M&S Vegan Meringue Nests : Plant Kitchen

M&S Plant Kitchen Vegan Meringue Nests

I don't normally eat or buy meringue nests but bought some today from M&S because they were vegan.

It was just for curiosity to see how it the texture and taste was.

You definitely get that crunch and airy texture like meringues but it was a little dense and the shape was more uniform than meringues.

In terms of taste, it is sugary so just like a meringue, the only giveaway is the denser texture, yellow colour and you don't that chewiness.

You can imagine texture similar to ice gems icing being airy but not as hard.

@marksandspencerfood

#ssgmarksandsparks

#veganmeringue

#veganuary

Peacock Foods chocolate cake x 4

The first time I came across Peacock Foods was the London Cheesecake which I got from Aldi.
After doing some research, it turns out that they do lots of delicious sweet treats like cream doughnuts, yumyum, danishes etc.

However, I rarely see those products so I wonder who they supply them to.

Recently spotted these chocolate cakes by Peacock Foods at Aldi which didn't look bad in the box so decided to give them ago.

Obviously they were not long life cakes because of the short expiry.

They were very tasty warmed up with custard and not too sweet.

A different story at room temp,  dry and crumbly.

Definitely buying these again because traditional bakeries are scarce and it is really hard getting these old school cakes in my part of town let alone central London.

Sadly most traditional things are found in remote places that haven't quite diversified yet.

Morrisons 8 potato churros with cheese dip

When I found out about Morrisons potato churros I had to get my hands on them because I love anything savoury as well as potatoes.
Sadly, I didn't see them before Christmas because I went too early and they were not stocked yet but managed to find them after Christmas.

As expected the potato churros were delicious as they were crisp on the outside while being soft and fluffy inside with a nice potato flavour.

The cheese sauce made of mature cheddar was interesting as it was white but I wouldn't say the taste was cheesy.

Overall, I liked the potato churros which reminded me of Belgian Lutosa potato products like the pomme dauphines which are fluffy potato balls with the same texture but different shape.

#ssgmorrisons

@morrisons

Polish Christmas Wafer

When I was a kid, I went to go to Catholic school so during mass people would eat the holy communion which was some white disc shaped wafer.
I have always been curious how it tastes.
Came across these Christmas wafer cards at the corner shop which are similar.
After googling it, I discovered they are from Eastern Europe which are shared with family members before dinner when saying prayers.
The first person breaks a bit off and passes it on.
Each wafer sheet is embossed with a picture.
As for the taste and texture, they are just crispy and plain with no particular flavour.
In Slovakia, they put honey on it so I tried maple syrup and nutella with it which were both nice in different ways.

Midland snacks Traditional Pork Scratchings

Many years ago, there were only one or two brands for Pork Scratchings but these days, it is like pork scratchings have been reinvented and more popular than ever.

After trying Midland Pork scratchings I have to say they are to my liking especially the texture.

It is not 100% rock hard but you have this crunchiness then somehow the middle melts in your mouth.

I found this brand very different to other pork scratchings because it smelled nice so it was a lovely snack overall.

On a side note, I have had bad experiences before with pork rind because they either have an off putting rancid smell or they were too rock hard to eat.

REAL HAND COOKED crisps

What a lovely surprise from when I got home today and found a box of REAL hand cooked crisps.

I love crisps and savoury snacks.
I still remember buying the animal adventures a few years ago at Farmfoods and seeing the REAL crisp collection at the expo.
The ham one was amazing, so now I can't wait to try the complete collection.

Each flavour is unique in character and flavour with a lively and bold design.

Overall, each flavour was good in its own way.

Here are my tasting notes of each flavour:

Chicken Peri Peri: complex and moreish that you can taste that citrus as well as herby coriander.

Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar: Classic punchy vinegar and comforting

Roast Ox: Lovely strong beefy flavours

Sweet Chilli: a nice sweet kick with mild heat

Ham & English Mustard: Definitely hammy with a mustard all round flavour

Sea Salt: Plain Jane with a salty touch to enhance the potato flavours

Sea Salt & Black Pepper: A strong black pepper but nice

ALDI Yorkvale Pigs in Blankets flavour ice cream

After trying the SAVOURY Christmas dinner ice creams by Granny Gothards, I decided to give these Yorkvale Pigs in Blankets flavour ice cream as well.

Technically, they are sweet and not savoury as it does not contain any bacon but is recreating that pigs in blanket theme with the sweet and smoky savoury maple ripple.

The label says savoury ice cream but there is no salt in the ingredients.

I felt that the tasting notes of the ice cream were sweet and creamy with lush maple which delivered according to the label.

However, you got this weird aftertaste which they nailed that I didn't expect.

It was like the ice cream was mixed with sausage and bacon oils left over from cooking a fry up somehow there was some pigs in blankets element in there but again scanning through the ingredients there is nothing related to it.

Overall, the maple and ice cream was nice until you get that taste of oily slick of bacon and sausage dripping that is overwhelming.

With most ice creams, when you take it out of the freezer, you have to wait a while before you can scoop it but for this brand, you can dig your spoon in it anytime.

#ssgaldi

@aldiuk

#pigsinblanket