Sainsbury's Pud You Dare Cafe experience

As a foodie, I am always upset when traditional food disappears hence, I like to eat and document as many traditional foods like pie mash, English bakery and old school food as possible.

The humble Christmas pudding is also in danger, so I was elated that Sainsbury's are doing a Pud You Dare Cafe experience to put the pudding back on track.

Not only do they have traditional pudding but there is also a modern Caramelised Biscuit Pudding served with a spiced caramel sauce and a sprinkling of biscuit crumb.

The cafe is only there for two days where I went along and tried the puddings.

Although, I am not much of a Christmas pudding fan, it is a must during Christmas.

The Taste the Difference 18-Month Matured Christmas Pudding was seriously good and even better with double cream while the Caramelised Biscuit pudding had a modern twist without being too sweet yet decadent.

To appreciate the puddings, I opted for custard and double cream that was not spiked so that I could taste everything properly.

At the experience, you get to choose different sauces and topping with the pud complimented by drinks.

For drinks, I had the cranberry orange presse which was refreshing.

Overall, I was so glad I got to the cafe which was free of charge held at Hello Love in Holborn and for every attendee at the café, Sainsbury’s will donate £3 to Comic Relief.

More info:

https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/news/latest-news/2022/10-11-2022-pud-you-dare

Opening Days: Thursday 24th & Friday 25th November 2022

Address: HELLO LOVE, 62–64 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4AR

Opening Times: 12pm – 7pm on Thursday 24th November, and 11am – 7pm on Friday 25th November

Cost: FREE

Booking: Via www.opentable.co.uk/r/sainsburys-pud-you-dare-cafe-london 

Coop Golden Chocolate & Praline Tartlets

I love chocolate and hazelnuts so tried these chocolate hazelnut tarts from Coop which were dusted with gold shimmer and topped with crushed hazelnuts.
Words can't describe how tasty they were and they taste like ferrero rocher made into tarts!

Sainsbury's Cheddar Cheese Stars with a zingy pineapple dip review

I love food that is star shaped and even better when it is cheese.
It was really good that it came with a pineapple dip which is different and much nicer than boring mango.
The stars were a bit deformed when they were cooked because of the gooey cheese.
Overall, the cheese stars were really tasty being melted cheddar cheese.
Brie would be even better, but these are seriously not bad.
You will find some poppy seeds on the coating, but you can't really taste it.
Adding the pineapple dip to it made them even moreish as you get this sweet and spicy kick.
Overall, these cheese stars got justice because the cheese stars from Coop were tasteless.

Sainsbury's All-the-trimmings Christmas Dinner Croquettes review

For those who hate Brussels Sprouts are not going to like this because it contains finely chopped sprouts.
I'm not fussed and really enjoyed these croquettes which were fluffy because of the mashed potatoes which is a must in croquettes.
Overall, really tasty as I liked the hints of chicken and herbs and the pieces of shredded sprouts.
Adding the cranberry based dip gives it that complete festive vibe for Christmas.

However, I did like to croquettes without the dip because I could appreciate the taste of the croquette properly.

Sainsbury's Mini Crab Thermidor crumpets review - Taste the difference

When I saw these crumpets I had to get them because crab is not often offered unlike prawns, fish and lobster.
The mini crab thermidor crumpets are a bit pricey but I am so glad I got these because they are so delicious and too good to share.
If you like the taste of tomalley and crab pate (the stuff you get in the glass jars) then this is for you.
The crumpets are soft and squishy with a nice crisp edge depending on how long you bake them and then you have this dreamy topping just as like crab pate and tomalley which is intense.
You have that lovely fishy crab taste and smell in a good way so definitely money well spent.

Sainsbury's Dim sum & Bao Bun selection - Taste the difference

I love Christmas because there is an abundance of party food offerings at the supermarkets.

The offerings at Sainsbury's always captivate me to try.

This time I got the dim sum and bao bun selection which comprises of prawn and chive shumai, prawn and Thai basil wontons and curried mushroom & aubergine bao buns.

They are not authentic dim sum but I love the creative twist by Sainsbury's which you won't find in Chinatown.

Frankly, you can't beat the price tag of £5 for the platter with three different dim sums when dim sums start at around £5 per basket.

Ideally dim sum are steamed which takes time but in this modern day and age, they can be microwaved.

They were ready in the microwave after two minutes and you will notice a slight colour difference in the pastry, the white one is slightly opaque and the magenta one is darker.

The one I was looking forward most was the wonton because it contains Thai basil which is very aromatic.

It definitely did not disappoint and it was like eating a prawn curry with Thai basil but wrapped in a Har Gau pastry shaped like a wonton and not the authentic wonton pastry which is similar to the one used in the Shumai.

Next was the shumai which was just as good in the sense that you could taste the minced prawns which still had a bounce to them after it was microwaved.

I believe their is some starch in it which gives it that smooth texture with some elascity.

Last but not least was the bao buns which I did not like because I was expecting curry but it did not even taste of curry.

It was mainly spices I could taste like aniseed and lemongrass as well as the usual suspects like clove and all that which was overwhelming.

Still I would recommend them because they look like hotel quality and colourful unlike the shabby ones in Hong Kong.

I am not saying that dim sum in Hong Kong is bad but you have to go to expensive places or do your research which is a shame for a place that specializes in dim sum.

Unlike UK where quality and standards are mostly good on average and by paying more you can get exceptional quality.

M&S Soft set bombay potato scotch egg

Again, soft set means that they used those same ready poached eggs which you find in their grab and go breakfasts and the shape of these eggs are not like your usual boiled egg.
The pairing of potato and egg definitely sounded good so I was expecting silky fluffy mashed potato wrapped around the egg but it was not.
The egg and the potato were like separate, and the potato seemed a bit dry and firm that it was almost meaty but didn't contain meat.
The taste wasn't bad but somehow it needed more flavour.