Monday 7 December 2015

Graze Mince Pie Flapjack

I think everyone must be familiar with the Graze concept by now - 4 tasty and unusual snacks delivered to your door, which can be as healthy or as naughty as you like. Fitting into the latter category, is this limited edition Garze punnet - a Christmas take on a flapjack.

image of mince pie flapjack

Graze flapjacks in my opinion are one of the tastiest offerings they do (although I have to say pretty much the entire range is delicious and the variety is fab). Their flapjacks have a lovely texture, soft and squidgy and almost like fudge like but with an oaty texture you can really feel and taste. They're sweet but not overly so and are a nice sensible portion.





Like all other flapjacks in their range, these are beautifully coloured and look very appetising. I like the fact they are cut into three slim rectangles to make the snack last a bit longer (and I have on very self conrolled ocassions been known to use this to eat the pieces in seperate snack occasions!).

The flapjack has a nice festive smell, not overly so but you do get hints of cinnamon, ginger and cloves and all those lovely Christmas cake spices. Biting in, the texture was perfect as always. Dense, chewy and satisfying and with a lovely buttery, rich taste. It's slightly gooey and feels like a real treat.

Now, I didn't think the flapjack tasted particularly like mince pie, I guess it's missing the pastry flavour because the base is oats and as it only contains dates (and at just 12%), it's missing that mix of currants and raisins you get in a typical mince pie. But it's not bad at all, in fact it's really rather delicious. It might not taste like mince pie but it is unmistakenly Christmassy.

All the spices blend and complement each other and the sweet, syrupy oats make a great carrier for their sweet, festive flavours. They're not overpowering but you do taste them and it does give a Christmas cake like flavour.

A real winner from Graze for me and worth trying to get hold of one before they disappear

8/10

Available from www.graze.com

Per portion: 234 calories, 11g fat, 3.6g saturated fat and 17g sugars.

Sunday 6 December 2015

Marks and Spencer Butternut Squash, Feta and Spinach Muffin (In Store Bakery)

Marks and Spencer hands down have my favourite in store bakery. For me every item has the same quality you would get in somewhere like Starbucks or Pret but without the price tag. In spite of all the trends of gluten free and carb cutting, I absolutely adore baked goods and just the smell when you get near the instore bakery grabs my attention and seduces me into having a browse.

M&S always have such interesting items with unusual twists that appear seasonally for a few months and then disappear. I've always enjoyed their seasonal, savoury treats (a caramelised onion and feta scone one summer was a particular highlight) so this autumnal take on a muffin sounded right up my street.



It's certainly a pretty hefty looking piece, which it needed to be to warrant it's price tag at over £1. However, it is also pretty filling and makes substantial and delightful lunch. The muffin is packed with salty feta, sweet, creamy butternut and the inclusion of pumpkin seeds both in and on top of the muffin add some nice crunch for a perfect texture contrast to the soft, spongy muffin. The spinach adds a nice green hit of veggie goodness without no bitterness.



The muffin is absolutely delicious with a real savoury kick that is immensely enjoyable. My one criticism is that this is one crumbly little number and whether you try and cut it or bite into it, it does have a habit of breaking up. But this a small price to pay for something so delicious. It makes a really interesting change to standard bread or rolls and is so packed full of flaovur, it doesn't need anything else to accompany it



8.5/10

Saturday 5 December 2015

Nespresso Vanilla Amaretti Pods (Christmas Limited Edition 2015)

I'm still relativrly new to the Nespresso world, only having picked up a machine a few months ago. I adore my coffee so have been working my way through the various pods but this is my first experience of a Christmas limited edition. I absolutely adore any almondy and love amaretti and the existing vanilla flavoured Nespresso pods are my regular weekend latte so this was a no brainer for me.

Like all  Nespresso capsules, it's smartly and attractively packaged and I love the edition of Christmassy sparkles.




As soon as I the popped the capsule in the machine and started making the coffee, I could smell the delicious smell of amaretti, a warming almondy scent - a good start!

Like the vanilla pods, I prefer my flavoured coffee to be made as milky cappuccinos or lattes so I also used the Nespresso aeroccino to make my own amaretti latte - my very own take on Caffe Nero's seasonal latte from last year!



The drink was warm and comforting although the amaretti only comes through as an undertone with the vanilla flavour being more pronounced. However, it's great to have a flavoured coffee that doesn't involve the sugar or artificial sweetners you get in coffee shop sticky syrups. Whilst the regular vanilla pods are still my favourite flavoured pods, this made a lovely seasonal treat.

7.5/10