the pack, but it seems the green corresponds to apple, orange to and apricot/orange concoction, while red has an air of berries. I think what throws it off a bit is the yoghurt. Obviously it's not the kind you buy and stick in your fridge, otherwise these sweets wouldn't last very long. Instead it's quite a thick, almost sickly mixture, that overwhelms the senses rather than giving an identifiable flavour. The gummy and foamy parts are good, but the interior just left me feeling a little disappointed. Certainly an edible variety of Haribo, but I think that sticking yoghurt inside was not the best move.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Mr. Kipling Gingerbread Whirls

It's Christmas grocery time, oh yes it is. No matter how early you think it may be, the seasonal aisles are filling up with all your favourite festive treats, and there are a few new offerings among them, including these Gingerbread Whirls from Mr. Kipling. I've been extremely fond of all the other types of whirls, but a lot of the time I'm not too keen on gingerbread, so it could have gone either way.

I must say, the gingerbread in these whirls is pretty superb. It's fantastically crumbly, and the spice is quite subdued, while remaining very flavoursome. Unfortunately, there is a lot of it, and not enough in comparison to the nice, smooth buttercream in the middle. So while the experience is a tasty one, it quickly becomes quite dry. A bit more filling and these could have been perfect, but they're still worth a try, and will definitely get you into the festive spirit.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Haribo Sour Mango

If there's one thing I love, it's finding a new Haribo variety. Thankfully, my latest Cyber Candy visit presented me with a wide array of Haribo goodness, so I've got a few to get through in the coming days. This one definitely piqued my interest, as I've certainly never had mango flavoured Haribo before, and they're sour to boot. 

Well, I say sour, but they're certainly not too strong. A nice tingle that quickly gives way to a sweet, decisively mango flavour. It's authentic and bold, but unfortunately it doesn't quite last for the lifespan of the sweet itself, meaning every time I was left with a slightly tasteless gummy. So these aren't perfect, but they're definitely a tasty mango sweet, and a must try for all you Haribo fans out there.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Abba Zaba

Taffy is not an item you see much of in this country, so I'm always happy to pick some up and sink my teeth into it. My recent trip to Cyber Candy rewarded me with this interesting taffy bar, which boasts a peanut butter centre. Bit of an odd combination, but I like taffy and I like peanut butter, so what could go wrong?

The bar itself is pretty big, a nice thick block of taffy. It's soft, chewy, and lasts a good long time, with a smooth sweet taste. Every bite has some peanut butter swirled in too, and while it's definitely not winning out over the flavour of the taffy itself, it does lend a nice hint of flavour throughout. Although the balance of taffy and peanut butter could be a little better, I was actually surprised at how well the two went together. Apparently everything is better with peanut butter, and while this bar isn't perfect, it's a must try for lovers of peanut butter.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Starburst Trick Or Treat

There may have been Christmas snacks floating around since the beginning of the month, but I've only just started to notice Halloween themed things popping up too. I was greeted by this interesting looking packet of Starburst as I walked into a local Tesco Express, and at first I was sure it was just the same old Starburst with some funky colours. But on closer inspection, I found it's actually a pretty neat Halloween offering. There are three flavours; apple, orange and raspberry, but each one may either be sweet or sour, and there's no way of knowing until you bite into it.

It's a great premise, and it's pulled off pretty well. I really didn't know whether or not what I was biting into would be sour, and when it turned out that it was, my tastebuds were caught a little by surprise. They're not overly sour by any means, but they certainly gave my tongue a nice tingle when I was expecting something sweeter. Alongside this nice spin, it's also nice to see that there are some different flavours in this pack. The apple is deliciously fruity, and the raspberry has a lovely, smooth flavour, making this a pretty nice pack of sweets overall. I do wish that the sour ones were a bit more so, or that perhaps there was another flavour or two to choose from, but this is a nice Halloween themed pack of sweets that avoids the tired rebranding that other companies choose to do.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Sour Patch Kids Extreme

I've reviewed a variety of Sour Patch Kids before, and back then I lamented that the original sweets just weren't all that sour. But I thought all that would change when I picked up this bag of "extreme" Sour Patch Kids. I mean, look at all those different proclamations of how sour they are. They're extreme, they're "super sour", they've even thrown an expletive in there to let you know how serious they are. I tell ya, I was expecting a sour experience so bad that my lips would be sucked back into my tonsils.

But it wasn't like that, of course it wasn't like that. In fact, these Sour Patch Kids are still barely sour. I don't know if my taste buds have deteriorated through years of spicy and sour foods, but these are just very bland. The flavours are all good, nice and fruity, but without the sour kick these are just generic chewy sweets. I'm disappointed, and I'm sure there's something along the lines of false advertising here. Don't bother with these.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review Fruittella Super Shakes

I always get excited when I see a new Fruittella product, they're consistently juicy, tasty, and all round awesome. Now there's another variety of chews out, this time in the style of milkshakes. They come in three flavours; banana, mango and strawberry. They certainly look the part with their colourful swirls, but how do they taste?

I wasn't sure how the milkshake taste would come through with these, but Fruittella have pulled it off once again. The fruity flavours are authentic and bold, as I've come to expect. The mango in particular is amazing, and despite not really being a fan of banana, even those ones are tasty. The fruit flavours are swirled in with a fantastic milky taste and texture, making these sweets light and creamy, as well as lovely and soft to chew. These sweets are awesome, another perfect offering from Fruittella.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Ben & Jerry's Satisfy My Bowl

It's been a while since I've had some Ben & Jerry's (what happened to Sundae On The Common?!), but it's always a good time to delve into another tub when a new flavour comes out. This time Ben & Jerry's have partnered up with the 1Love Foundation to bring out a Bob Marley themed ice cream in celebration of his 70th birthday. This is quite an interesting mixture, and that's saying something with Ben & Jerry's. We have a banana ice cream, swirled through with caramel and pieces of cookie dough, topped off with chocolate peace signs. I wasn't sure if it was going to be my cup of tea (or bowl of ice cream), but I'm never one to pass up on some ice cream.

My main fear was that I wouldn't like the banana ice cream, but it's actually pretty amazing. The flavour isn't overpowering whatsoever, it's just a fruity, smooth, creamy ice cream that I couldn't get enough of. The caramel swirls add some extra sweetness throughout, and the cookie dough chunks add a lovely texture, as well as bursts of extra flavour, working pretty well with the banana. Then we have the chocolate peace signs, symbolic of the man himself, bringing everything together in a thick, chocolatey embrace. All the elements didn't really sound like they'd work well together, but I enjoyed every single spoonful. This is another winner from Ben & Jerry's, so pick it up while it's still around.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Lucozade Cloudy Lemonade

I was in the mood for a pink lemonade Lucozade today, but was somewhat put off by the amount of calories in a bottle (I'm being good lately). Thankfully, I spied this new cloudy lemonade flavour, which promised reduced sugar and weighed in at just over 130 calories. It may not be pink lemonade, but it's still lemonade, so I was happy to pick this up. 

I understand that the idea of a sugar free Lucozade is pretty ludicrous, but it's nice to see they've made an effort and cut out a lot of the sugar content with this one. Unfortunately, the drink does suffer a bit. It tastes somewhat artificially sweetened, and is definitely not as flavoursome as its full sugar brethren. Sure, it does taste like cloudy lemonade, but it's nowhere near as bitter as I expected, the lemon is quite subdued in fact. It is still a refreshing Lucozade, and will give you a nice burst of energy, but this flavour just falls quite flat for me. In future I think I'll be naughty and go with the good stuff.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Chips Ahoy! Crispy Choco Caramel Cookies

Here's the other Chips Ahoy! variety I picked up the other day, and this one is pretty damn chocolatey. Here we have chocolate cookies, laden with chocolate chips, chocolate covered caramel croquant, and some crispy flakes for good measure.

The cookies, as before, are awesome, crumbly and very chocolatey. Inside, along with the delicious chocolate chips, the caramel flavour really comes out, giving a sweet kick to every mouthful. These certainly are nice cookies, but I don't think they're quite on par with the popcorn variety. They're just a little too chocolatey for my liking, and the abundance of caramel does add up to a somewhat sickly taste. Also, despite there being flakes buried in the cookie too, I could never really taste them, so it feels like they're a bit wasted. If you're after a nice chocolate chip cookie, then these will certainly do. But I recommend you go for the popcorn candy chip flavour if you really want to be blown away.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Cadbury Wispa Biscuits

I have enjoyed Cadbury's venture into biscuit territory, although apparently I've only reviewed one variety. Well, now that changes, as I couldn't help but pick up these Wispa biscuits. Wispa is probably my favourite Cadbury bar, and I still remember the pain of its years-long absence from shops. But not it comes in biscuit form, what could go wrong?

Well, not much really. The picture on the packet is pretty comparable to the real life product. The base is a lovely crunchy biscuit, but the Wispa filling is where it really shines. It's basically just a big chunk of Wispa shoved on top, and that's awesome. Same texture, same taste, all around delicious, and it's all rounded off with extra Cadbury chocolate for good measure. These are the best Cadbury biscuits I've had yet, a chocolatey assault on the senses with a satisfying crunch. Go and buy some.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Kit Kat Chunky Double Caramel

I was surprised to find this interesting new Kit Kat Chunky in a newsagent on the way home today. How can a Kit Kat have double caramel? Well, it's because there are two types of caramel in the two halves of the bar. One side contains smooth caramel, while the other has chunky. It remains to be seen whether Nestlé will be hammering a "How do you like your caramel?" social media extravaganza into our heads, but for now, there's just this bar, and it's a nice idea. Although they are sneaky enough to label half a bar as one serving in the nutritional information. Everyone knew I was going to eat this in one go, guys.

I took a gamble on which side to eat first, and I think it paid off in the end. I had the smooth end first, and it was indeed full of lovely, gooey caramel. There's not a lot of it compared to the thick chocolate and wafer, but that just means it wasn't sickly, just a smooth, tasty caramel flavour that blends in nicely with the rest of the bar. The other side was probably my favourite though. The crunchy caramel is very flavoursome, and almost melts in the mouth once you start chewing. It's got a nice smattering of caramel pieces throughout, but is overall a creamy, caramel experience. There's most of the filling in comparison to the other side, but it doesn't overwhelm with flavour. This bar is just downright tasty, no matter which end you choose. A must buy for all the caramel lovers.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Chips Ahoy! Popcorn Candy Chip Cookies

Chips Ahoy! have finally arrived on our shores, I guess the introduction of the Cadbury bar was a gateway into an awesome cookie introduction. I would have been happy with just the regular Chips Ahoy! cookies, but apparently they didn't want to give us those. Instead I have picked up two interesting flavours, the most interesting of which is this Popcorn Candy Chip. Yes, popcorn, in a cookie. It certainly piqued my interest, but I wasn't sure how it would all work out.

The cookies themselves are fantastically crumbly. They're firm when you hold them, but as soon as you take a bite it disintegrates into buttery goodness. There's also a lot of stuff contained within. There are chocolate chips, chocolate candy pieces, and the main event, the caramelised, salted popcorn. The chocolate adds a fantastic bit of moisture and flavour, but the popcorn is what really blew me away. The texture blends in well with the rest of the cookie, meaning I didn't find any unwanted sharp popcorn pieces. But the flavour comes through spectacularly, giving nice notes of caramel, with a salty kick that brings out all the flavours.

These cookies simply taste awesome. I'm excited to see what other varieties of the brand may be coming out in the future, but for now I'm just eager to crack open the other flavour I picked up. But hey, that's a review for another day. You should definitely buy these ones though.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Battery Covers

So many things use batteries nowadays, it's hard to keep track. Sure, most of the up to date, high intensity stuff have rechargeable batteries locked away inside, but there's still room for some old school letter-denotes-size, spring loaded blocks of power. Just pop in some fresh batteries, and when they're spent, replace them with some new ones. On most devices they're easily accessible, but one thing stands in your way. The battery cover.

It may seem like a bit of an inconvenience, especially if it's screwed on, but a battery cover does a lot more good than harm. My optical mouse is a good example of this. The battery cover had popped off and disappeared, so I was left with my single AA continuously popping out of its designated position, and throwing me off my web browsing and such. Nut lo and behold, I found the cover behind the sofa, and now my browsing is uninterrupted, my battery firmly in place betwixt spring and metal. Battery covers are great, they keep batteries in place, some even have the connectors attached, so they're even more essential. But best of all, they make sure the aesthetic of a product isn't broken, exposing ugly batteries inside an indentation. Battery covers make all our lives better, even if we have to break out the screwdrivers or chip our nails once in a while.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Being The Tooth Fairy

My daughter has lost four teeth in the past two weeks. Not because she's been punched in the face, but because she's of the age where her teeth are falling out all over the place. Naturally, where children are concerned, it's traditional to inform them that a magical, ethereal fairy will come into their bedroom while they sleep, buy their tooth off them for a fixed sum, and take it back to do whatever the hell she does with it. I guess the Tooth Fairy has an Etsy page for hand crafted tooth necklaces.

But we all know there's no such thing as the Tooth Fairy, therefore it's my job to perform the switch over in the dead of night (or, like, 8:30 when she's in a deep enough sleep). Before this latest outburst of tooth loss, we've only had to deal with two, and to be fair we got off to a rocky start. We completely forgot about the second one, meaning my daughter woke up to a tooth still under her pillow, and pretty upset. What do you do in a situation like that? Well, the correct answer is you leave a stylised letter from the Tooth Fairy the next night, apologising and stating she's paying double. But in the last two weeks, I've become a hot shot at the intricate tooth swapping manoeuvre. Remembering to do it is just the first step.

It's good to ensure that the tooth is in some kind of packaging, be it an envelope or piece of tissue. This saves you having to rummage around too much under your child's head. Still, my daughter has so far liked to place her head directly on top of her tooth, meaning I have to shove my hand underneath her. Thankfully, she's a heavy sleeper, but I can imagine this could be a problem for people with kids who wake up at the slightest movement. What do you do if your child stirs while you're elbow deep in their pillow? I figure I'd just act like I was checking to see if the Tooth Fairy had been. Kids'll believe anything. Once you've got the tooth out, the rest is pretty easy. Thankfully I've always had a pound on hand to replace the tooth with, and replacing it is just a matter of slipping it under the closest side of the pillow. Then it's time to sneak out of the bedroom, and inhale the tooth to retain your youthful complexion. That's what it's for, right?

All in all, playing Tooth Fairy isn't all that difficult. There may be a few hiccups on the first few attempts, but after a while it's pretty plain sailing, especially if you can help your child place the tooth to avoid jostling them too much. Personally, I find placing crinkly stockings to be much more nerve racking. But that's a review for another, more festive time.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Ketchup Cheese Mini Cheetos

I do love me a big bag of Cheetos, but alongside the awesome Crunchy Cheetos my parents usually bring back from Oman, there were also a couple of these tiny packets of Mini Cheetos. As you can see in the picture, they're tiny little balls, all conveniently wrapped up in a tube like package that you can empty directly into your face.

Empty these into my face I did, but I wasn't too impressed. These little Cheeto balls are a little too puffy and dry for my liking, and the flavours are nowhere near as bold as they should be. The hint of flavour I did get was quite nice, definitely ketchup and cheese present, but it soon fell flat, leading to a bland finish. These Mini Cheetos are definitely not in the league of the regular or Crunchy kind, even the method of eating them left me devoid of the signature Cheeto dust on my fingers. These are an interesting alternative, and certainly not bad, just nothing special.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Toffee Crisp Sharing Block

Nestlé have come out with another chocolate bar based on their chocolatey treats, after the Smarties bar that showed up recently. This time Toffee Crisp is getting the treatment, resulting in a slab of chocolate, stuffed with rice pieces, caramel and toffee.

While this bar certainly doesn't emulate the actual Toffee Crisp experience too well, due to its flat, non-bobbly nature, I definitely enjoyed it. The filling is nice and creamy, with bold caramel flavours throughout that work well with the chocolate exterior. The only bad point is that there are not quite enough rice pieces, meaning the crunchiness is a bit sparse. Not quite as good as the classic Toffee Crisp, but it's certainly a nice bar of chocolate.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Sides Of Cereal Boxes That Don't Contain The Name Of The Cereal

Hmm, what should I have for breakfast? Wait, how do I even know what there is for breakfast? All I can see on my kitchen side is an assortment of cartoon characters, an exhaustive list of nutritional information, and some blurb about how me buying a box of cereal is saving the children. How do I know what cereals these are, apart from the obvious answer of having to memorise the three types of cereal I have in the house. But it shouldn't be that way. All it takes is a simple addition of the cereal's name on the side of the box, and it would be fine.

You may think I'm overreacting, but is it too much to ask? I know boxes need to keep things fresh, add on some information for their marketing campaigns, and let everyone know exactly what they're eating. But couldn't any of these guys squeeze a teensy logo in there to just hint at the contents, without me having to lift the box up and look at the front? This would be like if I bought a DVD, and instead of having the title on the side, it just had an exhaustive list of all the types of violence and nudity it contains. That might be fine for some people, but it would be difficult picking that movie off the shelf. So why do it with cereal? This just isn't good design work. I should be able to see the brand no matter which angle I look at it. So please, guys, try and make everyone's cereal experience a bit easier. Put the damn name of the cereal on the side of the box.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Tesco Apple & Banana Magic Laces

After not being overly impressed by the lime and cinnamon Magic Laces I reviewed last week, I was pleased to find another variety that sounded a lot tastier. The laces have the same premise. Some are apple, some are banana, but mix them together, and they taste like pear! Or do they?

Well, these certainly have a better effect than the last lot. Perhaps it's just because they're sticking solely with fruits. The banana laces certainly taste banana-like, and the apple have a nice crisp apple flavour. But as for both at once? Well, they don't taste distinctly like pear, but I can certainly place the flavour. I definitely enjoyed mixing these up, as well as chewing on them individually, and this is a much better execution of the Magic Laces idea. These are some nice, fruity laces with a twist, and better than the cinnamon and lime effort.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Tesco Rainbow Fruits

I have been mightily impressed with most of the sweets Tesco have brought out lately. So when I spotted a few more new varieties from the same range, I couldn't resist picking up these Rainbow Fruits. There are also blue raspberry bonbons and strawberry pencils, but these seemed more interesting. They looked like a bigger version of Tooty Frooties, and I couldn't see how that could possibly be a bad thing.

In fact, these are like big Tooty Frooties. A hard, crisp shell, encasing some truly chewy, fruity goodness. They're called Rainbow Fruits, but three of the colours are missing. Still, each colour has a distinct fruity flavour, from lime, to strawberry, to blackcurrant, and they all taste pretty authentic. The best part about these is how good they are in comparison to the classic Tooty Frooties. I've always found that since they're quite small, the abundance of crispy shell often gets a bit too much for my tongue, making it a little sore after eating a few (perhaps too many). However, since these Rainbow Fruits are bigger, there's a better ratio of chewy innards to crunchy shell, making it a much more enjoyable experience. These are some tasty, fruity sweets that I'll certainly be picking up again.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Haribo Jolly Jungle

This is another bag of animal themed Haribo I picked up alongside the Fizzy Sea Workd. This one sports a variety of jungle creatures, from toucans to monkeys, and they come in the firm of either squishy, foam backed sweets, or harder jelly baby style sweets, much like you'd find in the Kiddies Supermix.

I enjoyed this bag a lot more than the Fizzy Sea World. Despite hating the classic Jelly Baby sweets, I've always loved the Haribo ones for their bold, juicy flavours. The ones in this bag are significantly bigger than the regular Supermix jelly babies, so they were even better. The foam backed jellies adds a bit of variety, and they're a sweet I've always been find of too. So all round, this is a fantastic Haribo variety, and one I'll look out for in the future.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Raspberry Millions

It's been a good while since I've had a tube of Millions, and I'm sure there are a hell of a lot more flavours that have cropped up since the strawberry and bubblegum days of infancy. So, confronted with a grand display of assorted Millions in a newsagent earlier, I decided to go for the raspberry. Probably not new, but new to me.

I never had any doubt about these, and I was right. If you've tried Millions you know they're good. Tiny, chewy candy pieces, that are refreshingly juicy. There's real raspberry juice in these, and while it may only be 3%, that's certainly enough to create a distinctly raspberry sweet experience. As always, these Millions are chewy, but not too chewy. They didn't get stuck in my teeth, but they certainly lasted long enough to make the tube a good value purchase. Good stuff.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: The Hundred-Foot Journey

While summer is most definitely drawing to an end, there's still time to squeeze in a feel-good movie, and since I got some free tickets to an advance screening, I certainly couldn't say no. The Hundred-Foot Journey is based on a "beloved, best-selling novel", but I wouldn't know anything about that, because I barely read. It follows an Indian family as they attempt to open a restaurant in Europe, after a tragedy drove them from their home. After breaking down near a quaint, French village, Papa discovers that great quality food is plentiful in the area, and quickly buys up a dilapidated restaurant nearby. However, across the road is a famous, Michelin star earning restaurant, run by the competitive Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). But with talented young chef Hassan (Manish Dayal) on their side, the new Indian restaurant is certainly set to give the restaurant 200 feet away a run for its money.

It's nice to see a movie like this poke its head out from the myriad explosion filled blockbusters and silly comedies. It's clear it's catering towards a somewhat older demographic than myself, but to be honest I found this movie to be quite charming. The locations are beautiful, the actors quite delightful, and there are a good few warm laughs to be had. I certainly enjoyed the first half, getting to know the characters and really rooting for the restaurant to take off. It's in the second half, however, that things get a little stale. The story takes some very predictable turns, and the pacing seems quite off, moving way too fast in some places, and slowing right down in others. While the relationships between family members is explored in the first half, it quickly devolves into food porn territory, showcasing a variety of weird and wonderful recipes, with close ups of pots, pans and spices. Nice if you're into that kind of thing, but it certainly takes the focus off the story elements.

Still, the movie manages to retain some of its charm, and while Mirren and Dayal certainly couldn't do much with the cookie cutter plot points that pop up in the latter half, they certainly do well the rest of the way through. It's certainly not a perfect movie, but it's one that I enjoyed watching. The Hundred-Foot Journey is a nice breath of fresh air after all the generic blockbuster movies that have bombarded us over summer. 

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Haribo Fizzy Sea World

I always enjoy finding new varieties of Haribo, and this packet of Fizzy Sea World caught my eye. It's a nice collection of sea creature shaped sweeties, with a generous sugary topping. There are starfish, octopi, seashells and more, and they come in either full on fizzy sweet form, or sporting a foamy back, and in a variety of fruity flavours. The combinations are endless. Well, not really, but there are quite a few.

The flavours are as good as always. If you've had other Haribo, which you have, you'll know the bold, fruity red, the citrus green and the tangy white. The only thing that kind of let me down was the coating. I know the packet gives no inclination that the sweets are sour, but I was expecting them to tickle my tongue a lot more than they did. They are fizzy, sure, with a nice sugary texture, but I think I'd enjoy them a lot more if they were more like Tangfastics. Perhaps it's just because I like sour sweets though. If you're after something a bit tamer, but along that same lines, these are worth picking up. Not anything particularly new, but some nice Haribo all the same.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Candy Land Chewy Sour Raspberry Bonbons

Candy Land have a lot of good sweets under their belt, so I was surprised to see that their attempt at blue raspberry bonbons was "new". I love a good bonbon, and these promised sourness to boot, so I didn't hesitate grabbing this bag.

Unfortunately, these bonbons aren't very sour at all. Sure, there was a slight twinge on my tongue when I first popped them in, but that soon faded. Fortunately it was taken over with a lovely, bold blue raspberry flavour, a chewy (but not too chewy) texture, all rounded off with the classic dusty bonbon coating. Certainly blue raspberry, certainly nice, but without the sour element they just can't get full makes from me. Worth picking up if you find a bag though.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Tesco Lime & Cinnamon Magic Laces

The flavour blending craze seems to be kicking off lately, and Tesco have joined the fray by giving some interesting flavours to their budget sweetie laces. Instead of the classic strawberry, these laces come in the odd mixture of cinnamon and lime. Definitely not two flavours I'd put together, but it seems the purpose of this combination is to create a cola flavour when eaten together. I certainly had to give it a go, despite still feeling some reservations about cinnamon.

By themselves, these laces certainly taste like their respective flavours. The cinnamon are both spicy and sweet, while the lime is certainly tangy and bold. Not exactly the best flavour laces I've had, but they are what they say on the tin. Combined, however, they didn't make a great impression on me. Sure, there may be a hint of cola, but all I could really taste was cinnamon and lime at the same time. I ended up just eating them separately anyway, and since the chosen flavours are so odd, I didn't enjoy them as much as I would a more regular variety. The idea is a nice one, and the individual flavours are done quite well, but the "magic" portion doesn't really pan out. If you fancy performing this trick yourself, by all means have a go, just don't expect to be wowed.

My rating: 3/5