Today's Review: KFC Alabama Cheese

It's time for another KFC promo burger, this one also around for just two weeks, on the heels of the Texas Ranch. Here we have the Alabama Cheese, which consists of a brioche bun, chicken fillet, two slices of cheese, kethcup, pickles and mustard. I don't remember having mustard in a KFC burger before, so this showed some promise.

Unfortunately I can't rate this one too highly. It's a pretty bland burger, especially coming off the last burger that had that classic hash brown to make it into more of a tower. The pull here is in the double cheese, which is nice to have, sure, but it doesn't do too much for the flavour. The ketchup is good enough, but the mustard, while possessing that nice mellow American flavour, isn't plentiful enough to really stand out. Also, as far as I could tell, there were no pickles in my burger, I didn't realise they were meant to be in there until I just read the description to type up for this review. It's a shame, I think the pickles would have elevated it into something pretty decent, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed with this flat, sauce-ridden burger. Let's hope the next one's better.

My rating: 2/5 

Today's Review: New Recipe KIND Bars

I recently received a package of KIND bars in the post, a couple of the flavours have undergone a face lift/recipe change, so I was sent some to see what I thought. I already commented on these pretty kindly when I tried them out a while back, but I didn't find these particular ones to be perfect back then. Let's see if these changes are for the better.

The almond & coconut has had its packaging changed from dark brown to a breezy blue, and I think it's a little more fitting with its tropical nature. Inside the wrapper, it seems as if the bar has undergone an improvement too. In my last review I noted that this one was very sweet, with the coconut being a bit overwhelming. Tucking into this one, I noticed the coconut wasn't quite as pronounced, the nuttiness shines through very nicely, and I wouldn't say it's as sickly as I remember the last one being. Looks like an improvement all round.

As for the dark chocolate mocha, I mentioned last time how the coffee wasn't strong, which was what I was hoping. The bar I received this time seems to place a bit more focus on the coffee element, this tastes fairly dark and bitter compared to how I remember the last one. It's not a bad thing, it's still a nice, authentic coffee flavour mixed well with dark chocolate and an abundant underlying nuttiness. It's perhaps a little more bitter than I would like, but it's a great bar for all you coffee nuts out there. 

It's nice to see that even though these bars have been on the market for a relatively short time, changes are already being made in an effort to improve the recipes and aesthetics. They still taste great, and they're still pretty healthy, and accommodating to a variety of dietary needs. So keep an eye out for them.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review Strawberry Sundae Jammie Dodgers

Jammie Dodgers are a British institution, but not one that I particularly subscribe to. Sure, I like a Jammie Dodger, but I wouldn't go out of my way to grab one. If there's one in the biscuit tin it's a bonus, but you won't find me clamouring in the aisles for a pack. I was definitely quick to snatch this one off the shelves though, because look, it's a limited edition! Yes, we've seen a few different flavours over the years, and here's one to brighten up your dreary summer. It's a strawberry sundae Jammie Dodger.

See, the regular old Jammie Dodgers are already strawberry, so what exactly is different about these ones? Well, the "sundae" part is represented by a vanilla cream filling, which is placed in tandem with the classic jam. A small variation, but one that could have worked. Unfortunately I didn't really notice much difference. There's a slight creaminess to the filling, but the vanilla doesn't do much to outshine the ever present strawberry. One of the things I don't enjoy about Jammie Dodgers is the filling isn't quite enough to detract from the relatively thick biscuit either side, and it's the same case here. The inner flavours get a bit lost along the way, popping up every now and then, but mostly contributing to a pretty lacklustre biscuit. I knew from the start this wasn't going to be a revolutionary Jammie Dodger, and I was still a little disappointed.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Frijj Choco-Hazelnut

I may have been a little disappointed with the white chocolate & pistachio Frijj, but I also picked up this new choco-hazelnut flavour, a less unique one, sure, but also a recipe for success. This is a much better shake than the previous offering, with a creamy, chocolatey base that Frijj have already well established with their regular chocolate variety. The hazelnut is lovely and strong too, a significantly nutty taste that runs throughout, and it's not all that rich either, so I didn't find it too sickly making my way through the bottle. It's not quite like drinking a jar of Nutella, but it's a good effort from Frijj, and a bottle I'll likely pick up a lot more of in the future.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Frijj White Chocolate & Pistachio

Frijj have churned out some pretty unique flavours in the last couple of years, and this one is no exception. Here we have a white chocolate & pistachio shake, the very mention of which was enough to get me out hunting, because I love me some pistachio. I believe it's also the first time I've tried a white chocolate Frijj as well, so there's a double whammy here.

Let's start off with the white chocolate, I have to say it's a fairly decent attempt. It's smooth and creamy, as you would expect from Frijj, and it's got a pretty good flavour to it, light and chocolatey. The pistachio, however, is a little disappointing. There's a certain hint of nuttiness throughout, but it's not particularly strong, the chocolate overwhelms it a lot of the time. It's a nice flavour to have there, pretty sweet, and blending nicely with the chocolate, but the balance is just a bit off. I was really looking forward to this shake, and while I liked it, it didn't blow me away. Looks like it's only around for a little while though, so if you're interested grab it while you can.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Kinder Bueno Coconut

There's a new Kinder Bueno in town, and this one is tropical. Yes, it's the classic Kinder hazelnut filled treat, but with an added sprinkle of coconut goodness. Now, I used to hate coconut, but I've grown pretty fond of it in recent years, so I was pretty excited to see how this turned out. This is basically the same make up as a Kinder Bueno, the creamy hazelnut filling, the wafer around it, and the white chocolate on top, but now there's a sprinkling of coconut for good measure.

This is great, even better than I thought it would be. The white chocolate and coconut go together incredibly well, creating an awesome flavour atop that lovely, crumbly wafer. The insides are as good as always, smooth and nutty, and they also work well in conjunction with the coconut to deliver just a great tasting bar. I wouldn't count the Kinder Bueno among my favourite chocolate bars, but the addition of the coconut really kicks it up a notch in my book. Well worth a try.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Tropical Jelly Babies

I'll get it out of the way, I'm not a fan of Jelly Babies. That starchy coating just doesn't sit well with me, and after a few I start to feel a bit sick. But still, I couldn't resist picking up this bag, because it has new flavours, and tropical ones at that. So here we have banana, pineapple, mango, and... oh, that's it.

Yeah, three flavours in the whole bag. I guess that's better than one, but I figured there'd be at least four. But hey, quality over quantity, right? Well, these are okay. The pineapple is probably the nicest. It's not too intense, but it's a somewhat authentic flavour. The banana is pretty okay too, more of that confectionery banana flavour than a natural one, it's nice and sweet, but somewhat sickly so when paired with the jelly and coating. I was looking forward to the mango the most, and unfortunately it's pretty disappointing. There's a little fruity hint to it, I wouldn't say it's really mango flavoured though. Sadly, that's the lot. Maybe with another fruit or two these could have been better, but this is a mediocre offering of tropical flavours. 

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Monster Hydro Tropical Thunder

Energy drinks are nice and all, but they're not exactly what you'd call healthy. Apparently Monster have realised this, and instead of just pumping our veins full of guarana and taurine, they want to chuck glucose into the mix and go down the Lucozade route. Here is a drink you can chug while you get your sport on. Well, probably not really, but it's non-carbonated, so that does make it easier to chug. Monster Hydro comes in three flavours, and in lieu of the melon, I chose this tropical variety over the "green".

Oh dear, this is not nice. I mean, it's a little refreshing, and somewhat juicy, but on the whole it's very disappointing. The tropical flavour doesn't really present itself, there's a hint of fruitiness that vanishes under a sort of bitter chemical taste, and the bitterness does build up after a while, making the drink less refreshing as a whole. I can't even say it perked me up as much as a regular can of Monster, so this doesn't have much going for it. It's not even on par with the Lucozade Sports bottles, and they weren't great to start with. I might give the other flavours a go, but if this bottle is any indication, it's not worth it.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Haribo Squidgy Babies

There sure are a lot of Haribo bags coming out lately, and there seems to be a renewed focus on the jelly babies. There's a jelly baby duo bag that I've tried and apparently neglected to review, but they're pretty good (I'll have to pick up another bag so I can write it up for you guys). This bag, however, I am well prepared to rate, and as soon as I saw them on the shelf I was sold. I love the Haribo jelly babies, a lot more than the classic Bassetts, those ones are a bit gritty and gross. The Haribo ones are just nice and juicy, with a lot of flavour, and now they've received an upgrade in the form of foam backs. Foam backed Haribo are clearly the best (especially the Starmix hearts), so this was a recipe for success.

These are, literally, the Haribo jelly babies with a foam back on them. It's a combination of two great things, and they're pretty great. Not perfect mind you, it is a bit odd having the two different textures working together, the chewy baby doesn't break down as fast as the foam, so it's a bit mismatched. The fruit and milk flavour combination takes a little bit of getting used to, but I liked it, and I would say this is a pretty good twist on the original jelly baby formula. Soft, squidgy, fruity goodness. Another good bag for the Haribo range.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Drumstick Squashies Rhubarb & Custard

The original Drumstick Squashies remain one of my favourite bags of sweets to pick up when there's nothing new around. I didn't grab them today though, because not only was there something new, there was a new variety of Squashies! Now you can get your Drumstick fix in soft rhubarb & custard form. I'm a real sucker for anything rhubarb flavoured at the moment, so these were right up my street.

I wasn't a fan when the Squashies branched out into the bubblegum and sour apple & cherry, but they've returned to form with these ones (although the Halloween flavour was good too). The rhubarb kits straight away, a nice tart, sweet flavour that's reminiscent of the classic sweets. The custard side is a somewhat milky affair, in keeping with the flavour of the original Drumstick lollies, but there is a definite custardy hint that really works well with the rhubarb. I couldn't stop eating these, they're great, and I hope they stick around for a while. Another Squashie hit.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Cadbury Picnic Bites

Just when I think Cadbury have turned all their bars into bitesize form, they crank out another one. To be fair, I often forget about Picnics until they pop up on the shelf to remind me of their existence. So here we have Picnic Bites. They're like Picnics, but bites. I don't really know what else to say, we've been through this so many times before. 

It's nice to see something with a fruit and nut element, a lot of the share size bags just dabble in the old chocolate and caramel. But packed inside of these is everything you'd find in your regular Picnic bar. There are peanuts, raisins, caramel, biscuit, all wrapped up in that nice Cadbury chocolate. They're pretty good actually, a nice change from the usual fare. I would say they're a little on the dry side, they could use a bit more of the caramel or chocolate, but all the elements are there and work together pretty nicely. There's a satisfying crunch from the peanuts and biscuit, and a bit of fruitiness from the raisins. So there we have it, another bag to add to the range, and a pretty good adaptation of a Cadbury bar.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Fabric Conditioners That Don't Say "Fabric Conditioner" On The Label

I'll admit it, I don't do the washing all that often. It's not my area of expertise, I have taken command of other areas of the house. But from time to time I will stick a load of washing on, and while I don't consider it a gargantuan task by any means, there are some things that baffle me about the whole experience. The main problem is telling the difference between the detergent and the fabric softener. "Don't be a fool!" I hear you cry, "Just look at the label!" But that's the thing. Some of these bottles don't convey that information at all. 

I know it's an easy enough problem to remedy. The detergents are stocked separately from the softeners in the supermarket, fabric conditioners are produced by certain brands, and just look at all the clues on the front of the bottle there. There's a little girl wrapped up in a soft sheet, with a soft bunny. It says "soft embrace" underneath. Hell, one of the brands is "Comfort". I can ascertain what is a fabric softener with enough of a perusal of the bottle. Look, this one even tells me what it is eventually.

Right there. Can you see it? Maybe if you squint?

But why is this a thing? Why can't the front of the bottle just explicitly state what's inside? What if I'm doing washing in a hungover state, and my mental faculties are blunted? Just put it on the front! Why is this poor label design still a thing?!

Wow, I think I've become passionate enough about this. For all I know, I'm the only one that's encountered this problem. But it does infuriate me. Every time I need to follow clues to identify what I'm putting in my washing machine, I die a little inside.

My rating: 0/5

Today's Review: Tropicana Morning Boost Forest Fruits

I can't say I regularly pick up smoothies, though when I do I tend to enjoy them. I guess it speaks to my general unhealthiness that I don't indulge in the blended fruit drink often, but I couldn't resist this shiny new bottle of Tropicana smoothie that contains both fruit and cereal. With a bunch of forest fruits packed in, I assumed it would be a nice thick smoothie with a cereal hint, and it turns out I was right.

The one thing I don't get on with in smoothies is the overly banana flavour that often come with them. This one, thankfully, tastes more like those lovely forest fruits, with hints of apple and berries, a pretty delicious concoction. The cereal is generously mixed in, and provides a nice thick texture that makes this even more filling and satisfying, and adding a little extra to the flavour as well. I had trouble putting this bottle down, it's a great smoothie, and I'll most likely be picking it up again.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Haribo Smurfs Chamallows

Haribo have pumped out quite a few varieties of their marshmallows over the years, and now they've been given the Smurfs treatment. These ones are in the shape of the whole Smurfs family. We have Smurfette, Baby Smurf, a regular Smurf, and a house. Yeah, a house, families come in all shapes and sizes these days. 

Now, I like Chamallows, but these ones aren't too great. They're very sugary, grittily so. I'm guessing the different colours are supposed to provide slightly different flavours, but all I could taste was pure sugar. Not that I'd expect much else from a marshmallow, but these were just too much. They're fairly small, so there's not much room for a creamy filling, they're just Smurf shaped elongated surface areas full of overly sweet stuff. If you're looking for a Smurf fix, I'd go for the chewy sweets. These are not great marshmallows, especially when I know Haribo can do the regular Chamallows pretty well.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Hungry Horse Waffl-Icious Burger

Another burger review, I'll turn into a burger at this rate. But anyway, here's another unique burger from the Hungry Horse summer menu, after the interesting (and disappointing) experience of the pizza burger from the other day. This one also forgoes buns, instead opting for waffles, for that all American experience I suppose? I've had chicken and waffles before, and it can be a pretty great combination. This burger features a southern fried chicken breast, lettuce, bacon, burger sauce and maple syrup, sandwiched between two savoury waffles.

I was expecting great things from this, and while it was definitely something different, it's probably not something I'd try again. The chicken was pretty good, as was the bacon, but the burger sauce and maple syrup combination was a little odd. I got used to it after a while, and must admit it wasn't too bad, but it's not a pairing I'd have on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the waffles pose the biggest problem here, they're just really dry, they were literally crumbling as I made my way through the burger, and apparently "savoury" in this case means "devoid of flavour". A sweet waffled would have been better, but I guess anything would have been better really. This burger had promise, but failed to deliver again. By all means try it out for a unique experience, but don't expect it to be a good one.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: KFC Texas Ranch Burger

It looks like KFC are going down the same road McDonald's have with the Great Tastes range. KFC's version is the Southern Legends tour, four burgers to be released over the next eight weeks, starting with this Texas Ranch. It consists of an original chicken fillet, Monterey Jack cheese, a hash brown, lettuce, deluxe BBQ sauce and ranch sauce.

I was pretty excited for the ranch sauce, because ranch is a pretty great dressing. Unfortunately it's not as good as I'd hoped. It's nice and creamy, sure, but it's not particularly packed with ranch flavour, especially with the BBQ sauce overwhelming it. The BBQ is good though, smoky and sticky, which works really well with the chicken and hash brown. I wonder what it would be like with just the ranch sauce present, but I fear that might be a little too bland. As for the rest of the burger, it's pretty much a Fillet Tower in a brioche bun. The main difference here is the sauces, and they're not pulled off particularly well. A perfectly edible burger, but I was expecting something a bit more unique to start off this promotion. Hopefully the others will step it up a notch.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Hungry Horse Leaning Tower Burger

Pizzas for burger buns. It used to be the stuff of dreams, and then only the stuff of over the top internet food shows. But now you can experience the pizza bun at your local Hungry Horse. I would try to employ some fancy words to describe it, but just a look at the picture gives you all you need to know. It's a burger, but instead of buns, there are pizzas. Also it's topped with pepperoni, and it has bacon in it, just because.

I was looking forward to this as soon as I saw the menu, it's a dream come true, two fast food wonders combined in holy matrimony. But the reality wasn't particularly great. I know Hungry Horse isn't best known for its fine cuisine, but I figured they could put together a better quality burger than this. The beef patty tastes like one of those frozen Birdseye ones, while the "buns" are basically like the mini Chicago Town pizzas. It seems like I could probably pick up the same ingredients from the frozen aisle at Tesco and make my own burger for a fraction of the price. The pizzas weren't particularly well done (I like a somewhat crispy crust), and overall the marriage of pizza toppings and burger just isn't particularly fantastic, it's just like having a pizza with a big hunk of meat on top, except you're eating the whole thing with your hands. I appreciate the experimentation, and to be fair it's not a truly awful burger, it just seems cheaply put together, and just isn't all that tasty. 

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Sweetzone Pencil Jelly

It's time for another curiosity I picked up from the world food aisle in Asda. Here we have Pencil Jelly, which is jelly in pencil form. It's basically a cross between a jelly pot and a Frube, and these comes in an interesting variety of flavours, including blueberry, pineapple and lychee, alongside your regular strawberry and apple.

They're all wrapped up in a convenient tube, although accessing the stuff isn't particularly convenient. I tried ripping a small hole with my hands, but was met with a splash of un-set jelly stuff, and squeezing the stuff out was a bit of a pain, I feared the tube would burst at any moment. So I went for the scissors, and snipping the top off still yielded that liquid squirt, but it did facilitate getting the jelly out in one long, wobbly pencil. As for the flavours, they're alright. They taste fairly fruity, and some quite like the fruits they're emulating, but I wouldn't say they're much to write home about. The more exotic flavours are pulled off quite well, and I'd say that's a selling point for this pack, but don't break your neck fervently seeking these out.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Frijj Chocolate Zero Added Sugar

I've been avoiding this one for a while, I was pretty sure there'd be very little in the way of redeeming qualities for a no added sugar milkshake. But I finally took the plunge since they're 50p at the moment in Tesco. Yes, a no added sugar shake, which is pretty impressive, seeing as sugar is the second main ingredient in Frijj. Now in its place there are sweeteners, and for that sacrifice you get an astounding 19 less calories per 100ml. Doesn't sound like a great trade to me, but I guess I had to see how it tasted before I passed judgement.

Sugar does make a difference you know. I know it's bad for you, but it's also bloody delicious. That's what this shake is lacking, that certain sugary niceness, and although it's noticeable, I have to say it's not awful. Of course there's still the cocoa and buttermilk powder to help it along, but that lack of extra sugar makes it taste quite thinned out and watery. It's a pretty decent attempt at a no added sugar shake, and the chocolate flavour still holds up, but the change in flavour isn't quite worth the meagre saving in calories. A very average milkshake.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: San Pellegrino Grapefruit

I do like a good old can of San Pellegrino, their lemon and orange flavours are fantastic, and I was pretty pleased when I saw this grapefruit offering the other day which I'd never encountered before. I wouldn't count grapefruit among my favourite fruits at all, it's too big and tart for my liking. But I was willing to see what the San Pellegrino treatment did to it, so I grabbed this and gulped it down. It's actually pretty refreshing, there's definitely a sharpness to it, but I'd put it on par with their lemonade, it doesn't overwhelm too much. The fruitiness is good, the high amount of grapefruit juice does wonders for the flavour. I still wouldn't say the taste of grapefruit is fantastic, but this can made for a nice refreshing, sparkling drink. I wouldn't choose this over the lemon and orange, but I'm glad I experienced it.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Polo Sugar Free Pots

I was recently sent these new handy little pots of Polos, they're like Polos, but they're in a pot. It's a simple innovation, but a pretty good one. I mean, I can't say I've ever had a regular pack of Polos hang around long enough to see if they become stale, but these resealable pots have got to be an improvement on wrapping the foil around the roll and forgetting it in a pocket. These pots both contain sugar free Polos, and they come in either regular or extra strong form.

These are the same size as the classic roll Polos, and there are approximately 44 of them in each pot, so that's a pretty decent offering. The pot is pretty sturdy, and easy to open and close, even with one hand, so they'd be pretty good for popping a mint in your mouth in the car. As for the taste, these are pretty good. Obviously they're sugar free, so they're not as good as the original ones, but there's enough mintiness in there to freshen up the breath. The extra strong ones are probably the best, they have more of that freshness, while the regular has something of a chemical taste to it. Still, it's nice to see Polos are now available in a handy pot form, I'll probably be keeping these in the car for easy access. You can grab a pot for around £1.49.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Ben & Jerry's Berry Neighbourly

It's been a while since I've seen a new Ben & Jerry's flavour, so I almost missed this nestled among the others. But thankfully my keen eye spied it, a new exclusive variety for Tesco. Sofa So Good and Wholly Couch were some great additions, so could they make it a hat trick? Here we have Berry Neighbourly, which is an odd pun, but contains blueberry and cookie swirls in vanilla ice cream, with "white chunks". By this they mean white chocolate flavour chunks, and not white chocolate. But I wasn't going to dismiss them based on semantics, I had a tub of Ben & Jerry's to get through.

I'll start with the "white chunks", because although they're not technically chocolate, they're not bad. They're pretty plentiful, and are thick and relatively creamy. They're not the best quality, but they do remind me of the good old Baked Alaska polar bears. The blueberry and cookie swirls complement each other very nicely, a nice bold fruity swirl alongside some nice crunchy, crumbly cookie, similar in texture to a cheesecake base. Some of the swirls were quite clumped together, leaving other areas of the tub as more vanilla ice cream, but the white chunks still made it a good time. This isn't the perfect tub of ice cream, but the blueberry is authentic and makes for a great new addition to the Ben & Jerry's range. Well worth heading to Tesco for.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Cadbury Crunchy Melts Double Indulgence

Just a quick review to round off the trifecta of these new Cadbury filled cookies. I've already tackled the chocolate and cookie centres, but here is the Double Indulgence, which is a chocolate cookie with a chocolate centre. The more chocolate the merrier, I thought, and it turns out I was right. These ones are pretty great, they feature the same great chocolate filling of the chocolate centre cookies, which is a significant improvement on the cookie centre. The cookie itself has that generous helping of chocolate chips, as well as a satisfying, crumbly chocolate biscuit. As with a lot of double (or triple) chocolate goods, it is a little on the sickly side after a while, but it's a pretty good chocolatey effort, and once these have been warmed up they make for a great gooey chocolate snack. Well worth picking up.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Mini Cheddars Smoked Applewood

I finally got round to trying the third "Choose Your Cheese" flavour of Mini Cheddars, and it seems I saved the worst for last. Here we have Smoked Applewood, in crisp form. So basically, it's like a smoked version of regular Mini Cheddars. The smokiness is there, and it's alright while it lasts, but it doesn't last long. Soon it just gives way to the regular old Mini Cheddar taste, which isn't bad, but it's disappointing for a flavour that's meant to be different. I'd try out one of the other new ones if you want something with a bit of variety.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Cadbury Crunchy Melts Soft Cookie Centre

I rated the regular chocolate version of these Crunchy Melts yesterday, so I figured today I'd give the cookie centre ones a go. These are basically the same deal, a chocolate chip cookie with a gooey centre, but this time the centre consists of more cookie. Cookie in cookie, an odd combination, but I figured after heating them up there'd be enough goo to separate the two.

The cookies are good, much like the offering I reviewed yesterday. They're crumbly, and very generous with the chocolate chips embedded throughout. As for the centre, I can't say it's overly noticeable. It does get a little softer in the middle, but where I was hoping for more of a cookie dough flavour, it just seems to be a softer version of the same cookie. It does get better after heating them up, that soft centre gets nicely warm, and has more of that cookie dough feel in comparison to the still crumbly cookie. But the actual gooey part wasn't as large as I'd hoped, so this variety was pretty average compared to the chocolate filled ones. I'd stick with those ones if I were you.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Cadbury Crunchy Melts Chocolate Centre

Cadbury are back with another product, and this time they're getting in on the filled cookie market. Here we have Crunchy Melts, cookies with a melty centre. "Even better warm!" the packaging screams. Yeah, I'll take that action. See, you can enjoy these as is, or you can blitz them for ten seconds at a time, and enjoy that hot gooey goodness. Not more than ten seconds though, because then you'll burn the roof of your mouth and ruin your day.

Being the in depth critic that I am, I had to try these both warm and not, and let me tell you, these are pretty good. The cookie is nice and crumbly, and actually has a decent amount of chocolate chips spread throughout, they could have easily skimped on them seeing as there's the chocolate centre. The stuff inside is somewhat gooey straight out of the packet, and while there could have been a bit more, I'd say there's a decent cookie:filling ratio. When microwaved, the chocolate centre does get pretty warm, and it's definitely better in its gooiest state. The cookie itself doesn't change all that much, just gets slightly warmer, though not particularly so around the outside. Still, it's a pretty decent cookie, with a nice creamy chocolate centre. I'll have to try out the other varieties to see if they're as decent as these.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Tesco Brownie Filled Cookies

Tesco have been shoving stuff in the middle of cookies for some time now, from chocolate to cheese frosting, and now it's time to give them the brownie treatment. Yes, these unassuming chocolate chip cookies have a hidden chocolate brownie centre, which sounded pretty good to me.

I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed as I was with the red velvet cookies, and thankfully these are pretty good. The cookie is nice and soft, and the filling is pretty great, a soft, gooey chocolatey centre that definitely gives that brownie experience. It's perhaps not as plentiful as I'd have liked, but there's enough there to get a bit of brownie in every bite. These are well worth trying out, as filled cookies go these are some of the better ones I've tried. A good brownie centre in the middle of a pretty decent cookie. 

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: The Emoji Movie Happy Meal Box

Now The Emoji Movie is on general release, everyone can experience the soulless cash grab for themselves. But it doesn't end there, because now you can head to McDonald's to pick up the latest Happy Meal toys based on the movie, accompanied by this Emoji Movie-themed box. I often have a look over the kids' Happy Meal boxes while they're eating, and there are normally a few fun activities to complete, or something nice to look at. Not this time though.

Did you know Happy Meal boxes come with a handy tab you can rip off to turn the base into a tray? It's pretty nifty, but has been around for long before this iteration of the box, so that's not a saving grace here. So there you can see the four sides of this box, half of which barely have anything to do with The Emoji Movie. Poor show. As for the other two sides, one just has a series of pictures of Emojis, and the other has a push out speech bubble. This is what constitutes the only activity on the box. You see, that handy tab contains two rows of Emojis that you can lot into that bubble, like so:

Now you can express yourself in a variety of ways, as long as you have one of five specific opinions about seven specific items. As you can see here, I have decided that frogs make me, uh, ready to dance? It's not particularly clear, and the selection of Emojis is meagre, so I can't see how this would keep anyone interested for more than a minute. It's the only thing to do on the box as well, so it's a pretty dire offering in terms of Happy Meals. It's totally devoid of any meaningful or fun content, but I guess at least that's in keeping with the movie itself. If only there were strips to say "The Emoji Movie makes me feel unmitigated despair". 

The toys are rubbish too.

My rating: 0/5

Today's Review: Fixing An iPhone Screen At 10pm

I dropped my phone the other week, obviously in between protective glass covers, resulting in cracks all over my screen. Getting a replacement done was cheap enough, but instead I decided to order the parts and do it myself for half the price, because clearly I'm insane. But when I rolled in at 10pm this evening to find my new screen delivered, I took it upon myself to immediately perform surgery on an iPhone with slightly bleary, tired eyes.

All in all, it wasn't too bad. I had quite a problem with a couple of tough screws, so what could have been an hour's work turned into two, so here I am squeezing a review into the final moments of the day. While it was nerve wracking at times, it wasn't overly stressful, and I'll definitely consider self-performed phone surgery again. Probably not late at night though, I think it's better as more of a morning job. 

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Starbucks Caramel Popcorn Frappuccino

After trying out a few of Costa's summer frap offerings, I thought I'd give Starbucks a go, especially when I saw they were offering a caramel popcorn one. I mean, they could have just taken a regular caramel frap and popped some popcorn on top, but the sign assured me that the drink itself was buttery, and had bit of popcorn mixed up in it. So in I went.

Turns out this is just like a caramel frap with some popcorn on top. I'm sorry to say that I was very disappointed with this. There were a few popcorn pieces in the drink, but it wasn't particularly noticeable in the taste. I couldn't really taste the caramel sauce either, so this was sort of like an ice slushie with a slight hint of caramel and coffee. The topping was good, with a generous drizzle of sauce and some sizeable chunks of popcorn, I just wish it carried on throughout the rest. I'm hoping mine was made a bit wrong, because this wasn't a tasty drink, just a cup of disappointment.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Milkybar With Smarties

Here is a Milkybar. It has Smarties in it. Therefore, it is a Milkybar with Smarties. It's an amalgamation of two classic products, which is simple in design, and effective in execution. Here we have a classic, creamy bar of Milkybar white chocolate, with a very generous smattering of Smarties throughout. The combination of milk and white is pretty tasty, and there's a satisfying crunch from the shell of the Smarties. I guess this will be a short and sweet review, there's not much more I can say about it. Good chocolate, with good chocolate inside. This is a very tasty bar, a great little twist on a classic. 

My rating: 5/5