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
If I’m being perfectly honest, my first foodie purchase of the week was a slightly intoxicated purchase when I drunkenly stumbled into a Tesco after a few too many glasses of wine. I clearly still had a sensible head on my drunken shoulders because, wow, did I pick up some great treats. Once again, I picked up some new items in my weekly food shop and then I ended the week with searching for a sweet treat to celebrate some great personal news! If you have a sweet tooth, you definitely need to read on.
Sensations Limited Edition Roast Pork and Apple
Drunk Megan did well. A late night Tesco purchase resulted in me trying the newest release from the Walkers Sensation range that were produced for the Jubilee. I had a feeling these weren’t going to let me down because any Sensations crisps are delicious, right? (Thai Sweet Chilli, you are beautiful).
“it is honestly a shame that they’re limited edition.”
With a smokey pork flavour and a hint of sweet, tangy apple, the flavours are a heavenly match and come through really well in crisp form! These were certainly very addictive and it is honestly a shame that they’re limited edition. I really do recommend that you get your hands on a bag while you still have the chance!
Overall: 9/10
Buy these in supermarkets or online here.
Sensations Limited Edition Baked Cheese and Honey
After the Pork and Apple crisps, I couldn’t leave the other flavour untouched! I hunted these down in my weekly food shop and was desperate to try them, although I was admittedly a little skeptical about the flavour pairing.
But, Baked Cheese and Honey, I’m sorry I ever doubted you. Wow, just, wow. At first, you get the strong cheddar flavour come through but then comes a burst of herbs with the addition of rosemary. Finally, the sweetness of the honey smooths everything out into a truly delicious combination. I really was expecting not to like these crisps but I think I even preferred them to the Pork and Apple (although it was very close).
Overall: 10/10.
Buy them in supermarkets or online here.
Piña Colada Inspired Mallows
Under the Taste the Difference Summer Edition range, Sainsbury’s has released pineapple and coconut flavoured mallows to replicate the classic, tropical cocktail. As sales of the popular cocktail have increased by 40% since last year, it is clear why Sainsbury’s has released this sweet treat in time for summer. Imagine the s’mores you could make with these!
The actual marshmallow was very large so you don’t get many in a pack. I found myself splitting each mallow into three different pieces because the great size meant the flavour was too sweet to enjoy all at once.
“If you’re not a fan of coconut, these really won’t be for you”
The Piña Colada flavour definitely came flooding through with each mouthful. The mallow is smooth and pillowy, with tiny, crunchy pieces of desiccated coconut floating throughout each spongey bite. If you’re not a fan of coconut, these really won’t be for you as the flavour is definitely strong. However, I really didn’t see much of a downside to this new product except the awkward sizing; they’re fun, summery and super tasty!
Overall: 7/10
Buy these in Sainsbury’s or online here.
Swizzels Drumstick Raspberry and Vanilla Muffins
Getting some fantastic personal news sent me on a mission to treat myself to something incredible. As a huge lover of Swizzel’s Squashies, it had to be the newly-launched Drumstick-inspired muffins from Co-op. After having no luck in the first Co-op I stopped at, I eventually found them in the second and I was incredibly excited. These muffins are vanilla, swirled with a gorgeous raspberry pink colour to give them that famous Drumstick appearance.
As you can tell from the photo, I was too excited to test them out before I remembered to take a photo! Let me tell you, the flavour is spot on. These couldn’t taste any more like a Drumstick. Sickly sweet vanilla and tangy raspberry combine in a light, fluffy muffin that is truly a little bite of heaven if you’ve got a sweet tooth. I have to admit, I did struggle to get through a whole muffin just because of how incredibly sweet it was but you can’t fault the product for its perfect replication of the childhood classic!
Along similar lines, Co-op has also released a Refreshers muffin that is inspired by the chewy, lemon sherbet sweets. I think I will be returning to Co-op to give these a go after the success of the Drumstick muffins, so stay tuned over the next few weeks.
Overall: 9/10.
You’ll find these muffins in Co-op shops.
Check out last week’s review here.
Featured image courtesy of Gabriel Mihalcea on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
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!