Lidl Sugar Cronut

I have been looking for the special guest Lidl sugar cronut but not many stores have it.

Finally found one that stocks it but it must have been a bad batch because all of them looked dry and just like huge puffed vol au vonts.
It was like a messed up soft donut shaped mille feuille and nothing like the hybrid croissant/doughnut textures you are supposed to get eg soft with a chew and a bit doughnutty.
They definitely looked wrong to begin like a puff pastry but dense.

#ssglidl 

M&S Air nuts and Cheese clouds

Air nuts, popped cheese and snacks are a game changer because they are light yet flavourful however they were only available from a few brands so you have to buy them online or visit a place that stocks them.
The good news is that trendsetter M&S now stock them in their own brand making them readily available nationally and possibly at their overseas stores.
I remember buying the popped cheese online but had trouble getting the air nuts so I grabbed myself a bag of air nuts to try.

The cheese clouds are moreish and taste exactly like cheese but in crispy form similar to the burnt cheese you find after baking it in the oven or on top of cheese rolls that have been baked.

It also feels like eating freeze dried meringue but with a hard crunch.

The best thing is that they don't feel heavy because they are dry and popped while your fingers don't get greasy.

As for the peanuts, they were just the same as eating peanuts but in a different shape like pumice stones except a little lighter and airy flavoured with salt and pepper.

If you like peanuts I definitely recommend them but personally I prefer cheese clouds.

Other brands of cheese clouds out there are cheesies and cheese O's while the air nuts can also be found by Real handful.

Yo! Dim sum selection

It is interesting that Yo! a restaurant that specializes in Japanese has frozen Chinese dim sum!

They were reduced to £2 at Iceland so I thought I'd give them a try.

Inside the box there are 9 pieces, 3 of each for vegetable gyozas, chicken siu mai and the prawn hakao.

Overall, they were not bad and the sui mai was my favourite.

Unbelievably beefy Juicy Marbles : plant based beef steak alternative

I love trying plant based food because it is always fun to appreciate and see how it compares with meat and seafood.
Juicy Marbles is another stunning plant based meat which looks literally like a piece of steak so I had to compare to Redefine the 3D printed steak which was a sad disappointment with all that media about it.

To my surprise, Juicy Marbles does not come from US or UK but SLOVENIA!!!!!

The price tag is a hefty £9 for two pieces.

You can also get a whole loin version according to the internet but I feel that the thick cut filets are the best due to its scallop like structure which pulls apart so if you had a loin, you would probably have stringy meat!

Thankfully, they were on promotion at Tescos for £6.75 which had to be tried considering some countries are deprived of imports.

When I took it out, there was a steak smell already.

The instructions are simple, sprinkle some salt and pan fry it.

I felt that it didn't really need the salt as it was already seasoned.

When it was cooked, the meat was a bit like beef cheek/beef belly/pulled beef and it actually tasted like bovril.

It definitely had that meat mouthfeel and reminded me of tinned chunks of beef.

Again, I was just surprised how good it was because I kept eating more rather than throwing it away.

It also reminded me of the faux beef in the M&S no beef ready meals but with more flavour.

To summarize, this is my favourite plant based beef so far and much better than Redefine.

Lidl Vegmondo Medaglioni with spinach, broccoli and olives

Thanks to Veganuary, there are so many more vegetarian pasta options.

The Lidl Vegmondo Medaglioni with spinach, broccoli and olives caught my attention because the filling in the Medaglioni sounded tasty with olives.

It did not disappoint because it was delicious as expected however the pasta let it down because the texture was not quite right.

Lidl Vegmondo Tofu Basil

Delicious basil marinated tofu from Lidl.
Definitely a match made in heaven.
I wouldn't say tofu on its own is bland because you can taste the delicate soy beans because after all it is curdled soy milk.
Tofu is mainly a meat replacement here but a dish in the East where it is stir fried or cooked in a variety of ways.
The marinated tofu definitely takes tofu to the next level which make them tasty and ready to eat.
Would love to see tomato or mushroom marinated tofu which I imagine would be delicious because of the umami flavours.
Although, its labelled marinated, I felt like the flavours were infused in the tofu because its evenly flavoured.

Belazu Ingredient Co, Rose Harissa Pesto

I was given this jar of Belazu Ingredient Co, Rose Harissa Pesto a while ago but I was apprehensive about trying it because Harissa can be quite spicy.

To my surprise, it was delicious and the flavour was in harmony.

You have this delicious umami tomato flavour and then a mild spicy kick along with the peppers and paprika.

The paste is so versatile you can use it on anything and I felt that it was the vegetarian alternative to nduja.