Megan Geall
I am a huge, huge foodie. Call me a weirdo but food shopping is one of my favourite things and taking me to a supermarket or food hall is like taking a kid to a sweet shop. I love to spend money on trying new products, both food and drink; savoury and sweet (much to my parents dismay when they see my bank account, sorry!). Luckily for you, I’m here to review all the best new food products in the shops and advise which are the ones worth trying— and, of course, which to avoid…
My Foodie Week
…Or two weeks, shall I say? Sadly, I’ve been unwell recently and my hunt for new products had to take a back-burner while I recovered. This was a very uneventful two weeks with no exciting shops or foodie adventures—literally, just food shopping. That said, I still managed to get my hands on some new products from Co-op, Sainsburys, and Tesco. Read on to find out what you need to pick up next time you’re in the shops.
Co-op Margherita Crisps
After my success with the Swizzel’s Drumstick Muffins from Co-op (which you can read about in my last review), I was eager to drop into Co-op again on the hunt for more yummy releases. With a quick sweep down the aisles, I settled on Marghertita Pizza crisps—sold as a limited edition share bag in Co-op branding. I was confident with my selection, after all, my family and I are huge crisp-addicts and it one of our favourite treats is to indulge in a fancy-flavoured share bag at the weekend.
It was almost like they were stale…without a signature crunch, a crisp that is just not a crisp.
If it was just flavour that I was basing my judgements on, these pizza crisps would be an easy winner—tomato, a hint of mozzarella and an after-taste of Italian herbs—closing my eyes I could almost see myself sat outside a rustic, little Italian restaurant, soaking up the sun and devouring an entire pizza. But the enjoyment of my little Italian reverie was interrupted by the texture. It was almost like they were stale…without a signature crunch, a crisp that is just not a crisp. Perhaps I picked up a bad bag but I couldn’t see any holes or reasons why the crisps would have been stale. Once you’d eaten a few, it was possible to ignore the lack of crispiness so I’m only going to bring its ranking down slightly as, overall, these were delicious.
Overall: 7/10.
You can buy these in co-op or online here.
Peach Infusion Tea
This is shocking, I know, but I don’t like iced coffee so an iced tea is my go-to summer drink, with my favourite definitely being a peach iced tea; I dread to think how much money I have spent in Costa getting my fix. With the cost of living crisis making me more conscious of my spending habits, I was super excited to find these peach infusion tea bags in Sainsburys as part of their summer edition range.
Claiming to make flavoursome peach tea that could be served hot or cold, I really thought these tea bags were going to be a game-changer. Sadly, I was wrong. I followed the instructions down to the letter, excited to be making a peach iced tea from the comfort of my own home, however the flavour majorly lacked. There was a very slight hint of peach in an otherwise cold glass of tea. Luckily, I had a bottle of peach flavouring in the cupboard so, after adding a little to the glass, my drink was fairly enjoyable.
Overall: 2/10
If you want to give these a go yourself, you can buy them in Sainsbury’s or online here.
Pesto & Mozzarella Swirls
Who isn’t a fan of picnic bites? Cocktail sausages, mini pork pies, picnic eggs—a staple of fine British cuisine—so the release of the supermarket’s summer ranges have brought a lot of excitement. Tesco have introduced these pesto and mozzarella swirls that come in packs of 6. I was very excited about these as they appear as a more ‘up-market’ picnic food option—maybe one to include in your summer blanquet plans (learn how to plan one here.)
It’s safe to say I was disappointed…
Sadly, they’re not on the same delicious level as other picnic options (my favourite so far being the hot and spicy cocktail sausages which you can read about here). Served cold, the pastry was very hard and the flavour lacked entirely; I don’t think you would’ve been able to identify the flavour without the label. It’s safe to say I was disappointed after the success of the other picnic offerings that Tesco stock; but I wasn’t prepared to give up on these. The packaging suggests they can be served cold or hot so I cranked the heat up on the oven and prepared myself for take two.
…a definite improvement but also impractical…
Popping them in the oven for a few minutes really did make a difference—the pastry became soft and flaky; the mozzarella still wasn’t overly strong but there was definitely more flavour, finished off with a pleasant hint of pesto-style herbs. Hot swirls were a definite improvement but also impractical; heating up the oven takes time and money for three minutes of cooking and also scraps the whole idea behind picnic food: to eat outside, on a picnic.
Overall: cold, 3/10; hot 6/10
Pop into Tesco to pick these up or order them here. Perhaps these would be better for your next garden party?
Kettle Focaccia Bites: Rosemary and Olive Oil
My final purchase this week was, of course, another share bag of crisps. After ploughing our way through Co-op’s Margherita Crisps, my family and I went on the hunt for the next fancy flavour to try.
Not technically crisps, these bites are halfway between a cracker and a thick crisp. They have crunch but more of a cracker consistency that more closely replicates focaccia bread than a typical crisp.
Now, I love focaccia bread, but these were just strange.
I really don’t have much to say about these than: rubbish. I really was not a fan and neither were my family. The rosemary flavour was so strong that it almost burnt your tongue and the olive oil gave them a greasy texture. Now, I love focaccia bread, but these were just strange. My sister, however, was a big fan. I’ve kept returning to them over the week and, while they don’t seem as bad as my first experience of them, I’m still not convinced at all.
Overall: 1/10, but I’m sure my sister would say 7.
Be your own judge and grab them in your next Tesco shop.
Catch up on my last review here.
Featured image courtesy of laura adai on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
Megan Geall
Megan is a 23-year-old recent English and American Literature graduate and aspiring journalist. Her interests include food, fitness, lifestyle writing and dance!
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